The Red Lion Book Club (thread#3)

[shlg 10]

Hello. Could I join your bookclub? If so, could you please confirm date, time and location for July? Also how often do you actually meet and roughly for how long (sorry coming from Chesterfield so have to set up the grans for baby-sitting:) ) Have noted the book is 'The Personal History Of Rachel Dupree', correct? Thanks! C

 

Yes, you'd be very welcome to join! The next meeting's almost certainly the 8th July (this will be finally confirmed after the June meeting).

We meet once a month, at 7.30pm at the Red Lion on Charles Street, and the discussion usually lasts... um... about an hour to an hour and a half..? We tend to go off on tangents at the end and end up talking about all sorts.

Yes, that's the book.

 

Hope to see you in July!

[Crys 10]

Thanks so much. In my calendar! Hope to see you then.....

[Crys 10]

Is the Red Lion near any landmark?

Edited June 3, 2009 by Crys
Different query

[shlg 10]

Is the Red Lion near any landmark?

 

It's not far from the station: go to the Hubs (weird silver building: Sheffield Hallam Students' Union) and walk up the paved bit on the left-hand side of it (as you face it), continue up that road and the pub's on your right.

[Ron Blanco 10]

I hope you had a good discussion. My journey by train was interrupted due to severe flooding in the Sheffield area, so I had to turn back.

 

I liked Persepolis, especially at the beginning. I thought that the innocent viewpoint of a young girl really helped to emphasise the seemingly ludicrous nature of Iran's society, in hilarious fashion. The book seemed to fizzle out at the end though.

 

What was the verdict at the meeting?

[shlg 10]

Did anyone make it to the meeting?

pb63 and I were stranded on different trains just outside Sheffield, so neither of us went to the pub.

 

I liked Persepolis, too. I agree with you, Ron, that it fizzled at the end. I read the sequel too, and I think the story works much better if you read both books as one.

I thought the simplicity of style of the pictures helped emphasis the child's-viewpoint and maybe prevented the pictures from being too distracting from the story.

 

What did anyone else think?

[HalesCA 10]

Hey! I'd love to join your bookclub. Can anyone join? (:

[pb63 10]

Anyone can join. I thought Persepolis showed how people think revolution will bring one thing but brings another. In my lifetime the left rejected mainstream old labour, thinking they would get something more lefty but in reality they helped bring in the Thatcherite revolution. In Iran liberal people thought "we'll bring down the Shah, it can't get any worse" and got the Ayotullah!

[Ron Blanco 10]

Considering the elections going on today in Iran, it looked like we inadvertently chose another topical book.

 

Still no confirmation that anyone turned up to the meeting or what the choice is for next month!

 

In terms of future books I wonder if we should try one by J G Ballard, who recently passed away. Talking about his reasons for writing the book "Crash" he said: "I wanted to rub the human face in its own vomit, and force it to look in the mirror".

 

Maybe it's a bit too controversial for our group considering our previous, largely mainstream, choices?

[shlg 10]

the book chosen for July is The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber.

 

July is sorted (was decided at the May meeting) - and I'm more than halfway through reading it already! July meeting will be on the 8th, according to my diary. Is this OK with everyone?

 

I don't mind controversial, so if others are happy with JG Ballard, I am too.

[Ron Blanco 10]

July meeting will be on the 8th, according to my diary. Is this OK with everyone?

 

Yes, I can make that date. I have made a start on the Weisgarber book, and what an impressive start it is!

[shlg 10]

I'm enjoying it, too