poppyshake

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible - 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8 1984 - George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy 13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien 17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger 20 Middlemarch - George Eliot 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald 23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy 25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll 30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy 32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis 34 Emma - Jane Austen 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen- 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell - 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving 45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - 47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy- 48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding 50 Atonement - Ian McEwan 51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel 52 Dune - Frank Herbert 53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth - 56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez- 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck 62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov- 63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas 66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac- 67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding 69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie 70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville 71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker- 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett 74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson 75 Ulysses - James Joyce 76 The Inferno - Dante- 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome 78 Germinal - Emile Zola 79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray - 80 Possession - AS Byatt - 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell 83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro 85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert 86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry - 87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton - 91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery 93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks 94 Watership Down - Richard Adams 95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole 96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo 52 ... just over halfway .. and there are definitely more that I want to read.

Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman Waterstones Synopsis: Fat Charlie Nancy is not actually fat. He was fat once but he is definitely not fat now. No, right now Fat Charlie Nancy is angry, confused and more than a little scared -- right now his life is spinning out of control, and it is all his dad's fault. If his rotter of an estranged father hadn't dropped dead at a karaoke night, Charlie would still be blissfully unaware that his dad was Anansi the spider god. He would have no idea that he has a brother called Spider, who is also a god. And there would be no chance that said brother would be trying to take over his life, flat and fiancee, or, to make matters worse, be doing a much better job of it than him. Desperate to reclaim his life, Charlie enlists the help of four more-than-slightly eccentric old ladies and their unique brand of voodoo -- and between them they unleash a bitter and twisted force to get rid of Spider. But as darkness descends and badness begins is Fat Charlie Nancy going to get his life back in one piece or is he about to enter a whole netherworld of pain? Review: Another one that I liked a lot, though perhaps not as much as 'Neverwhere' or 'Stardust'. This book is a little bit different from Neils other work, it's a lot more funny and less dark but it still has all of the magical, mystical elements that you expect from his work. Fat Charlie Nancy is a great character, a bit hapless and 'ordinary', but someone that you immediately warm to. The story starts with him attending his fathers funeral. He didn't know much about his father except for the fact that he used to embarrass him to death when he was a kid so he's surprised to learn, not to say incredulous, that his father was actually a God .. the trickster spider God Anansi in fact. He also discovers for the first time that he has a twin brother .. Spider ... who is also a God. Spider comes to stay at Fat Charlie's flat and basically sets about unintentionally ruining his life. Charlie loses his job and finds that his fiancée Rosie has taken more than a shine to Spider who she actually thinks is Charlie, only a new improved and much more interesting Charlie. The trouble is that Spider is everything that Charlie is not, handsome and gregarious with all the inherited smooth tongued charm of his father. Fed up with this intrusion, and more than a little envious of his brother, Charlie seeks to banish Spider, only he finds that a few subtle hints not to say downright commands to get lost aren't having any effect. Exasperated he turns to his father's old acquaintance Callyanne Higler and her three equally eccentric friends for help. During a seance at Mrs Higlers house Charlie encounters the malevolent Bird Woman who says she can banish Spider but in return she wants Anansi's bloodline. Without knowing what this means Charlie agrees, and although he's at first inclined to think that he's imagined it all, he soon realises that something more sinister is afoot. There are plenty of delicious secondary characters, Rosie's mum is a gem and I also loved Charlie's boss - the despicably corrupt, murderous, irritating twerp, Grahame Coats. There's a lot to enjoy here, some great plot twists and revelations and really enjoyable Carribean dialogue and humour. I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't quite up to the standard of 'Neverwhere' but that's just nit picking .. it was still a fantastic read. 9/10

I'm always recommending them but Steven Pacey reading the Bartimaeus trilogy is fantastic (or as they are individually The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golems Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate.) Brilliant stories brilliantly read. Nathaniel Parker is also great at reading the Artemis Fowl books.

It's probably far too late now but I'd say go for 'The Help', it's absolutely sensationally read by the three main characters (there is a fourth narrator but only briefly.) One of the best audiobooks I've ever heard.

