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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The suburb of Bourneville grew up around the Cadbury's chocolate factory and it is where 11 year old Mary lives with her parents. Starting from VE Day in 1945 and coming up to (almost the present day) Mary's story and that of her family is punctuated by major events in British life and their lives reflect the changing face of Britain in the last 75 years.
Coe is always an author who can be relied upon to produce a thoroughly enjoyable book with a streak of satire and humour, this is no exception and is really wonderful. A cynic might say that it is manipulative and full of cliches, and the plot does seem like that, but it is the quality of the writing and empathy that reader develops with each character that makes it so good - why is Jack more peripheral than Martin or Peter? It's because he epitomises what some people feel is wrong in society, selfish and ambitious with unpleasant view, a small dose is enough to get the idea.
Coe is always an author who can be relied upon to produce a thoroughly enjoyable book with a streak of satire and humour, this is no exception and is really wonderful. A cynic might say that it is manipulative and full of cliches, and the plot does seem like that, but it is the quality of the writing and empathy that reader develops with each character that makes it so good - why is Jack more peripheral than Martin or Peter? It's because he epitomises what some people feel is wrong in society, selfish and ambitious with unpleasant view, a small dose is enough to get the idea.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Bournville by Jonathan Coe
Read on audio
Pub. 2022, 354pp
Penguin
___
A new book from Johnathan Coe is always a treat, he’s one author I come back to without hesitation. I first read him in the ‘90s when I picked up What a Carve Up (let’s be honest, because of it’s gorgeous illustrated cover) and since then I’ve read most of his books. Recently, Middle England and Mr Wilder and Me have been great reads. His writing is so clear, funny and insightful and I enjoy how he tackles big, complex topics like Brexit and other burning political issues in a way that presents so many angles with empathy. In Bournville we start at those nervous days of the early pandemic when nobody quite knew whether to hug eachother and then we visit Bournville, a small area in Birmingham,on V. E. Day and we learn how Cadbury’s built this community, employing 1,000s and investing in housing.
We then follow the lives of an ordinary Bournville family, their summer holidays, marriages and frictions.
The tagline for this book is “Everything changes, and everything remains the same” and it’s so striking in the relationships, conversations and social issues discussed throughout the novel how this theme plays out.
I particularly enjoyed how the different chapters often felt like short stories, like when David emails his cousin, recounting a shared episode in their past from his point of view. In fact I think David may have been my favourite character. As I learned from the afterward,he also appears in 2 other novels so now I want to reread these books!
Coe also always writes beautifully about classical music, here through Lorna and Peter
And the audio narrator, Peter Caulfield, does a stellar job, effortlessly switching between a whole host of regional accents.
The final chapters, as we enter the pandemic, are very moving and best read when you’re alone, and definitely with a comforting bar of chocolate.
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes