All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville West

Running on from A Handmaid's Tale, this book is a nice counter point  of a woman bound by convention, who on the death of her conservative husband begins to live the life she had always wanted, much to the horror of her 'awfully' conservative humdrum children.  A break of the social bonds and conventions.  It is a book with subtle comedic play of the characters, the sly digs at the social mores of the time and the affect that money or the thought of inheritance can engender in a family  makes for an entertaining read.  

Words used to describe it:  elegiac, comedic, self absorbed, unexpected, fabulous
Marks out of 10:  between 5 - 8 (mostly 8)

Next book

Berlin Poplars by Anne B Rogde

Next Event

Friday 15th December  - Book Club Christmas Do 

Details TBC

Next Meeting

Saturday 13th January

A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Set in the near future this book is the antipathy of The Power, in this book a Christian theonamy has overthrown the democratic system in America, subjugating women to misogyny in a patriarchal society where individualism and independence are crushed.  Class is denoted in the colour of your clothes and the 'job' that is subscribed to you.  Ofred, the protagonist of the story is a Handmaid, a woman designated as a chattel for the baring of children for the elite of the new order.  Fertility is declining and this orchestrated way of increasing birth rates of the 'right kind' of people is also a way of subjugating women.  

Someone said that all of the instruments of torture, with holding of rights, subjugation that Atwood uses in the novel have all been used in the last 150 years by different regimes.  Nothing was fiction in that regard.  Something to ponder on - nothing we currently enjoy is forever, and we must be vigilant with regards to changes of our democracy's.  This book generated a great discussion especially when compared with The Power.

Words used to describe it:  chilling, prophetic, Orwellian, elegant, insightful
Marks out of 10:   between 7 - 9  so highly marked

Next Book

All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville West

Next Meeting

115 Harbord St - Monday 20th November