Great thread Chesil, I love Audiobooks My favourite male narrators are Stephen Fry of course, Simon Prebble, Alex Jennings and Steven Pacey. Stephen could read anything and make it interesting, his Harry Potter readings are legendary and easily the best audiobooks I've ever heard. Simon's reading of 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' is just perfect (I've also heard him reading 'The Pickwick Papers' and 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' and he is exactly right for both. I love Tony Robinson's reading of the Discworld novels and only wish they were not abridged versions. Kenneth Branaghs 'Cider with Rosie' is also absolutely fantastic and I liked his reading of 'The Magicians Nephew' by C.S. Lewis also (wish that he had narrated all of the Narnia books but alas they all had different narrators.) Rob Inglis is fantastic at reading 'The Hobbit and 'the Lord of the Rings' which cannot have been the easiest of task's .. the songs alone must have been a trial. Although I do like Joanna David and Anna Massey's narration, I only like it if they are reading genteel kinds of books, especially Austen etc, I'm not so keen on their contemporary readings. I like Juliet Stevenson's narration because she always gives it 100% and her reading of 'Northanger Abbey' is just sensational. Likewise Patricia Routledge reading 'Wuthering Heights' was a total surprise to me ... just fantastic.

As always I hope you enjoy it Frankie

One of Nigella's recipe's, in fact two of hers .. one was a sort of sweetcorn pudding which I can only descibe as slop and the other was her take on Mozzarella in Carrozza which was just bland and tasteless. Hubby was able to eat the second one dipped in a plentiful amount of tomato sauce but neither of us could stomach the sweetcorn pudding. I went to a friends house once and she had made chicken curry using chicken nuggets! ... words can't describe how awful it was but I had to eat it, she meant well.

OMG I've just put on a stone browsing their website! Love the little chocolate vampires and halloween stuff.

Fantastic, was it nice Janet?. I often get the munchies when reading about food, I love the cooking of the deep south so when reading 'The Help' & 'Fried Green Tomato's at the Whistle Stop Cafe' my mouth was watering constantly. All that talk of lemon ice box pie, chocolate chiffon cake, southern fried chicken, cornbread and ham cooked in coca cola .. mmmm mm ... I love all the unhealthy stuff .. but I didn't make any of it cos it would never taste as good as it did in my imagination (plus in my imagination it didn't have calories or turn my thighs wobbly) Reading 'Chocolat' was a real test too .. I constantly wanted to eat good quality chocolate (I wanted Vianne to tell me which chocolate was my favourite) and I desperately wanted to drink some of that exquisite hot chocolate she was forever making .. I had to make do with Cadbury's drinking chocolate from a tin

It's gorgeous .. well done you

Oh you know Hollywood, they can't bear to actually cast anyone ordinary looking ... the most they will do is tie someone's hair back and put glasses on them .. apparently then they become 'homely' (they especially like doing this if there's to be a big reveal later in the film ... 'oh my gosh ... you're beautiful' ... which actually means they've put contact lenses in and shaken their hair out.)

Little Hands Clapping - Dan Rhodes Waterstones Review: In a room above a bizarre German museum, and far from the prying eyes of strangers, lives the Old Man. Caretaker of the museum by day, by night he enjoys the sound of silence, broken by the occasional crunch of a spider between his blackened teeth. Little Hands Clapping brings together the Old Man with the respectable Doctor Ernst Frohlicher, his greedy dog Hans and a cast of grotesque and hilarious townsfolk, all of whose lives are thrown together as the town uncovers a crime so outrageous that it will shock the world. From its sinister opening to its explosive denouement, Little Hands Clapping blends lavishly entertaining storytelling with Rhodes's macabre imagination, entrancing originality and magical touch. Review: Thanks to Tunn for pointing out that this was available in the Lads Lit section of Swindon Library, I overcame my aversion to hardbacks and bought it home with me. You know you're going to be in for something different with Dan's books, they are never predictable and this was something different again. This one reminded me of Neil Gaiman's writing, especially his more sinister short stories. The humour is very, very dark and the tale is disturbing and bizarre yet compelling. I found a lot of it extremely distasteful and yet I couldn't stop reading it or laughing from time to time, he's so good at mixing the sick and twisted with funny observational comedy. It's very gothic in feel with more than a nod to Grimm and he doesn't worry about making his main characters loveable .. for the most part they're all either despicable or absurd but there's usually always someone to care about and in this book it's tragic Madalena who cannot bear the loss of her childhood sweetheart and is making her way towards the macabre German museum in which much of the story is set. I liked the ending, it seemed to tie up all the ends neatly with everyone getting their just desserts which makes a change for Dan's books. I'm intrigued to see what he comes up with next, I like everything I've read of his but I have avoided reading 'Anthropology' ... most of the reviews for it have been bad. This one won't be for everyone, it's a bit grim and gruesome but in an adult fairytale kind of way. 9/10

I love your bookbag, how romantic .. he bought you the thing he knew you'd really like, that's so sweet.

