GROUP CONVENOR – Christine Wright
We meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 1.00 pm in the Assembly Room at St Austell Arts Centre. If you enjoy reading and discussing the book you have read, come along and join us.
NB This group is now at capacity. Please contact the Group Convenor via the below form if you would like to be added to a waiting list.
Below are details of our recently read books.
June 2024 Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes by Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot
This was an interesting book and the group’s first graphic novel. It was written as a biography of Lucia Joyce – James Joyce’s daughter – alongside an autobiography of the author Mary M. Talbot in collaboration with her husband, Bryan Talbot, a well-known comics artist and illustrator. The book won the 2012 Costa biography award.
Mary’s father, James Atherton, was Joyce’s biographer and the book compares and contrasts the relationship each woman had with their father although Lucia’s is set in the early 20 th century (1907 to 1982) and Mary’s in the 1950s onward.
The story switches from Lucia’s life to Mary’s – clearly identifiable by the different colour scheme of the graphics for each one.
It is the story of how bad parenting can have a devastating effect on children – in particular those of daughters – and reflects the attitudes to women prevalent at the times. Both daughters had very difficult relationships with their fathers who both had violent tempers and thwarted their daughter’s ambitions – successfully in the case of Lucia less so in Mary’s.
Lucia’s story is sad and ends in tragedy due to her parents’ attitude to her wish to have a
career as a dancer and Mary has her own issues with her parents but the changes
happening in the 60s and 70s enabled her to eventually follow her dream of becoming an
author. The two lives are cleverly juxtaposed throughout.
The most interesting part of the group’s discussion was the fact that almost everyone read it twice although there was one member who was not keen on the graphic novel genre.
Some comments below:
“I skipped through the book initially as I didn’t think it would have any substance but then I read it more thoroughly.” The graphics added to the story in a way that words alone wouldn’t have done. The pictures elicited their own emotion from me. I liked the way the author combined her life story with that of Lucia Joyce. The authors’ story alone would not have had the poignancy that the 2 stories had running along together. This book isn’t something I would have chosen to read myself but I enjoyed it and would consider a graphic novel again.“
“I skipped through the book initially as I didn’t think it would have any substance but then I read it more thoroughly.” The graphics added to the story in a way that words alone wouldn’t have done. The pictures elicited their own emotion from me. I liked the way the author combined her life story with that of Lucia Joyce. The authors’ story alone would not have had the poignancy that the 2 stories had running along together. This book isn’t something I would have chosen to read myself but I enjoyed it and would consider a graphic novel again. “
“I read the book quickly thinking not much of it, then read it again more attentively and quite enjoyed it. Although the illustrations aren’t lovely, they are quite powerful and express feelings and opinions clearly, which for some readers might be more appealing, like comics used to be for me when I was younger.”
“I read the book quickly thinking not much of it, then read it again more attentively and quite enjoyed it. Although the illustrations aren’t lovely, they are quite powerful and express feelings and opinions clearly, which for some readers might be more appealing, like comics used to be for me when I was younger.”
“For me the “ Graphic Novel “ has been a new worthwhile experience .
I found myself reliving the excitement I had as a child reading comics – a pleasure denied (since the age of 9 being considered then a distraction from proper learning). The immediacy of the clever illustrations created an instant emotional engagement that only takes hold more slowly with the written word. Direct thoughts in bubbles leave no doubt as to whose thinking what!
An altogether unusual way of running two lines of a related story at the same time.
I found the writings of Joyce very difficult to understand way back but I have remained curious as to what he was all about. I remember the Tom Stoppard fantasy play Travesties with Joyce and Lenin debating the meaning of life whist in Vienna and another visual image Lucia de Lammermoor, the Walter Scott novel and Donizetti opera of an emotional woman’s lament of life’s frustrations”
“I was very disappointed by this book. I remember studying “Portrait of the Artist as a Young man” at school as well as Finnegan’s Wake and Ulysses but I have no actual memory of what they were about – only that I found them difficult reading”
We can all relate to that last comment – Joyce’s novels were never easy!!
May 2024 The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp by Eva Rice
This book was written by Tim Rice’s daughter, Eva Rice and is set in the post war era of the late fifties and early sixties accurately capturing the atmosphere of the swinging sixties and the enormous changes happening at that time. It is the story of Tara, a country vicar’s daughter from Cornwall, whose talented voice and song writing abilities lead to her rise to fame from 10 to 17 years of age as a successful singer/songwriter.
In the beginning, Tara struggles coping with the image she is encouraged to portray and the characters surrounding her when she goes to London and is surrounded by the “sex, drugs and rock,n,roll” scene. She experiences a gamut of emotions – envy, love, hope and despair, guilt and redemption – all are cleverly captured with unsentimental but sympathetic, detailed observation and humour.
We get a picture of the people who were around at that time (Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones is mentioned) and we see these characters through Tara’s eyes.
In addition to the music scene at that time, Eva Rice also details examples of the “out with the old, in with the new” culture, threading the mass destruction of Victorian architecture skilfully through the story as streets of majestic old houses were knocked down to create new roads and modern buildings.
Although it is a long book, it is an easy read and a satisfying “rags to riches” tale although not all members of the group were in agreement, with some feeling that the ending was predictable from the beginning and it took far too long to be proven right with some abandoning the book halfway through!
Some comments from members:
“easy read but far too long and rambling”
“honest believable characters and accurate description of the era. Feelgood descriptions of Cornwall and a novel change to have so many optimistic folk, no real nasties. But the overall story did not add up to very much and I lost interest before reaching the end.”
“I did not think I was going to enjoy this book when Tara met her fairytale prince in the first few pages. But I found Eva Rice such a good storyteller that she kept me turning the pages to the bitter end.”
“I thought all her characters were well portrayed and the plot had many twists and turns in the lives of most of the characters in the story.”
“As the story progressed, it became a good read for me.”
“I found it joyous, glorious, outrageous, romantic, over the top 60’s London. There were laugh out loud moments. I was a teenager in 60’s London before moving to Cornwall”
“The somewhat over-used “rags to riches” phrase comes to mind as Tara’s innocent singing is teased out into a full-blown career. Some nostalgic, even hysterical or historical diversions – references to Nickolaus Pevsner, Mary Quant, Cheyne walk, the mini skirt, hippies, Chelsea etc………..”
April 2024 Fahreneit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Previous Reviews can be seen HERE
We are happy for you to come to a Coffee Morning or one main Monthly Meeting and to attend one individual group (with the exception of groups that require pre-booking and ticket purchases) before deciding whether to join St Austell u3a.
Please always contact the Group Convenor to ensure the session is going ahead.
