What the Reading Groups Say

Cwmbran Library has 3 reading groups. This month they have been reading Bill Clegg, “Did You Ever Have a Family”; Joshua Ferris, “To Rise Again at a Decent Hour” and Fiona McFarlane “The Night Guest”. Here are their thoughts.

Group 1 

We had high hopes for this book as it was long-listed for the Booker, but found that overall, we were disappointed. 

The story was told from the point of view of lots of different characters, in an interview style and we found all the different perspectives confusing. There were far too many characters to keep track of, especially as all the narrators sounded alike and it was difficult to differentiate between them. On a positive note, it was an interesting story about family and friendship set in small-town America during the aftermath of a devastating tragedy. The overall message was one of hope, forgiveness and moving on.

Group 2 

I don’t think any members of the group actually got past page 100 of this book! We found it too dense, with too many inner monologues and too depressing. The blurb misleadingly described the book as a man discovering that he is being impersonated on social media but neglected to mention the philosophical and religious complexities involved.

We did however,  find it quite amusing, though not the laugh-out-loud funny it was meant to be. It was also very thought-provoking. Ultimately we decided that this is not a book we would recommend to a friend. Never the less we found that we couldn’t stop talking about it which is of course the beauty of a reading group. If nothing else we all learned the importance of daily flossing! 

Group 3 

The group was very eager to discuss this book, and we had a full house of all 12 members!  Everyone had read the book and had lots to say about it. We found it an unsettling and subtly menacing read, which made us feel uneasy and anxious for Ruth, the main character. Her life is solitary and lonely since her husband died and her sons emigrated. Then Frida turns up, “sent by the government” and with no questions asked completely takes over Ruth’s life. 

We all found ourselves immersed in the story, which is set on a slow simmer of suspense, and talked at length about dementia, the problems of aging and about trusting people. A riveting read for a first novel. 

Have you read any of these books, then why not have your say? Do you agree or disagree with the groups? Please post your comments.