The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton

The title refers to a dilapidated corrugated-iron structure somewhere deep in the bush somewhere between Perth and Geraldton – quintessential Winton territory.

The hut is stumbled upon by 17-year – old Jaxie Clacton, victim, with his mother, of lifelong violence at the hands of his father. The flight from a toxic home was precipitated by the gruesome death of his father which, while accidental, is likely to be blamed on Jaxie: it's no secret in the town that he despised the man he calls ‘Captain Wankbag’, the definition of toxic masculinity, whose only mate is the town cop.

In a state of near starvation and dehydration which has overcome his bushcraft and ability to hide, Jaxie is discovered by the hut's occupant – ageing, self-sufficient, gentle Irish Catholic priest, Fintan McGillis.

In that hut, despite his suspicion of the priest and single-minded resolve to reach his girlfriend Lee, Jaxie appears to find the only real sanctuary of his life. Mateship based on mutual need and grudging respect reaches undemonstrative but sincere affection.

Jaxie eventually is driven to leave and continue his journey alone. That decision leads to an excruciatingly ugly ending.

That bare outline does not, however, come close to the true scope of the book. Tim Winton never preaches, never provides simplistic solutions to the deep social issues of Australian life; his characters are imperfect and sometimes detestable, but always human in their struggles.

In this story, through the reflections of a damaged adolescent, the reader confronts the stark ugliness of domestic violence, exacerbated by toxic small – town culture: Jaxie reflects bitterly on a community tolerant of his father's brutality and dodgy business deals, but never came to the aid of his abused mother, who was generally regarded as ‘…just another budgie-brain female too stupid to save herself.’ However, Jaxie betrays a degree of ambivalence in his own thoughts about his mother: why, he asks himself, did she not take him and escape in the car? And, while never excusing the violence, the author slips in a reference to the father's past military service.

During Jaxie's lonely, hungry journey, his haphazard thoughts range through the irrelevance of religion in real life, his casual racism (‘…goon-drinking darkies’), teenage love and the taboo of incest because Lee, the beloved to whom he is running, is his first cousin.

Until the discovery of the hut, these reflections are all silent soliloquies. Then the mystery of the exiled priest’s banishment from his church, and Jaxie's revolted assumption of paedophelia, allow for the development of a character, Fintan McGillis, not a ‘pedo' but burdened by some dark past event alluded to only as witnessing a mass grave somewhere. Thus we are brought to a dialogue: the gradual realisation by a disillusioned adolescent (and through him, the reader) that not all priests are paedophiles, but sometimes tolerant and kind souls; and that Fintan's former adherence to strict Catholic orthodoxy has dissolved into a wider spirituality – in his case, the mysticism of a rock formation by moonlight and the harsh beauty of the natural environment.

This is a huge, wonderful, epic novel. Tim Winton, as always, sweeps away the romanticised suburban notions of idyllic tree-change lifestyle in small towns and the bush as brutally as a modern-day Henry Lawson. His use of the Australian vernacular gloriously thumbs its nose at our cultural cringe, and his descriptions of our unique landscape absolutely nail its harsh, beautiful reality. No pretty picture postcards here – this is Australia.

Review by Helen.

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

A wide-ranging, comprehensive historical story of a working class family, set in Brooklyn, New York, in the context of WW2, this book encompasses the social impact of the war on an American population recovering from the Depression, but still characterised by traditional norms of family, hard work, and women who aspired to comfortable, invisible marriage – the only alternative being the ostracism and isolation of single poverty.

The Kerrigan family lives in working-class Brooklyn, on the sixth floor of a typical tenement building: cramped, no lifts, all the neighbours known to one another. We know by the end of the first chapter that they are not quite the everyday family; Anna is the elder of 2 daughters, and the constant companion of her father Eddie, who takes her with him on visits to deliver ‘notes and packages’ to his Union colleagues. The younger daughter, Liddy, is profoundly disabled, cared for at home with boundless love and attention by Anna and her mother –but, it soon appears, an object of guilt and rejection by Eddie, who cannot accept her condition and despite loving his wife and being a ‘good provider’, spends little time at home.

When Anna goes with her father for a mysterious visit (in reality a recruitment test) to Ed Styles, shady nightclub owner and devoted family man, two elements of the story are established: Eddie is a bagman for the Syndicate, and Anna has a passion for the nearby beach which continues into her adulthood.

The story quite abruptly jumps forward about 10 years, to rejoin adult Anna and her adult companions, all women recruited to ‘war work’ in a Naval assembly factory in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Anna is quickly seen to be a rebel who defies the rule about eating lunch in the building with the boring ‘marrieds’, and spends her lunch breaks exploring the docks and befriending the wild and beautiful Nell.

 Eddie has disappeared years since, without any farewell or obvious reason, and is presumed dead. Anna and her mother continue to care for Liddy with devotion but without hope.

Anna’s restless boredom and love of the sea crystallise when she sees Navy divers training on the docks, and, helped by the war-related scarcity of male recruits, she manages to get a trial with the divers. We realise the entrenched misogyny of the time through her excruciating humiliation by the officer in charge, and feel her exhaustion and inner toughness as she prevails to become an accomplished diver.

Meanwhile, Anna is introduced to nightclub life by Nell, and meets Ed Styles – she recognises him while he of course does not recognise her as the child of the beach, and she gives him a false name.

