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.
April 2026 – Fair Stood the Wind for France – H.E. Bates
It was universally agreed by all members of the group that this was an exceptional read by a very talented writer. We all loved it!! It was also agreed that one person’s particular review perfectly summed up what everyone thought so this is produced in full below – Thank you Ruth!!
Others’ comments are added at the end.
“This book was written in 1944 before the Second World War had ended. A story of hope, survival and the bravery of the French people.
Although not written in the first person, the story is told from the perspective of the pilot John Franklin. His plane has lost an engine and he is forced to bring it down in occupied France. Because he has no idea where they are, he comes down on soft ground and the plane skews and damages his arm. The other 4 men are OK and they are taken in and hidden by a French farming family and “papers” are made so they can move on. Unfortunately, Franklin’s injury is really bad and he eventually has to have his arm amputated. A local doctor comes to do this which makes the reader aware of how dangerous this is when he is later shot along with others.
It is superlative, descriptive prose. You could feel all the emotions – fear, anger, frustration, tenderness and the peace of the presence and faith of the farmer’s daughter, Francoise – “it began by being a small faith and then it got bigger with every bunch of grapes until it was really quite a big faith”. The love and caring and the howling of the dog – and the pain.
The intensity of it all I found quite overwhelming, disturbing and upsetting. I could only read it a couple of chapters at a time and may have skimmed through some bits altogether – which probably underlines what a brilliant storyteller the author is.”
Other members’ comments:
“My only familiarity with H.E. Bates was a vague recollection of The Darling Buds of May television series. I had never read Fair Stood the Wind for France but I am so glad that I now have. I found it completely absorbing, full of tension and beautifully written in an understated style.
I was interested to see that it was written before the war had ended and that H.E. Bates was employed by the RAF as a writer. Its propaganda is subtle though and the novel retains its powerful and lyrical force 80 years on.”
“I read this many years ago and it was a delight to read it again, one’s appreciation of a book re-ignited. I felt I was watching a film as I read the words – so vivid and so much detail conjured up not only the scenery, the moments, but also the mood and feelings between people. After the crash landing the description of their struggle on foot to find shelter, travelling at night, Franklin with a badly injured arm, forced to fall back on reserves of will power and their mutual regard for each other eventually finding an isolated French farm whose occupants are part of the Resistance. How many hundreds of similar situations there must have been like this – French people sacrificing their own safety to help the Allies. A poignant ending, beautifully written as Francoise and Franklin attempt to escape to Spain and O’Connor, one of the original flight crew makes the ultimate sacrifice”
“This story is an eloquent portrayal of war genre and we are reminded throughout of the importance of comradeship and trust. It was important for the airmen to bond and act as a team on their missions. It was also vital that they put their trust in the members of the family who hide them and supply them with the necessary papers and supplies. Franklin’s injury requires him to stay at the farm and have his arm amputated and, during this time, he and Francoise from a strong bond. The author describes the decay and despair in war-torn France which makes us very aware of the futility of war.”
“It was a lovely novel and extremely well-written, pure, simple and understated. Terrible things were happening around the world, including France and the author highlights the risks and sacrifices taken by French nationals to help soldiers and airmen escape capture to return home to England to fight again.
The author writes with excellent detail and emotion. I really enjoyed the book but was slightly disappointed with the ending – did Franklin and Francoise make it to England?”
“Brilliant writing, intense but easy to read, reality of war, bravery and loyalty”
“A gripping, very good read. The author H.E. Bates takes a very different approach to writing the traditional war story (ie. Focus on the hero in battle and the rights of the winning side) This is not just a war story but a comprehensive commentary on peoples’ fears, impact of physical pain, kindness, love, trust and loyalty in times of terrible stress. The novel has a fascinating insight of German occupied France and the separate Vichy fascist southern area. Quite one of the best read ever – it has inspired me to read further books by this prolific writer who was also recognised as a master of the short story. So pleased that it came up as a book club choice. I had in fact, first read it in my early twenties but 50 years on it has had far greater impact as a good story of the best of humanity”
“I enjoyed this book. The twist in the plot in the final pages took me completely by surprise. Franklin’s desire to make an honest woman of François reflected the moral standards of the time.
I thought the characters were portrayed well, highlighting the difficulties and dangers of living in war-torn France during the occupation of the Germans in the Second World War. A book the younger generation should read.”
March 2026 – The Seven Sisters – Lucinda Riley
This is the first of the stories about 5 girls adopted by a wealthy man affectionately called “Pa Salt”. They are brought up in luxury on a secluded island on the shores of Lake Geneva. They know nothing of their origins but gather together on the island after being informed that their “father” has died. His legacy is to leave each of them with a clue to her true heritage. Maia’s clue takes her to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she starts to investigate her background. This is the first story in the series and takes Maia back to the 1920s where Izabela Bonifacio’s father is aiming for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. An architect, Heitor da Silva Costa is meanwhile planning an enormous statue to be called “Christ the Redeemer” and travels to Paris to find the right sculptor for this important project. Izabel persuades her father to let her accompany them to Europe before she is married. This changes the course of Izabela’s life.
