Bookworms – Autumn 2020

The Bookworms book club has continued to ‘meet’ monthly via emails, which has been the preferred method of communication since lockdown. The membership of the group has changed, as several people left when Barbara Warburton’s excellent leadership came to an end.

We exchange our views on the last Thursday of every month, and we would warmly welcome anyone who would like to join us. The books are chosen by a different member each month. Our Autumn reading consists of 3 titles, ‘The Reader on the 6.27‘ by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent; a beautifully written story, concerning the impact literature can make on our lives, touching on themes of isolation, inferiority and love; ‘On Chapel Sands‘ by Laura Cumming, an excellent portrait of the author’s family, with all its secrets, joys and sadnesses, and ‘A Month in the Country‘ by J.L.Carr; a sensitive study of 2 men, recovering from the war in 1920s England, set in a quieter time, capturing memories of summer, solitude and restoration.

Members are encouraged to recommend other books in addition to their reviews, and three of us thoroughly enjoyed ‘A Gentleman in Moscow‘ by Amor Towles, a lengthy description of the incarceration of Count Rostov, in a Moscow hotel, The Metropol. It is 1922. His strength of character, including his ability to maintain a sense of perspective; his friends and an unexpected relationship, all combine to encourage us in our present lockdown. Well worth reading.
Jenny Pestridge