 The wild and illicit affair that ensues consumes both of them, and is one of the best-written descriptions of sexual abandon that I have read. The story becomes more intense and involving as it moves through the diving dramas, the death of Liddy, the mother’s search for new meaning away from New York and Anna’s increased freedom and independence.

The fate of Ed Styles, the consequences of the affair, and sudden news about Eddie, keep the story fascinating, a real page-turner that continually reminds us of the historical setting of the war, the social environment, and mainly, for me, believable characters whose lives I cared about.

The only parts that I considered over-written and tedious, and tempted me to skip pages, were a couple of the diving sequences – enough already! Overall, I loved the book, with its depiction of the period and the constant presence of the ocean and the centrality of the docks and shipping  to the growth of New York.

Review by Helen

The Plague Dogs ~ Richard Adams

My book club theme this month is a book narrated from an animal’s perspective.  My library had a limited choice so basically I was looking at a re-read of Watership Down, or James Herbert’s Fluke, when I stumbled upon an audio version of The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams.  I vaguely remembered trying to watch the movie, not liking it and switching it off within the first five minutes, so although I wasn’t terribly keen on reading the book, faced with a lack of options, I downloaded it.

I found the writing style very dated and at times a little off-putting (Digby Driver’s confrontation with ‘Annie Mossity’ had me cringing) but it unexpectedly pulled me into the unfolding drama.  I became very fond of the upbeat Snitter and his cynical side kick Rowf, the two dogs who dare to escape from an animal testing facility in the north of England.

The narrative alternates between that of the dog’s point of view, the staff at the testing facility and a journalist who sensationalises the story to the point where the general public is in fear of two pathologically evil dogs who may be carrying the bubonic plague.  Of course this is far from the truth as Snitter and Rowf are just two frightened creatures who have suffered the most terrible injustices at the hands of men, and are just wanting to find a master they can trust.

The main theme of the novel of course is animal cruelty and greed.  The various experiments that were being done on animals at the time of the novel’s publication (and likely still on-going) are attributed to the fictional testing facility (with the wonderful acronym of A.R.S.E.) highlighting the barbarianism of what is done in the name of science. Though, there is a slight nod to science at the end of the novel when a character acknowledges to his dying daughter that a cure will one day be found for her condition thanks to the animal testing.  And man’s cruelty is highlighted in a different form when The Tod, a wily fox who helps Snitter and Rowf survive in the wild, comes face to face with the terrors of the fox hunt.

The human characters are rather wooden with stilted and dated dialogue, but the time spent with Rowf and Snitter were wonderful as Adams has captured each breed’s personality perfectly with their dialogue.

I read that the movie ending is closer to what Adams really wanted for the story, but thank goodness he was persuaded to write a conclusive ending for the novel.  All the way through the book I was thinking ‘Puhlease let this have a happy ending’!!  And yes, I bawled my eyes out at the end, as it was all I could have wished for!!

Review by Maxine

The Year of The Hare ~ Arto Paasilinna

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would.  I think the idea of sloughing off the strains of society and taking your life in your own hands appealed to me most.  The book follows the main character Vatanen as he extricates himself from everyday society and decides to live an itinerant life with his rescued hare in Finland. 

I was intrigued throughout the whole book with his adventures, and his ability to relax into life and take what it gives you and make the best of it.  It is only a short read, and definitely worth a look if you have ever thought about giving it all up and living a freer version of life.

Review by Leah

The Buddha, Geoff and Me ~ Edward Canfor-Dumas

This was an unexpected treasure which I listened to as an audiobook.  I was engrossed very quickly and loved how it made Buddhism accessible and relevant to everyday life.  

The main character Ed is so indicative of modern day society and how we have a tendency to blame our environment, other people and everything but ourselves for our circumstances.  It definitely made me look at my life and my attitudes and how I can change them for the better.  I really enjoyed this novel and listening to the character develop over time and grow.  

I recommend this to anyone interested in learning a little more about Buddhism and a little more about themselves.

Review by Leah

Tandia ~ Bryce Courtenay

This follow on novel from The Power of One has strong emotional pull as by now you're already very attached to the main character Peekay.  

Tandia follows Peekay as he moves into adulthood and follows his dreams to become the Welterweight Boxing Champion of the World, and to become a lawyer in his homeland of South Africa. 

Simultaneously we follow the life of Tandia, a mixed race coloured girl in a deeply racist nation.  As they both fight for a more fair and just South Africa, we witness the struggles of a nation and its people, torn apart by bitter hatred and injustice.  Peekay's character is one I will always remember and I'm sure I will re-read both of these beautiful books.  

I was mesmerised by Bryce Courtenay's descriptions of Africa and its people, and the insights into human nature and loyalty.  I wasn't ready for it to end,  I wanted to keep reading about Peekay until he was an old man!  

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would highly recommend it!

Review by Leah

Mother of the Year by Karen Ross

JJ (Juliet Jackson) is the twenty something protagonist of this novel, and we see her enjoy a happy relationship with her boyfriend Rob, a distant relationship with her Mum and a strongly bonded friendship with her best friend Theodora.  JJ wishes her Mum would be more like a normal Mum, but Beth Jackson is dedicated to her media career, leaving little time to spare. Beth has always striven to be a good Mum, having had JJ at fifteen years of age. She publicly declared in a newspaper column that she would not be depending on welfare handouts, committing herself to her work. 

