Kell

I was loaned this book by my non-reading sister (who had loved it and passed it to me as a recommendation) and absolutely loved it! My review of it HERE.

I spotted these in Waterstones last weekend and thought it a fascinating idea. The only problem is that in many cases, people may well already have one book and so not buy the pair just for the other one. It would be so much better if you could mix and match! Of course, if you didn't have either book and fancied one, you'd probably read the other too, rather than "waste" it... Actually, these might be an idea for the comparative reading circle...

Title: Lovely Green Eyes Author: Arnošt Lustig ISBN: 0099483548 Publisher: Vintage Classics First Published: 2000 No. of pages: 248 Started: 1/9/07 Finished: 6/9/07 Rating: 6/10 Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Hanka Kaudersova has ginger hair and clear, green eyes. When her family is deported to Auschwitz, her mother, father and younger brother are sent to the gas chamber. By a twist of fate, Hanka is faced with a simple alternative: follow her family, or work in as SS brothel behind the eastern front. She chooses to live, her Aryan looks allowing her to disguise the fact that she is Jewish. As the German army retreats from the Russian front, Hanka battles cold, hunger, fear and shame, sustained by her hatred for the men she entertains, her friendship with the mysterious Estelle, and her fierce, burning desire for life. Lovely Green Eyes explores the compromises and sacrifices that an individual may make in order to survive, the way a woman can retain her identity in the face of appalling trauma, and the value of human life itself. This is a remarkable novel, which soars beyond nightmare, leaving the reader with a transcendent sense of hope. Review: Although very well written, this harrowing tale came across as being slightly “worthy”, almost as if Lustig were trying to push an agenda I couldn’t quite pinpoint. I never felt I fully got into the character of Hanka, and although I could sympathise with her plight, I couldn’t quite get an understanding of her as a person, nor with any of the other characters; not the young girls, nor the officers that frequented the brothel. By all accounts, although subjected to degradation and humiliation over a period of time, Hanka did not seem to be so badly mistreated as many of the others at the field brothel and so the danger she was in never seemed quite so present as it might have otherwise done. I’ve never before read a novel set in a Nazi field brothel, but I’ve read other novels set during WWII that affected me far more deeply than this did – I was looking for something more and it never quite delivered for me. It’s still worth picking up if you’re into WWII fiction, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to find a copy unless it’s prominently displayed and you find yourself short of other, better books to read.

Hello & Kay - i look forward to hearing all about your favourite books and authors.

Hello and Charley - and thank you for choosing The Book Club Forum as your first foray into forums - I hope you'll find it a friendly place you enjoy visiting. If you're looking for ideas of books to read, you're just in time to join in our September reading circle - we'll be reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (there's a thread set up HERE). You might also fancy checking out the various reading blogs/lists - our members read a very wide range of books - everything from romance and chick-lit, to horrors, thrillers, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, historical drama and the classics. Yes, you'll find it all here - we'll read pretty much anything, so you may well find yourself trying some new authors in genres you never thought you'd even consider picking up! Hope you'll have fun with it!

I read LOADS of children's books, both classic and contemporary, no matter who the publisher happens to be. Penguin publishes a very wide range of books for children and adults alike, so just because it's a penguin book, doesn't necessarily mean it's aimed at the younger market. And I have to agree with the others - it's only stupid if you think it is. We've read a couple of children's books in our reading circle (Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery just this month, and The Thief of Always by Clive Barker a couple of months back). I nominated another children's classic (The Wind in the Willows) for the next reading circle, and although it wasn't chosen, there were members who were very interested in reading it as a group - ans they were all adults!

Yes, big thanks to you both for putting up with the interrogation without even the merest hint of complaint - it's been lovely. And it's even lovelier knowing that you'll both still b around as you're both already established members!

Our choice for September is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: Synopsis: Six interlocking lives - one amazing adventure. In a narrative that circles the globe and reaches from the 19th century to a post-apocalyptic future, David Mitchell erases the boundaries of time, genre and language to offer an enthralling vision of humanity's will to power, and where it will lead us. A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan's California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified 'dinery server' on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation - the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other's echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changed in ways great and small. In his extraordinary third novel, David Mitchell erases the boundaries of language, genre and time to offer a meditation on humanity's dangerous will to power, and where it may lead us. Some questions to consider: 1- Who was your favourite character and why? 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? (You do not have to answer all, or indeed, any, of these questions, they are meant only as points for you to perhaps mull over as you read, and provoke more discussion. Please feel free to ask and answer any questions that come up as you read.) Enjoy!

