Ich bin eine Wienerin auf Rügen, die viel liest und nie "nur so kurz in eine Buchhandlung reinschauen" kann - ich komme immer mit mindestens einem neuen Buch aus dem Geschäft.
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Dieses außerordentlich komplexe Konzept haben wir uns natürlich nicht selbst ausgedacht, sondern von Dave Eggers geborgt...
Felix
"“How to spot a Bookworm – Saying they’ll just have a quick browse but come our looking like they bought a whole shelf.” (Quotation page 106, 107)"
Content Zoe, a single mother of four-years-old Hari desperately needs a job and somewhere to live, because she cannot afford her flat in London any more. That is why she comes to Inverness to assist pregnant Nina with the bookshop in the vintage van. There also are the children of her new landlord Ramsay Urquart, two boys, twelve and five years old, and nine years old Mary. Zoe has to look after them in the morning and evenings, until the housekeeper arrives. The children are special, the house, more a castle, is dark and cold, but the nature was just breathtaking and her son Hari adores five years old Patrick. Would Zoe be able to bring about some changes, definitely needed in her new place? Theme and genre Another chick-lit novel with substance and depth, a special genre, the author is famous for. It is about being different from others, about family, motherhood, fathers and children. Books are only a second theme. Characters Zoe is likeable, mostly down-to-earth and strong in there own way. We also meet again Nina, still known as the main character from “The Bookshop on the corner”, but she is now quite bossy. The characters are well described with realistic behavior, especially the children. Plot and writing There are enjoyable descriptions of the beautiful Scottish landscape and the old, aristocratic country house, in urgent need of any kind of warmth and renovation. The story is well developed, gripping and has the right touch of romance and wit, but there are other novels by Jenny Colgan, I liked more. Conclusion An enjoyable read for cosy afternoons.
"“They went past dark hedgerows and low-roofed outhouses, before The Beeches finally revealed itself. It was the spookiest place Zoe had ever seen in her life.” (quotation page 62)"
Content In 1978, Sybil Baxter is fifty-one years old, married to Joe and since twenty-six years lives on Fairvale, in Australia’s Northern Territory, a remote vastness with difficult climate conditions. Her new book club brings together five very different women: herself, her British daughter-in-law Kate, her old friend Rita, nurse and member of the Flying Doctors, Sallyanne, mother of three children and Della from Texas, doing a man’s job just to feel free. They soon learn that their group is much more than just books, its female friendship and helping each other through difficult times. Theme and genre A brilliant novel about friendship and the strength of women under adverse conditions and in a rough environment in the late seventies and early eighties. It is also about changes and the possibilities life could offer. Important topics are books and Australia’s North. Characters Every single main character is well described, individual, authentic with edges and contours, and definitely loveable. In these few years they have to cope with decisions and changes, new developments, not always voluntarily chosen. Plot and writing Each year starts with a summary of international events happened during the year. The life of the five female protagonists is told chronologically with memories and flashbacks. There are chapters and each is mainly focusing on one of the main characters, on more only if they meet. The story is gripping and the descriptions of the rural life and the beautiful but rough environment are very well researched, detailed and the perfect, interesting addition to the story. The books read by the Fairvale Book Club invite to further backlist reading about the topic. Conclusion An enjoyable, gripping read with loveable characters and captivating descriptions of the landscape and lifestyles marked by nature and the different seasons. At the end of the story it feals like leaving well-known friends.
"“Kate smiled brightly at Sallyanne and Sybil felt something click inside her: she would like to think it was the sound of things shifting into place but perhaps it was merely relief.” (Quotation pos. 833)"
Content: This book contains six short novels: The Bird’s Trilogy, Culture Lovers, Carol’s Christmas, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Framing, The Reading Circle. Each story has different main characters, men and women in a relationship, but definitely focuses on the female protagonists. One of the stories is very amusing and special. Themes: All stories are about love, relationships and the British way of life, seen from different point of views and as adopted by different cultures and they all contain unexpected turns and twists. Language is important, not only connected to the content, but used in a splendid way, playing with idioms, giving words and phrases amusing new contexts, which makes the book a real pleasure to read and makes the reader not only smile but laugh out loud. Conclusion: Everyday life and marriage, including misunderstandings, humorously analyzed and described and told in a sensitive way, with subtle wit and irony.
"„We’re concerned with literary fiction, not with our own personal reality.’ ’I don’t see how you can separate them,’ says Joy.” (Original quotation page 173, 174)"
Content: Idlewild Hall had been a boarding school for girls, sent away by their families. Finally closed around 1979 and since abandoned, the new owners want to restore it and reopen the house as a new, modern school. Young Journalist Fiona Sheridan has her own bitter memories connected with the Idlewild property, as twenty years ago her sister Deb had been found dead on the former sports field. Although Tim, her sister’s boyfriend, had been sentenced, for Fiona there are still lots of very unclear details and open questions. She wants to write an article about Idlewild Hall and starts her own researches. When the renovation team finds the remains of the body of a young girl, dead for more than sixty years and definitely murdered, she digs deep into the past of Idlewild Hall. Who was Mary Hand? Theme and genre: This dark and atmospheric story is written in the perfect tradition of the famous Gothic fiction originated in England in the second half of the 18th and the 19th century. There are female heroines, four girls in 1950 and Fiona in 2014, a ghost and darkness and mysteries. Topic are the living conditions of for different reasons unwanted girls in the early 60ies, but also female friendship, tenacity and courage, now and then. Another topic are grieve and loss and the Holocaust. Characters: Fiona is likeable, because although her questions are soon getting dangerous for her, she is not willing to stop and give up. 1950, in the dark, cold surrounding of Idlewild School, four girls, Katie, Roberta, CeCe and Sonia are best friends, holding together against everything. Plot and writing: The story takes place in Barrons, Vermont. There are two timelines, the fifties with each chapter focusing on one of the four girls and 2014, with details going back to 1994. Both timelines are gripping und breathtaking, with surprising twists and turns. Especially historical facts connected to Sophie´s story were thoroughly researched. Conclusion: A dark, atmospheric novel in the tradition of the famous English Gothic literature, gripping and full of suspense. A perfect pageturner, sleepless nights included.
"“Fiona realized as she walked inside that she’d been picturing something Harry-Potter-like, with high Gothic ceilings and warm candlelight.” (Quotation page 56)"
Genre, theme and content Illustrations and relating texts for every minute, day and situation in the life of a book addict. Humorous, funny comics to make a bookworm laugh aloud with pleasure, smiling and nodding in agreement. Debbie Tung perfectly understands the everyday problems of bibliophiles and how it feels to be one. Conclusion A perfect gift for booklovers, for bibliophiles knowing the meaning of “SUB” and owning some of it. A book to flip through, read and enjoy time and again.