We see JJ struggle for a plum role in her workplace at an advertising firm. We see JJ have a constant internal battle with herself because her Mum is often publishing columns or doing television gigs in which she discusses her daughter's life. And we witness JJ wishing her boyfriend would suggest that they live together. Theodora, an artist and JJ's house mate and best friend, gets JJ to move out and return to living with her parents as she needs JJ's bedroom to work on her latest art project. 

The novel finishes with the reader celebrating mothers and daughters, especially the relationship between Beth and JJ. Beth, pregnant, and JJ attend a studio to see Theodora's finished art project which features all the highlights of their relationship through the years in a sand sculpture. And excitement ensues - Beth goes into early labour at thirty weeks. 

JJ is awarded the plum role at work but turns it down, handing in her resignation to help her Mum with the new arrivals. 

I enjoyed reading this novel, in some parts it appeared to have quite trivial information, however, these pieces of information dovetailed quite nicely to bring the book to a satisfying conclusion. 

Review by Bianca

The Saint Plays With Fire by Leslie Charteris

The Saint is a nickname given to Simon Templar, a sleuth who seems to be quicker than the police detectives at tracking down criminals and sorting out mysteries. Just like the author, The Saint is very much against war.

The author cleverly manages to paint a scene with his descriptive writing style, opening the novel with The Saint on an evening drive with his fiance Patricia, whilst listening to the radio. They spot a fire and drive up to the burning mansion where the story unfolds. The Saint attempts to heroically rescue one unaccounted for person to no avail. He quickly suspects murder has taken place.  

The reader is swiftly taken on a journey of tracking down a motive for murdering the fire victim, John Kennet. We learn that John Kennet was in possession of crucial evidence in what turns out to be a plot to cause a French revolution and to start a civil war.  This novel features a small cast of characters, with plodding detectives; good friends who help him in his quest to track down the evidence and to prevent a war and the fascist Sons of France and their allies in the shape of aristocrats planning a war all for the greedy hope of making a lot of money through dealing with the firearms and amunitions. The search for the evidence becomes a cat and mouse game with The Saint eventually finding himself chasing down one lady, Lady Valerie Woodchester, who has the key piece of information, a negative of a photo. The Sons of France are also keen to track down this evidence, as they would wish to destroy it as it would implicate them in causing misery and bring them undone. 

I admire the writing style of this author, but it is very dense. I recommend reading it at length, preferably in one sitting as there are many details worth remembering. There is a surprising twist at the end of the novel too. 

A terrific novel that does not shy away from highlighting the characters that lurk in the background doing dirty deals in munitions. I found it quite interesting to be reading this novel over the Anzac Day holiday. Lest We Forget.

Review by Bianca

Before the Fall ~ Noah Hawley

A privately –chartered executive plane, luxuriously appointed, arrives in Martha’s Vineyard to transport the Bateman family (David, wife Maggie and 2 children)  home to New York after a family holiday. Wealthy? Oh yes: to the point that David Bateman, CEO of a right-wing media empire, no longer has to come into contact with those mere mortals who commute and travel by commercial aircraft. Family security has become an everyday part of this family’s life since their daughter was kidnapped for ransom (unsuccessfully) at 3 years of age.  The other passengers are their casual friends Sarah and Ben Kipling, similarly wealthy, but apparently on the FBI radar because of illegal money trading.

At the last minute they are joined by a holiday acquaintance of Maggie’s – Scott Borroughs, prolific but unsuccessful artist she has chatted to at the markets during the holiday, and impulsively offered him a lift on the plane to New York. And of course, the family’s security guard, the intimidating Gil Barusch,

The weather is foggy but warm, and the plane takes off for its short journey uneventfully. Then it crashes into the ocean and everyone dies except Scott, the artist, and 4-year-old JJ Bateman. Scott unbelievably swims miles to shore with the little boy on his back, despite a dislocated shoulder and the roiling seas.  Hailed as a hero, the reserved Scott finds the media frenzy unbearable, and after delivering the child safely to an aunt, tries to return to a normal life.

However, the demise of the plane and the standing of its occupants ensure involvement not only by the air transport investigators but also the FBI, whose aggressive officer insists there must have been foul play, this couldn’t just happen. Then there’s the obnoxious media ‘investigative’ front man, devoted to his boss David Bateman, who has no scruples about declaring Scott a phony who must have sabotaged the plane. And the aunt’s husband, whose reaction to news of the boy’s inheritance makes him a prize target for the media man.

The unravelling of the mystery, intertwined with the background stories of the characters, makes riveting reading, I think mainly because of the multi-dimensional characters, whose human foibles make their lives and reactions much more than cliché ‘goodies and baddies’.

Certainly the mindset of authorities such as the FBI, that makes them pursue an individual with no real evidence, is chilling; while the methods of tabloid media are shown to be nothing short of sociopathic.

The author is the multi-award-winning writer of such TV series as the dark and violent ‘Fargo’ among others, which may account for his incisive writing. I loved this book.