Hi Sarah, and welcome to the forum! I have a couple of quick questions for you too - what was it about horror that drew you to writing that genre? Are you an avid horror-reader yourself? And if so, which authors do you enjoy reading or inspire you?

I found this one very stilted - possibly the result of two writers attempting to work together - the story felt quite fragmented to me too. I read it almost 2 years ago now and still have never bothered to look for anything else by these authors. You can see my review HERE.

I think so. It's one of my most prized possessions. Dale gets me them occasionally for Xmas or birthday prezzies. He's dead cool like that!

to the forum, Busy! Yes, I've read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult, but I've never yet got round to reading any more (although I plan to). We actually read MSK as a reading circle choice a year past February, so you can see what we all thought of it HERE. Hope you'l enjoy it here.

I was in Waterstones last Saturday and saw three different covers for The Colorado Kid - none of them the one you've just posted! There must be a variety of different ones to choose from, which I think is a nice ploy,. as you're more likely to get a cover you like to look at.

I collect signed photographs/movie memporabilia (although I only have a very small collection at present). I currently have: A signed photo of Johnny Depp (in his pirate gear) A signed photo of James Marsters (Spike, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) A signed photo of Brendan Fraser (in his The Mummy costume) A mini-poster of Harvey signed by James Stewart I'm hoping to eventually get signed photos of Cary Grant and Kim Novak - I'd be over the moon to have those!

Well, I can heartily recommend Mr Priest - I really enjoyed this one, but not half so much as I loved The Prestige - definitely get hold of that one (even though it's not about war) - it makes use of confusion and misdirection in the same way as the magicians in the story do. Excellent stuff very cleverly written!

~V~ - You might enjoy The Separation by Christopher Priest. It also has a backdrop of WWII, albeit a slightly alternative one, and part of it features the Olympic Games. The main characters are twin bothers who are almost exact opposites of each other in many ways. Very enjoyable. You can see my review HERE if you're interested.

It all sounds so delicious! I think I might be tempted to try: Appetiser: Alsation Vegetable Tart with Dill Polenta Crust Soup/Salad: Summer Minestrone with Basil Entree: Sun-Dried Tomato and Wild Mushroom Ravioli From that list, you might think I'm vegetarian, but I'm not - they all just sound to gorgeous to resist!

There's also, of course, the very famous Diary of Anne Frank (by Anne Frank, obviously), which is a real-life chronicle of her Jewish family in hiding during WWII.

If you're up for something unusual, you might like to try Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - excellent book and although it tackles some serious issues, isn't too heavy a read for a holiday (in fact, I read and enjoyed it on MY holiday recently!).

There IS a slight supernatural factor to it all, but it's not a really heavy part of the book - it all kind of blends in.

to the forum, Nicola. I'm originally from down your way - I hail from Ashington! However, i now live up North in Aberdeen - still, I occasionally get down there to visit family. I hope ou'll enjoy it here.

I've not read the story, but I thought the film pretty much sucked, despite starring Johnny Depp. I hadn't realised, before watching it, that it was based on a Stephen King story and all the way through I felt that it could have been so much more.

Of course it's OK to post a challenge at ANY time you come up with one! I was actually thinking of changing my Modern Classics challenge to a 20th Century Challenge next year, where I cover a book for each year in that century (working by the year of publication).Of course, with that totalling 100 books, it's a challenge that I would have to continue for a couple of years at least, as this would be on top of my normal reading and other challenges, but it's certainly one I would start from January, so you can count me in!

I've not read any Rankin, but can testify to Macbride being an excellent writer. He has a dark undercurrent of humour running throughout that is almost akin to Christopher Brookmyre (although not quite as obvious). The setting for Macbride's books is Aberdeen as opposed to Brookmyre's predominantly being in Glasgow ans Rankin's being, I think, in Edinburgh.

I dunno - it's for 7 discs and a running time of 474 minutes, so