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ljbentley27's review against another edition
4.0
I have always wanted to be part of a book club. I have read many stories with a book club at the heart of them and it just makes me yearn to be a part of one. At the moment, I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to the late 70s/early 80s and join the Fairvale Ladies Book Club.
Sophie Green’s sweeping story of the lives of five women in the Podunk pockets of Australia is truly fascinating. Their removal from the everyday conveniences that we take for granted is a brilliant backdrop to honour the resilience and power enriched in the lives of these five characters. Not only did it provide an amazing setting but it made me, the reader, feel the complete claustrophobia that the wide open plains gave some of its characters.
Often, the ladies of the book club (Sybil, Rita, Della, Kate and Sallyanne) are seen as complete opposites of each other. It is a wonder how they all come together and help fix each other but their differences hold their power. It is amazing to watch them grow, learn and live with all the trials and tribulations of life going on around them. It is even more heartening to see them bond through a mutual love of books.
I didn’t expect to love The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club as much as I did but it really was a story that took me on an emotional journey.
The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green is available from March 1st 2018.
For more information regarding Little Brown Book Group (@LittleBrownUK) please visit www.littlebrown.co.uk.
Sophie Green’s sweeping story of the lives of five women in the Podunk pockets of Australia is truly fascinating. Their removal from the everyday conveniences that we take for granted is a brilliant backdrop to honour the resilience and power enriched in the lives of these five characters. Not only did it provide an amazing setting but it made me, the reader, feel the complete claustrophobia that the wide open plains gave some of its characters.
Often, the ladies of the book club (Sybil, Rita, Della, Kate and Sallyanne) are seen as complete opposites of each other. It is a wonder how they all come together and help fix each other but their differences hold their power. It is amazing to watch them grow, learn and live with all the trials and tribulations of life going on around them. It is even more heartening to see them bond through a mutual love of books.
I didn’t expect to love The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club as much as I did but it really was a story that took me on an emotional journey.
The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green is available from March 1st 2018.
For more information regarding Little Brown Book Group (@LittleBrownUK) please visit www.littlebrown.co.uk.
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
Books set in Australia’s Northern Territory are few and far between, so I was really entranced by the premise of Sophie Green’s The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club. Not only is it set in the NT, but it’s set in the late 1970s/early 1980s which is a whole world away thanks to advances in technology. Back then, stations (aka ranches) were truly isolated – no internet, no satellite with only a party line phone (great for spreading intimate details about your family) and the mail. But in the wet (monsoon) season, you can be completely isolated from even that for months. Sybil is used to all that, as she’s lived on Fairvale station for years. But when her son Ben brings home a new English bride, it’s time for things to change. Sybil knows that Kate won’t be used to the isolation or weather, so decides to start a book club. To it, she invites old friend Rita (now working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service out of Alice Springs), station hand Della from America and housewife Sallyanne. All the women bring their own problems to the book club, but through friendship they can work through them all.
And boy, do a lot of things happen to the women in this book. None of them are spared heartache and major events! If anyone thought that living in the outback was boring, think again… It’s a harsh environment which Sophie Green clearly shows but the women have personal dramas to add on top of that. Kate has her own worries about falling pregnant and Sallyanne tries to hide an abusive husband – and that’s just what we find out at the start! Ever the matriarch, Sybil tries to help them all through it by enabling meetings, offers of work and support. And when she needs help herself, it’s the other members of the book club who help her out. The theme of friendship is exceptionally strong in this novel, particularly as the isolated setting is stressed. The Territory kind of feels like another main character is this novel, the one who decides on the fates of all the characters…
Speaking of the characters, I bet it’s not an accident that all the main characters are women, and strong ones at that. Sybil is clearly a strong character, but she helps the quieter women like Kate and Sallyanne find their inner strength to accept, speak up and move on. Most of the male characters are supporting, blending into the background somewhat. We see the full range of male characters, from supportive and modern (Ben and Joe, Kate and Sybil’s husbands) to downright sexist and piggish (Sallyanne’s husband). This is a novel that celebrates the strength of the female spirit…truly ‘womanning up’ as the hashtag says through thick and thin!