HELEN

Interestingly Enough......... The Life of Tom Keneally

Stephany Evans Steggall

Thursday night proved to be another successful author night for Caffeine and Chapters Social Book Club.  We were joined by Biographer Stephany Evans Steggall who talked to us about the writing of her new authorised biography Interestingly Enough......The Life of Tom Keneally,  which was launched at the end of September at the Tom Keneally Centre.

Stephany initially joined us in 2013 to talk about her 'new project' and it's hard to believe that two years have passed and that project is now complete!

Researching Tom's life took Stephany and her sister Helen (an ardent C & C club member) to Ireland and the U.S.A. so, via Helen, we have heard some interesting stories about their travels during the writing period.

Some photos with Tom at the book launch and a selection of
Stephany's biographies

Stephany also gave us an insight into the pitfalls and legalities involved in writing about someone's life.  There are times where the author needs to tread carefully whilst trying to give a true and accurate account.

Tom Keneally sounds like an approachable, jolly and charismatic character but he is also a man who has had some dark times to deal with.


We took the opportunity of making this month our Tom Keneally month and read as many books of his as we could.  The highlights being Shindler's Ark, Searching for Schindler, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, The People's Train and The Daughter's of Mars.  I personally also read The Tyrant's Novel which I felt wasn't of the same quality as these other novels.  Keneally is a prolific writer and we commented on how he is quite happy to tackle any subject and, at age 80, there seems to be no stopping him as apparently a biography on Napoleon is next!

It was a night of some pretty good storms around the Coast but we managed to stay dry on Helen's deck and, as usual with Caffeine and Chapters, the food was done in style. The pièce de résistance being a cake decorated with the book cover image of Interestingly Enough..... it looked and tasted fantastic!

We always enjoy and appreciate having Stephany come to talk to us and look forward to being privy to the next planned project.

Maxine

The Story of Lucy Gault ~ William Trevor

Set in Ireland, opening in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, Captain Gault finds himself the target of arsonists who aim to set fire to the homes of protestant land owners. Trying to protect the house Gault lets off a gunshot which accidentally wounds one of the arsonists in the shoulder, a troubled boy known to Captain Gault.  Filled with remorse Gault visit’s the young man and his parents and offers them money.  It is incredible that he feels that he is the one who is in the wrong, but that is his perception.  The money is refused, and in fear of repercussions for his actions he decides to move his family (wife and daughter) to the safety of England.

The Captain’s daughter Lucy is distraught at the thought of leaving her beloved ‘Lahardane’, but she is only eight years old and doesn’t understand the trouble surrounding them.  No matter what she says, she cannot change her parent’s mind, so there is only one thing for it – she runs away. Lucy believes that once her parents find her they will understand just how much she doesn’t want to go and they will change their minds, however, Lucy injures herself and never makes her intended destination.  A search is made for Lucy once it is realised that she cannot be found in her usual haunts and, when clothing is found on the beach, it is supposed that she has gone for a swim and drowned.  Travel plans are delayed in the hope of finding a body, but eventually the grieving Captain and his wife leave, not for England as now that is not far away enough but for Europe with no forwarding address.

Henry and Bridget are two servants left to maintain the herd of cows and the grounds, and shortly after the Gault’s departure Henry finds a bundle of clothing – and within it a starving child close to death.  His life and that of his wife’s will change forever.

With no forwarding address the Captain cannot be contacted and although various relatives are tracked down, the fact that Lucy has been found goes no further than these relatives for various reasons.  

As Lucy grows up, her vigil for her parents remains unwavering.  She is convinced that they will eventually return, but as the months turn into years this vigil will have an unalterable impact on her life and happiness. 

I absolutely loved this, it is incredibly sad, but it is so beautifully written that you hardly notice how tragic it really is.  

Maxine

Book Club Readers’ Retreat - or - the Op Shop Hop to the Lake Resort

The members of Caffeine and Chapters Book Club embrace the concept of the Short Break, and at least once a year we plan a weekend getaway. The search for suitable venues has taken us from Possum Park (loved it, but it’s a long drive) to an (alleged) eco retreat near Maleny (great markets but proprietors and facilities reminiscent of Wolf Creek) and then to Lake Maroon in the Scenic Rim. It has now become our destination of choice, with a cosy, unpretentious old Queenslander boasting plenty of bedrooms, multiple toilet/bathrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, lounge/dining area with generous seating – and best of all, a wraparound veranda with views over the lake and bush. Caff’n’Chaps heaven!

So, as always Robyn C. has done an amazing job of organising the details, sending out emails re dates, prices, and menus – warning us with no concession to democratic process and in bold capitals NOT TO BRING TOO MUCH FOOD. Geez, anyone would think we’re gluttons.

The convoy is sorted (who’s going in whose car?) and the RedRob direction is to meet for op-shopping in Canungra, so we converged on our first shop and successfully emerged with bargain clothing and cute knick-knacks. The op-shop etiquette is to be very generous pointing out suitable items to each other (that is just YOU, look, only $5!) BUT – if you spot something you really want for yourself, better grab it and hold it firmly to repel predators; it’s brutal.

Onward to Beaudesert for a brunch break at our favourite and ever-reliable café, where the coffee and food are DEE-licious. I discovered fresh hot homemade pumpkin and walnut patties that should be on every menu in the world. Well fortified, we decided on a quick look at the local op-shop – a quick look that lasted the best part of an hour and must have boosted the shop’s daily profit considerably.

