Devon Book Club discussion

Hi everyone. I am slowly finding my way back to some normality after losing my mum earlier this year and thought I'd start a new thread about books I've loved. I rarely give 5 stars to a book - it has to really move me or stand out as exceptional writing in some way. So, this seems like a comforting way back into posting more about books.

Today the sun is shining in Devon and, looking at my 5 star reads, where better then than to start with Tove Janssons The Summer Book

This short novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl who is beginning to wake up to the world, sharing a summer with her grandmother, on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland.

The relationship, which spans the generations ranges from study of bugs and nature in general, to deeper issues of love and death. It is at the same time joyful and bittersweet.

Tove Jansson is famous both for her Moomintroll comic strip and her novels and her writing, in my view is exquisite.

The Summer Book is translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal.

Thank you for your many kind comments yesterday and for all your 5 star recommendations. Next up in my 5 Star series is The Old Man And Mr Smith by Peter Ustinov. I read this probably 15 years ago now but loved it. Peter Ustinov is, of course a well-known wit and this fable is a delight.

God and the Devil come back to Earth to see how things have gone since they last visited. What follows is both funny and thought-provoking.

I hope that I don't offend anyone of faith with this choice as it is a little irreverent.

I'd love to know who else has read it and more about your 5 star recommendations.

I rarely give 5 stars to a book - it ..."
By coincidence I have just returned from a trip to the Baltic coast of Sweden, staying in my Swedish d-in-law's wooden summer house. Unspoilt location, totally remote from C21. 'The Summer Book' captures this essence, and that of a short but wonderful summer drawing to a close - with the implicit suggestion of our human seasons slowly ending. A brave book to read while grieving, Ian, but it is so beautiful and 'true'. The ending brought to me tears.

J.G. wrote: " I rarely give 5 stars to a book - it ..."
By coincidence I have just returned from a trip to the Baltic coast of Sweden, staying in my Swedish d-in-law's wooden summer house. Unspoilt location, to..."

I haven't read it while grieving. I read it some years ago. I'm just reflecting back on books I've given 5 stars to over the years.

Your trip sounds wonderful. I'm imagining it also gave you lots of writing inspiration?

I'm enjoying sharing my 5 star reads and hearing about yours (do keep them coming). Today, an old favourite that I have read a number of times and, each time, I love it all over again - The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

This book, written in the 19 Century has often been credited as a forerunner of detective/mystery novels, which set many of the stylistic qualities of the genre.

Rachel Verinder, a young English woman, inherits a large Indian diamond on her eighteenth birthday, a legacy from her uncle, a corrupt British army officer who served in India. The diamond is of great religious significance and extremely valuable, and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it. The story incorporates elements of the legendary origins of the Hope Diamond (or perhaps the Orloff Diamond or the Koh-i-Noor diamond). Rachel's eighteenth birthday is celebrated with a large party at which the guests include her cousin Franklin Blake. She wears the Moonstone on her dress that evening for all to see, including some Indian jugglers who have called at the house. Later that night the diamond is stolen from Rachel's bedroom, and a period of turmoil, unhappiness, misunderstandings and ill luck ensues.

Told by a series of narratives from some of the main characters, the complex plot traces the subsequent efforts to explain the theft, identify the thief, trace the stone and recover it.

It truly is a wonderful book and, if you've not read it yet I recommend you do so. It is of its time and so some allowance needs to be made for that but I think it retains its freshness and is a great read.

As an aside it was serialised by Charles Dickens magazine All The Year Round

I loved the Summer Book. Absolutely gorgeous read.

it is isn't it. The Winter Book is too. please add any of your 5 star reads too.

Continuing my 5 star series, this evening I thought I'd introduce you to (or remind you of) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.
weighing in at circa 1,000 pages this is a big book but it needs to be as it covers a lot of ground. The lives of 4 families, conditions in newly independent India and the politics, social and economic conditions and a great deal more. It is a fascinating tale of people and a country in flux.
But, at its heart Vikram Seth's novel is a love story: Lata and her mother, Mrs. Rupa Mehra, are both trying to find—through love or through exacting maternal appraisal—a suitable boy for Lata to marry.
The novel tells the story of both ordinary people and those in power and the "complexities of love and ambition, humour and sadness, prejudice and reconciliation, the most delicate social etiquette and the most appalling violence" (Goodreads description).
I read it almost non-stop over one month nearly 10 years ago and still remember how bereft I was when it finished. I wanted to know more about the characters lives and how they unfurled.
It's a wonderful book and I recommend it without hesitation. Have any of you read it?

