Sophie, Still Standing by Meg Mason

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

In some ways, Sophie, Sill Standing by Meg Mason is wildly unbelievable. But in other ways (and I was reading it while I was enjoying the Edinburgh International Book Festival) it is clearly informed by experience and therefore quite believable (and Mason’s chat with Ann Patchett reveals a bit about that experience).

Anyway, real of not, it doesn’t matter a jot. The story is charming – it features Mason’s signature, gentle humour, and it’s set at a literature festival – what a bonus! Continue reading →

The Marriage Plot – Family Family by Laurie Frankel

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , ,

First up, Literary Wives has had a rebrand – we are now The Marriage Plot. We decided that a new name was in order to be more inclusive, and broaden our definition and consideration of roles in long-term partnerships.

So, to the club selection – Family Family by Laurie Frankel. Even with our rebrand, this book didn’t fit our intended focus because there are no core partnerships in the story. Instead, Frankel looks at how families are formed and what counts as ‘family’.

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Air by Christian Kracht

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

When it came to discussing Air by Christian Kracht, my book group didn’t do much discussing. Rather, it was an hour of questions and speculation –

  • was it an Arthurian myth?
  • the row boat, the screw, the gun – where did they come from?
  • is it a VR game?
  • why are they traveling south to the North Sea?
  • is it a commentary on climate change?
  • is it a story about belonging and outsiders?
  • does the main character fall into a memory bank?
  • …and what the hell was going on with the horses?!

Continue reading →