The Sense of an Ending

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The Sense of an ending by Julian Barnes

 

sense of an ending

Abstract

Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life. Now Tony is in middle age……

Comments

The book was interesting to read.

Some readers found that it was easy to read, but others found it deep and insightful.

The book highlighted how selective memory can be and how we prefer to remember the good and filter out or “colour” the others.

The main character Tony Webster seems remote from emotions as an adult, very little passion for living though he had been passionate about Veronica.

The Sense of an Ending is a very apt title.

Read by Second Tuesday Evening Book Group

 

It started with Paris

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It started with Paris by Cathy Kelly

 

it-started-with-parisAbstract

It all started with Paris. At the top of the Eiffel Tower, a young man proposes to his girlfriend, cheered on by delighted tourists. In that second, everything changes, not just for the happy couple, but for the family and friends awaiting their return to Bridgeport, Ireland……Leila’s been nursing a badly broken heart since her love-rat husband just upped and left her one morning, but she’s determined to put on a brave face for the bride.

Vonnie, a widow and exceptional cake-maker, is just daring to let love back into her life, although someone seems deteremined to stop it.

And Grace, a divorced head teacher, finds the impending wedding of her son means that she’s spending more time with her ex-husband. After all those years apart, is it possible she’s made a mistake?

Review

‘It started with Paris’ was my first Cathy Kelly book and I really enjoyed it.

All the characters were interesting and I wanted to see how their stories ended. A great book to pick up when you want to sit back and enjoy a nice story with engaging characters and lose yourself for a while.

Reviewed by Jody

Unsinkable: a memoir

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Unsinkable: a memoir by Debbie Reynolds

unsinkableSummary

Debbie Reynolds’s first leading role in the classic film, Singin’ in the Rain, set her on a path to superstardom. But beneath the glitz and glamour, “America’s Sweetheart” was often miserable.

In this tell-all memoir, Debbie recalls the highs and lows of her Hollywood experience. Sharing anecdotes that never made the tabloids, and revealing private details of her marriages and family life, she recounts experiences which are crazier than fiction.

Illustrated with dozens of previously unseen photos, Unsinkable shares stories about numerous stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Gene Kelly, Ava Gardner, and, of course, Elizabeth Taylor, the best friend who famously ran off with Debbie’s first husband.

Filled with Debbie’s trademark wit, this memoir is a chronicle of courage and tenacity in the face of staggering odds, and will resonate with anyone who has experienced loss and heartbreak.

Comments

Very enjoyable trip down memory lane.

Very good read! When movies were great/enjoying.

Totally enjoyed part were Carrie Fisher, her daughter wrote about her mother.

Very quick but enjoyable read, as most of us remember the movies as in “How the West was won”, which she starred in as well as many others.

Took the view that this book related to life – what we want, expect, need, marriage, family, and career. Debbie Reynolds just wanted what we all want – plus a career in a different industry. She had a great relationship with her children throughout her financial troubles as well as her three marriages. She was unsuccessful in her marriages, but always able to pick herself up and on she goes!!! She was just too nice of a person.

There was a very good discussion; which brought to point some very heavy moral discussions of right and wrong, of life today.

 

Read by – The Last Thursday Book Group

Drink, smoke, pass out: an unlikely spiritual journey

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Drink, smoke, pass out: an unlikely spiritual journey by Judith Lucy

drink smoke pass outAbstract – Judith Lucy has looked everywhere for happiness. Growing up a Catholic, she thought about becoming a nun, and later threw herself into work, finding a partner and getting off her face. Somehow, none of that worked. So lately, she’s been asking herself the big questions. Why are we here? Is there a God? What happens when we die? And why can’t she tell you what her close friends believe in, but she can tell you which ones have herpes? No-one could have been more surprised than Judith when she started to find solace and meaning in yoga and meditation, and a newfound appreciation for what others get from their religion. In her first volume of memoir, the bestselling The Lucy Family Alphabet, Judith dealt with her parents. In Drink, Smoke, Pass Out, she tries to find out if there’s more to life than wanting to suck tequila out of Ryan Gosling’s navel. With disarming frankness and classic dry wit, she reviews the major paths of her life and, alarmingly, finds herself on a journey.”

Comments

  • One reader found the book more interesting than expected. It was good to read about the ‘lightbulb’ moments; but annoying to read about being adopted all the way through.
  • There were some very funny sentences and comic sequences.
  • It was sad and depressing to read about the lack of self-worth and the length of time that it took for Judith to realise that her personal standard of perfection was self-imposed.
  • The book was repetitious and self-indulgent and didn’t seem genuine.
  • The discussions about Catholicism were interesting and the limited choices that Judith felt that she had – a mother, or a nun, or a career woman.
  • One reader thought that she would totally dislike the book and found it more readable than expected. Some portions really resonated with the reader.

Read by –  The Second Tuesday Evening Book Group