Whodunit Book Club October 25, 2011

Eighteen Whodunit members turned out for the meeting on this damp and chilly evening.
The novel discussed this month was "The little stranger" by Sarah Waters. Including one vote made in absentia, the club's average rating for the book was 7.194 out of 10.
Like the familiar saying "Those who loved it, loved it a lot". Those who didn't, didn't. The reaction to the novel was polarized, with members voting either very high or very low.

The author, Sarah Waters was born in Wales in 1966. She earned her PhD in English literature in 1995 and soon after starting writing novels. Her books have been in the running for several prestigious literary awards including the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger and the Lambda Literary Award for Fiction, and were shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize. A lesbian herself, she often portrays lesbians in her novels although she didn't in "The little stranger". Her fifth novel, it took her two and half years to write.
See her online interview discussing the writing of "The little stranger".

Positive praise from Whodunit members included such comments as "well-written"; "suspenseful"; "great characterization"; "great sense of place".
Negative comments included "too much detail"; "too long".

Written with consumate skill, the story was absorbing and could be interpreted many different ways. Hundreds Hall, the decaying house featured in the novel was a character unto itself and many said that they could perfectly picture it in their mind's eye.
Doctor Faraday, a rural physician and a bachelor, seemed to have aspirations to own the house with the elevated status it represented -- and some mentioned that he could be interpreted as 'the little stranger' as he visited the house as a child when his mother was a servant there. (Incidentally Sarah Waters' grandparents worked as servants in an English country house). A member commented that there is a 'little stranger' in all of us - that it is the dark part of our personality.

The setting was written so well that the reading of the novel was almost a visual experience. The novel was set in a time when there was a distinct and impassable divide between the social classes and the author aptly describes the social mores and customs of the time period. Somewhat gloomy and dark, Sarah Waters describes her work as being somewhat Dickensian.

The novel can be read as a gothic ghost story; a supernatural thriller, a psychological character study, or a historical mystery novel. All would be correct and the author leaves the decision up to the reader.

Congratulations to the lucky winners of five free novels this month:
Brenda (welcome back!)
Carolyn
Liz
Nancy
Heather

"The little stranger" by Sarah Waters

October's novel to be discussed in Whodunit is "The little stranger" by Sarah Waters. As luck would have it, I read this novel just days before it was announced as October's selection.
It is a particularly fitting selection for October as it has been described as a 'gothic ghost story'.
If anyone is interested they can read my review of "The little stranger" on my Fictionophile blog.

Whodunit Book Club September 27, 2011

With a scant showing of only twelve Whodunit members, September's club meeting was quieter than usual. The book selection this month was "Revenge of the lobster lover" by Hilary MacLeod. With 4 abstained and 8 voted, the novel received an average of 6.31 out of ten points.



It was said that although the novel was short on 'mystery', it was a FUN and light-hearted read with likeable characters. A good summer read. Positive comments proclaimed it to be well written with good descriptive passages. The more negative comments described the book as 'strange' and 'inconsistent'. It was noted that the cover was unusual and didn't tie in to the plot. Another comment was that readers would have liked to have had a map of the fictional place to refer to.

If there was a lesson to be learned from reading this novel it is that nathttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifure kicks butt. The plot had a long build-up to a tumultuous ending. Much like a storm can brew for days and then be over in a few minutes.

The author, Hilary MacLeod has spent the last 20 summers in a little house by the sea in Prince Edward Island, but lives the rest of the year in Ontario. She writes about islanders with fond affection.
For those who enjoyed the book there is a sequel entitled "Mind over mussels".

The lucky winners of free books this month were: Marlene, Betty, Brian and Cathy D.

Next month's selection is "The little stranger" by Sarah Waters.

Whodunit Book Club July 26, 2011

Fourteen members attended the July meeting. Pam’s “semi-magical” question was “Do you prefer to read something familiar, [i.e., set in a familiar place] or to learn something new, be adventurous?” A few preferred stories set in recognizable places, a handful favoured more exotic locales, but most said they were equally happy with familiar or unfamiliar settings. Many mentioned that they were distracted if there were inaccuracies in describing the locale, a possible pitfall for books set in places well-known to the reader, and some mentioned that they really like to have maps included with the book.

