Kidsmum

Yes that's pretty much sums up how i felt as well. In the case of Mathilde i felt i was supposed to like her because despite her disability she was determined to discover the truth but in fact i couldn't really feel any real connection to her. I also forgot to mention that i had trouble remembering who was who & how they were connected to the main characters probably because i struggled to concentrate on the story but a character list at the beginning would have been helpful

For some reason this made me laugh I guess it wasn't so important to the storyline if they downgraded her disability to a limp for the movie.

1. In summary, what did you think of the book(s)? I think i'm probably going to be in the minority here but i didn't like A Very Long Engagement at all. I didn't feel like the people in the story were real, to me they came across as just characters in a story & so i just couldn't get into the book & it felt like a real trudge to get to the end. In fact by the end i felt like i'd probably missed a lot within the story as i just switched off as i was reading. The Return Of The Soldier, i enjoyed more but wouldn't say i was gripped. In my copy there was an afterword by Sadie Jones which talked about the story in more depth & was very interesting, i wish i'd read it before i'd read the story as i think i would have thought more about what i was reading & got more out of it. A Month In The Country is one of my favourites, i haven't read it again for the reading circle but for me it was a very emotional read although a short book it is not one to be polished off in one quick bite but something that should be savoured. 2. Had you read any of the authors before? Would you want to read any of them again? I doubt i'll read anymore Sebastien Japrisot again but i do have a couple of Rebecca West novels on my TBR pile, The Fountain Overflows & The Birds Fall Down & by Carr i've read & enjoyed The Harpole Report & i also found his biography very interesting. 3. Did you have expectations about any of the books beforehand? How did they match up? From the synopsis i thought i would enjoy the Japrisot more, Rebecca West was also a new author to me although i didn't enjoy the book as much as i thought i would i do want to try some more of her books & Carr more than matched my expectations a wonderful book. 4. Different locations (France, London, North Yorkshire), different styles (mystery, humour/elegiac idyll, social drama), very different books. Which, if any, did you prefer (can you rank them)? Why? I did really enjoy West's descriptions of Harrowweald & Baldry Court , a perfect idyll compared to the horrors of the battlefield. 5. Japrisot's is a view of WW1 from a French point of view. Did it provide you with a different or fresh perspective on the war compared to what you already knew? How about the other two books? I can't really say it did give me a fresh perspective perhaps it's unfair but i couldn't help but compare it with Birdsong Sebastien Faulks which brilliantly captured life in the trenches & was the book that really ignited my interest in WW1. 6. Did the characterisation in the Japrisot novel work for you? Any favourite characters? Any in either of the other two books? Again Carr's characters all well drawn so i felt a real connection to them, with West the three woman Kitty, Margaret & Jenny, my feelings changed constantly towards them. In the beginning i bristled at Kitty & Jenny's snobbery & felt real sympathy for Margaret but as the story went on i couldn't help but feel enormous sympathy for Kitty, okay she behaved like a sulky child but who wouldn't under such circumstances. 7. All three books feature soldiers damaged by the war, and the effect that has on the people they love, know and meet. What, if anything, did each have to say that was different from the others? Not sure about this one but i did just want to say that i wasn't convinced by West's portrayal of someone suffering from shellshock, apart from Chris's amnesia he seemed unaffected by what had happened to him & the fact that one incident was enough to bring back his memory just seemed a little unlikely. 8. Mathilde is confined to a wheelchair. Was this important? Does it have any real effect on the story, or on your perception of it or her? I can't really think why this would be important to the story but as i said i did feel like i missed a lot of what i was reading as i wasn't enjoying the story so perhaps it went over my head. 11. The conclusions in the other two books are equally important. What did you think of them? As i said in the previous question i wasn't convinced by Chris suddenly regaining his memory but when Sadie Jones explains in the afterword that the title The Return Of The Soldier describes both his physical & mental return i really liked that, i hadn't thought of it in that way.

I love Far from The Madding Crowd, i first read it at school because i had to but didn't really appreciate it till i was older

Well i haven't managed to read too much so far but i shall keep you both posted on how i get on with it

I finished The Return Of The Soldier last night, just managed to squeeze it in before the end of May.......... i do like starting the month with a new book My next read is going to be The Slap Christos Tsiolkas , it's Radio 4's Bookclub choice this month & just happens to be a long term resident on my book mountain so seemed a good opportunity to dig it out

Nice pics Janet, i only recently picked up a copy of Set In Stone & like you i haven't read anything by him before but am encouraged to make a start on it by your review. I really haven't made much headway in the counties challenge at all

thank you too Pontalba, i enjoyed reading the book & joining in the reading circle

Not boring or annoying........ but very useful Well done very impressive did you find it easy or was it a bit fiddly?

Thanks for posting that Angury, it's such a moving poem i'm going to put it on my Ipod & try & learn it

Ooh!!!..... i have that, look forward to hearing what you think of it. I've been a bit busy for the last few days but i managed to finish Stolen Rebecca Muddiman today. TBH although it was a easy fast paced crime read it seemed a bit silly the further it went on, a shame really as the author is visiting our local library next week so i really wanted to like her book. Anyway i was glad to finish it & i'm going to make a start on The Return of The Soldier Rebecca West for next month's Reading Circle.

Yes it sounds easy enough to do i shall practice it when i've got a bit of time not just popping on & off

Hi Devi Hope your doing okay & are busy in a good way

Thanks Athena it has helped , i've read 100 pages already it's a much faster paced story so the Tey book is definitely getting packed off to the charity shop

Lol!!! i noticed that as well

I've decided to ditch The Daughter of Time Josephine Tey, i've hardly read anything for days & it's because i just can't motivate myself to pick up & read this book....... i'm finding it so dull So today i'm going to make a start on my book group read Stolen Rebecca Muddiman hopefully this will perk up my ailing mojo

Thanks Pontalba, i shall check them out

It is a useful thing to do..... i've still to practice it yet though..... if all else fails i can always ask the kids to help me with it though Well i'm glad im not the only one who didn't know how to do it

Thanks Athena i do love buying books but at the moment my mojo's taken a dive for some reason so i'm not reading much I hope you enjoy it Alexi & your finding it weird in a good way I sometimes think that if i were to sell all my books then i could afford to go on a nice little holiday but then i'd have nothing left to read on the beach

Thanks Dtr i shall check it out on Amazon

Thanks guys for the help i shall practice it tomorrow

That's it exactly Chrissy doing a Frankie

Could someone please explain to me in simple terms how to split up quotes when replying to people?

Thanks Bobbly, that's a shame you didn't enjoy it . For me, because i liked Ursula so much i think i would have enjoyed the story even if it had been a straight family saga without the repeat lives angle

Hey Poppyshake Just popped in to say hope your okay & enjoying your easter eggs