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Tag: bookclub

Posted on September 6, 2022February 16, 2023

The school for Good mothers by Jessamine Chan. *Thoughts* I liked this OK. It's a


The school for Good mothers by Jessamine Chan.

*Thoughts*

I liked this OK.

It's a story about a mum, Frida who struggles with her young toddler, Harriet. One day she does an awfully foolish and dangerous thing to her child and she gets sent to the school for Good mothers.

It's set in a future (possibly) world where the state interfere and teach(punish, imprison) bad mums and dad's how to be good ones.

In the school for Good mothers we meet many, many characters who all merge into each other and it goes on and on and Frida fails millions of tasks and trials.

I didn't like one of the characters and had not one bit of sympathy for Frida. Frida, who decides one day to go into work and then head out for a coffee while leaving her toddler strapped into a high chair for a couple of hours. By the end, I was hoping Frida might get an awakening of how cruel and irresponsible this act was but she doesn't at all. In fact, inside she finds a love interest and sacrifices the love interest for her daughter. I think she meets the love interest four times in there. In the whole novel she falls in love three times.

I get what the novel is saying and I liked it a lot for that. It's about the judgement and standards we place on women and mothers. It's about how we expect parents to be perfect. The problem was that what Frida did would actually send her to jail possibly or have her child removed in Ireland. It was a shame the author picked that crime as it actually is abuse and not the first time Frida does things like this. In this way the plot, the characters miss the point of the whole thing.

The ending I liked as it was so tragic and open I could not believe that this would happen to Frida. Strange too that the love interest she sacrificed her child for effectively is easily forgotten and barely mentioned by the end.

It's a shame as the premise is excellent but the pace dips too much in the middle and the implausible details above pull it down. The constant reference to sex and sex scenes that didn't to gel with Frida's character really stood out and were humorous in the wrong way.
The writing is good though.

Posted on August 11, 2022February 16, 2023

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. ***Review aka my random thoughts*** I had read a


Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
***Review aka my random thoughts***

I had read a lot about this book. It's a debut and has smashed all types of records in terms of sales and readership and its author is a former and very experienced copywriter so you'd be hoping that it'd be written well.
It is written very well. It zips along nicely with some excellent characters and a neatly woven plot.

 This is a fun story about our main character, Elizabeth Zott. She is a chemist who hosts a cooking show because it's the early 1960s and sexism, sexual assault, scientific theft and discrimination all prevent her from working as the actual scientist she craves to be. But when she becomes utterly famous on her TV show, "Supper At Six," things start to get interesting.

I read this book quickly and I read it over the holidays in France. It's a perfect holiday read, whatever that means. To me it means that it's easy to pick up wherever you are.

I loved Elizabeth though she does come across very unlikeable. I admire her not giving a sh€ # about other people's opinions but I also found it implausible that a woman in that time would push things as hard as she had. I found other really serious issues like rape and sexual assault were not given enough space in the writing in terms of how this impacted on Elizabeth. It was dealt with in a very sparkly let's move on kinda way. Come on, gals, toughen up! 😬

This will absolutely be a film or a TV series and it's worth reading for the realisation you might have that things have changed ever so slightly for females and the world of seemingly masculine careers like science.

A fun book club read. I'd be happy to have written this type of plot and characterisation.

Posted on July 27, 2022February 16, 2023

Sea State by Tabitha Lasley. This is a memoir about a former journalist, who after


Sea State by Tabitha Lasley.
This is a memoir about a former journalist, who after having her laptop (and her novel in progress) stolen and a suffering a bad breakup, decides to leave her job writing for a magazine to write that book.
She wants to write a book about oil rig workers in the North Sea and heads to Aberdeen to interview hundreds of those workers. Her initial question is what happens to men when women are not around? She interviews 103 different men in all types of bars, clubs and settings and it gets rough and ready.
The first man she interviews is a guy called Caden. He's married and they start an affair.
Her writing is pitch perfect and it's a unique voice we have here. She evokes the city of Aberdeen so well, a place where it seems to rain or snow all the time.
Caden becomes a study of what it means to really be an oil rig worker, its uber and toxic masculinity is clear.
This started off quick then went very slow but once I started to see the signs of Caden and how they the reveal of the plot and indeed the overarching theme of the book, I could not put the book down!

The concept is fresh as is the writing and it does answer the initial question of what happens to men when there are no women around?

The whole subject of oil rigs and the oil corporations was unknown to me. That exploration in itself is brilliant reading.

I just hope Caden( not real name) reads the book. I'll say no more.

I've been quite obsessed with Tabitha Lasley since then. Googling photos of her and then trying to see if I could get one of her and Caden for though she writes him well, I'd still love to see what he looks like.

I hope Tabitha is happy or happier and that she has met someone who will realise what a gem she is and what a talented writer she is. 

I'd really recommend this book if you fancy something different but extremely readable. It will leave you thinking, for sure.

***** review

Posted on June 25, 2020February 16, 2023

The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle. Current read. Devouring but let's wait till the


The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle. Current read. Devouring but let's wait till the end till I make up my mind. No sense in making a snap judgement now...

Posted on May 16, 2020May 22, 2022

American Dirt. This is a good book. She writes well. If it's a drama, plot


American Dirt.
This is a good book. She writes well. If it's a drama, plot based book you want, you might like this. I'm not sure if it really got to the surface of migration though.

Posted on May 16, 2020February 16, 2023

American Dirt. This is a good book. She writes well. If it's a drama, plot


American Dirt.
This is a good book. She writes well. If it's a drama, plot based book you want, you might like this. I'm not sure if it really got to the surface of migration though.

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My Goodreads

Rozz's books

Tender
3 of 5 stars
Tender
by Belinda McKeon
Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
4 of 5 stars
Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
by Sara Baume
Foster
5 of 5 stars
Foster
by Claire Keegan
Superb, perfect short story telling from the genius of the form.
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
4 of 5 stars
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
by Wells Tower
hilarious and dark and funked up!
The Good House
1 of 5 stars
The Good House
by Ann Leary

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My Goodreads

Rozz’s books

Tender
3 of 5 stars
Tender
by Belinda McKeon

Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
4 of 5 stars
Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
by Sara Baume

Foster
5 of 5 stars
Foster
by Claire Keegan
Superb, perfect short story telling from the genius of the form.

Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
4 of 5 stars
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
by Wells Tower
hilarious and dark and funked up!

The Good House
1 of 5 stars
The Good House
by Ann Leary




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