The next stop was everyone’s favourite small town, Boonah, which always seems busy and buzzing with some form of community activity and which boasts three op shops! We supported all of them and then picked up a few last-minute supermarket items before heading out to Maroon.

Once out of Boonah, the drive is just a panorama of farm country, bush and the magnificent mountains with blue and grey colours showing the contours of rugged escarpments and deep valleys – this is the Scenic Rim, and it is balm to my soul. 

We finally rolled in to the weekend house to be greeted by the owner in typically informal friendly bush style – just go on in and get settled, we’ll sort the money later- and trooped in and out with our gear. Everyone migrated back to the beds we’d occupied last trip, and we just dumped stuff and gathered on the veranda. The realisation dawned on us that a 1 1/2 -hour drive had stretched to almost 6 hours via the Op-Shop Route!

One disappointment – they’ve taken out the open fireplace, so dreams of toasting marshmallows with supper were dashed. Workplace H&S strikes again, or did they just get sick of providing firewood?

Everyone slipped effortlessly into lazy mode, no food to prepare as The Plan specified ONLY soup and crusty bread for dinner. Time for catch-up gossip and news from our separate lives; and a discussion of the book read – the theme set by Maxine was ‘anything by Walt Whitman’ and it quickly emerged that nobody could make head nor tail of this literary icon’s poetry. Really? I mean, we’re all voracious readers, and his name crops up in almost any American book you pick up, he must be good! To my mind, a lot of his poetry reads like the random thoughts of counter-culture hippies of the ‘70’s, sitting around a fire and smoking strange substances. However, Rob rescued us by finding ‘Oh Captain, My Captain’; as she read it aloud, everyone could feel the moving lyrical power of Whitman. I resolved to dig further into his prose works in search of more gems – after all, who am I to judge an icon of his stature, especially in the hilarious mood of our discussion.

The ‘just soup and crusty bread’ dinner somehow expanded to include lamb wraps with extras and a dessert of pecan slice with cream - obviously we’ve cut back severely on food! Afterwards we gathered around the heaters and gossiped some more before drifting off to bed – second disappointment was the absence of a DVD player, so we couldn’t watch ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy’ as a cheat on our current read. 

First to stir next morning, I took my camera to try to capture some of the frosty, misty morning – the steam exhaled by local dairy cows as they trooped back to their paddock mingled with the valley mist, and the frost crunching underfoot glittered in the rising sun as it climbed over the hills to paint the dark waters of the lake, just momentarily, bright gold. It was beyond my powers of description and beyond the capacity of my camera to capture – I commend it to anyone who’s feeling jaded with life.

Only one of us was energetic enough to drive to Boonah for the markets –so Di was immediately bombarded with requests to ‘just pick up’ a couple of things for those of us too mellow to move. 

Lunch was the highlight meal of the weekend – we were celebrating our year’s birthdays in the book club, including 3 ‘big zero’ days for a 40, a 50, and (yay, that’s me!) a 70. So there was a flurry of table decorating and sharing oven space to reheat our set-menu dishes, bubbles chilling for toasts, and waiting for Rob S. to arrive with her offering – the birthday cakes! We missed having Rob to stay, she was unable to stay because of family commitments, but was Trojan enough to come for the day, and looked a million dollars. Also, our popular Club leader, Maxine, was joining us for lunch and we were all excited to have her there. Maxine is a reader of mind-blowing breadth and depth, and is well on her way to completing the ‘1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die'. Wow.

Lunch was huge and delicious and disjointed and funny and we all had a lot of fun. Nobody was motivated to embark on any of the activities we had tentatively planned, though Bianca helped some of us to achieve some rudimentary origami and we admired and discussed Jen’s furniture restoration projects and Rob S,’s mosaic tiling skills. So the afternoon drifted into snacks and drinks after we’d photographed another pink-gold sunset and retreated inside out of the chill – and so, seamlessly, onward to dinner of leftovers and a mountain of garlic bread (albeit severely charred) and sundry biscuits and chocolates.

Does it sound as if we did nothing but eat? Certainly felt like it! But it was also about fun and friendship and complete lack of everyday tension, bad jokes and giggles and exchange of book recommendations and condemnations.

After Possum Park, we vowed to compile a recipe book , and it simply got lost in our other lives – I think we need to discuss reviving the idea, because on every adventure we seem to put together food, not only of ridiculous quantity but also (in all modesty) of fantastic quality!

We said our goodbyes and drove home –I for one wanted one more day- and in my case, returned to work feeling refreshed and certain that I will never eat again.

Helen

Lake Maroon & Di's Famous Mango Chicken Salad

This weekend was Caffeine and Chapter's annual retreat to Lake Maroon. 

This gorgeous location is situated just outside of Boonah, with a marvelous view of the Scenic Rim (the rim being Brisbane and the Gold Coast's best kept secret.)  

Staying in an old Queenslander house, it was a very cultured weekend, reciting poetry by Walt Whitman to each other and enjoying our usual culinary delights.

We used the opportunity of this get together to also celebrate the three major birthday's that were had this year ~ Bianca's 40th, Maxine's 50th and Helen's 70th. Next year we'll be looking forward to Di's 50th and Robyn S.'s 70th, and in 2017 Leah's 30th, major milestone's being reached and it goes to show how diverse our club is - you're never too young or too old to enjoy and talk about a good book!

