SE1 Book Club 2011

Hi

Can you please let me confirm that the book club is still running in 2012. If so, is it still the first Wednesday of the month and what is the venue again?

Thanks

yes i am up for a change of venue and i understand the book club is going to be offered a free meal! so what's there to lose?!

by the way the whitesmith arms on Crosby street is where i hear they are offering book club members a free meal if we commit to the venue. it's a nice place i think, and just round the corner from the Britannia, so not too arduous a transition.

Personally I am perfectly happy at the Brit it has done as well over the years when other venues have come and gone. Maybe I am not so easily brought!

WendyJudd wrote:

Hi
Can you please let me confirm that the book club is still running in 2012. If so, is it still the first Wednesday of the month and what is the venue again?

Thanks

Hello Wendy, the SE1 book club is most definitely still running in 2012. We meet monthly 7.30pm on the first Wednesday at the Britannia pub, Kipling Street. On 2 May we will be discussing "Snowdrops" by A.D. Miller. If you cannot spot the pile of books on the table, please ask the bar staff where we are sitting.

juanita wrote:

Hello Wendy, the SE1 book club is most definitely still running in 2012. We meet monthly 7.30pm on the first Wednesday at the Britannia pub, Kipling Street. On 2 May we will be discussing "Snowdrops" by A.D. Miller. If you cannot spot the pile of books on the table, please ask the bar staff where we are sitting.

Is anybody going to the Britannia 7.30pm this Wednesday?

I shall be there

Hi I'm easy as far as venue change whatever the majority decide will be there on Wednesday

I shall be along tomorrow night. Here is my shortlist


1. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), John le Carré.
Is a British Cold War spy novel that became famous for its portrayal of Western espionage methods as being morally inconsistent with Western democracy and values. The novel received critical acclaim at the time of its publication and became an international best-seller. The novel was selected as one of the All-Time 100 Novels by TIME Magazine. In 2006, Publishers Weekly named it the “best spy novel of all-time”.

2. Everyman for himself - Beryl Bainbridge
This novel is a masterpiece, and infinitely more rewarding than the film 'Titanic' with which it shares its subject matter. The fateful voyage is seen through the eyes of Morgan, a rich, young man related to the owner of the shipping line. Concentrating mainly on the first class passengers, to which set Morgan belongs, it paints a portrait of an insular group with an impressive array of vices. The title of the novel says it all - "Every man for himself" - and there is plenty of selfishness, silliness and snobbery on display here. However Morgan himself is basically a decent young chap, and does his best to look out for his friends as the disaster unfolds its course; ultimately he manages to save himself too. This is not a long novel, nor does it need to be, as every word has its place.

3. David Golder - is writer Irène Némirovsky's first novel. It was recently re-issued following the popularity of the newly-discovered masterpiece Suite Française, written by Némirovsky whilst in hiding in France during the Second World War. David Golder was published in France in 1929 and won instant acclaim for the 26-year-old author.
David Golder is a self-made man. From humble beginnings as a Jew in the Ukraine selling rags, he is now a cold, ruthless businessman. It is suggested by his wife, Gloria, that Marcus is not the only casualty of Golder's brutal dealings. However he has an Achilles heel, well hidden: his feckless daughter, Joyce. It is this weakness that eventually ruins him.

Now 68 and dying, he realises that his wealth has not brought him happiness; simply a grim satisfaction that, as "a good Jew" he has provided for his uncaring family. Gloria and Joyce are portrayed as grasping and selfish, barely showing concern or interest in Golder except when they need more money for jewellery, furs, cars and cash for their lovers.

The novel is an astonishing portrayal of a businessman and his family in the years leading up to the Great Depression. It also introduces characters of great depth, like Soifer, the old German Jew who "walks on tiptoe" to save shoe leather; he is Golder's only connection with the old world from which he himself came. His wife, Gloria, (Havke is her Yiddish name) is as beautiful, cold and hard as the jewels she so treasures. But it is Joyce, Golder's 18-year-old daughter, who is central to the story. It is she who ultimately causes his ruin.

Fantastic shortlist ... I wish I had time to read all three!! See you all later at the Britannia.