There should be more dancing – notes from the reading group

The First Wednesday Reading Group came to meet each other right after the new year. This time they discussed the book “There should be more dancing” by Rosalie Ham.

From the publisher’s synopsis:

Margery Blandon has led a life of principles. Now she finds herself sitting on the 43rd floor of the Tropic Hotel, preparing to throw herself to her death.

Margery Blandon was always a principled woman who found guidance from the wisdom of desktop calendars. She lived quietly in Gold Street, Brunswick for sixty years until events drove her to the 43rd floor of the Tropic Hotel. As she waits for the crowds in the atrium far below to disperse, she contemplates what went wrong; her best friend kept an astonishing secret from her and she can’t trust the home help. It’s possible her firstborn son has betrayed her, that her second son, Morris, might have committed a crime, her only daughter is trying to kill her and her dead sister Cecily helped her to this, her final downfall. Even worse, it seems Margery’s life-long neighbour and enemy ­ now demented ­ always knew the truth.

From the Wednesday Reading Group:

The Street depicted in the novel is probably typical of an inner-city “gentrification” suburb. The main character was quite “scatty” and racist and didn’t realise it.

Two group members felt that the novel was poorly written.

The characters seemed to be “larger-than-life” and comical but in a dark way.

The novel had a thread of bitterness through it with Margery disappointed with her family and its deceitfulness; however, it was sad that Margery has such a narrow life with few friends and her only passion being “stitching”.

Overall the book wouldn’t be recommended reading by most members with an overall rating of 6/10.