The Berlin Crossing

I enjoyed The Berlin Crossing by Kevin Brophy which is set mainly in East Germany, firstly in 1993 and then in 1962. Michael Ritter is a teacher in East Germany and is sacked because of his Communist Party membership not long after Germany's reunification. His mother then dies of cancer and gives Michael a message as her dying words. This message sets Michael to exploring his own past and that of his mother. So the main part of the book is a love story set not long after the Berlin Wall is built. Michael's own story of his feeling of alienation in the "new" Germany provides a different perspective for the reader showing that not everyone in the former East Germany was happy when the Wall came down. 4/5

The Book of Tomorrow

I enjoyed The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern which is set in England. Tamara, a spoilt wealthy teenager's father commits suicide after his finances collapse so Tamara and her mother are forced to live with her mother's brother and his wife. At a travelling library Tamara finds a mysterious book with blank pages and discovers it writes her diary entry for the next day. She has the opportunity to change fate or allow it to proceed. There are mysteries surrounding the people she is living with which connect to past events. It was a good read. 4/5

The Secret in Their Eyes

I very much enjoyed The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacheri. It was originally published in Spanish in 2005 and translated to English publication in 2010. It is set in Argentina where Benjamin Chapparo, a now retired chief administrator with the courts in Buenos Aires decides to write a book about a case that has haunted him for more then 30 years. He investigated the brutal rape and murder of a young woman and did his best to bring the murderer to justice. At that time, in the 1970s, Argentina experienced great political and social problems and justice was difficult to achieve. Over the years Chapparo kept in touch with the widower of the murdered woman which helped both of them deal with the tragedy. Chapparo also has a romantic interest in a woman who came to his office early in her career and eventually became a judge. The book is about love, justice and hope for a better future. The movie version won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2010. Highly recommended. 5/5

The Cat's Table

I liked The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje which is the story of a man, Michael (or Mynah) looking back on his past when he travels from Ceylon to England in the mid-1950s when he was aged 11. He and his two friends encounter many adventures on board. In his middle-age he looks back on those events with mature eyes and see some quite differently. The "cat's table" is the opposite of the captain's table and there are some interesting characters who dine there each day. Michael and his friends are "unaccompanied", travelling to meet relatives in England so they have almost free rein on board the ship. He and his friends go their separate ways after arrival in England and many years go by before he discusses the journey with them. Michael meets up with his cousin Emily after many years and they discuss a particular incident which they both learn was played out differently to what they thought at the time. Perhaps as our memories mature so does our interpretation of them. 31/2/5

The Sense of an Ending

I very much enjoyed The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize. It is a small book. It is unusual and is well-written and clever. Middle-aged man, Tony Webster, looks back on his life in the 1960s particularly focusing on his girlfriend Veronica with whom he had an "unsatisfactory" relationship, and also his friend Adrian. There was a tragedy early in the story which later came to haunt Tony in his mid-life. He questions his own memory of events and even has some distaste for the person he used to be. He is forced to confront these issues when he receives an unexpected bequest. 41/2/5

March Book Club

We enjoyed a lovely evening on the balcony of Ulla's apartment. As always, Ulla is a great hostess and we enjoyed the company and her delicious supper. She bought some very good new books which we'll look forward to reading. Her china is just exquisite. We had some absences - Liz wasn't well and Jenny was visiting the Holy Land. We welcomed a new member Denise (Dinks) and hope she enjoyed the evening, meeting new people and new books. She was a schoolfriend of our dear friend Sandy. Carmen was very lucky to get a quick trip to Turkey with her husband last week - very rushed but she saw most of the "sights". We've got a terrific range of books to choose from as you can see from the photo (just a sample).

The Dovekeepers

I quite enjoyed The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. It had a slow start but was worth persisting. It is based on the true story of the siege of Masada which occurred when the Romans invaded Jerusalem not long after the birth of Christ. The story is told by four female characters. They tell how they ended up at Masada and what happened thereafter. It was the last stronghold of the Jews and believed to be impregnable. Each character tells her story well so the reader really gets to know her. It is not a happy story, but interesting just the same. 4/5