What a great day you must have had. I love your list Kylie, it's a mixture of books I really loved and books I really want. In particular I am desperate to read Iris Murdoch's 'The Sea, The Sea', John Banville's 'The Sea' and all of Angela Carter's books that I haven't already read (ditto Terry Pratchett.) Your house must have resembled a library by the time all the books were unloaded. Glad you're having such a great time during Frankies visit, have fun at the second hand bookshops

I've got this to read but somehow I keep putting it off. I've got an audio of Alan reading 'The Lady in the Van' and everytime I hear it it makes me laugh .. bless her she certainly was an original and bless him too for letting her park on his drive .. I don't think many people could have put up with the disruption, let alone the smell. 'Diary of a Nobody' is another book that I picked up at a charity shop months ago. I'm glad to hear that it's funny Janet, I look forward to reading it. Loved 'The History of Love', it was one of my favourite reads last year. Loved 'Mr Rosenblum's List' also .. I didn't find it particularly twee, I was expecting it to be more so. On the Barbara Pym scale (and I love a bit of Barbara Pym) of twee it would have hardly registered.

That's so easy to do though isn't it?, twice now I've bought books home from the library and rushed to read them in order to get them back on time, and then found that they are already in a box under the desk with a lot of charity shop buys. I need to be more organized with lists and things, I am good at memorising which books I'm on the lookout for but rubbish at remembering what I've already got stashed away in the TBR boxes. I love your list of book fair books Frankie, so many on there that I want/need to read. I see you are embarking on Proust? .... that should keep you busy until the next millennium. I've just been reading your 'Frankie goes to Australia' thread and see you've been staying with Kylie. How exciting and lovely for you both. For a start you know that you can both talk the hind leg off a donkey about books and neither of you will be bored .. bliss. Have a great time at the bookshops

I'm so looking forward to this one. I loved the original books so much that I'm worried this one might disappoint. How's it going so far?

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen Waterstones Synopsis: When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth a second-rate travelling circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. Jacob, a veterinary student who almost earned his degree, is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford. Review: Firstly thanks to Bookbee8 whose book this is and to Tunn for sending it on to me as part of the 'Water for Elephants' bookring. Jacob is ninety (or ninety three .. one or the other, he's not sure) and he's living in an old people's home. When a circus comes to town it starts Jacob reminiscing about his younger days as a veterinary surgeon in charge of the animals in a travelling circus during the Great Depression in America (the rather optomistically and undeservingly named Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.) The author does a great job of bringing all the circus characters to life .. the beautiful, the daring, the vulnerable, the villains, the sinisters and the freaks ... she paints them so vividly that instantly you're interested in them and hooked into the storyline. Jacob especially is thoroughly endearing, I think I loved the parts about him in the home even more than I did those concerning his circus adventures, he's a bit cantankerous, he's fed up with being treated like an imbecile, he's fed up with the nursery food and the mountains of pills and he can't always remember which relative is visiting him. He's always been a fairly placid person but has just begun to behave just a teeny bit badly. I also loved Rosie the elephant, but then I love a story about an elephant, there's something about them that pulls at the heartstrings immediately. I did think the ending was a bit far fetched and it has 'movie adaptation' written all over it but for all that it was still really enjoyable .. a real adventure story with a thoroughly likeable main character. 9/10