L-R around the table:: Di, Susan, Robyn C., Helen, Bianca, Jennifer, Maxine,
Leah & Robyn S.

Food always plays a major part whenever we get together and we remarked yesterday that although we never discuss what we are going to bring we always bring something completely different from each other - from lasagne, cannelloni, and vegetable pie to quinoa salad and Di's famous mango chicken salad (not to mention the delicious nibbles and desserts!)

The weather was perfect, and it was yet another successful retreat for our club.

Di's Famous Mango Chicken Salad

Cooked Chicken Diced

Cucumber

Cherry Tomatoes

Avocado

Mango Slices

For the dressing:

1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 tablespoons mango chutney

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 tablespoon mango juice (if using canned)

1 tablespoon orange juice (if using fresh)

Enjoy!

Maxine

PS Thanks to Robyn C. our social director for all the organisation!!

Elizabeth Costello ~ J M Coetzee

Coetzee is a Nobel Laureate, so it is only to be expected that his writing will be complex and layered: in ‘Elizabeth Costello’ he uses the format of essays (the 8 ‘lessons’ of the book’s full title) to present philosophical debates on some very deep subjects of literature and human conflict, in the guise of public lectures by a fictional author. The lessons are linked as a chronological account of her travels as she attends an award ceremony in America, lectures at various academic institutions there and in the Netherlands, works as a guest speaker on a cruise ship and visits her long estranged sister in Africa.

The central character, Elizabeth Costello, is a well-known and prolific author; as she is ageing, she finds herself not only reflecting on her life but feeling doubts about her long-held certainties. She dislikes the rituals required of celebrity, in particular answering questions about her beliefs: in fact she denies having beliefs, contending that she is simply ‘a secretary’ who writes about issues that present themselves to her. Her son, who accompanies her to the first of these occasions, is a loyal supporter who appears to have come to terms with his unhappy childhood – a period when Elizabeth was a driven and single-minded writer who made no allowance for the emotional needs of children.

Her first lecture purports to address the subject of realism, which does not delve in ideas in writing. Elizabeth favours a time when word pictures were clear and concise:

 ‘Supply the particulars, allow the significations to emerge of themselves.’

Thus, while her lecture, using the example of Kafka’s trained ape, left her audience bewildered and unimpressed, (me too, Kafka as clear and concise?) she justifies her choice to her son as an indication of how that ape’s real, unnatural life remains embedded in the mind.

Her shipboard guest lecture, on the future of the novel, opens with the jolting declaration that for her, the subject has no interest – what, this from a novelist? You can just about feel the horror of her affluent middle class audience!-because the novel is really an author’s imagined version of shared experiences of the past, therefore appealing to readers. As there is no collection of human experience of the future, there can be no corresponding shared experience.

 In this chapter, the talk delivered by her fellow guest novelist, Nigerian Emmanuel Egudu, focuses on why the novel is much less a societal icon in Africa. He describes the traditional oral storytelling culture, the general poverty: 

‘…in the great…global system under which we live today, it has been allotted to Africa to be the home of poverty.’

He also makes the point that in parts of Africa the writer is ‘a dissident intellectual, and dissident intellectuals must tread carefully…’

This sounds like Coetzee writing of his own experiences as an author.

Elizabeth’s lectures on animals reinforce her difference from the mainstream. She offends her audiences by likening the mass slaughter of animals for human consumption to the Nazi holocaust, and contends that the Nazis formed their plans for the gas ovens after seeing the slaughter houses in Chicago. Her argument is that all the Germans and Poles who must have known what was happening virtually in their backyard, chose to ignore it because they did not picture themselves in those wagons, being driven into those death chambers; similarly, we choose not to see the reality and cruelty of mass factory farming because we do not picture ourselves as those animals – they are ‘the other’.

When audience members discuss this and why animals, even to thousands of poets and philosophers, are ‘the other’, someone says we consider the animals unclean, ‘we don’t have sex with them’; to which she snaps back ‘no, but we eat them’. Also, she dislikes the ecology movement as an instrument for setting quotas-how many of a species should be allowed to survive, whereas there are no such quotas for humans. Not flinching from her own hypocrisy, when she is lauded for her stance she retorts ‘but I’m wearing leather shoes, and carry a leather handbag’. These chapters on vegetarianism, and her conflict with her daughter-in-law over children’s diet, are for me the most striking in the book.

Visiting her sister Blanche, a widely respected missionary and academic in Zululand, Elizabeth listens to her sister’s award acceptance speech, a thesis on how the academic Humanities has largely let down the general population as it has left behind its Christian roots and become, to Blanche and other committed Christians, enslaved to ‘the monster of reason’ denying its Biblical history. Predictably the audience is not happy and one professor dismisses it on the grounds that ‘this is a secular age, you cannot turn back the clock’. Elizabeth, while not as committed as her sister, believes that studying humanities needs to do more to provide some kind of life guidance for young students. There is an ironic dig at contemporary education funding when one man says loftily ‘the humanities are the core of the university’, she notes mentally that in her opinion the core business of universities today is moneymaking! However, her preference for the arts over religious fervour  is obvious when she pillories Blanche for allowing a native craftsman ‘waste’ his creative talent churning out identical carvings of Christ on the cross to sell for the church, rather than helping him develop his skill more comprehensively.

