Newtown Literary Group

For further information about Newtown U3A or any of the groups please contact: secretary@newtownu3a.co.uk

The Group's latest choice was The Dry by Jane Harper. It's a crime novel set in a small town (Kiewarra) in the Australian outback during a serious drought. Luke Hadler is suspected of shooting his wife and child before killing himself. Aaron Falk, Luke's former friend, returns to Kiewarra after exile because he himself was suspected of involvement in the death of a young Kiewarra woman. Tensions are high in an isolated and remote community, where animosities and suspicions combine with heat and failing farms. Falk investigates the shooting, unravelling several leads before discovering that the culprit is the local headteacher who feared discovery of embezzlement to fund a gambling problem.
The group had conflicting opinions about the novel. All agreed that the small town atmosphere and the effects of drought were well depicted. Some gave the novel top marks for its gripping storyline with a clever concluding twist, a well-handled mixture of the immediate with the past and convincing characters. Others found the flashbacks unsatisfactory and described the novel as monotonous and formulaic with an over-use of cliches. Discussion also touched on 'holiday novels' as a genre, and the contrast between modern novels and more challenging 'classics' from earlier years. 

The Group's latest book was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, published in 1932. In an imaginary future, people are genetically engineered in bottles to conform to a fixed social and economic status. There is world peace and social stability but achieved by suppression of individual choice, action and creativity. The regime is apparently benign but in reality it is totalitarian. A drug called 'soma' induces artificial happiness and removes any discontent. Outside brave new world there is a 'reservation' where people reproduce naturally and live in squalor and disease. It is visited by Bernard Marx, who is dissatisfied with his rather empty life. He returns with two 'savages', John and his mother. Subsequent discussion between John and one of the 'world controllers' highlights the contrasts between the opposing regimes and brings out the philosophical thrust of the novel. That doesn't overcome John's despair with brave new world and his only escape is suicide. In a lively discussion there were mixed opinions about the novel. Some did not enjoy it and found the story not just preposterous but also sad and depressing. Even so, the fact that it is still in print suggests that many people find it relevant today. Huxley was attacking the emptiness of the mass culture emerging in the 1930s and threats to individual liberty. The group agreed that much in today's world chimes with Huxley's critique, pointing to television, social media, inequality and the widespread use of drugs. Happiness was achieved by dealing with the ups and downs of life, not by artificial inducement. The arts and creativity were essential to the good life. There were also disturbing parallels with the rise of authoritarian and repressive regimes in both east and west. 

The Group's October meeting discussed How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. It's a fantasy novel about a man who was born in 1581 and is still going strong in the present day. Tom Hazard is one of a few people who have a fictitious condition called Anageria. We meet Tom in successive historical locations where he meets Shakespeare, James Cook, and other notables. The locations repeatedly come back to a London comprehensive school today where Tom is teaching history. There are 53 shifts of time and place. Some members did not like fantasy as a genre and thought the story not only stretches credibility too far but is also confusing. The Group agreed however that novel brings out some enduring truths about the human condition. Like most of us, Tom is searching for enduring love but fears its loss and struggles with loneliness. He concludes that memories can be a burden in a transient life and that immortality brings a psychological toll. We should live in the here and now while realising that past events shape the present. 

Our last book was The Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks. The novel's theme is tension between science and morality, especially regarding genetic engineering. Talissa is a young American anthropologist who needs to finance her promotion. She does so by becoming a surrogate mother, with IVF procedure at a private London clinic owned by a wealthy and unscrupulous oligarch. The sperm is secretly switched to that of a Neanderthal, using DNA derived from a fossilised bone. The child, a boy called Seth, is brought up by his unsuspecting parents. The ruse is eventually exposed and Seth, now in his thirties, is hounded by the media. The clinic owner is prosecuted and jailed but Seth can't cope with the pressure and, after being joined by Talissa, commits suicide. >

The Group had mixed opinions about the novel in a lively discussion. Despite being far-fetched, the morality issue was well brought out as was the underlying role of money and the way in which the media can damage lives. Characters were also convincing. The story was however criticised for losing momentum because of needless diversions and tailing off towards the end.

Our latest book was 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. In 1949, the American author wrote to a London antiquarian bookshop in search of old and out-of-print English books. Her request led to a 20 year correspondence with the bookshop's buyer, Frank Doel, his wife and daughter, and one of the other staff. The letters form the first part of the book; the second is a diary-like account of Helene's only visit to London in 1971, by which time Frank had died and the bookshop had closed. Sadly, it is now a McDonald's. There is a film of the book on Amazon Prime. In a lively discussion, some of the Group found the book delightful and endearing. Helene's gifts of food and nylons in the 1950s also triggered memories of post-war life and rationing. A contrary view was that the book was disappointing, lacking a storyline and the structure of a novel. Some of Helene's letters do appear rather abrupt and ungracious, in contrast with Frank's polite replies. Perhaps that illustrates cultural and linguistic differences between American and British people. Nevertheless, the book shows how letters can touch emotions and have permanence in a way that emails may not. Much to be said for pen and paper. 

