How quickly can you do it?
Wow- can you believe that it’s nearly a month since the last meeting? What a month- passed, for me at least, in a crazy whirl of packing boxes (I’m moving house!!) and interviews (and moving jobs!). So, all pretty stressful! But thankfully a small space has been preserved for reading and book group doings: my month has also been punctuated by tons of South Asian fiction in anticipation of the festival coming up at the Sage and significantly brightened by so many book group members popping into WH Smiths for a chat. I know that some of you are having a bit of a problem getting hold of the book in local shops and unfortunately I’ve not been able to help in that area- as its not standard stock, Smiths hasn’t been very forthcoming in helping out and I understand that Waterstones hasn’t had any/ many in either. All I can suggest for those of you who haven’t got it yet is either the trusty old internet (God bless Amazon- what on earth did we do without it??) or Blackwells in Newcastle for your £2 discount. And maybe in the future we can think about maybe making a bulk order so we can ensure everyone has a copy well in advance. But if you haven’t got your copy yet don’t worry too much- there is certainly still time and even if you’re not finished I’m sure you’ll still have plenty to contribute.
It would be a shame to miss this meeting as I think it may be a bit different from the last- from the conversations I’ve had so far, it seems reaction to Gifted is far more varied than those I heard to Half a Yellow Sun. A couple of people have found it quite difficult to get into and others have found the characters impossible to get on with. I’ve got to admit I find this all a bit strange because, while I agree this is undoubtedly a different proposition to the epic sweep of Half a Yellow Sun, I read Gifted quickly and greedily and found the characters largely to be sympathetic and convincing portraits (even while vehemently disagreeing with some of the things they were doing!). However, maybe its just my perverse streak but I actually think this might make for a more interesting group; a bit of disagreement is sure to get the discussion flowing and it will be interesting to try and pin down why people react so differently. I guess the most important thing is that whatever your opinion, don’t let it put off coming to the group- even if you hate it so much you can’t finish it (and I already know at least one person who feels this way!!). Just have a bit of a think why you think what you do and then come along and be prepared to fight your corner! I’m looking forward to it already! x
