That settles it. I shall live and prosper..at least long enough for book 10!
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May 2021 book of the month club
- Thread starter rubysmama
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- #82
Another series of really lengthy books, with long gaps between them, is Jean Auel's Earth's Children ones. The first was published in 1980, and the 6th (and final) one in 2011. Unfortunately, IMO, she hit her stride with the 2nd one The Valley of the Horses, and by the time the last one was released, I no longer cared, and didn't read it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #83
Another book club month is coming to an end. The thread will remain open, however, so any additional thoughts / comments can still be posted at any time.
Meanwhile, we'll be moving onto June and The Death of Mrs. Westaway, by Ruth Ware.
June 2021 book of the month club (Poll)
We have a book already chosen for July, but are still discussing future books and genres.
pearl99
and
gilmargl
, you are both regular book club readers now. Any suggestions for a genre we should consider for an upcoming month?Also,
Mamanyt1953
, I know one of your preferred genres, but unfortunately cozy mysteries aren't popular with my co-bookclub-planners. Any other genres you could recommend?
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1. I liked the intertwining, but it took some time to settle in to it. I'd get some characters confused. I thought the first period in the 1900's with Eliza's childhood etc. was the most interesting.1. The story jumps between 3 time periods – Eliza and Rose in the early 1900s, Nell’s trip to England in 1975 and Cassandra in 2005. How did you feel about the intertwining of the three lines? Did you feel they balanced well? Was one better written than the others?
I liked the intertwining of the 3 lines, and did think they mostly balanced well. My only issue was trying to keep all the characters straight, particularly the women in the Cassandra period - the hotelier, realtor, etc. I think this is a book that would really work to read a second time, just to see how all the earlier mentions of people fall into place. But at 500+ pages, it was a big enough commitment for the first read, and not one I'm likely to make again. Too many other books to read ...too little time.
2. Could you see Eliza and Rose realistically acting the way they did? Was it believable that a husband like Nathaniel would actually go along with their plan?
I thought Nathaniel had a bit of a crush on Eliza, so figured he wasn't too ... uhm. inconvenienced by his role in the plan.
3. It must be extremely difficult to write a book of more than 500 pages? Do you feel the length was justified, or do you think she could have shortened the story without losing any of the substance?
Possibly a little bit could have been edited out, however, most of what happened, especially in the earlier eras, ended up having a bearing on the present.
2. Yes I could see Eliza and Rose acting like that for sure. With their totally different upbringings and Rose so stifled, and Eliza having lost her brother who was her best playmate, I could see it. I think Nathaniel going on with the plan was realistic. With Rose so much wanting a child Nathaniel may have been ok with it to please her and nasty Abilene and how she'd make life miserable I think it's realistic, plus Nathaniel and Eliza had a connection with their art and writing and I also think he had some feelings for Eliza.
3. I think the length was fine. I wasn't aware of things I felt should have been cut, I kind of liked the meandering and descriptions.
I like a lot of genres, although I haven't read much of it I like Fantasy (especially "The Crystal Cave," "The Hollow Hills," and "The Last Enchantment") but most people may not. I like Science Fiction, a lot of people may not like that either.
I like non-fiction, I loved "Dead Wake."
"Another series of really lengthy books, with long gaps between them, is Jean Auel's Earth's Children ones."
I didn't know there was another one, I'll have to read that sometime.
"Also, any and all of the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon."
Oh "Outlander"! Loved those. I stopped those after book 7, I couldn't get into book 8. But that was some years ago, maybe try again.
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