Karen’s Monday Book Club- ‘Me Before You’ by Jo Jo Moyes

Well I am going to start off by giving you a synopsis before getting down to the nitty gritty of what everyone thought.

Will is a quadriplegic as a result of a motorbike accident (he was a pedestrian) 2 years previously.   Before the accident he had an important career and was a real life thrill seeker (basically living life to the full).  He worked hard and played harder. Handsome, wealthy, athletic, gorgeous girlfriend, the world was his oyster.  Fast forward 2 years after the accident and Will no longer wants to live. Then Lou happens. Recently unemployed, 26yrs old and still living at home with her parents, sister and nephew, she is hired by Will’s mother as a carer/companion for Will. The story then follows the 6 months of how Will and Lou’s lives become entwined, how their relationship develops and the impact this has on their respective friends and family.

To be honest, when I first saw this as a book choice and heard that there were ‘tears’ involved, I decided to give it a miss (totally not my cup of tea). However, at the last minute (well 2 days before book club), I bit the bullet and decided to give it a go, and I am so pleased I did, as I absolutely love, love, loved it. Yes there were some tears, but I found it to be the most wonderful story. The book was well written and an easy read despite the emotional content. I was totally drawn in.

It was discussed that despite Lou being employed to be a carer and companion for Will, in the hope of making him want to live, Will seems to inadvertently turn the tables.   He shows Lou that life is an adventure that she should expand and explore her horizons. Basically living the life that he no longer can.

Although the underlying theme of the book circles around the ‘right to die’ and how each of the characters are affected by this choice, it is not at all as depressing and morbid as that sounds. It is in fact quite light-hearted in places too. Overall the novel explores how one person’s decision has a ripple effect on all those around them. The author quite cleverly manages to write about an extremely sensitive subject without judging the right or wrong of the situation.  No matter how preconceived your ideas (as the reader) are, the author allows you to see the views of each character without any condemnation. So although all the characters were not exactly likeable (e.g. Patrick), when you put yourself in their shoes and look at how their lives are affected, it certainly gives perspective and allows one to understand (even though you may not agree) why they acted the way they did. (Except for Treena, she is just selfish and spoilt and I don’t believe her to have any redeeming qualities at all).

Overall I thought this was a fantastic read (no one is more surprised by this fact than me) and the book was quite well received (some book clubbers opinions on the book were actually improved after the discussion). Of course no book is perfect and anything can be picked apart and discussed to destruction if given enough time.   However, if asked, would I recommend this to anyone else to read?  The answer would be, a big fat YES!!!

(Written by Linda-Jean Delport.) 

 

Karen’s Monday Book Club- ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee

For those who don’t know the story – 

The book is set in the mid 1930s in Maycomb, a small, inward looking town in Alabama, USA. The narrator is Scout Finch who looks back to when she was a young girl living with her brother Jem and their father Atticus, a lawyer. Their household is looked after by Calpurnia, a stern but kind black woman, since their mother died when they were very young. The book recounts their childish games and their relationships with their neighbours, one of whom is the mysterious and reclusive, Boo Radley. They begin to act out Boo’s story and Atticus puts a stop to their games, telling the children to try and see life from another person’s point of view before making judgements.

Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. This causes Jem and Scout to be insulted by other children.

When Jem gets an air rifle for Christmas, Atticus explains it is wrong to kill something that does no harm “Shoot all the bluejays you want….. but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird …’

Whilst Atticus is away, Calpurnia takes the children to the local black church and the black community largely embraces the children, in contrast to the white community that is largely prejudiced and racist.

Atticus’s sister comes to live with the family to bring a female influence as the children mature. Their friend, Dill, also spends summers with them. Before Tom’s trial begins, Tom is placed in the local jail and a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus faces the mob and Jem, Scout and Dill, who have sneaked out of the house, join him. Scout recognises Mr Cunningham and her innocent, polite questioning about his son shames him and appeals to his human nature, causing the crisis to be averted.

At the trial itself, Atticus defends Tom as best as possible, and (without giving too much away) there are great repercussions to this defence- not least, a vicious attack that gives us the ending.

Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the mockingbirds of the story – gentle people who have only tried to help others. They need to be protected and cared for rather than persecuted. The innocence of childhood dies when Scout and Dill realise the adult world is often cruel and unjust.

Atticus’ wisdom is made clear at the end:  ‘you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them’.

Even though Scout has grown up throughout the book, it’s still lovely to see her as a child at the end falling asleep on Atticus’ lap.

I read this book when I was a young teenager and it made a deep impression on me – I suppose because it was written from a child’s point of view and showed the injustice and prejudice in life so clearly. Each time I’ve read it since I’ve gained something new from it and it remains a solid favourite!

In the group we noted, though, that because it’s such a ‘classic’ there can sometimes be a resistance to reading it – because we feel we ‘ought’ to enjoy it, so we can come at it with some hesitation.

However, most people agreed they loved it! One person took a while to get into it and a couple hadn’t had a chance to finish it yet.

Our group liked most of the characters – especially Atticus, Scout, Jem and Calpurnia – and it’s lovely to watch Jem and Scout developing and maturing through the book. The book is written in an easy-to-read, gentle way, taking time to set the scene and build the characters.

Atticus does a great job as a single parent, imparting good moral values in his children but he leads by example and influences them for good by being such a good role model to them. He engenders respect from almost everyone in the community.

Our running joke throughout the evening was not seeing things in ‘black and white’! However, we acknowledged that in parts of America not much has changed in the treatment of black people to what is portrayed here.

Harper Lee has recently written a sequel that is being published and I, for one, am interested in reading it to see how Scout develops further.However, for anyone who hasn’t read ‘To kill a mockingbird’, all our group highly recommend it! It’s thought provoking and meaningful and something you can read and re-read. 

(Written by Jan Rowland.)