I tried to read it and gave up. It was a while ago now and I can’t remember what it was I disliked. Maybe one day I’ll give it another go.
At the time I was reading Rohinton Mistry. I loved all his novels. I started with A Fine Balance. He has only written three novels but I hope for another one day.

Ian wrote: "Continuing my 5 star series, this evening I thought I'd introduce you to (or remind you of) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.
weighing in at circa 1,000 pages this is a big book but it needs to be as ..."
One of my favourites too. Also one of those books that stays on my shelf for a (rare) re-reading.

Karen wrote: "I tried to read it and gave up. It was a while ago now and I can’t remember what it was I disliked. Maybe one day I’ll give it another go.
At the time I was reading Rohinton Mistry. I loved all hi..."

Rohinton Mistry's books are very good. I enjoyed them too. Wonder why A Suitable Boy didn't grab you - I was hooked from the start.

J.G. wrote: "Ian wrote: "Continuing my 5 star series, this evening I thought I'd introduce you to (or remind you of) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.
weighing in at circa 1,000 pages this is a big book but it nee..."

Like you I rarely re-read but maybe this one I will

It’s always difficult to recommend novels. We all like to have our heads in different types of books. Two of my five star recommendations are ‘The Lacuna’ by the American author Barbara Kingsolver and ‘Purple Hibiscus’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Memorable novels for me are those which have a strong plot and compelling characters, but also add to my knowledge.

‘The Lacuna’ tells of a young man’s journey from Mexico in the 1930s through a period of civil unrest, into the United States where he encounters the paranoia of McCarthyism and is persecuted by the American authorities.

‘Purple Hibiscus’ takes you to Nigeria where we share the turmoil of an adolescent girl dominated by her fanatically religious and tyrannical father. Set during the period of Nigeria’s military coup, the protagonist does eventually find freedom through the efforts of her family.

I have read both books several times, and consider this to be a strong recommendation to allocate five stars to both.

Hi Cynthea - I agree with that but half the fun is sharing our reading passions and seeing what others think. Wouldn't life be boring if we all agreed about everything?

Both those books are on my TBR list but I've not got to them yet. I've read both writers before but have to say that I admire Chimamanda Ngoze Adiche more. I read The Poisonwood Bible and wasn't a big fan. The LAcuna sounds more interesting

Continuing my 5 star series but in a rather different vein. I'd like to offer two to you today, linked but also very different.

Winnie-the-Poohby A.A. Milne and The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood by Kathryn Aalto

Winnie The Pooh needs no introduction but maybe you could share a favourite quote? The one about being disorganised resonates with me at present! - "One of the advantages of being disorganised is that one is always having surprising discoveries"

Kathryn's book is a delight. Part biography of A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepherd, part exploration of natural world of Ashdown Forest (Pooh and the gang's home) but always sheer love of Pooh in all his glories, I love this book. Kathryn is a Devon-based writer, is a New York Times bestselling author, international speaker, essayist and teacher.

She has written three books - Writing Wild: Women Poets, Ramblers, and Mavericks Who Shape How We See the Natural World (2020), The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood (2015), and Nature and Human Intervention (2011).

You'll find much more about her and her work here https://kathrynaalto.com

Ian wrote: "Hi Cynthea - I agree with that but half the fun is sharing our reading passions and seeing what others think. Wouldn't life be boring if we all agreed about everything?

Both those books are on my ..."

Ian wrote: "Hi Cynthea - I agree with that but half the fun is sharing our reading passions and seeing what others think. Wouldn't life be boring if we all agreed about everything?

Both those books are on my ..."
Hello Ian,

Yes, I agree 'The Poisonwood Bible' is not her best work. Kindsolver took five years to write 'The Lacuna', because of all the research involved. I consider it to be a much better read.

Cynthea wrote: "Ian wrote: "Hi Cynthea - I agree with that but half the fun is sharing our reading passions and seeing what others think. Wouldn't life be boring if we all agreed about everything?

Both those book..."

Then I shall add it to my list. Thank you

It isn't often that I get very excited about a book but I want to recommend Karitas Untitled ny Kristin Marja Baldursdottir. This is certainly going on my all time favourites. It is a wonderfully written and often moving book.

Set in Iceland in the first 40 years of the 20C it is a beautiful exploration of life in Iceland, the people who live in hardship and the natural world. The characters are beautifully drawn and Karitas, who we meet as a child and follow through life until her mid 40s, is so three dimensional that I felt I knew her. Relationships and emotions are subtly explored and there are moments of sheer genius in the book. A scene in the second half where Karitas (reluctantly) summits the highest peak in Iceland, taken there by the matriarch of the family where she is staying, will stay with me for a very long time. Breathtaking in its range and depth.

Read this book. I don't believe you'll be disappointed