Book Club

[matty]

Hi Tinley, that would be great if you want to join us for the next book, and some of our members can suggest the next book.
Matty
x

 

[DQ]

Given that the author is a man and the main character Sally is a woman, do you think his depiction believeable and compelling?

I thought for a man he wrote very well from a woman's perspective, albeit the woman he was writing about seemed to be a female version of the male, with a slightly nicer personality!!

What do you think of the meeting up and the subsequent relationship between Sally and Tony before they decided to marry, did you think that would happen?
Was she really madly in love with him or was it just that she felt old enough to get married and settle down, a bit tired of her journalistic life?

I thought it was interesting the way they 'fell in love' inasmuch as I wasn't sure they were in love. More in lust, then circumstances overtook them. I know a lot of women reach a certain age and feel that if they get pregnant it's their last chance, but when I was first reading about her she struck me as the type of person to remain childless and live her life the way she wanted to, rather than coming over all maternal.

The whole thing of being American in London, does he convey the loneliness of this especially as her husband is as foreign to her as the city.

I think he did a good job of this. Having moved from my Birmingham to Brighton when I was 18, I remember how scary everything was, how unfamiliar, etc. I too wondered why she put up with so much from him in the beginning - she seemed to go from a kick-ass American journalist into a bit of a doormat, and pregnant or not that was hard to swallow.

 

[matty]

Feck, I am after losing my reply cos I wasn't logged in so here goes again.
Thanks for all your comments.
Hels and DQ, here are my thougths on the issue of Sally allowing Tony to treat her badly even though she was a feisty independent woman.
I think it shows how vulnerable we all can be at a time in our live given a certain set of circumstances. She was new to London, dependent on her new husband, and being pregnant made her feel very isolated.
I remember reading Madeline Allbright's autobiography and being shocked at the way she allowed her husband to treat her, he left her for another woman, and then kept going over and back between them to decide who he wanted most, and she allowed that. And this woman was the first woman secretary of state, a woman he should have been proud to be with, and she admitted that she would have given it all up for her marraige if he had wanted her.
I can understand that as I allowed my ex husband to treat me badly too, I just wanted him to want me and love me and need me. And that is a very scary place to be, to give somebody that power over you.
And I think that is what happened Sally, she lost her power temporarily.
But I do think the writer is very perceptive about a woman's feelings and the way having a new baby can make you feel...
What do others think?
Love Matty

 

[DQ]

An interesting point, and one that touches close to home having put up with a lot from my first husband. Agree about her losing her power.

Did anyone else feel Tony kinda turned into a caricature villain?

 

[htpink]

Think as the book went on it wasn't about him - thought her journey and the sheer helplessness of her situation came across and after being pretty disinterested in it i then became riveted - although i thought it was obvious what the outcome would be.

What did you think about the "wonder lawyer" she just happened across on Legal Aid? Credible or not?

 

[DQ]

That was difficult to swallow, although after the first lawyer I was rather hacked off and glad to see things improve.

 

[matty]

hot shot lawyers!

Yeah, I was wishing I could have met a wonder lawyer like that especially as he was free!
A bit much far fetched I thought, but I suppose he was an example of how people can stand by you when you least expect it, and also I thought he portrayed that some people are just genuinely decent people even if they don't appear to have much going for them in the way of personality.

I did think the first lawyer was hilarious though, so obnoxious and money grabbing, did any of you find that believeable or was it too Hollywoody?

And yes, thought Tony turned out to be just too bad really, but I suppose it was really all about Sally losing her power and slowly regainiing it again.
I had such admiration for her when she got the job proofing the books and how she stuck with it despite her desperate pain.
Made me so angry that she had to prove herself to be a fit mother, and the people who decide these things are so stuffy and moralistic, know nothing of what it is like to have a new baby with post natal depression.

Anyone else with any thoughts on it?

Matty x

 

[DQ]

Made me so angry that she had to prove herself to be a fit mother, and the people who decide these things are so stuffy and moralistic, know nothing of what it is like to have a new baby with post natal depression.

Anyone else with any thoughts on it?

