Category Archives: Book Clubs

Book Review Carrie Soto Is Back

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Carrie Soto is Back

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

About the book

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the ‘Battle-Axe’ anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.

Comments

We meet Carrie six years after retirement, sitting in the crowd at the women’s tennis final of the US Open with her dad, Javier.  Up until this point, she held the title of the most ever Grand Slams won.  On the court is Nicki Chan.  One win away from equally Carrie’s haul.   As Nicki hits the winning shot, Carrie decides to come out of retirement for one year, in an attempt to reclaim her title.  Her father, who had raised her to be the best tennis player the world has ever seen, will be her coach. We quite enjoyed this book.  While we didn’t love Carrie at times, we did admire her tenacity.  We liked how she is unapologetically herself, fierce and competitive. She speaks her mind, knows she talented, and doesn’t mind who she hurts on her way to the top.  We felt by mixing the story up with newspaper article and scripts from sports TV shows, the author demonstrated the double standards when it comes to male v female athlete.  Carrie is often criticised in the media for her confidence on the court and during press conferences while the male players are somewhat praised for theirs.  We thought this would make a great holiday read.

Read by Cultcha Club Book Club – 7.5/10

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