Freebie from a neighbour.
I like that its Australian and set in 1940's, so far it reads easily.

I received this through a book club secret swap.
Really gorgeous cover and the blurb reads appealingly.
It's a different type of cover paper, feels odd when you tough it...

Oh Elizabeth Strout! How can she write so eloquently and draw me in to these lives. Yet she also writes simply. Sigh. She is superb. I desperately hope she's writing something else 😍😊

Jeez, how I adore this woman 😍
Everything she writes is joy to read.
Signed copy too 🤗😆😆

Belated post of December reads ☺☺🙂🙂

Undecided. I see what she wanted to tell, and it's really worthwhile. I felt she rallied against everything and thus seems overly angry.
I didn't find it as funny (see cover review) as Caitlin Moran, or as wise as Lena Dunham.
But interesting facts about women in parliament, about the terrifying anti woman statistics and imbalances.
I'm recommending it to my 21 year old daughter.

Starting the new year as ever with a selection of essays or letters.
This was a gift from a good friend with whom I share many political opinions. He's going to read it after me...

Hmm... good to read, really interesting story and precisely written.
Not many of my questions were answered but I don't think that mattered.
I find his books are so varied, I never have a clue what to expect!

Oops, started this and forgot to post!
Library book club for January but limited copies so reading sooner than usual (and keeping a log).
This has thrown up millions of questions but many off then seem to lose importance as I continue.

Oooh, advent gift from the boyfriend, maybe a list of places to visit 🤗😍📚

Superb writing and such depth in the characters. I found I read chunks then left a while, then returned and read more.
I didn't have the same sense of true adoration for this book as I have for some of the others but still a brilliantly written novel.

Ah, how I love his writing 😊😍📚.
Almost brand new copy from Bookbarn nearby.

Brilliantly written, as expected, and incredibly interesting to read about his return to the Spanish civil war and all the trouble.
It was such a massively different time, it's hard to realise how much has changed.
I found the young teenage girls, and the sexuality they supposedly portrayed, to be quite uncomfortable to read...

Super pleased to have received this from my amazing boyfriend as part of our advent calendar gifting.
I've read the previous two and am looking forward to reading this 😊😊😊😍📚

Gosh, that felt like a mammoth undertaking although it's not a long novel in terms of pages.
I think it was incredible prose, such fine detail and description yet almost overwhelmed the actual story. I found it challenging to keep up with which character was which and had to keep checking.

Having been on the waiting list since the start of October, this one finally popped into my inbox from the library 😊😍. The opening chapter was rather unusual and took me a re read to understand...

Wow. I delayed reading this as a few friends have said it's tricky to read in the dialect.
Superb story, really absorbed me and read it in huge chunks. Some of the story was deeply moving but throughout it, her spirit is so strong and she has such convictions.

Interesting read, reinforced my understanding of the inherent rscism in UK in the late decsdes of 20th century.
I liked the families, their individual people and relationships. The ancestral accounts were almost too detailed but still interesting.

I read Small Island some years ago and didn't realise she's written so many others 😳.
So far this has been keeping me interested and wanting to read more, even though it has historically racist vocab and language which is hard to read.

An amusing read which I finished early hours of the morning!
The main characters were very well written and had enough depth to keep them fresh.

What a cover!

Charity shop score and have made a good start.
Rather like the air and tongue in cheek style, plus his general prose.

I liked this. Each chapter offered a perspective from one of the female inhabitants and we got to see how they interact, what they think and how they feel.

Started this one first thing... the cover is such a pretty wallpaper then the sinister bird...

Superb read, kept me turning pages without it becoming predictable or twee.
The setting and characters were interesting, and I liked that she'd researched enough to give it depth.
Plus the ending was not what it could have been (a positive observation!) ☺☺

I've read a few others by this author and like her writing and historical context. I also appreciate the setting if Australia as I rarely seem to read books based or written there.

This is a book club choice, the subject of which I have no previous knowledge of.

Unfortunately the only edition in the library is large print so it's a whopper!

Beautiful story, each chapter is about another woman who lives in the village.
Spans much of the 20th century and has a very useful family tree!

This has been on my wishlist for years and then I spotted it in s charity shop 😍😍🤗🤗🤗

Excellent book, as always.
Particularly liked the ending as I'd not anticpated it.

Love his writing, keen to read this one.

I liked the way in which we find out about those 5 people, and how their lives intersected. The chapters were short and not superfluous in any way yet full of descriptions that built an image.
Not so sure about the ending but still a good book!

Book club for November.
We were all amazed that none of us had read this, hence the choice.
Looking forward to reading it.

I chose this as I'm trying to read all the Booker short list.
Whilst I appreciate the writing, I had no investment in the characters at all. I liked the slight references to the pandemic, and some of the musings.

Pretty unique to my previous reads... I liked the relationships he fostered, and the historic aspect.
I think he was also the luckiest man... It's all very positive which makes it a warming read.

My books of October.
Stillife was definitely the best 😍🤗😍, though all were worth reading.

Got to say, I'd never have selected this but it's keeping me turning the pages!
Librarian book club choice.

After really not being sure whether I was interested in reading this, I suddenly became vested in finding out what happened! Slow plot that trickles along then rushes. I disliked many of the characters which fitted with the overall storyline.

Started this strange novel... No clue where it's going!

Beautiful writing, great descriptions of the Spanish region, lots of humorous moments with the undertone of the poverty and lack of opportunities available.

Loved his As I Walked out book, then spotted this in a charity shop.

Wow, what a read.
I became rather absorbed in the plot, all the characters were detailed enough to keep me reading.
I'm interested in how much of it might be fact...

Now this is a good read so far.
Not as keen on the Hollywood star chapters but made up by the Marian chapters.

Not greatly absorbing, I felt it was too long a period of time but appreciate it needed to be. I've read other fictional accounts of slavery which have struck more of a chord with me.
Having read the notes, I'm glad there were elements of historical fact included.

Library book club for next week.
I don't have huge hopes for it but happy to make a start.

Oh my, i adored this. Beautiful writing and an intriguing plot which meandered through mid 20th century London and Italy. Made me want to return to Italy. 😍😍☀️🌞.
I think I've read one of her others and now want to read more!

Oh, this is good!
I heard bits of it on Radio 4a few weeks ago and then book club chose it to read.
Chunkster but really keeping my attention 😍😍😊😊😉

My books from September.
Caitlin Moran and How to be a Heroine were the best 😊😊😊

Brilliant book, I liked the characters very much and became keen to hear more.

The library app has all the Booker 2021 shortlisted titles and I've just got this one.
Told from different perspectives, it's a slow start but seems to trundle along.

Superb.
Even better than I anticipated.
Some chapters resonate so much that I had to put down the book and contemplate what she said alongside my thoughts.
I've recommended it to my Hag Friends (her phrase!)