Page Turners – February 2022
The Page Turner’s book for January was Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. This 2016 novel won the Costa Book Award for a first novel.
It is set in New York in 1746 when it was still just a small town and tells the story of a traveller who arrives from England with a bill for £1000 but refuses to reveal how he came by the money or what he intends to do with it. We read of the adventures that befall Mr Smith while the whole of New York waits for the next ship to arrive, which will either bring proof that his bill is genuine and he is a wealthy man or reveal him to be a fraudulent imposter. Through his experiences we explore the workings of New York society in that period.
In addition to being set in 1746 the book is written very much in the style of that time. As well as reading the book we were able to listen to a podcast in which the author was interviewed about it.
The novel was widely praised on publication for its rich historical detail, vivid descriptions and lively style. However, whilst one of our members loved the book and described it as ‘utterly captivating’, the majority failed to enjoy it. Many found the writing style, with its long, convoluted sentences, difficult to follow and they failed to engage with the characters. By about a third of the way through the book they were really struggling and several failed to finish it. Nevertheless, we had a lively discussion about the book and the topics within it.
If anyone is interesting in trying the book for themselves, do contact the Page Turners. It seems some members have copies they would like to give away!
The date scheduled for the February meeting is half term and also Shaldon bridge will be closed, and these combine to mean that the majority of us are unable to attend. The group have therefore agreed to move the meeting to 3rd March, when we will be discussing ‘All the Light We Cannot See‘ by Anthony Doerr.
Following suggestions brought to the meeting by members, we have agreed that the book for the end of March meeting will be ‘Trust Me‘ by T.M. Logan and in April we will be reading ‘The Reading List‘ by Sara Nisha Adams.
Page Turners has space for a couple more members so if you have been enjoying reading our news and think you would like to be part of our discussions, do contact our convenor Deborah Wallis via enquiries@u3a.dawlish.info
Deborah Wallis