Category Archives: Book Club Reviews

Book reviews by City of Parramatta Libraries book clubs.

Book Review Take My Hand

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Take My Hand

Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Summary

Montgomery, Alabama. 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference in her community. She wants to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies.

But when her first week on the job takes her down a dusty country road to a tumbledown cabin and into the heart of the Williams family, Civil learns there is more to her new role than she bargained for. Neither of the two young sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling their welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have them on birth control. When Civil discovers a terrible injustice, she must choose between carrying out instructions or following her heart and decides to risk everything to stand up for what is right.

Inspired by true events and a shocking chapter of recent history, Take My Hand is a novel that will open your eyes and break your heart. An unforgettable story about love and courage, it is also a timely and uplifting reminder that one person can change the world.

Comments

This book was well recieved and enjoyed by our readers.

The story is fictional but the core subject matter is factual and based on actual events of that time. This was a dark and shocking period of very recent history.

Our group found this book educationally informative and at times emotionaly shocking.

The focus of the story is around a black american nurse in Montgomery Alabama in the early 1970’s.

Working in a federally funded family planning clinic, Civil Townsend, a newly registered nurse, is confronted by the harsh realities of birth control practices for poor black people. Civil develops a very close relationship with two young sisters under her care along with their father and grandmother. She is very conflicted about their treatment and the blind violation of these girls basic human rights. With the help of other key characters, that she activily conscripts to help, Civil decides to take legal action for these girls.

There was some critisism from our readers about the relationship development between some of the key characters, described as clumbsy and baffling at times. The individual character development however was respected with some characters moving readers to tears with their powerless vulnerability or with their conviction to help Civil to do right for poor, vulnerable people.

This book is a recommended read. The story is well written and flows very well. There is some jumping from 1973 to present day and back that some readers do find confusing but overall a good read. The disturbing thing about this story was our groups realisation that this treatment did not  happen just in Alabama but to the poor, the disabled and the mentally ill worlwide.

Read by MJ Readers

Book Review French Braid

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French Braid by Anne Tyler

When Mercy Garrett moves herself out of the family home, everyone determines not to notice.

All she wants is space and silence. No clutter. Not even their cat, Desmond.

But it turns out family life is impossible to escape – particularly when it’s in your past. For Mercy it all begins in 1959, with a holiday to a cabin by a lake. It’s the only one the Garretts will ever take, but its effects will ripple through the generations

Comments

This book was described by a number of readers as a very “ordinary” and slow moving story.

A polarising book, it was either enjoyed or disliked by our readers.

Many readers felt there were very few “stand out” likable characters in this novel, a novel that is all about family relationships and family secrets.

The story line seemed to go nowhere and was very frustrating for many readers who described a narration that just went on and on building to nowhere.

A few readers did enjoy this low key story of an average family making their way through life although they did also state they were half through the book and were asking “is this story going anywhere?” It is only at this lengthy point in the story that the enjoyment kicked in.

The story is a narration of various family member viewpoints about their lives and their relationships within their family. 

Robin and Mercy are the parents of three children. The early years are told as a family unit but moves on as the children mature to each of their lives being told individually. 

Some are likable and relateable, some are found wanting in character by our readers. 

Unfortunately the mother, Mercy, was found to be very unlikable by most readers. This was quite off putting to some readers who found her character to be self absorbed and selfish. This aspect strongly affected how they felt about the book.

Anne Tyler does write in a unique style and some of our readers have read her books and enjoyed them.

This one was felt to be not one of her best.

Read by MJ Readers Book Club

Book Review Storm Child

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Storm Child by Michael Robotham

About the book

The most painful of Evie Cormac’s memories have been locked away ever since she was held prisoner as a child – a child whose rescue captured hearts and headlines.

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven‘s mission is to guide her to something near normality. But today, on a British beach, seventeen bodies wash up in front of them. There is only one survivor, with two women still missing.

Suddenly, Evie’s nightmares come roaring back. Whatever happened all those years ago lies at the core of this new tragedy. Because these deaths are no accident. The same dark forces are reaching out, dragging her back into the storm.

Comments

This fourth book in the Cyrus Haven series did not disappoint our group.

The characterisations are believable and engaging and the plot has twists and turns which keep the reader guessing. Set in Scotland and involving ‘people in high places’, it is a story of abuse, people smuggling and greed. Evie’s repressed memories from her past abuse begin to resurface in this story and as Cyrus continues to help Evie resolve her past, he gains resolution of his own.

A thoroughly gripping and enjoyable read.

Read by Dundas Readers 8/10

Click here to discover more books by Michael Robotham

Book Review Darling Girls

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Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

About the book

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. Rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate, they were given an elusive second chance of a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. And when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

Comments

This book was read and finished by our readers but most described the book as compelling,  

not great. This was not a “read again” book for us.

Each reader did want to find out how the story developed and ended but no one  found it to be a “great read.”  

One reader described it as only three stars, most agreed with this although some readers suggested lower.

Many found the main characters quite unlikable at times and there were way too many cliches. 

The story, to many, felt like a minority “tick chart” that concentrated hard to include diversity in characters that was unnecessary and this substituted for deeper personal character development.

 The child abuse theme in this story did make this stort difficult to read for some. The lifelong bond, however, developed between foster sisters in this shared abuse foster “family” situation was one of the more warming aspects of the story. The three main characters did believably care for each other and protect each other through their life after they had left their dysfunctional ” wicked foster mother” family situation.

For most of our readers this was the redeemable aspect of the story.

Read by MJ Readers Book Club

Book Review Lady Tan’s Circle of Women

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Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

About the book

In 15th century China two women are born under the same sign, the Metal Snake. But life will take the friends on very different paths.

According to Confucius, ‘an educated woman is a worthless woman’, but Tan Yunxian – born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separation and loneliness – is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. She begins her training in medicine with her grandmother and, as she navigates the male world of medicine, requiring tact and diplomacy, she struggles against the confining world of her class.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose – despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it – and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of tradition, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.

Comments

All members at our meeting enjoyed this story.

Historically we found the story fascinating. Chinese history in the mid 14th century, the Ming Dynasty. Although the story is a fictional account the historical detail throughout is enthralling.

The level of research of 15th century China is admirable. 

The story is centred around the real life of a female doctor, Tan Yunxian.

At the age of fifty she published a book about her medical cases, all of which were female. This book remains in print to this day thanks to her male descendants from the 17th century.

There is little to nothing known about the real Tan Yunxians life so the story revolves around the fictitious life story of a girl, born into a family of privilege in the Confucian period in China. 

The story beautifully details the lifestyle of females in her aristocratic family. Fortunately for Tan her family highly respects education and learning. 

Foot binding, social and class restrictions along with the educational requirements for young women to make them good daughters, good wives and then good mothers is engagingly well written throughout Tan’s life.

Our group also loved the detail of research by Lisa See into the medical cures that Lady Tan used and the descriptions of her diagnostic methodology with each of her patients. The novel also details the lack of appropriate medical diagnosis offered to women during this time.

There is an engaging story that runs through the novel with each character giving inciteful detail into the lives of the people of that class and sex during the time period, particularly midwives.

Tan Yunxian, through Lisa See, has been given her place in history with recognition of her medical brilliance, her ongoing self education and learning, and her care for her fellow females, no matter their class or social standing during this incredibly repressive time for so many in human history.

Read by MJ Readers Book Club