The plot of the novel is crammed with events, and nobody is spared. One subplot I would have liked to have explored a little more is why Sybil’s son Lachlan hated the rest of his family so much. What made him spurn his family and home? Why couldn’t he talk about it? I would have loved to know a little more about this enigma and why he chose to distance himself from his Territory life. I did enjoy the book club subplot and was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d read most of their book choices (especially as I wasn’t even born then). As happens with all good book clubs, there was less of a focus on the book as time went on which I did miss. I found the different takes on The Thorn Birds fascinating, so would have loved to have read more. But we can’t have everything and I need to seek out The Far Pavilions now.
Overall, The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club is a light, fascinating read with engaging characters and a non-stop plot. A great experience of women getting things done!
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
And boy, do a lot of things happen to the women in this book. None of them are spared heartache and major events! If anyone thought that living in the outback was boring, think again… It’s a harsh environment which Sophie Green clearly shows but the women have personal dramas to add on top of that. Kate has her own worries about falling pregnant and Sallyanne tries to hide an abusive husband – and that’s just what we find out at the start! Ever the matriarch, Sybil tries to help them all through it by enabling meetings, offers of work and support. And when she needs help herself, it’s the other members of the book club who help her out. The theme of friendship is exceptionally strong in this novel, particularly as the isolated setting is stressed. The Territory kind of feels like another main character is this novel, the one who decides on the fates of all the characters…
Speaking of the characters, I bet it’s not an accident that all the main characters are women, and strong ones at that. Sybil is clearly a strong character, but she helps the quieter women like Kate and Sallyanne find their inner strength to accept, speak up and move on. Most of the male characters are supporting, blending into the background somewhat. We see the full range of male characters, from supportive and modern (Ben and Joe, Kate and Sybil’s husbands) to downright sexist and piggish (Sallyanne’s husband). This is a novel that celebrates the strength of the female spirit…truly ‘womanning up’ as the hashtag says through thick and thin!
The plot of the novel is crammed with events, and nobody is spared. One subplot I would have liked to have explored a little more is why Sybil’s son Lachlan hated the rest of his family so much. What made him spurn his family and home? Why couldn’t he talk about it? I would have loved to know a little more about this enigma and why he chose to distance himself from his Territory life. I did enjoy the book club subplot and was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d read most of their book choices (especially as I wasn’t even born then). As happens with all good book clubs, there was less of a focus on the book as time went on which I did miss. I found the different takes on The Thorn Birds fascinating, so would have loved to have read more. But we can’t have everything and I need to seek out The Far Pavilions now.
Overall, The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club is a light, fascinating read with engaging characters and a non-stop plot. A great experience of women getting things done!
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
janerel's review against another edition
3.0
A most enjoyable novel but not one that I loved. The storyline was lovely but not unique. Reading so many books nowadays I really appreciate excellent writing and am noticing the gap between those that inspire me and that I can't stop thinking about, and those that don't. As with some other books, I felt that this was telling me the story rather than allowing me to become immersed in it and part of it. Details don't have to be repeated for me to get it and things don't always have to be spelt out if the scene has been well set. I think it's hard to incorporate Book Club into a title and have a story live up to what you may expect (thinking about The Jane Austen Book Club that I held such high hopes for). I certainly was expecting a bit more detail on the books they discussed. It is still a lovely story (loved the cover too) and one I will pass onto friends. Thank you to Hatchette and Goodreads for this copy.
marthaguymaid's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
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? Yes
1.0
luckaye's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the aspect of Australian life that I know nothing about, being a suburbanite. I liked the way the stories entwined and that they weren't all happy endings.
bourriquet's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
thebookmuse's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy to review from the publisher, and it was beautifully written. I found it intriguing and loved that each characters voice sang out individually in the chapters told from their perspectives. Telling the story through the eyes of five people worked well too. A longer review will appear on my blog on the release date next month.
jeanettegtf's review against another edition
4.0
I really want a prequel of Sybil and Rita. Loved the characters and the ability for you to draw your own in between stories of the relationships and conversations in between. it flowed really well. Although at the end, it seemed like it rushed the last 2 chapters.
yollie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0