At its last meeting the group discussed Driving over Lemons by Chris Stewart. Published in 1999, it's an account of the purchase and subsequent life of Chris and his wife at a rundown farm in the mountains of Andalucia in southern Spain. We learn about the harsh realities of farming and climate in a rugged landscape, and a lively dialogue introduces us to the locals. A series of anecdotes provides a vivid portrayal of place and people in an amusing and well-written account. Many have fantasised about moving to an exotic and sunny land and that is the book's vicarious appeal, having sold two million copies. The couple faced many setbacks but had the resilience and optimism to deal with them; they are still there. Not all would have those qualities, nor the essential command of a foreign language. The book provoked a lively discussion about Spain and the wider implications of the story.

The Group's May book was The Ambassador's Wife by Jennifer Steil. Miranda is a young American painter living in an Islamic country that seems to be Yemen. She befriends a group of young local women and teaches them to paint human figures, something contrary to Islam. A chance meeting with the British Ambassador leads to marriage. Miranda's Bohemian lifestyle is incompatible with her new role in the Embassy. While out hiking with other diplomatic wives, she is kidnapped by a rebel group but is eventually released by young women friends following a dangerous chase across the desert.

The Group had mixed opinions about the novel. It vividly portrayed how Western liberal values can conflict with those of Islam, the mysoginistic treatment of women by men in a fundamentalist Islamic society, and why the life of a diplomatic spouse is not for all. Although the story was gripping, the repeated shifts of time and place were confusing and did not make for easy reading.

At its latest meeting the Group gave high marks to The Loop by Nicholas Evans. It's set in ranching country in Montana, where there is a conflict between cattle rearing and wolves who have spread after reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park. We learn about the behaviour of wolves and also about the dysfunctional Calder family, within which Buck Calder is a domineering figure. The young Helen Ross has the task of tracking the wolves in order to prevent predation of calves. She falls in love with Luke Calder, Buck's younger son. Buck asks an ageing wolf hunter to eliminate the wolves, leading to Luke being shot and wounded when Buck mistakes him for a wolf. Buck finishes as a broken man. A sad story in some ways but it's one which sticks in the mind. Should wolves be reintroduced to Scotland where there are too many deer?

The Group's March book was Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. This well-known novel, which has been made into a film, is set in the Greek island of Kephalonia during and after the Second World War. Italian and German troops have invaded Kephalonia and the rest of Greece. Captain Corelli, of the Italian artillery, is billeted with a family which includes the local doctor and his daughter, Pegalia. Corelli and Pegalia fall in love, a relationship in which Corelli's mandolin plays an important part. The romance is however interrupted by Italy switching sides, leading to German troops killing the Italians in one of the worst atrocities of the war. Corelli escapes and and becomes a famous musician but his relationship with Pegalia is another casualty of the war. Meanwhile, Kephalonia is transformed into a tourist hot-spot. 

The Group found much to applaud in the novel: its treatment of history, the tragedy and immorality of war, the sensitive portrayal of romance, lifelike characterisation, and evocative depiction of a pre-war way of life on a Greek island that has been overtaken by tourism.

At the November meeting the group discussed Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. This is a complex and entertaining novel set in 1950s/early 1960s America. Much of the story involves the social conservatism of the time, particularly how it constrained the ability of women to combine a career with wider conventional expectations. Elizabeth Zott is a young research chemist who meets Calvin Evans, a famous chemist at the same institute. Calvin at first assumes Elizabeth is a secretary rather than a scientist, a typical attitude at the time. She is sacked when she becomes pregnant but finds a new career presenting 'Supper at Six' on TV. Her cookery demonstrations become chemistry lessons and the programmes are hugely popular, encouraging viewers to enjoy science. The group applauded the novel, which sparked a lively discussion about the degree to which women's careers and their role in society have changed over the last sixty years. It also raised many other issues around personal relationships. Lessons in Chemistry is a best-seller and has been made into a series on Apple TV. That tells us that the novel's themes and clever writing strike the right chords. It's a good read and is strongly recommended as a Christmas present.

The Group's latest book, Jessica by Bryce Courtenay, sparked a spirited discussion. The novel is set in the Australian outback around 1914. It combines a tangled story about a young woman's struggle against adversity, with an evocative depiction of rural life at the time. Jessica is a tom-boy who works with her father Joe on the farm. Her elder sister Meg is nurtured by her mother Hester to be the opposite: an attractive young woman who has little interest in the land. Hester's unscrupulous ambition is for Meg to marry Jack, the son of a wealthy neighbouring landowner. She encourages Meg to seduce Jack before he leaves for the war so that pregnancy would force a marriage. In the event, it is Jessica and not Meg who becomes pregnant. Hester manipulates the theft of Jessica's baby and its transfer to Meg. Meanwhile, Jack is killed in the war. The story is further complicated by the appearance of an aboriginal woman when Jessica gives birth, leading to a trial involving the right of the state to remove aboriginal children from their parents.

