The Cartographer by Peter Twohig

Melbourne, 1959. An eleven year old boy witnesses a murder as he spies through the window of a strange house. God, whom he no longer counts as a friend, obviously has a pretty screwed-up sense of humour: just one year before, the boy had looked on helplessly as his twin brother suffered

a violent death.

A bold, captivating and outrageously funny novel about a boy who refuses to give in and the numerous shifty, dodgy and downright malicious bastards he has to contend with on his grand adventure of loss and is discovery.

Digging beneath the surface of a story can unearth some interesting finds … so we found in our June book The Cartographer by Peter Twohig. At first look, this boy’s own adventure had our group ho-humming and predicting a tedious read with little to interest us. But in true book club style we persisted and most of us found a clever, original voice in the narration, wonderfully humorous moments, likable, believable characters, yet something dark and sinister lurking just below it all.

The vague references to the darker side of 1950s Melbourne; police corruption, bookies, betting even murder was well balanced within the story line, although making the many connections was not always easy. We also picked up on the main character’s (we never were given his name) anguish over his twin’s death and considered this whole adventure a way of dealing with and coming to terms with his loss.

To begin with, both Lorna and Anne thought they had another Jasper Jones in their clutches, but it never quite got there. Lorna found the style and pace did not give her time to get emotionally involved as she did with Jasper, but she enjoyed it all the same. We all felt the freedom and joy of childhood imagination taking flight and throughout our discussion there was much laughter and nostalgic reminiscing.

So although it may not make our ‘must read’ list, The Cartographer gave us an immensely delightful hour of imaginable fun and we were happy to suspend belief for this rollicking ride through a child’s fantasy world. We all hope never to be too old for that!

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining fertility, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...



Our first ever Margaret Atwood novel had our heads spinning in all directions … from uncomfortable and creepy to clever and interesting with a certain respectful awe in what the author has been able to create.

No one was exactly comfortable with this book’s theme, but then, we were never really meant to be, were we? The fact that every shocking event Atwood has included has happened somewhere in the world at some time, demands a certain amount of reverent appreciation. Her subject matter is deeply thought out and portrayed in a highly believable environment where human frailty is a constant escort.

Regardless of our unease, and the fact that speculative fiction is not necessarily a favoured genre, it was noted that the writing was of a high quality with an extremely prophetic concept, considering its time of publishing, the ‘80s.

Most of us found it challenging in many ways … as women (with a feminist slant), as readers and as human beings. The facts of the story are purposely left open to interpretation, which went a long way towards creating a most stimulating discussion and it was very interesting to hear everyone’s take on a variety of topics. Politics, religion, history and last but not least, what makes a brilliant novel. If you like to challenge yourself and are not adverse to speculation, give this one a go. Like us, you’ll be glad you did.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Renee is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, home to members of the great and the good. Over the years she has maintained her carefully constructed persona as

someone reliable but totally uncultivated, in keeping, she feels, with society's expectations of

what a concierge should be. But beneath this facade lies the real Renee passionate about

culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers with their

outwardly successful but emotionally void lives.

Down in her lodge, apart from weekly visits by her one friend Manuela, Renee lives resigned

to her lonely lot with only her cat for company. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her, and decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. But unknown to them both, the sudden

death of one of their privileged neighbours will dramatically alter their lives forever.

Everyone had something worthwhile to say about this month’s book. In fact, it took us a whole sixty minutes of discussion before we came to the mostly unanimous opinion that this is a great book and a most enjoyable read.

The story itself was not a new one … social misfit takes a chance and opens her life to others with positive outcomes. But the characters, and there are many … Renee, Paloma, Ozu and the many tenants, provide an extremely entertaining and profoundly relevant situation that struck a chord with our group.

We all found something of interest in this human web of relationships. Nancy picked out Renee’s reverse snobbery, Viti the conjuncture of old and young, and Lorna mentioned the pigeonholing of people which we all believed to be a pronounced theme throughout.

It was mentioned that as a translation this book may have lost something, but generally it was decided that the philosophical nature of the story came through and touched us with a good balance of what is needed for a worthwhile novel. Our group is not normally easy to please but Hedgehog draws on a poignant veneer of life that satisfied the discerning reader in all of us.

Ernest Hemingway Novel

Ernest Hemingway did much to change the style of English prose in the 20th century. He wrote in short, declarative sentences and was known for his tough, terse prose. For his efforts he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. This month our bookclub will be reading their own choice of a Hemingway novel.

Our challenge this month was to explore Ernest Hemingway. Not just his books, but the author himself. There were a variety of Hemingway titles read including Fiesta, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Snows of Kilimanjaro, A Movable Feast and A Farewell to Arms.

This proved to be an interesting experiment; we were able to identify many common and recurring aspects of the Hemingway style. Firstly his sentence structure; short, clipped and economical language with dialogue that became muddled and confusing at times, often with the need to re-read.

Depth of character was also found wanting. We had no interest in Hemingway’s repeated insistence of mundane activities such as eating, drinking, smoking etc simply because we knew so little of the characters and unable to make any connection with them. This was particularly true with his female roles. These we found struggling at every turn, barely one dimensional and in some cases a complete void.

