Guilford Book Group

The best things about Book Group is that you read books you might not normally choose, and therefore might miss.

“… the camaraderie and shared experiences within a ‘safe’ environment; the stimulation of conflicting views; the pleasure of discovering a ‘new’ author; the satisfaction of listening and being listened to; the delight of debate; coming in and greeting old friends; appraising the biscuit selection; dissolving in to giggles; sharing information about local events; sharing lives.”

Book Group is always very social. It’s great being with people who want to talk about books. But not too seriously! We do a book a month, except December, when we plan the next year’s list and have a literary quiz. We take it in turns to host the evening and research the book and author. We used to read loads of relatively modern fiction written mostly by women. To incorporate more variety and classics, each member now nominates three books: one classic, one ‘special’ (biography, factual, travel, poetry, play, genre, etc.) and one fiction. This has resulted in a better mixed list.

What is a classic? Anything that’s still being read, talked about, printed or published 25 years or more after it first appeared? Don’t start with The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy by Laurence Sterne. We felt intellectual, having tackled it, but it’s a difficult book. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was more fun: all that passion! The Fall by Albert Camus was hard but most finished it. (Because it was short?) Together, we work out what authors might have meant and the discussion encourages those who haven’t read the book to do so (or sometimes not!)

“If I haven’t liked a book, it’s fascinating to hear the opinion of others who have loved it and, through that, to appreciate facets of the book that have escaped me. If I have enjoyed the book, I feel quite smug that I’ve seen something that others may have missed!”

It’s a privilege to be trusted with information about someone else’s life. During the discussion of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, one member talked about her own abusive father. The Scent of Dried Roses by Tim Lott resulted in a lot of revelations about depression. One member admitted that, as a child, for a long tome she had believed the print of the Vermeer painting (Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier) was a picture of her own mother as a younger woman. Hidden Lives by Margaret Forster produced a fascinating discussion about secrets.

We’ve done politically provoking books too. Taliban: Islam, Oil and the new Great Game by Ahmed Rashid was informative and topical. Stalingrad by Antony Beever isn’t for the faint-hearted. We wondered whether Catch-22 by Joseph Heller could have the same impact on young people today. Then we discussed what our parents were doing during WWII.

“My favourite book club evening was the first one I ever attended: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver completely absorbed me and I’ve continued ever since to think about points raised. I no longer automatically think so-called democracy is democratic or fair.”

Perfume by Patrick Suskind was probably the strangest book we’ve read. We were intrigued by the magical realism of House of Spirits by Isabelle Allende and an unknown Tasmania revealed in English Passengers by Matthew Kneale. Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey and Sucking Sherbert Lemons by Michael Carson got very mixed reviews. Charlotte Grey by Sebastian Faulks was a complete dud. Badly written and a disappointment after Birdsong. It’s hard to be the only person to like or dislike a book. It’s easy to get emotional about it. Mixed views produce much more discussion and livelier evenings, which can change your opinion of a book.

“I learned a great deal from Hitler’s Pope by John Cornwell and was quite horrified by some of the facts, but I needed somebody who could explain the full picture to help me understand the historical background. Having someone with that sort of knowledge increased my enjoyment of the book immensely. The Group is a real mix of backgrounds and the different viewpoints from the Catholics, Protestants and Jews (whether practising or just by upbringing) were invaluable.”

Members of the group found it difficult to discuss reasons why people are anti-Semitic, anti-racist, or hold other non-PC attitudes, without feeling they were condoning the non-pc viewpoint. It shows how subjective most discussions are.

We usually read a poem each time and we’ve also had whole evenings of poetry.

We’re an all-women group because it grew out of the National Women’s Register. We’ve discussed introducing men but it’s always been voted out. Members are afraid the men will dominate. We always end the evening by going round all the members of the group in turn to make sure everyone has had the opportunity to giver her opinion. Some people sometimes don’t say anything at all, except during the final round. Having members not participating is almost as bad as having them dominate the group. At one time, we got a bit slipshod about the group. People weren’t bothering to read the book or didn’t come to the evenings. One member had a moan about it and we all made more effort. We all lead busy lives, so we help each other with research but some books and authors have more written about them than others. You do all need to contribute to make the evenings enjoyable.

“I joined the book group when I was suffering from clinical depression. For the first time for many months I felt I could cope with something new. This was something I could ‘do’, felt comfortable with, could contribute to. I wasn’t being judged as a person but was accepted as someone with an interest in reading who could articulate her thoughts. I really appreciate the diversity of people in the group, all of whom are intelligent discerning book lovers. The freedom to say what I really feel has been welcome and, most of all, I’ve learnt so much from being challenged to read a wide range of texts.”

Recent Reading list:

While I was Gone, Sue Miller
The Fall, Albert Camus
Hitler’s Pope, John Cornwell
English Passengers, Matthew Kneale
The Emigrants, WG Sebald
Girl With a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier