Renniemist

The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd Blurb from the cover From the mysterious killing of King William Rufus, treachery and witchcraft, smuggling and poaching run through this epic tale of well-born ladies, lowly woodsmen, sailors, merchants and Cistercian monks. The feuds, wars, loyalties and passions of generations reach their climax in a crime that shatters the decorous society of Jane Austin’s Bath. From the cruel forest laws of the Normans to the danger of the Spanish Armada, from the free-roaming herds of ponies and wild deer to the mighty oaks, which gave Nelson his navy, Rutherfurd has captured the essence of this ancient place. Forest and sea: there is no more perfect English heartland. I had forgotten that I had this book on my shelf until several members of this forum started discussing the books of Edward Rutherfurd. I had read both Sarum and London many years ago and enjoyed both book so I decided it was time to dust of The Forest. At 882 pages it is not a light read and it seemed to me to be pretty slow to begin with. It starts at the time of William Rufus and follows the fortunes of the descendants of several Forest inhabitants over the centuries. There are many interesting descriptions of the flora and fauna of the forest and the impact that the many wars and other events throughout the period have had on the area. I became more interested in the families concerned and their connections to the other families in the forest, as I got deeper into the book. This is not the best Rutherfurd that I have read, as I think that honour goes to Sarum, but nevertheless it is an interesting tale.

He was very good but he has aged a bit since 1973. I have never seen him in anything before but I thought he was excellent.

I am glad you enjoyed Small Island HanD. It was among my favourite reads last year.

Saw Aspects of Love in Glasgow last night starring David Essex. The show was appreciated by a mainly female audience.

Hello Filmophobic. Hope you enjoy it here. Welcome:D

Hello and welcome Miguel! Glad you joined us.

I watched this the other night, but would you believe it someone phoned me in the middle of it

Hello Jess! Glad that you joined us.

Went into a charity shop today in St Andrews and came out with copy of

I could not settle after reading Animal

Hello Phil. I Hope you enjoy it here.

Thanks Judy. I will put What A Carve Up and The Closed Circle on my Christmas list.

Thanks for the good review Judy. I too enjoyed The Rotter

I thought that Animal's People was really good although it was not at all how I had expected it to be. I had thought that I would be quite depressing since it was about how a Chemical Explosion at a factory in a town in India (similar to Bhopal) had affected the inhabitants. In fact this is a book about the fight for compensation and justice. The characters are very vivid, especially Animal a twenty year old boy whose back is so twisted he has to go on all fours. He is foul mouthed, sex obsessed but he looks out for the elderly nun who brought him up when his parents died that awful night. He is also in love with Nisha who is in love with Zafar the leader of the campaign for justice. The descriptions of Khaufpur are colourful. The sights the sounds and smells are all there. I would recommend this book to anyone. I don

Welcome to the forum Suzanne:)

Hello, Candybar.

Well it may have been the characters, who to me seemed more alive and perhaps more familiar in ‘A Spot of Bother’, than in A Curious Incident…. where they were just seen through Christopher’s eyes. Unfortunately I do not have either book still in my possession to consult. I am not saying that I did not enjoy ‘A Curious Incident…’, in fact I think with its unique viewpoint it is probably the more memorable book. However ‘A Spot of Bother’ suited me at the time of reading and as an easy enjoyable read I liked it better than ‘A Curious Incident….’

Welcome to the forum Haniirani!

Hi Kaz and welcome to the forum.

I have read both books. Certainly it may help to have some background information but I don

Hello Michael. I am sure you will enjoy it here. Glad you could join us.

Welcome back Hammy! Glad you returned.

I loved A Spot of Bother too but the copy I read was from the library and my memory is not so good. My favourite character was George. I admit he was irritating at times and definitely neurotic, but I felt that part of his problem was that he had not really come to terms with being retired. Also His family seemed to have no interest in him except for how it affected them. Anyway I also liked Ray he seemed very solid, and just what the family needed although they did not seem to recognise this. I don’t think there were any parts that I did not like, but I do agree the ending was a little flat, and there were certainly bits that made me feel squeamish. I had also read ‘The Curious Incident……’, but I liked this better. I was a good easy, interesting, funny read.

Hello, Purplegrape! I hope you enjoy it here.

Hello Kenny! It's great to have you here!