Age Concern

Ashendon Book Group

Books we have read recently are:

• <New> Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones Sue Roberts gave us a brief overview of Bougainville, the island where the story of Mr Watts, Matilda and their Great Expectations experience took place.
  
  Bougainville is a real place – it is a small island located between Papua New Guinea and The Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands were German territory, handed to Australia who handed them to Papua New Guinea. Then copper was discovered and Australian mining companies moved in causing awful pollution. The islanders wanted their island and civil war ensued. Papua New Guinea was told to deal with it, by the Australians, and so blockaded Bougainville. The islanders who had enjoyed modern lifestyles and comforts were, in their isolation, sunk further and further into self-sufficiency and basic living standards. At the hands of the ‘Redskin’ Papua New Guinea forces they also suffered unspeakable and inhumane acts of cruelty and violence.
  
  Some of us wished we had known that before we read the book.
  
  The book had mixed feedback from the group. No one really raved about it but some felt it was a ‘reading experience’ and an amazing idea. One thing we all agreed is that the book only really gets going in the last 40 pages and what happens was totally unexpected.
  
  Like ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ we felt the author dealt with the subject matter in a very matter of fact style – much of what occurred was simply stated and had no need for more description.
  
  Much of our conversation, surrounding the book, dug deep into the psyche of Mr Watts (Pop Eye) and his motivations.
  
  We loved Matilda, particularly her character, her morals and her loyalties. We felt her Mum was well meaning, though narrow in her views. Her strength of faith and ‘preaching’ becomes credible as the book moves on, as does her efforts to protect her daughter.
  
  Would we recommend it? Mainly no, though some of us definitely will recommend this book to carefully selected others.
• The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory     This is a beautifully descriptive book written extremely well in the 1st person. At times it almost felt that Mary Boleyn (the other Boleyn girl – sister to Anne Boleyn) was actually in the room telling her story. And what a story – Mary was married off by her family at 12 years old to William Carey (a favoured member of King Henry VIII’s court). For her power seeking family this was not enough and Mary was presented to the King and became his lover. As she succumbed to the demands of her family and the King she suffered the quiet indignation of her beloved Queen (Catherine of Aragon); had 2 children with Henry (Catherine and Henry). She eventually fell from favour as her sister Anne became the next Boleyn offering. Neither girl had a choice – they were but pawns – carefully manoeuvred by the men of the family (including their hapless brother George). We agreed in our discussion that this book presented history in such an inspiring manner that if we had read it at school we may all have become historians!
• Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald     This book follows the lives of a group of people living on house boats (redundant Dutch Barges) on the Thames at Battersea Reach. There is no real plot – it is more of a snapshot of a point in time of the characters’ lives (“Chekovian” says Sue Roberts). Penelope Fitzgerald uses her words VERY carefully and with great economy and with great success. This is a book to read a second time in order to appreciate the subtlety and depth within it. The more we discussed the book the more we found to talk about and just couldn’t stop ourselves digging out quotes and lines. Somehow in such a short book there is so much detail – though no colour. The book is a testament to the 1960’s – women who can’t fold maps, order a drink in a pub, draw corks, fold the times, hammer nails in or strike matches toward themselves. And single parent families are not the norm – they are socially shocking. Would we recommend it? It’s not a happy book, it’s quite depressing, it’s grey, the humour is deepest dark, it’s left to you to decide about the people; it’s interesting, it’s crammed full of great reading. YES almost without exception we agreed that of course we would recommend it.
• The Island by Victoria Hislop     The Island is a light and easy read, perfect for a lazy summer. So the group enjoyed the read but had reservations on the quality of research and writing.
  The story is set in Crete and on Spinalonga, an island just off the South East coast of Crete. Spinalonga is a leper colony and Victoria Hislop describes the pain and emotions of a generation of 4 women and loved ones whose lives are torn apart by the terrible disease. Spinalonga was indeed an island where lepers were kept in isolation, very nearly forgotten by the authorities and finally closed in 1953.
  The subject of leprosy is in fact quite unusual and original and it is all to Victoria Hislop’s credit to embrace the subject and make her readers aware of the terrible hardship that followed such a devastating disease.
  There are a few well described events – such as when the mother/school teacher leaves the village and when her daughter first arrives at her home on the island. However the fact that these are so outstandingly different simply highlights the less well written bulk of the book.

Previous books can be found here.

Anyone interested in joining the group is welcome to do so – please speak to any member you know or e-mail sian@impetus.co.uk for details of current book, next meeting date and venue.

Gatehangers' Association

Keep Fit

Ludgershall United Football Club

Playing Field Association

Red Lion Social Club

Organises events, quizzes, auctions, WEB SITES! - (well, this one anyway) and anything else you want - mainly based in Gatehangers Inn. Contact Andy Theobald for details (Tel: 01296 651869 or Email: mailto:theo@doctors.org.uk).

Riding For The Disabled

Village Hall Committee

Westcott & Ashendon Conservative Association

Women's Institute

Pictures of recent events can be found here.

President: Vanessa Bates (01296 651350)
Secretary: Deborah Leigh (01296 658734)

http://www.womens-institute.org.uk/



If you would like to add anything to this page please contact Kevin Nash on 01296 658810 or email kevinpnash@yahoo.co.uk