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.
Below are details of our recently read books.
June 2026 – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This story is about Amy and Nick – two people who meet and fall in love making the “perfect couple” or so it seems until they both lose their jobs. The relationship begins to deteriorate. Amy goes missing on their 5thWedding anniversary and there is a trail of clues which seem to indicate she has been kidnapped or murdered – with Nick becoming the main suspect.
The author cleverly provides a dual perspective with differing dates which are at first confusing and require some perseverance to keep track of each person’s narrative. The suspense in Gone Girl revolves around the disappearance of Amy Dunne and the accusations against her husband. The suspense is well written and keeps the reader engaged although there was some criticism and disappointment about the ending.
Some comments from our members:
“I was pleased to have the chance to re-read a book, along with a film I had really enjoyed 12 years back and I have not been disappointed. It’s a clever psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns of a couple’s very complex relationship involving deceit, betrayals and much more besides, with one’s sympathies constantly changing from one person to the other. We are given a fascinating view on nowadays relationships and big city living versus small provincial town life. This is a prequel scenario leading up to Trump’s America. A background of a failing economic system, redundancies, falling house prices, increasing unemployment, loss of established wealth, but the heart of the book is the way couples can deceive each other that they are having a good time or not, and sharing expectations or otherwise. The American author has a great way with her descriptive prose and keeps one constantly excited by the change of tone and events. Yes, a good read!”
“No doubt this is a well written book, but I found it extremely boring for the first half of the book. I admit the plot is cleverly set out with an unusual ending for a “who done it” novel. The final chapter was amusing, but quite unbelievable to me.”
“I started taking an interest as we were led down various garden paths. I enjoy murder mysteries, but there was too much psychoanalysis for me in this book. The story is less of a murder mystery and more about the revealing of the heroine’s true character. We start by sympathising with Amy and end with our sympathies firmly laid on Nick.”
“When we were given this book, I thought it sounded familiar and as soon as I started reading it, I remembered that I hated it! The two main characters were both selfish and self-centred and stupid. There was nothing about them I liked and this was after the first three chapters! I read the ending to check whether or not he killed but as it was a Book Group book, I had to read more…! She is in 2005, he is in the present day, then she is in 2008……. and so it goes on. This woman is so sick in the head and trying to justify it. Does the writer really believe that this is what a relationship is – a battlefield? I found the language offensive and felt the author has so much filth and angst in her head and I skipped through some chapters.”
“Overall, I enjoyed the book. I saw the film a few years ago which I enjoyed but couldn’t remember all the twists and turns so I was still surprised by some of the aspects of the plot.”
“The narrative alternates between their two stories – Amy’s mostly through her diary entries which incriminate Nick who is the prime suspect due to his dodgy alibi and Amy’s clever insinuations in her diary. It is a dark and twisted plot, a “Whodunnit” and learn that Amy has faked her disappearance and possible murder in order to make Nick look guilty. It seems Amy may have a personality disorder and Nick is the victim. The story grabbed me at the beginning but I did then skip through pages because I had seen the film and knew the ending. The novel did though offer a more immersive look into the dark, twisted minds of its main characters.”“I could not put the book down and was impressed by the detail but was disappointed by what was a lame ending and pyrrhic victory for Amy.”
May 2026 – A Perfectly Good Man – Patrick Gale
This is the story of Father Barnaby Thomas, a popular local priest, and the people who affect his life. It begins with Father Barnaby witnessing a young man’s suicide. Lenny, a talented rugby player became a paraplegic after an accident and made the conscious decision to end his own life and wanted father Barnaby to be with him at the end. This tragedy is the catalyst for a series of events where we meet the inhabitants of Pendeen and Morvah, their families and interactions, their triumphs and their tragedies. It is the tale of a man for whom empathy comes first who tries always to live according to his beliefs but does not always succeed.
Some comments from members:
“I enjoyed this poignant account of a “perfectly good man” very much. The west Cornwall setting was perfectly realised, the characters engaging and the non-linear structure, while confusing at times, ultimately insightful. As an atheist, I was surprisingly taken by the book’s exploration of faith and found the final chapter where Barnaby has his first intimation of the existence of God very moving.
I found the first chapter/story very moving I am not sure that it was added to by finding out later that Barnaby was the boy’s father. Although I enjoyed the rest of the book nothing else matched the powerful first story which was very thought provoking and beautifully written. I wondered what effect it would have on someone with a disability. I also wondered if the information on getting the ingredients needed for suicide were accurate or helpful.”
“Very intense story requiring careful reading with narrative going backward and forward. Authors honest detailed descriptions of family life primarily focused on the central character of a vicar’s family and associated neighbours and parishioners. There is a particularly well-cast adversary named “Modest” – a very nasty personality set against the admirable qualities of the perfectly good man which maybe is intended as a biblical parable of good versus evil – Jesus versus the Devil and his vile ways? For example, exacerbating a death by breaking a confidence of the paternity of the vicar’s illegitimate son. One felt engrossed in the context, especially of the Cornish rural life compared with a more recognised urban upbringing re: issues of adoption, single parenting etc., dealing with drugs….the story described how the best parental intentions can fail. In all a very sobering tale provoking lots of thought made even more accessible by the authors easy bright style of writing.”
“As the quote says from the Sunday Times, this is a convincing moving account of man’s struggle with faith, marriage, and mortality. The novel is set in a small village in Cornwall around the life of the vicar John Barnaby and his family and characters in the village. The author has a wonderful talent of bringing characters to life. The book is packed with many interesting topics – The decline of the tin mining industry in Cornwall, the Vietnamese refugee crisis, dealing with drug addiction problems, inquest procedures and many other topics. I found it interesting reading the stories within the story.
I found the format of the novel quite taxing particularly before we had been introduced to all the characters. Dashing back-and-forth in time was quite a challenge. And I was disappointed not to hear how Barnaby had found his faith in God after growing up in a non-religious family. (If we were told, I can’t remember it!)
This is a book I nearly gave up on due to its religious content but I am glad I persevered.”
“The people in this story are all quite ordinary, not especially interesting, sad and happy events. Barnaby is with Nuala, carrie with Morwenna, Phuc with fern and Modest “put in his place”. Then in the last chapter we are suddenly back at the beginning.
I think the jumping backwards and forwards in time was the author’s ploy to keep the reader interested. It was like doing a jigsaw and some things made no sense until you came back to them at a different age and sometimes a different character. I though I would have liked this book – it was set in Penzance, a place I know and in a time that I know, but I didn’t really get into it until “Carrie at 35” – 276 pages in! I had tried reading Patrick gale before but did not like it, I also saw him on television but instantly took a dislike to him.”
“I have read a couple of Gale’s books and always enjoyed them; this exceeded all the others. I particularly liked the setting of this novel set in far west of Cornwall which I know well and I could picture the events unfolding. Even at the start with poor Lenny in one of the old peoples’ flats opposite Penzance harbour, miserably about to take his own life rather than live with his paralysis.
The author skilfully weaves the cast of characters’ lives, whether old or young, Cornish or Australian, good or bad, with compelling dexterity. I found this a pleasingly dense read with so many strands eventually linking in unexpected ways. The book reveals some heartfelt observations of any human situations, expressions and outcomes.”
“I found the first chapter/story very moving I am not sure that it was added to by finding out later that Barnaby was the boy’s father. Although I enjoyed the rest of the book nothing else matched the powerful first story which was very thought provoking and beautifully written. I wondered what effect it would have on someone with a disability. I also wondered if the information on getting the ingredients needed for suicide were accurate or helpful.”
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.