In her lecture on Evil, Elizabeth is shown to be revising her support for lack of censorship. She has read a horribly detailed description of the punishment by hanging of former Nazi officers who attempted to assassinate Hitler; the description of their humiliation and degradation by the hangman preys on Elizabeth’s mind as she concludes that some events should not be detailed, some evil should be kept hidden from the world’s eyes, lest it infect us all. The description of the incident is ugly and horribly confronting.

Coetzee also uses crudely confronting images in Elizabeth’s musings on sex – memories of her own exploits as well as on the sexual habits of the gods. 

There are frequent references to Elizabeth’s age and its inevitable imagining of life ending: her slapdash dressing with an ancient raincoat; shoes that ‘make her look like Daisy Duck’ (cruel!); chronic tiredness and bouts of nausea; her expressed uncertainty on issues she has always been clear about.

Therefore the last lesson, ‘At the Gate’, is recognizable as an allegory, with Elizabeth in an unspecified location, as if travelling, and cannot open a gate without providing a statement of her beliefs to a judging panel who may or may not allow her in. After protesting in vain about her lack of beliefs, she finally gives a presentation about memories of childhood and the frogs that always appeared and disappeared after rain; at last she is able to bring that to a somewhat obscure conclusion of her life beliefs.

I loved this book. I enjoyed the structure, which allowed a gradual understanding of the central character, and I really liked the straightforward prose. I had to re-read the whole book to be able to understand the complicated thinking in the ‘lessons’; at first it seemed impossible to read for anyone without a thousand classical references to hand, but in fact it flows very well without dissecting every reference. I have read that the book is autobiographical, but am not familiar enough with Coetzee to comment on that. I have read that he is notoriously ‘difficult’ in the area of attending award ceremonies, book launches and the like, which certainly sounds like Elizabeth Costello.

Helen

Where Have I Gone? ~ Pauline Quirke

"Pauline Quirke was a skinny child, a slim teenager, a curvy woman, then - according to her bathroom scales (curse them) - just plain fat. Yes, the 'F' word. Tipping the scales at nearly 20 stone, with creaking knees and a dodgy ankle to boot, at the beginning of 2011 Pauline had reached a crisis point. Something had to change, and fast.

It was never going to be an easy ride, but with her trademark warmth and sense of humour, Pauline recounts the highs and lows of the rollercoaster year in which she whips herself, and her life, into shape - with a fair few tales from her celebrated forty-year acting career thrown into the bargain. She reveals all: from the strain of working long hours away from home on one of Britain's most popular soaps to renewing her wedding vows and reuniting with her Birds of a Feather co-stars; from battling the bulge and facing the naysayers to rediscovering the joys of airline travel . . . without a seatbelt extension."

Honest and revealing, Where Have I Gone? is brimming with brilliantly funny anecdotes and truly moving moments. So put your feet up and join Pauline as she embarks on the most incredible year of her life."

Review from the Internet

Read by Robyn S.

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

"Ryder is the hardest Montgomery brother to figure out - with a tough-as-nails outside and possibly nothing too soft underneath. He's surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a toolbelt, no woman can resist his sexy swagger. Except, apparently, Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own Inn BoonsBoro...

As the former manager of a D.C. hotel, Hope is used to excitement and glamour, but that doesn't mean she can't appreciate the joys of small-town living. She's where she wants to be - except for in her love life. Her only interaction with the opposite sex has been sparring with the infuriating Ryder, who always seems to get under her skin. Still, no one can deny the electricity that crackles between them...a spark that ignited with a New Year's Eve kiss.

While the inn is running smoothly, thanks to Hope's experience and unerring instincts, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome - and embarrassing - appearance. Seeing Hope vulnerable stirs up Ryder's emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him..."

Review from the Internet

Read by Robyn S.

Birthright ~ Nora Roberts

This was my crime novel for April and I enjoyed this story immensely, It had so many twists and turns.  With so many evil people who just decided they could take children and give them to people who had none at a very large price of course.  The murderer on site was unexpected and was probably more evil than the baby snatchers because she just did not care who she killed.  The love stories within were a bonus.

"On a hot July afternoon, a worker at an Antietam Creek construction site drives the blade of his backhoe into a layer of soil — and strikes a 5,000-year-old human skull. The discovery draws plenty of attention and a lot of controversy. It also changes the life of one woman in ways she never expected...

As an archaeologist, Callie Dunbrook knows a lot about the past. But her own past is about to be called into question. Recruited for her expertise on the Antietam Creek dig, she encounters danger — as a cloud of death and misfortune hangs over the project, and rumors fly that the site is cursed. She finds a passion that feels equally dangerous, as she joins forces in her work with her irritating, but irresistible, ex-husband, Jake. And when a strange woman approaches her, claiming to know a secret about Callie’s privileged Boston childhood, some startling and unsettling questions are raised about her very identity.

Searching for answers, trying to rebuild, Callie finds that there are deceptions and sorrows that refuse to stay buried. And as she struggles to put the pieces back together, she discovers that the healing process comes with consequences — and that there are people who will do anything to make sure the truth is never revealed."

Read by Robyn S.