Judy toiled with Fiesta, finally giving up and reading a biography on Hemingway instead. She shared some interesting info with us and we were able to see a clearer picture of the man and his work. He obviously failed badly with relationships and we came to the conclusion that the only successful relationship he had was with himself. When it came to romance within his stories, we felt nothing rang true and that they failed on every level. Was his style more suited to the male reader? We tended to think so. And why is his writing so universally applauded? Viti seems to think that at the time he gave American readers a new style that was ready to be embraced.

The real conundrum with Hemingway is The Old Man and the Sea. Every one of us who have read it believes this to be one of the great literary masterpieces. So how can this be? A literary genius with one magnificent book and a whole swag of ordinary work.

Regardless of what you think of the man or his work, he has embedded himself in the world of classic literature with his style and his reputation.

So be it.

The Submission by Amy Waldman

A jury gathers in Manhattan to select a memorial for the victims of a devastating terrorist attack. Their fraught deliberations complete, the jurors open the envelope containing the anonymous winner’s name – and discover he is an American Muslim. Instantly they are cast into roiling debate about the claims of grief, the ambiguities of art, and the meaning of Islam. Their conflicted response is only a preamble to the country’s.

A striking portrait of a fractured city striving to make itself whole.

There were some big questions asked at this month’s meeting, which showed our group was up to the task of this slightly confronting book from Amy Waldman, an American journalist turned novelist.

Foremost in everyone’s mind was simply … will we ever be a totally tolerant species, where all are considered equal regardless of race, culture or creed? Not a new topic by any means, but set in the context of 9/11, it gave us some interesting discussion points. One of them being the power of today’s media and the part it plays in the rise and fall of certain individuals, community groups and their agendas. This was thought to be well done by Waldman, whose knowledge of her characters and their environment earned her some high scores from us.

This is not to say everyone was sold. Individual taste matters in our group and some are not necessarily enamoured with American writing styles and found it a little superficial with stereotypical characters. But in saying that, we all agreed we were forced to think and maybe rethink the situation and conundrum the committee was faced with.

It was commented that this book would no doubt make a good movie and that it was a realistic snapshot of society. There was also comment about the illegal workers caught up in the 9/11 disaster, which again made us rethink and acknowledge the human catastrophe that unfolded on that day. Joan felt the author was to some extent exploiting the event, but generally the group was impressed with The Submission and is happy to recommend it as an intelligent read with plenty of questions and not many answers.

Homer & Langley by E. L. Doctorow

Brilliant brothers Langley and Homer Collyer are born into bourgeois New York comfort, their home a mansion on upper Fifth Avenue, their future rosy. But before he is out of his teens Homer begins to lose his sight, Langley returns from the war with his lungs seared by gas, and when both their parents die, they seem perilously ill-equipped to deal with the new era. As the brothers construct a life on the fringes of society, they hold fast to their principle of self-reliance. But they are mocked and spied on, and despite wanting nothing more than to shut out the world, the epic events of the century flow through their housebound lives as they struggle to survive and create meaning for themselves.

To have 12 readers agreeing to the pleasure of one book is no mean feat, but that is exactly what happened this month with Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow. Every one of us enjoyed the connectivity that the author created with the two Collyer brothers, even if he took some license with the facts. Denise felt we needed to put the real story of Homer and Langley Collyer away, and simply enjoy Doctorow’s brilliant characterisation of these two extraordinary souls.


The economic writing was a hit with the group, as was McCarthy’s a few years back, and the black humour, descriptive writing and astute observations made us all instant fans.

A few of us felt Doctorow used his characters as a platform for some of his own social and political views, but we are no strangers to this (Coetzee comes to mind) and were more than happy to absorb them within the context of the story.

Langley’s entertaining fight with the authorities was enjoyed by all and our empathy leaned strongly towards the brothers throughout the book. Ann questioned our acceptance of such eccentric individuals today, or if we found them actually living next door. Good point Ann, and it had us contemplating society’s tolerance to mental health.

There was so much to discuss in this small, unassuming book and we were all surprised by its scope and integrity. Should you read Homer and Langley? If you like a book packed with emotion that makes you laugh, cry and think, then yes, get a copy without delay!

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

Tom’s friend Paul is similarly obsessed and when a long-lost diary surfaces they finally seem to make a breakthrough. But only hours later, a fellow researcher is murdered and the two friends suddenly find themselves in great danger. Working desperately to expose the book’s secret, they slowly uncover a Renaissance tale of passion and blood, a hidden crypt and a secret worth dying to protect.

This was a tricky one for the end of the year. Some of us were not up to the task of unraveling the puzzle of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili! It may well have been the time of year, or, as someone suggested, the self-indulgence of the two authors. Either way, it was a struggle for most of our group to get through this scholarly mystery.

Ann, who did enjoy the challenge, felt you needed a love of history and accumulating knowledge to get the most from this book, and she loved the ‘mystery within the mystery’ that ran throughout. Viti also found some value within its pages and she loved the historical tidbits that the story supplied.

But the overall opinion was that Rule of Four did not quite make the grade for a good novel. To much work required, tedious, and characters that did not connect were among the majority of views. Would it have been different if we read this book at the beginning of the year? Probably not. Our book club has a well developed sense of what they like, and are not easily convinced otherwise.

So it is on to a new year of reading, which gets everyone excited about what we will discover. Keep an eye on this blog for our latest reviews of 2013.