Some episodes in the novel stretch credibility. The group debated the importance of likelihood in a novel, and whether we should accept that unlikely events in a story do not necessarily detract from its enjoyment.

The group’s latest novel was Widowland by C J Carey, a deeply disturbing story in which the political freedoms we take for granted have been easily lost, combined with a feminist critique of the role of women in society. It’s 1953, and Britain formed an alliance with Germany in 1940 rather than fighting on. It has become an impoverished offshore island under German control. Women are categorised from infancy with the brightest and most attractive expected to have children, while the rest become drudges. Older women are banished to slum houses in Widowland. The state controls thoughts by re-writing history and literature, there is a pervasive sense of fear, and trust between individuals has been lost.

 
In a spirited discussion the group gave the novel high marks, drawing parallels with the regimes in countries like Russia and Iran and with The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

The Group enjoyed reading the latest choice, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. The novel revolves around an elderly and frail Ukrainian and his late wife who came to the UK as refugees after the war. He has started his Short History but is targeted by a voluptuous Ukrainian ‘gold-digger’ half his age. The narrator is the man’s younger daughter, who disagrees with ‘Big Sis’ about how to deal with this tricky situation.

 The story combines humour and sadness in raising some important social and family issues:

• The ageing process and eventual need for residential care.
• Conflict between siblings who differ in character and attitude.
• Integration of refugees.
• How distant memories of earlier trauma can unexpectedly re-surface.

 The novel was published in 2005 but is very topical. We learn something about the impact of invasion on Ukraine during the 20^th Century, and its ongoing quest for independence from Russia. Extracts from the Short History are also interesting.

The Group met on 8 June 23 to discuss All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison. Written in the first person, the novel is about a short period in the life of Edith, a 14 year old girl and her family farm in Suffolk in the mid 1930s. All agreed that the novel paints an evocative picture of a farming way of life that has almost entirely disappeared. Edith is traumatised by several shocks, personal and family, that struck her at about the same time. She never recovers, and we learn in an epilogue written many years later that she spent the rest of her life in an institution. Some felt that the ending of the novel was unsatisfactory, with the contents of the epilogue coming as a jolt.

The Group’s last meeting discussed River Spirit, a new and very topical book by Leila Aboulela. It’s a historical novel set in Sudan, in and around Khartoum and the White Nile. In the mid 1880s the Mahdi, a charismatic figure claiming to be the Islamic ‘Expected One’, led a mass and violent revolt against control of Sudan by the Ottoman Turks. The relationship between two young people, Yaseen and Zamzam, is impeded by the struggle. The British Governor of Sudan, General Charles Gordon, is killed when Khartoum falls to the Mahdi’s forces.

 The novel shows how religious fervour and anti-imperialism became a toxic mixture, dividing families and friends in a way common to many civil wars. It also indicates that the conflict and tribalism we see in Sudan today are nothing new. Our discussion pointed to a different interpretation: that the novel is primarily a love-story against the background of revolt and war. 

Our latest book was We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker. Although the author is British, this complex whodunnit is set in California and other western states. The central characters are Walk, the local police chief, Duchess, daughter of Star, a woman with troubles, and Vincent King who has spent 30 years in jail for killing Star’s sister in a hit and run accident. 13 year old Duchess sets fire to a seedy nightclub to punish Dickie Dark in revenge for taking advantage of her mother. The arson sparks a chain of events leading to Star being shot. Vincent King is the suspect but the final twist is that King was protecting Duchess’s brother, Robin, who shot Star by accident. It then emerges that King is Duchess and Robin’s father.

Some in the group thought it was just another crime novel, albeit rather unusual. Others, however, pointed to the moral issues raised by the relationships between the main characters. The spirited discussion resulted in the former (male) group having their opinions altered by the other (female) members. It demonstrated the value of a book group, and perhaps some of the differences between  men and women in how they interpret a novel dealing with difficult relationships. Do women have more insight into this aspect of life?
 

The book reads rather like a diary but is full of graphic and amusing accounts of her day-to-day experiences, including hand-grenade tuition. 1976 marked the end of the Cultural Revolution, an extraordinary period when Mao Zedong imposed a rigid version of Marxism on a compliant population. Professional people were obliged to adopt the life of peasants and manual workers, who were thought to have greater wisdom. The same applied to the British students, who found themselves working in a cabbage field. The book describes the intense cold and heat in Peking, the crude and uniform clothing, uninspiring food and odd (to us) aspects of Chinese behaviour such as frequent spitting. The group was impressed by Frances Wood’s apparent stoicism. She went on to become a respected academic in everything to do with China and Chinese. China is very different today: the second largest economy and a growing military power.

The Group's next book is The Ghost by Robert Harris.  It will be followed by H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.