Monday, September 12, 2011

Book Club: Nourishment by Gerard Woodward

Our book club is certainly not exclusively serious book talk.  Distinctly Jamie Oliver-style, each month we have a handful of wine, a good glug of food, several shakes of gossip and a few pinches of literature to taste.  And quantities vary month by month.

It's a great excuse to get together (and provides the boys their schedule for poker the same evening - although they claim poker sets the book club schedule... uh huh, sure).

I decided to share our book club evenings with you because I know many of you are book lovers in constant search for recommendations as well as foodies.  I don't claim to be a literary expert, so please don't expect pithy, intellectual and in-depth book reviews - I'll keep it simple, light and to the point.

Ironically, my first book club post (and our most recently reviewed book) seems very food-related.  Nourishment, by Gerard Woodward.




Quick Plot Summary (without giving anything away)
The quiet London-during-the-war life of Tory Pace is shattered when her POW husband demands a dirty letter by return of post.  Initially disgusted, Tory's sense of marital duty leads her on a journey to discover her inner language and 'loosen' her pen hand which takes her to unexpected and dangerous territory.

Nominated for the Booker Prize.

The Verdict
3 out of 5
Easy to read, hilarious early attempts at erotica, a little slow towards the end.


We choose our books in three-month slots so up-coming books are:
  1. A Child Named It (Dave Pelzer)
  2. Sarah's Key (Tatiana de Rosnay)
  3. April Fool's Day (Bryce Courtenay)

Also recommended but not selected:
  1. Reading Lolita in Tehran (Azar Nafisi)
  2. The Secret Life of Marc Rich (Daniel Ammann)
  3. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (Barbara Demick)
P.S. If you're not already buying your books from The Book Depository, you should consider it - free shipping world wide no matter how much you spend and often much cheaper than local prices.

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