The Wives of Henry Oades - Johanna Moran Amazon Synopsis: In 1890, Henry Oades decided to undertake the arduous sea voyage from England to New Zealand in order to further his family's fortunes. Here they settled on the lush but wild coast -- although it wasn't long before disaster struck in the most unexpected of ways. A local Maori tribe, incensed at their treatment at the hands of the settlers, kidnapped Mrs Oades and her four children, and vanished into the rugged hills surrounding the town. Henry searched ceaselessly for his family, but two grief-stricken years later was forced to conclude that they must be dead. In despair he shipped out to San Francisco to start over, eventually falling in love with and marrying a young widow. In the meantime, Margaret Oades and her children were leading a miserable existence, enslaved to the local tribe. When they contracted smallpox they were cast out and, ill and footsore, made their way back to town, five years after they were presumed dead. Discovering that Henry was now half a world away, they were determined to rejoin him. So months later they arrived on his doorstep in America and Henry Oades discovered that he had two wives and many dilemmas ! This is a darkly comic but moving historical fiction debut about love and family, based on a controversial court case from the early 1900s. Review: I Liked this one, it has the sort of absurd humour that appeals to me. Immensely readable it tells the story of Henry Oades, who is seeking his fortune (and that of his wife Margaret and four children) in New Zealand in 1890. I believe the tale is based on a true story but Johanna Moran has given it flesh and bones. When Henry returns from work one evening he finds his home a smouldering wreck and the unrecognisable body of a woman amongst the ashes. he searches high and low for his family but cannot find them or news of them. Eventually, believing them to be dead, he sails to San Francisco where he eventually meets, falls in love and marries Nancy. The reader knows all along that his first wife and children (all except one) are still alive, they have been captured and imprisoned by a local Maori tribe (with the body back at the homestead being that of a visiting friend) and you know it's only a matter of time before they all meet up (the title is a bit of a giveaway in that respect.) Again it's a book that makes you laugh a lot but you also care about the characters .. Margaret in particular. It's a situation nobody would want to find themselves in, it's humiliating and degrading but Margaret is made of stern stuff and she's determined to make it work. That's not to say that Nancy is unlikeable, both women try and work things out so that they can all live in peace together but of course it's not as easy as that. They never descend into Krystal/Alexis catfighting as you might expect, there's a mutual respect and understanding of each other's position but they both harbour regrets and resentments as would be only natural. Watching them cope with each other and the situation they find themselves in is fascinating.A great story told with warmth and humour, I couldn't put it down. 9/10

Cranberry Queen - Kathleen DeMarco Amazon Synopsis: Diana Moore is 33 and about, so her Aunt Margaret predicts, to have the best three years she's ever had. Which is a relief since tomorrow she's facing The Biggest Day of her Life so far. A friend's wedding, to which her ex (aka The Monster) complete with New Girlfriend, is also invited. And Diana, brown of hair, nine of foot and wide of thigh is going - alone. But somehow Aunt Margaret's got it wrong. And next day all thoughts of weddings, exes and New Girlfriends seem absurdly irrelevant. For Diana is really alone. The car containing her mother, father and only brother has collided with a large truck on a small road. And from that moment on everything she's know is changed. Including Diana... Review: This was a bit of a book of two halves and the first half I really enjoyed. Diana is steeling herself to attend a wedding of some so called friends who think it's about time she moved on and started socialising with her ex and his impossibly gorgeous girlfriend. There's lots of self deprecation, sarcasm and Bridget Jones style humour and even when tragedy strikes and Diana .. at 33 .. is left an orphan, there's plenty of wry observational humour mixed in with the pathos. There is a realness to the writing and a warmth about Diana that makes you take to her within about two pages. She has an alter ego which she calls 'Foxhole Girl' ... this is her true self buried deep beneath her public persona (or 'Smiling Idiot' as Diana refers to herself .. she's too willing to please and bend to other people's wishes) and it's Diana's fear that 'Foxhole Girl' will always remain buried. With her friends and extended family trying their best to support her and stop her being eaten by alsatians (they don't actually say that, that would be plagiarism,) Diana feels stifled and she takes herself off on a roadtrip of sorts. It's here that she meets Louisa, who in contrast to Diana is a thoroughly unlikeable self absorbed character, I found myself irritated by her and the story went off in unenjoyable directions that seemed a bit cliched. I did love all the descriptions of the New Jersey cranberry bogs though, I could really envisage the beauty of the place. It's not Proust but it's not lightweight either .. although I think I've managed to make it sound as if it is. For the most part it was very enjoyable and funny. 8/10