This month’s book was "Foul Deeds" by Linda Moore, which is set in Halifax.

Members present were asked to rate the book out of 10. The average score was slightly over 7. (One member had not read the book and, therefore, abstained.)

Foul Deeds, written by Linda Moore, a former artistic director for Neptune Theatre, centres on the murder of an environmental lawyer and activist in modern day Halifax. In the story professional criminologist Rosalind (Roz) works for a Private Investigator while, at the same time, indulging her passion for theatre by preparing a company of out-of-work actors for a bare bones production of Hamlet. A number of members commented on Moore’s skillful use of dialogue and the inter-weaving of passages from Hamlet into the story. The downtown Halifax she writes about rings true not just in its physical descriptions but in the portrayal of the political climate. Although not as gritty a story as many in the book club prefer, the writing and the familiar locale made for a good entertainment.

The winners of four mystery novels were Heather, Gaye, Marlene, and Nancy. Congratulations all!

The next meeting will be held on September 27 when we will discuss "The Revenge of the Lobster Lover" by Hilary MacLeod.


Thanks to Marlene for writing this blog entry while I was at the cottage. While there, I read "Foul deeds" and concur with the rating of 7/10 as well as the sentiment that the novel was an enjoyable read.

Reminder: There will be no meeting of the book club in August.

Whodunit Book Club June 28, 2011

Eighteen members were present for the June meeting.
Pam posed the question: "Does a mystery have to contain a murder in order for it to be a good read?" With the exception of a few who like their stories to be a little gory and love a good murder, most thought that a novel could be considered a good read if the 'mystery' was something as mundane as a theft, a missing person, or the like as long as the characters and plot were interesting.

This month's novel was "Life sentences" by Laura Lippman.

The members present were asked to rate this month's book out of 10. Two members abstained from voting as they had not read the book. The remaining sixteen rated an average of 5/10. Not really a 'mystery' in the usual sense of the genre, this novel was more a study that explores the responsibility writers hold for the content of their work.

"Life Sentences" was inspired by a real-life story of a Baltimore woman whose young son disappeared, whereupon she refused to make any statement and spent seven years in prison for contempt of court. Lippman's protagonist in the novel, Cassandra Fallows, an author, knew a girl in grade school who, as an adult, had that same experience. Cassandra sets out to write a book about herself and her childhood friends and how this girl, Callie Jenkins, eventually went to jail under suspicion of murdering her son. Cassandra returns to her home town of Baltimore and seeks the memories of old friends who no longer feel terribly friendly toward her -- and whose memories often differ dramatically from her own.

The few members who rated this novel highly liked the concept dealing with memory. How the book raised the notion that everyone's 'truth' is different. How different people witnessing the same event can have completely different memories of that event. How, over time, we can reinvent the past to suit ourselves making it all about us.

Those who did not rate the novel highly found that the author did not invest in her characters which left the reader not really caring about them one way or another. The novel seemed comprised of several different story lines without any one being followed through before another started.

The lucky winners of three hardcover novels were: Betty, Kim and Marilyn. Congratulations!

The next meeting will be July 26th when we will discuss "Foul deeds" by Linda Moore.

Reminder: There will not be a meeting of the Whodunit Book Club in August.

Whodunit Book Club May 31, 2011

Sixteen Whodunit members attended our May meeting on one of the first lovely evenings after a spell of rain and fog. There's dedication for you!
Sadly, our fearless leader was absent due to a family bereavement.
Gaye took charge of the meeting in her absence and she did a fine job of chairing our unruly group.
The novel this month was unlike previous picks in that it was a spy novel. "At Risk" by Stella Rimington was recommended by one of our members. We were asked to rate the novel out of 10. The average rating was 6.9 with the following breakdown: 3x8.5 ; 5x8 ; 1x8.1 ;1x7.9 ; 3x6 ; 2x5 ; 1x1
Written by the head of Britain's MI5, Stella Rimington brings insider knowledge to the subject of her novels. Her protagonist, Liz Carlyle goes on to feature in 5 other books in the series the most recent of which is "Rip tide" which comes out this year. She writes of plausible situations in a fashion that was appreciated by many, but was too verbose and detail driven for some. It was generally agreed that the first third of the book was slow, but that the plot gained momentum and was a page-turner toward the end. Most members spoke of their dislike for the MI6 character, Bruno. The author seemed to fully develop the personalities of her women characters -- much more than her male characters. Her portrayal of the terrorists was sympathetic. No small feat when you think about it... The target of the terrorists was kept a secret from the protagonists AND the reader which was appreciated by most of us. We were suprised when the target was revealed. The physical descriptions of setting were well done. So much so that the reader could almost feel the cold and hear the explosion.