Some comments from members of the group:
“This was a very long-winded tale of the lives of modern-day Maia, and Izabela her great grandmother that were inextricably linked with the building of the Christo statue in Rio de Janeiro in 1922.
I did not understand how the title of the book Seven Sisters related to the story. Maia’s story predominates when Pa Salt died (who for some inexplicable reason had adopted 7 young female children). She decides to leave the family home in Zurich to find out who her real parents were and starts in Rio de Janeiro where she wishes to meet a Brazilian author she admires and whose work she has been translating. After further research they go and meet an elderly lady who they believe is connected to Maia’s past. At this point it is the story of great grandmother Izabela that takes over. Strict rules for elite families in late 19th century Rio insisted marriage to be arranged. Izabela inwardly rebelled against this idea to no avail and was to become engaged to the older unattractive though kind Gustavo.
Yearning to explore more of the world Izabela was delighted when she was allowed to accompany her father (the designer /engineer of Christo) to Paris where he was to meet the Sculptor of the great statue. Izabela pals up with a forward-thinking young woman who shows her the delights of bohemian life on the Left bank whereas 2 attractive girls they are surrounded by many admirers. Heady stuff. When Izabela’s father takes her to meet the great sculptor, it is the meeting of his assistant Laurent that is the icing on her cake, as it is love at first sight for both of them. Sadly however, she is already engaged, so theirs has to be an honourable discreet friendship at this stage, as she is soon to return to Rio with her father.
Now married to Gustavo, Izabela is surprised and overjoyed to meet Laurent again who has come to help with the erecting of the Christo statue in Rio. This time their love making is real but secret and results in her becoming pregnant. Poor old suspicious drunken Gustavo cannot believe it is not his child, and discovers she has been cheating on him. Laurent returns alone to Paris, and Izabela must bring up the daughter as best she can alone.
Returning to the present Maia has by now fallen for the Brazilian author (whose name escapes me), and all ends happily ever after. I was irritated by the predictable outcomes of the book, but mildly interested in the settings and time changes over 3 generations. I also was able to skip over too much wordy description.”
“I made insufficient time to fully read this “magnum opus”. However, the first quarter of the book gave me a good feel of the writer’s detailed characterisation, interesting development of plot, and posing a lot of questions with answers that no doubt would be revealed in the full work. I enjoyed hearing the groups differing and wise views, as ever!
“I always find tracing someone’s family history fascinating and this proved no exception. I love the way the author linked in historical facts with the fiction and found myself checking up on the Internet on the sculptors who came into the story.
Lucinda Riley certainly has the ability to create a page turning novel but it irritated me that her characters were so superlative. and the family loaded with so much money to enable them to fly around the world at the drop of a hat. and of course, Maia’s grandmother had to be the most beautiful woman in Brazil and Maia herself a carbon copy of her, Izabela‘s husband had to look like a ferret who’s a drunkard and unkind to her and Maia’s newfound lover handsome and the perfect partner.
This was all too Mills and Boon -ish for me. but I did enjoy the brilliant descriptions of Rio and the historical connections with Christ the Redeemer and all the other historical connections. I cannot believe we are meant to assume Maia gives up her search when she is so close to the end. are we meant to assume she cannot face finding out the truth about her parents? Having been somewhat critical of this plot, I have to admit that I have read all seven books previously and enjoyed them all!”
“I liked Maia’s character. She is solid and dependable and also brave. Led to Rio, she finds her grandmother who is close to the end of her life and was unaware of Maia’s existence. From her grandmother’s maid, Maia learns the history of her great grandmother as the story reverts to1920s Rio and Paris. There are many details and layers which I enjoyed. The past and present were woven well together which enriched the narrative.
I did think that some of it was fantastical and predictable – that her “father” was a billionaire, that he did not want them to know he had died until after he had been buried at sea – maybe he wasn’t dead?”
“Overall, I was very disappointed with this book. It started off really well as a mystery story “Who was Pa Salt? Where did all the sisters come from, what was Maia’s secret? The plot thickens when Maia suddenly rushes off to Rio to the house where she was supposedly born but the owner, an old lady denies all knowledge. The mais gives her a bundle of letters to read from which we get the love story of Izabela.
The last chapter tied up some loose ends but after 500 pages, I had really had enough! The book ends with the beginning of another sister, Ally’s chapter. I don’t think I can read another 5 books to find out the answers”.
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.
