The last two of which I will review quickly here.
For Book Club our “official” read was The Mother’s Group by Fiona Higgins.
I’ve had this book for a while. I started it then put it down in jealous disgust when I realised it was extremely similar to a novel I was still editing (and now shelving), Daddy’s Group. The scenes are similar and the book opens with a working Mum/ stay at home Dad, my two main characters. It then moves on to them meeting in there arranged Mother’s Group (I guess everyone has really similar experiences here) which I also wrote a scene for. Mine has a slightly different take being that it is a man turning up to the group but still…bummer.
Anyway so I shelved my book…and hers and chose not to think about it.
When it was put forward as a book club book I figured best to finish it and just get it over with.
One of the characters in the book is an Indonesian Mum who met her husband in Bali and had just moved to Australia when she had her son. The writer’s perspective on what that Mum would think and feel in a situation like Mother’s Group was astoundingly insightful and I enjoyed this section the most.
Her book takes a dark turn and turns into a drama and she writes about something I never could. I would fear I was tempting fate. An easy read and the author is an incredible writer but I don’t think I could say I enjoyed the book.
My book (surprise, surprise) stays chick-lit-esque and light.
Still, don’t think I will be approaching agents with my manuscript anytime soon!
The second book I read this month my Mum passed onto me, Jodi Picoult’s The Pact. It was a page turner but left me feeling blah. There was never going to be an uplifting end to teenage suicide now was there? Picoult, the master of the moral dilemma, engages and intrigues us yet again in the novel but I guess I’m not into being brought down at the moment.
Worth a read if you are into that kind of thing. She is a fabulous writer and for a while there I was voraciously reading anything she had ever written. I do find her kind of formulaic now though. I guess if it’s not broke…..
even though you didn’t love the book i went and read The Mother’s Group. i agree, an easy read, enjoyable i thought. i devoured it in less than two weeks which is seriously unusual for me, with two little people to care for. thanks for the suggestion.
Awesome. It is hard fitting in reading. I force myself to get through the first couple of chapters, usually before bed over a couple of nights but once I am into a book I read it while feeding, at the park, as soon as they go to bed…I am unstoppable if the book is good enough haha