Stella Rimington's first book was a memoir, "Open Secret". This work tells of her career in the MI5, which she joined in 1969 and worked with for close to 30 years. In 1992 she was appointed as the first female Director General of MI5. In 1993, Stella Rimington became the first DG of MI5 to pose openly for cameras at the launch of a brochure outlining the organization's activities. She became a Dame Commander of Order of the Bath in 1996. She has been called the First Lady of Espionage and has been chosen to chair the 2011 Man-Booker Prize.

You can see a video clip of an interview with Stella Rimington online.

Members were asked the question: "Do you usually read the acknowledgements, dedication and thank-you in the book you are reading?" Most do citing that they want to learn a little bit about the author and are curious to ascertain from where they got their research and support. Some said that it depended upon whether they liked the book or not.

Lucky book winners this month were: Jody, Cathy, Betty and Tracey. Congratulations girls!

Next month's meeting on June 28th we will discuss the novel: "Life sentences" by Laura Lippman.

Whodunit Book Club April 26, 2011

With only 13 persons in attendance (all female) this was the smallest gathering at Whodunit for some time.
Pam's 'magical' question for this evening:
"If you could come up with your own mystery book award, what would it be for?"
Some great answers included:
Best surprise ending
Most realistic/authentic story
Most interesting protagonist
Most puzzling mystery
Best depicted setting
Best red-herring
Best dust-jacket cover art
Most riveting story (page-turner)
Best first line
Best mystery series
Most well researched novel
Best animal sidekick
Most dastardly villain
Best candidate for a series
Best title (fits plot)

The novel under discussion for this month was: "And on the surface die" by Lou Allin.
Born in Toronto and brought up in Cleveland, Ohio, Lou Allin then returned to Sudbury, Ontario where she held a teaching position at Cambrian College. She taught literature, writing and public speaking for more than twenty-five years. She has a PhD in English Renaissance literature and she wrote her thesis on Christopher Marlow. She retired to British Columbia where her Holly Martin mystery series is set.

Whodunit members did a little vote on the novel and it earned a 5/10. Two members said they would read another novel in the series, two members said maybe and the rest of us said that we wouldn't pursue the series further.
The general consensus was that the novel could have done with more characterization and less flowery description which relied heavily on adjectives. Some felt that so much emphasis was put on trivialities that it almost seemed like deliberate 'padding'. There seemed to be an overuse of quotation marks and it was generally agreed that the novel could have been much shorter.
The setting played a huge role in the novel and it was felt that the author did a good job of describing Vancouver Island.
It was said that some aspects of the novel could have been developed more. The mystery surrounding Holly's mother was intriguing. The policewoman, Ann (of the bad back) and Chipper, Holly's sidekick - were both quite likeable characters who could have been fleshed out more.
Holly Martin seemed a cold character who routinely disparaged others.
There were many unanswered questions about the novel. Why did the murderer choose the victim? Why murder her rather than just molest her?
We wondered what the title had to do with the plot as it seemed completely unrelated to the story.
For those who DO want to read a second novel in the series, the title is: "She felt no pain". Perhaps the series will improve...

Although this was not a favourite novel for Whodunit Book Club - it was a most enjoyable meeting.
There was talk of the mating habits of slugs... MUCH HILARITY ensued. O.K. so we do digress just a little....

This month's lucky book winners were:
Tracey
Shawna
Marilyn
Marlene

Next month's novel (as recommended by Betty) is:
"At Risk" by Stella Rimington