Matty x

Having suffered PND to varying degrees with each of my babies, I did find myself reading this through 'different' eyes. And I was a little disappointed in how it was portrayed. The health visitor was marvellous in the book, as were mine in true life.

I was disappointed in the way they portrayed the British medical teams - I certainly didn't meet any Drs like the ones in the book, and suffering with SPD last pregnancy which is very hard to diagnose and causes 'problems' with a normal pregnancy and delivery saw a lot of members of the medical profession.

The more I think about it, the more I find myself 'disliking' the portrayals, but maybe it touched too many nerves since I went through stages of wondering what sort of mother I was.

 

[Cheb]

Some things to consider?
Given that the author is a man and the main character Sally is a woman, do you think his depiction believeable and compelling?

Didn't find Sally that believable when she first moved to London. I wasn't convinced that she would accepted her new London life quite so willingly but I suppose she was dependent on Tony and didn't really have the opportunity to find her feet before she was taken into hospital.

Was she really madly in love with him or was it just that she felt old enough to get married and settle down, a bit tired of her journalistic life?

Don't think she was madly in love and neither was he, but I don't think he set out to decieve her either. Seemed to me that they met and got on well and enjoyed each others company. Both of them probably thought that they would move on in time but of course had to make a decision about the baby and as they both felt ready for a new direction the natural thing was marriage.

The whole thing of being American in London, does he convey the loneliness of this especially as her husband is as foreign to her as the city.

Don't think that this was given enough emphasis.

Matty

I was impressed by his insight into PND, I haven't suffered myself so can't be sure that this portrayal is accurate; but it seemed to be written by somebody that must have suffered to the point that I did wonder if Douglas was a pen name and the author is actually a woman!

Also found the judgement quite surprising, given the evidence presented I'm not sure that in reality the judge would have made the same decision. (Desperately trying not to reveal the judgement to those who have not yet fininshed the book!)

Anyhow I enjoyed the book, it was entertaining and compulsive enough to keep me up late in order to get it finished; that's always a good sign. Think I may well try another by the same author.

 

[matty]

Hello girlies, really happy you enjoyed the book, Cheb, think you would enjoy "The Pursuit of Happiness" by the same author.
Now will some of you decide on the next book please, I am reading a few books at the moment and not getting into anyof them, so would love to try somebodys recommendation.
So Hels, Cheb...any ideas

 

[boofaloo]

ooh can i join when you have chosen a new book.
I love reading but tend to read the same kind of books. It'll be nice to read something else that i wouldnt necessarily choose.

 

[matty]

Ok then, who is choosing the next book?
Matty

 

[Cheb]

Hi

If I may be so bold to put forward a book I picked up last week?

Little Face by Sophie Hannah. It was chosen by the Times Book Group (according to a sticker on the cover.) so maybe you've read it already?

Not an author I've heard of, the book is described as a psycological thriller.

Here's the blurb......

She's only been gone two hours.
Her husband David was supposed to be looking after their two week old daughter. But when Alice Farncourt walks into the nursery, her terrifying ordeal begins, for Alice insists the baby in the cot is a stranger she has never seen before.

With an increasingly menacing David swearing she must be either mad or lying, how can Alice make the police believe her before it's too late?

So what do you think, shall we give it try?

 

[htpink]

Yes that sounds good!

 

[matty]

Sounds good to me Cheb, we will go for it and thank you for suggesting it.
So come on everyone, we have a new book this week, get reading!
Matty

 

[matty]

Has anyone been looking at Coro St and Claire believing the baby is not hers, don't think it will have a very dramatic ending though!
Presume it is a form of PND she has?

 

[htpink]

Ordered used from amazon - £5.24 inc p&p!

 

[matty]

Good for you Hels, going to see if I can pick it up in a bookshop here tomorrow.

 

[boofaloo]

ooo that sounds good. Will go order my copy in a mo.

 

[Cheb]

Good I'm glad you all want to give it a try, just got to finish off the one I'm reading then I can get started on this one. Are we setting a date for discussion?

P.S. Presently I'm reading Perfect 10 by Louise Keane, someone on Discovery forum reccommended it to me. A lot of it rings very true for me!