To Nicole and Jamie Maguire, their parents seem
the ideal couple - a suburban double act, happily married for more than
thirty years. So when Linda and Gerry announce that they've decided to
separate, the news sends shockwaves through the siblings' lives, forcing
them to confront their own expectations and desires. Hardworking
- and hard-drinking - Nicole pursues the ex she unceremoniously dumped
six years ago, while people-pleasing Jamie fears he's sleepwalking into a
marriage he doesn't actually want. But as the siblings grapple with the
pressures of thirtysomething life, their parents struggle to protect
the fragile façade of their own relationship, and the secrets they've
both been keeping. Set in 2018, Claire Powell's beautifully
observed debut novel follows each member of the Maguire family over a
tumultuous year of lunches, dinners and drinks, as old conflicts arise
and relationships are re-evaluated. A gripping yet tender depiction of
family dynamics, love and disillusionment, At the Table is about what it
means to grow up - both as an individual, and as a family. *From goodreads.com Not many of our group finished it, finding it dull and uninteresting.
Marks out of 10 - between 3- 8
Words used to describe it:
Dull, drab, unfinished, absorbing, well observed
Next Book
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (Rowena 186)
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