Tag Archives: book review

Book Club: I came to say goodbye by Caroline Overington

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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Abstract

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…

Comments

This was a much anticipated read for our group.  It had been a popular choice when we selected our book titles a few months back.  For some, it more than lived up to expectations, enjoying the plot twists and turns.  While others found it a bit underwhelming.. A bit.. meh?

This was another book that really divided opinions amongst our group, generating lots of discussion.  We all found the book to be well written, with characters that made us feel something.. Whether that be love or hate!  Those who loved it; liked the plot twists and the suspense.  Those who didn’t like it, found it hard to like the main characters.

Rating – 7.5 / 10

Read by Culcha Club

 

The One Who Got Away

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The One Who Got Away by Caroline Overington

Caroline Overington’s latest book The One Who Got Away was released a couple of days ago; and I was so excited. Caroline is one my favourite authors and after reading a sample I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one.

I must admit to being the tiniest bit biased in my opinion where Caroline’s books are  concerned after having been lucky enough to have met her here at Parramatta Library a couple of years ago for an author talk. (Click HERE to listen to the podcast). I became an even bigger fan. Caroline is a very talented writer and a nice person.

I think it’s fair to say I expected a lot from The One Who Got Away and I wasn’t disappointed.

The One Who Got Away tells the gripping tale Loren and David; the perfect couple?  When Loren meets David, she falls hard. Although they’re from the same Californian town they come from very different backgrounds … but Loren is not about to let that stop her from winning over her perfect man.

There is suspense with twists and turns all the way through and you wont know what to believe. I loved the way it was told from different perspectives; it really allowed the story to build up gradually to a point where you are practically screaming “I need to know what happens NOW”!

I resisted the urge to skip ahead to the end of the book so I could find out what happened, but let me tell you it was very hard. When I finally read the last page, I was in total shock and went straight back and reread the last chapter to make sure I hadn’t read it wrong. The way the story kept revealing secrets all the way to the very last line was masterful.

Do yourself a favour and read this one, I LOVED IT and can’t wait to talk about it with my reading obsessed colleagues here at the library.

Jody

 

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This House of Grief

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This house of grief – Helen Garner

About the Book

Anyone can see the place where the children died. You take the Princes Highway past Geelong, and keep going west in the direction of Colac. Late in August 2006, soon after I had watched a magistrate commit Robert Farquharson to stand trial before a jury on three charges of murder, I headed out that way on a Sunday morning, across the great volcanic plain. On the evening of 4 September 2005, Father’s Day, Robert Farquharson, a separated husband, was driving his three sons home to their mother, Cindy, when his car left the road and plunged into a dam. The boys, aged ten, seven and two, drowned. Was this an act of revenge or a tragic accident? The court case became Helen Garner‘s obsession. She followed it on its protracted course until the final verdict. In this utterly compelling book, Helen Garner tells the story of a man and his broken life. She presents the theatre of the courtroom with its actors and audience, all gathered for the purpose of bearing witness to the truth, players in the extraordinary and unpredictable drama of the quest for justice. This House of Grief is a heartbreaking and unputdownable book by one of Australia’s most admired writers.

Comments Continue reading →

Orange is the new black

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orange-is-the-new-blackOrange is the new black by Piper Kerman

 

Abstract

With her career, live-in boyfriend and loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the rebllious young woman who got mixed up with drug runners and delivered a suitcase of drug money to Europe over a decade ago. But when she least expexts it, her reckless past catches up with her; convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at an infamous women’s prison in Connecticut, Piper becomes inmate #1187-424. From her first strip search to her final release, she learns to navigate this trange world with its arbitrary rules and codes, its unpredictable, even dangerous relationships. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with tokens of generosity, hard truths and simple acts of acceptance. Now a major original televison series, Piper’s story is a fascinating, heartbreaking and often hilarious insight into life on the inside.

 

Comments

The United States has the highest number of people in prison in the whole world.

The author of the book was incarcerated for 15 months in a US prison after pleading guilty to drug0-related crime.

One reader was really surprised at how much she enjoyed the book. The insights into the US prison system were very interesting.

The book reviews were not good, but the book group found it a good read.

The writing is not in a classic style but it was easy to read and the group is glad to have read it.

 

Read by – The Second Tuesday Evening Book Group

 

On the Noodle Road

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On the Noodle Road by Jen Lin-Liu

Non Fiction – Cooking, Silk Road

Abstract

A food writer travels the Silk Road, immersing herself in a moveable feast of foods and cultures and discovering some surprising truths about commitment, independence, and love. Feasting her way through an Italian honeymoon, Jen Lin-Liu was struck by culinary echoes of the delicacies she ate and cooked back in China, where she’d lived for more than a decade. “Who really invented the noodle?” she wondered, like many before her. But also: How had food and culture moved along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking Asia to Europe and what could still be felt of those long-ago migrations? With her new husband’s blessing, she set out to discover the connections, both historical and personal, eating a path through western China and on into Central Asia, Iran, Turkey, and across the Mediterranean. Continue reading →