Mr Rosenblum's List

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons which is the story of Mr Rosenblum, his wife Sadie and young daughter Elizabeth arriving in England as German Jewish refugees just prior to World War II.  Mr Rosenblum is determined to be come a "real Englishman".  He is given a list on how best to "behave" in English society and he is constantly adding to his list.  He builds a successful business and buys his suits and other goods in English shops.  When he is refused entry to English golf clubs, he decides to build his own in the countryside.  In the small English village near his acreage home he meets a number of quirky characters as he struggles to build his golf course.  This is a beautiful poignant tale with humour, love and friendship. 5/5

The Troubled Man

I enjoyed The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell, though was disappointed it is the last of the Kurt Wallander series.  The story has its theme in the Cold War and espionage, particularly in the 1960s.  Sweden is a neutral country however there was pressure from both sides to influence Swedish politics.  Kurt's daughter Linda in involved with an elderly couple (I won't say how here - let you find out) Hakan and Louise von Enken. Kurt meets the couple at Hakan's 75th birthday party and takes Kurt in to his confidence about concerns he had as a submarine captain in the early 1980s when he believed a particular incident involved a cover-up.  Later Hakan disappears and while "on leave" Kurt investigates his disappearance and other developments in the case.  That is as much as I can say without giving too much away. 4/5

The Kennedys - Amidst the Gathering Storm

I very much enjoyed reading this historical account The Kennedys - Amidst the Gathering Storm - A Thousand Days in London 1938-1940 by Will Swift which concerns Joe Kennedy's ambassadorship in London from 1938-1940.  It provides an insight into the political machinations of the time when Britain and the USA were desperate to prevent another war, while Hitler continued to push the boundaries (literally) in countries adjacent to Germany.  Kennedy is shown to have had a testy relationship with President Roosevelt who seems to have made Kennedy ambassador to prevent his challenging him in the 1940 election.  Kennedy's relationship with the President deteriorated the longer he was in the job as he left Kennedy out of major discussions. Initially most of the Kennedy family, then later all of them joined him in London and enjoyed the "social scene".  However, when war was finally declared Joe was left alone in London and endured the Blitz.  It is a very well-written portrait of a man with a pivotal role in history.  The story of the lead-up to the war was fascinating.  This book is for lovers of history and gives a different perspective of that time. 5/5

August 2012 Book Club

We had an enjoyable evening at host Jenny's place last night.  The delicious supper went down well with the champagne and later a cuppa.  We had a double dose of new books as my books from the last month had arrived late so I presented my new books and Jenny had hers as well.  Liz is away traveling in Europe and hopefully having a wonderful time.  Bev will be off soon for a short trip in her new caravan, which will be very exciting.  Penny will be away for several weeks traveling overseas very soon. Sadly a new member who joined us earlier this year regrets she can no longer be involved due to other commitments.  We will miss her.  I won't be coming next time as I have another engagement that day.  Anyway, we will enjoy reading the wealth of books at our disposal.

Look At Me

I enjoyed Look At Me by Jennifer Egan which is set in the city of New York and also Illinois in the 1990s.  Charlotte, the main character, is a New York model in her early 30s and has a serious car accident on her way to her home town of Rockford in Illinois.  She undergoes plastic surgery to repair her face but it is unrecognisable from her previous look.  Her work dries up and she is desperate to find something to do with her new life.  Another character, Moose, lives in Rockford and is a complex character who is a teacher shunned by his fellow academics because of an incident in his past.  Then there is a teenager, also named Charlotte, who has a relationship with a teacher who is connected to the model Charlotte.  The story examines the extremes people will go to fulfill their dreams and make money - quite disturbing.  There are references to terrorism as one mysterious chameleon character plots against America.  The author points out this story was written before 9/11 (republished on the back of the success of "A Visit From the Goon Squad").  The characters are very well described as we jump from one to another, first person, third person etc.  Well written. 4/5