A Dark Adapted Eye ~ Barbara Vine

This month’s Caffeine and Chapters Book Club read is an Edgar Award Winning Novel.  Having never read any books from the list of winners I realised this was a genre I probably hadn’t tapped into.  I liked the sound of this title over all the others on the list and so I downloaded it as an audio book.

I didn’t realise that Barbara Vine was the nom de plume of Ruth Rendell’s.  I had recently read The Killing Doll by Rendell and thoroughly enjoyed her characterisations and the dark nature of the novel, so once I realised who had written this book I was quietly pleased about my choice.

What a great story it is.  It is the tale of a family with dark secrets and the secrets are slowly unraveled by Faith, the niece of the main character Vera, after she is approached by a true crime writer who wants to write about Vera’s life.  The title of the novel relates to the opening of Faith’s eyes to events in her family and seeing them with an adult’s new perspective.

The novel opens with Vera’s execution and Faith mentions just about all the main characters without us knowing who they are and how they will relate to the story.  As the novel progresses some of these characters and their relationships are a revelation.

In short Faith’s father has two sisters – Vera and Eden.  He places these two women on a pedestal as paragon’s of virtue and Faith finds it very hard to live up to their standards only to find that they were not very virtuous at all as she pieces together their past.  Vera is much older than Eden and pushes her son away in favour of raising Eden when their parents die.  Faith often stays with them on holidays only to find them whispering and keeping secrets and making her feel very uncomfortable a lot of the time.  Vera’s son is very scornful and cruel to her but Eden appears to counter his presence with beauty and a strong love for her sister Vera.

Things take a turn when Faith’s family are told that Vera is expecting.  She is a much older lady and with her husband away (this is set during the 2nd World War) they can do the math.  They don’t receive much communication whilst she is pregnant but are relieved when they are told eventually by Eden that she has delivered a healthy baby boy – Jamie.

Vera is completely devoted to Jamie, but when she falls very ill she is devastated by the fact that Eden has taken him to live with her and her new very wealthy husband.  Eden has been trying for a child of her own, but a miscarriage and subsequent problems mean that she can no longer have a baby.  What ensues is a very bitter custody battle to try and bring Jamie back home to Vera, which culminates in murder and Vera’s execution.

What I loved about this novel were the insights by Faith describing the time she spent with the two women.  What seems innocuous at first becomes darker when viewed in light of the later events.  The characterisations are absolutely brilliant and their history quite complex.  What we have here is a mystery story, but we are still left with a mystery at the end of it – well two actually.  Who was Jamie’s father and who is actually Jamie’s mother?

This is a fantastic read and Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell will be on my reading list for the rest of this year.  With Rendell’s passing a few days ago I can see there are a lot of novels I need to catch up on.

Maxine

Strangers on a Train ~ Patricia Highsmith

Architect Guy Haines has the ability to achieve anything he wants in life – a successful career, a fantastic home, and a beautiful new wife……. but all this changes on the day he catches a train to Metcalf to talk to his estranged wife about a divorce.

On the train Haines is subjected to a very uncomfortable conversation with the wealthy but bored Charles Bruno, though when Haines reaches his destination he has pretty much dismissed Bruno as a harmless crackpot.  But Bruno sees this fortuitous meeting as the start of a very beautiful friendship ~ one that will come at great cost.

Bruno believes that he has the idea for a perfect crime, one that attaches no motive to the perpetrators, and which will secure each of their futures.  But Bruno’s careful planning doesn’t account for Haines having a conscience and the fact that there will be others who are determined to get to the truth.

Highsmith had me on tender hooks throughout this novel.  Her characterisations were excellent, I detested the smarmy alcoholic Charles Bruno and felt all of the emotions attributed to Haines.  The nightmare world that she portrays is unshakeable as is the persistent Bruno.  Living out his fantasies Bruno drags Guy, a once honest man, down into hell without the strength of character to make it back in one piece.

I did this one as a ‘buddy read’ with a couple of readers who I have connected with on Twitter.  All three of us felt the high anxiety of the storyline, and once we had finished we agreed that we needed something calming to read afterwards!

Hitchcock made a movie by the same name, but he detracted from the novel considerably and it is extremely dated by today’s standards.

Read by Maxine

Billy ~ Pamela Stephenson

"Whatever your opinion of Billy Connolly, his life has been an epic tale of controversy and hilarity, tragedy and comedy. From his working class roots in Glasgow he has worked his way to the top, and now enjoys huge worldwide acclaim and lives a dream lifestyle."

This is a great biography of the best comedian by the most suitable person. Who better than Billy's own wife to write a well deserved and respectful biography.

When I read this it was before I really got into Billy Connolly. I had seen a few bits and pieces and loved what I saw but I didn't have access to see anything else. Reading this book gave me so many more insights into his life and work and made me respect him all the more.

Billy's life was not perfect by any means and he had a rough upbringing. The stories and memories Stephenson explores break your heart, make you laugh and actually don't make you close the book pitying Billy at all. You see where he has taken this pain and what he has done with it and you applaud him for pressing on and pushing through it. 

There are so many sides of Billy explored in this, from his childhood to his music and comedian days as well as his life with Stephenson. This book is filled with jokes and humorous anecdotes that soften the darker aspects but a true biography is never all smiles and laughter. A brilliant book and an engaging, emotional and entertaining read. 

Read by Robyn S.