Autumn Laing

I've read Autumn Laing by Alex Miller which is the fictional story of an elderly woman, Autumn, looking back on her life and her great love for a painter, Pat, in late 1930s Melbourne.  Pat is an "unconventional" artist shunning the fashions of the time so took some time for his work to be accepted.  Autumn had an adulterous relationship with him which affected them and those closest to them for years to come.  I found the story a bit slow at first but then started to like it a bit.  Autumn is narrating the story in the form of a "journal" for her biographer and she is very impatient with the world around her and her old body, aged about 85.  I found her a most unlikeable character, but that likely made her more interesting.  It is a long story. 31/2/5

On Canaan's Side

I enjoyed On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry which is set initially in 1990s USA.  89-year-old Lilly Bere migrated to Ireland with her fiance, both on the run from a death sentence for pro-British views, shortly after WWI.  The rest of her story is about her life since then, her marriage, her son and her grandson.  All these men were "damaged" in some way and Lilly bears the burden of that damage.  Beautifully written. 41/2/5 

Case Histories

I enjoyed Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, set in England in different time periods but mostly in "the present". We read about three case histories set at different times in the last 35 years, one involving the disappearance of a child, the murder of a young woman and the murder of a young father. A former police detective, now turned private investigator, Jackson Brodie, is asked to investigate aspects of these crimes. Jackson is also haunted by the unsolved murder of his own sister, then a teenager. All the characters in this story are so interesting and I liked the way most of Jackson's investigations are resolved. Very good. 4/5

The Officer's Lover

I've read The Officer's Lover by Pam Jenoff which is a "murder mystery" set in London. Jordan Weiss, an American intelligence officer, returns to London for work and becomes embroiled in a mystery as to how her college boyfriend, Jared, died 10 years before. There are connections to the case she is currently involved in - Albanian mafia etc. Who does she trust? For an "intelligence" officer, Jordan seemed to be lacking in that respect. There are twists and turns till the final twist - good "beach read". Even the title is a "mystery" and doesn't fit the story. 31/2/5

The Fifth Witness

I quite enjoyed The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly which was one of his Mickey Haller lawyer series. It is set in the US post GFC "apocalypse" where people are getting their homes repossessed by unscrupulous mortgage brokers and banks. Lisa Trammel is one who expects to lose her home and she is accused of the murder of a senior executive at her bank. Mickey had been her lawyer while she fought the bank and had uncovered some "dodgy deals", so when she is arrested, he becomes her defence lawyer. There are many twists and turns along the way as Haller tries to prove his case with the help of his team which includes an ex-wife, biker, and a "green" young woman fresh out of law school. It is a good court-room drama with many obstacles thrown in Haller's way by the prosecutor (an "annoying" character). A good story with a very good ending. 4/5

Pigs in Heaven

I very much enjoyed Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver which is set in the 1990s in America. A young woman, Taylor, is given a Cherokee orphaned infant, Turtle, and then adopts her. The adoption comes to the attention of a lawyer from the Cherokee nation who contends that the adoption was illegal. Taylor then take steps to protect and keep her child and the story then follows her "adventures" in her attempt to avoid returning her child. It is interesting to learn about the history of the Cherokee people and their lives at that time, particularly their efforts to keep their children within their nation so they are aware of their culture. Good story and very well written. 41/2/5

April 2012 Book Club

We enjoyed a very pleasant evening at Vee's place on Monday evening. She gave us a delicious supper - wish I could have had one of those chocolate slices with the little Easter eggs on top - great idea! I'll have to try it with dark chocolate! Bev was away holidaying on a tropical island, Jenny was unwell and Ulla was off to Bali for a holiday. So we weren't all there but had a great time. Our new member Denise is off on a short break to her homeland soon. I've been enjoying having my grandson visit this week. He is a delight to have around and some of our members are also enjoying the joys of being a grandmother. Vee got some great books to read and I've probably got picked too many - that's life, too many books, not enough time.