Thanks Kylie and Chesil Didn't get as much reading done as I thought I would, did pop in from time to time and view the forum (from the library and my Mum's) .. to see what I was missing out on. The house is a real tip and every waking minute has been spent on cleaning and tidying it so not much time to read which has left me with the grumps. I'm going to try and remember which books I read whilst in the caravan etc and write some short reviews. September has just been a wash out from a reading point of view, fingers crossed that October will be better. Labyrinth - Kate Mosse (Unabridged) read by Maggie Mash Waterstones Synopsis: When Dr Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons during an archaeological dig in southern France, she unearths a link with a horrific and brutal past. But it's not just the sight of the shattered bones that makes her uneasy; there's an overwhelming sense of evil in the tomb that Alice finds hard to shake off, even in the bright French sunshine. Puzzled by the words carved inside the chamber, Alice has an uneasy feeling that she has disturbed something which was meant to remain hidden...Eight hundred years ago, on the night before a brutal civil war ripped apart Languedoc, a book was entrusted to Alais, a young herbalist and healer. Although she cannot understand the symbols and diagrams the book contains, Alais knows her destiny lies in protecting their secret, at all costs. Skilfully blending the lives of two women divided by centuries but united by a common destiny, LABYRINTH is a powerful story steeped in the atmosphere and history of southern France. Review: I didn't really enjoy this story, I practically gave up after listening to the first two sides, it seemed long and convulted and a bit clunky. I found I wasn't really interested in the modern day story of Alice but did get more intrigued by Alais's tale and that kept me listening. Nearly all the revelations were second guessed by me which means they must have been pretty obvious to begin with. The story didn't seem to gel or connect .. there was no 'skilful blending' ... and incredulity was stretched too far. Some stories have you suspending disbelief willingly .. I'm happy to imagine a hobbit in a hole or envisage an orangutan librarian but this was more of the 'you're having me on .. right?' sort. If I had had to read it instead of listen to it, it would definitely have been abandoned, lifes too short to turn that many pages of uninteresting, laboured prose. Perhaps I'm being harsh, it has a heavyweight reputation but it just didn't entertain me at all. A generous 6/10

Well I'm off for a month, I can't move into my new house until 3rd September and so have got to live in all sorts of weird places until then. I probably won't have internet access for most of it so will not be able to visit Will be able to do lots of reading though and so, in theory, I should have a long list of books to add to my August list. Happy reading

Thanks Weave yes it does stay with you definitely, I thought it was just mesmerising. Great, I'm sure you'll like it Kylie , I hope you will anyway

I hope you like it Chesil. I picked up 'Nocturnes' in Waterstones this week but I didn't buy it because although I like short stories I have to be in the mood for them and I wasn't particularly .. sounds like I had a lucky escape I didn't know there was a film in the offing, I'll look out for it, thanks for the info.

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro Waterstones Synopsis: In one of the most acclaimed and strange novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewered version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now 31, "Never Let Me Go" hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, "Never Let Me Go" is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life. Review: I loved every page. You begin this book by thinking you are reading about a fairly normal girl at a fairly normal boarding school. Kathy's schooldays at Hailsham sound pretty idyllic and from the way she eulogises about it you think that Hailsham must be pretty special and it is, just not in the way you were thinking. Bit by bit she drops snippets into her recollections that make you think that all is not as it seems and fairly soon you know that something fairly disturbing is occurring. This is not Malory Towers! You get to know the characters very well, Kathy and Tommy in particular, but there is always a slight detachment. Kathy is not emotional in the way that we perhaps expect her to be, and she accepts her situation with a kind of docile resignation. All the same her narration draws you in. In some respects Kathy and her schoolfriends are not entirely clued up about their situation, they know about it, they've always known about it, but somehow it hasn't entirely registered. You hope at some point the penny will drop and she'll rebel because you don't want her to suffer the same fate as the others, you feel it would be easy for her just to run for the hills but these children/young adults have been conditioned to accept their destiny. Haunting and beautifully written, it keeps you turning pages even though it is extremely slow paced. Some people feel that the science doesn't add up, it probably doesn't but I don't think it matters. It's thought provoking, you hope such horrors could never occur, but the unacceptable often becomes acceptable without you quite knowing how it happened. 10/10