Jean Richardson

Explores themes of femininity/feminism Conformity/Pride Racism/repression/colonialism Attraction/repulsion Isolation. A remarkable book, again I read many years ago, but found it more compelling in what it asks of the reader. Mary has a miserable childhood, and seemingly escapes the possibilities of a life like her parents, but to her shock she is looked on by her peers as a bit of an oddity, & with pity. In confusion about this & insecurity, she marries a man of whom she knows nothing. White females are expected to marry & she conforms, against her better judgment, to find herself living the life she tried so hard to confine to the depth of memory. Within hours of arrival she is alone in a ramshackle farmhouse with heat, dust & natives. The black population of ‘her’ country have only been very peripheral to her previous existence, and she was never in a position to have to give their lives even the briefest of thought. Now she is compelled to have a relationship with the ‘natives’ and she falls into/chooses to be the colonial master and prejudice, repulsion, and fear need to be dealt with daily in the monotony of this small isolated farm house. She rejects friendship from neighbours. Shame leads to a misinterpretation of her feelings to those of ridiculous pride, which furthers her isolation. She hates and pities her husband in equal measure and his hopeless attempts to earn a living for them on the farm. There relationship is built on tolerance & at best companionship. She despises his easy way with the farm natives which drives her to treat them with greater cruelty & sadism. It is Moses that bares this scar with no complaint, but enters Mary’s house as the new ‘house boy’, and here as tension builds, and Mary’s mind unravels we are asked to consider repression of sexual attraction, repulsion, guilt, retribution, and maybe humanity. Highly recommend .

A remarkable book because it is written in the first person as a neuro diverse young man very convincingly I thought. I am a mere layman, but believed wholeheartedly in Christopher’s character. The dog thing is a conduit by which we enter Christopher, & his parents world. It’s not the easiest read because of the style in which it is written. Initially the lack of ‘perceived ‘ emotion is fairly un engaging, but the distress described by the 3 main characters as they try to work out their dynamics I found very touching. My difficulty in connecting with Christopher may be an example of how building a relationship with those of a neuro diverse nature is a challange to many. Again from a layman’s point of view the work & research Mark Haddon had put into the book is remarkable.

Flawless, engrossing, and emotional. A man who's whole life has been spent striving to provide immaculate service for the great household and gentleman that employed him, & that he held in the highest regard. It was all consuming providing such service, anticipating need, to such an extend he was unable to fully understand others emotional needs, or the dark consequences of what occurs within the house. The story is told through a series of reflections while journeying to Cornwall, and gradually the penny drops, but also the realisation that persistently looking back with regrets is to be of no help, the only way is to look forward, to ‘the remains of the day.’

Book Club book, which the suggestee had got mixed up with the film (both!) So it wasn’t the best book she had ever read, nor mine. Its shortness is a benefit, and can be read, without too much investment. The style is clear & concise, dialogue precise. The described monotony & sterility is Stepford and Joanna & Walter’s lives almost rubs off on the first few chapters - thank goodness for the introduction of Bobby & Charmaine. You doubt the building tension until the change in Bobby. The use of the men’s club to permeate male resident's opinions, or feelings of their spouses, hangs on Stepford being full of commuting middle class frustrated males, (this could have been explored in more detail) all the blue collar workers in the area must live outwith… All the male characters must also be extremely sociable, and willing to be part of a herd. Unrealistic? The ending is inevitable, but how is up to us. Now society, celebrity culture, blogging/YouTuber & advances in accessibility to the cosmetics industry has produced clone like females in the image of perceived male approval. Not many floors are being polished because of the danger of damaging expensive nails, but precious money time & effort, is going into maintaining that image, & those nails. Leven did get what was coming right, to a certain extent, but women appear happy to enthusiastically throw themselves into the change, sadly subliminally impressed upon them from an early age.

Chosen as our book club book, I found it an easy read, and enjoyed the humour in parts, but it is fiction, and falls down for me as some of the events it touches on aren’t quite right. (There were no deaths in the bombing of the Nelson Tower, maybe you can get away with that one, but Lester Piggot didn’t die until 2022) The cruel & brutal treatment of Catherine in church is shockingly & convincingly described. Catherine was in my opinion the heroine of the book. She built a life through bravery & tenacity. Her story held far more interest for me. Although Cyril is a highly intelligent child, at the age of 7 his vocabulary is more than remarkable, especially for a child so bereft of parental interaction, & emotional care, & as child I liked Cyril very much, and felt for the lack of love & physical affection in his young life. Some of the most humorous passages are told by this 7yr old! In the next 35yrs I almost completely lost interest in Cyril. The focus on his search for a satisfying relationship, & the infatuation with Julian were dull, & 1 dimensional. I was more than willing to invest in this man and the injustice his country was meeting out to him & the gay community, but his inability to make intelligent decisions, when he was so astute at the age of 7 was difficult to understand beyond fear. Not being gay, & not a resident of Ireland at that time I probably have little right to these criticisms, but it’s difficult not to think - ‘why not leave, why not try anywhere.’ But Cyril being Cyril blunders on. He does leave, after almost unforgivable circumstances, and it’s only on his return to Ireland and the introduction of the wider family that again my interest returns. I think eventually we get to the nub of the book - regret, what if, & why not me? Cyril is happy in the end, but he had to wait for so long. His young years were blighted by his assumptions of other peoples opinions, & the cruel role of the church & Irish gov of the time played a part in this. But there is a new Ireland & he has a large & loving unconventional family, hurrah! Worth a read, but not nearly as good as Shuggie Bain.

Blown away by the magnificence of this album! I’m such a fan of the first album I’m embarrassed this is my first listening to Second Coming. I can see it being on repeat for a while to come ❤️‍🔥