Mt Roskill Grammar

289,682 pages read and 5,845 team points

Team members

Luckylulu

2,849 pts

(2,213 pages read)

Vinegar Girl

By Anne Tyler

3 stars

It was one of the least favourite of Anne Tyler’s but it was still a great read. I think I was disappointed by the ending but it was following the idea of ‘Taming of the Shrew’. As always in Anne Tyler’s books, an interesting mix of quirky characters amid interesting interactions.
The bookseller at the end of the world

By Ruth Shaw

5 stars

This was an incredibly interesting but also at times tragic recount of the writer’s life. Ruth recounts growing up in different parts of the South Island, having a child as a result of rape, giving up her child, as well as other loses but equally as many adventures with careers in cooking, sailing and social work. This story is interspersed with short tales of visitors to her bookshop which she currently runs.
Oh William

By Elizabeth Strout

5 stars

Lucy Barton flicks back and forth on times with her ex husband William, someone she maintains a close friendship with. Lucy finds William a mystery and fittingly William asks Lucy to join him on an adventure to uncover a mystery in his own life. The line “If you don’t know what to do, look at what you are doing” had me wondering all day if this really stands up.
Death at the sign of the Rook

By Kate Atkinson

5 stars

I’ve read the other Jackson Brodie mysteries and have enjoyed them all. This one was very entertaining with a bit of everything, suspense, intrigue, comedy and even a little romance. Once again Kate Atkinson writes the characters so well and it’s easy to read along as events unfold. A great mystery but also an insightful look at the characters and their connections.
Anything is possible

By Elizabeth Strout

5 stars

This is the second book in the Lucy Barton series and takes place in Amgash where Lucy grew up and is a series of interrelated stories about characters in the town and people from Lucy’s earlier life. The stories are captivating in themselves but it is also clever how the author weaves the lives of the characters together and brings in events that affect the community and the diverse characters in different ways. Elizabeth Strout has a gift for showing the inner landscape of others. After reading this, I feel like I’ve spent some time in the town myself. Some stories are sad or even horrifying but they are all captivating.
Long Island

By Colm Tóibín

5 stars

I finished this book in 2 days as it was so engrossing. It follows on from Brooklyn an earlier book by the author after Eilis has been married for 20 years. It starts off with the news that Eilis’ husband has fathered a child with another woman and is planning with his mother to bring the baby into the extended household. Eilis leaves for Ireland for her mother’s 80 th birthday with the expectation that her two teenage children will join later. Back in Ireland, she crosses paths with the man she once had been involved with. The characters are described so well you get caught up with their anxieties and their frustrations. I actually found myself getting frustrated with the indecisiveness of some of the characters and the manipulation of others. Looks like another sequel is called for.
Lioness

By Emily Perkins

4 stars

The premise of the book was interesting and I did get into it with some really interesting chapters. Her descriptions of people and events captivated me, especially the family gatherings and Claire’s rants. The adult children were infuriating and the husband, Trevor was evasive and frustrating. Sometimes the book dragged on and nothing really happened. The idea that Therese changed was believable but she seemed to unravel, scoffing pies at the petrol station and going into an old friends house after 20 years, making some strangers uncomfortable, participating in some sort of sexual group thing on her husband’s building site. I found this part a bit strange and couldn’t imagine it happening. I think she was trying to show the dichotomy between her perfect life especially the brand ‘Therese Thorne’ and the imperfect aspects of reality. It was a great read and I’m going to read more of this author in the future.
My name is Lucy Barton

By Elizabeth Strout

5 stars

This is the first book I’ve read of Elizabeth Strout’s and I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to read one. It reminds me so much of how Anne Tyler builds characters and recalls memories and incidents. You get glimpses of Lucy’s life from snatched conversations with her mother who visits her in the hospital for 5 days. Memories are suggested rather than spelled out in the way it might be if we were listening to her inner voice or Lucy talking to a close friend.

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Mt Roskill Grammar

289,682 pages read and 5,845 team points

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