May 2023 Book of the Month Club - Shutter Island

[Mia6]

i will try reading it, my new glasses will be in about Wednesday.

 

[Robyn5678]

I started it last night, read 3 chapters and finding it ok. How far did you get Robyn5678

I’m still on the first chapter haha. Gonna pick it up again after work today

 

[gilmargl]

gilmargl and Robyn5678 : how are you coming along with the book?

I've read a lot the last few days and am at 75% now. Definitely got better the further into it.

Anyone else reading it?

Page 112 of 414!
The book gets flung aside whenever there's a totally unnecessary or ridiculous simile or metaphor and I really don't need to know what's going on inside someone's underwear!
I'm plodding onwards, hoping for some excitement.

 

[verna davies]

gilmargl
What!! Knowing what's going on in someone's underwear isnt exciting enough for you.

 

[gilmargl]

I'm getting rather choosey in my old age!

 

[rubysmama]

Finished the book last night. Review written. Now have to wait till the 22nd to discuss it.

 

[verna davies]

I finished this afternoon.

 

[gilmargl]

Took the book outside - read a few pages - noticed the grass growing between the concrete slabs on the terrace and spent all day on my knees with a wire brush.
Almost half-way though the book so it's time for Shutter Island to start getting exciting! Can't wait!

 

[Robyn5678]

Im trying!

 

[rubysmama]

Good luck gilmargl and Robyn5678 . Once you get to a certain spot, you won't be able to put the book down. Honest.

 

[verna davies]

Yeah, page 414.

Seriously, it does get much better. Once I reached about half way I read the rest in no time.

Send some of that blue sky and sunshine our way please.

 

[rubysmama]

No pressure (well maybe a little) for those of you still reading, but just a reminder that we'll be starting the discussion of Shutter Island in 4 days.

 

[Robyn5678]

Guess I’ll try again next month! This book just isn’t catching my attention. Not sure I can make it to halfway thru the book where it picks up.

 

[rubysmama]

Sorry to hear that, Robyn5678 , but understand, as I found the first part slow going. But absolutely try again next month as it's a totally different type of story.

 

[gilmargl]

I'm still struggling - 75% completed but, although I can usually read quite calmly about a murder or two, I am having difficulty with "bubbling blood" and the torturing which goes on in this book. Perhaps I'm just not in the right mood.

 

[rubysmama]

I am having difficulty with "bubbling blood" and the torturing which goes on in this book. Perhaps I'm just not in the right mood.

Hmmm... I seem to have forgotten that part. Keep it in mind to mention again once we start the discussion, and maybe it will refresh my memory.

 

[rubysmama]

I don't think there's many of us participating this month, but for those of us who are, discussion starts tomorrow.

 

[Robyn5678]

View attachment 450242

I don't think there's many of us participating this month, but for those of us who are, discussion starts tomorrow.

I’m interested to read the discussion because I do want to know the ending. I just wasn’t interested I. Reading the book to get it. If that makes sense!

 

[gilmargl]

Good morning! Here it's now 22nd May and, although I had plenty of other things to do, I spent yesterday evening reading the last 70 (?) pages of our book of the month.

Well.........An unlikely tale!

The last 20 pages were page-turners, the last 100 pages were quite well written, but the first 300 were badly wriiten, boring and a waste of time.
The ending/explanation was clever, but the background violence, children and woman murdered, war, attacks on guards were too much for me (at the present time). I found the withdrawal symptoms, hallucinations, dreams and "reality" performances by Chuck alias Dr Sheehan and his future wife, nurse Emily, somewhat confusing. While reading the last chapter, I was still not sure if Teddy had accepted his true identity, but that white bundle with something metallic hidden in it convinced me of the rather sad truth.

I'll give just 2 stars for the last 3 chapters. The rest I could have done without.

 

[rubysmama]

It's the 22nd of May here too, so here's my review, which was written the day after I finished the book, while my thoughts were fresh in my mind.

Finished reading this last night, and was tempted to immediately go to the Goodreads site to see what the reviewers had to say about it. But wanted to write my own review first, before my thoughts got tainted with other opinions. So here goes.

The book started out very slowly for me. In fact, I’d have to say I was somewhat bored at the beginning. But I persevered, and by the 50% mark, it had gotten really good. And by the 75% mark, really really good !!!

That ending though. Obviously the white material with the shiny metal meant they were going to do the brain surgery on him.
So was he Teddy, and they’d drugged and tried to gaslight him, and were now going to mess with his brain? Or was he Andrew and had actually been on the island for 2 years, and “Teddy” was all a coping mechanism for all that had happened to him?

I guess it must be the latter, as I can’t see them doing that to a US Marshall, knowing someone would eventually come looking for him. But it was quite an elaborate charade they set up, not to mention risk they took, to let a violent mental patient have full run of the island, especially during a hurricane. But I guess that’s what an experimental treatment is all about. Definitely left me thinking and wondering, even now hours after I finished reading it.