Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

About the book

While 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is more timely than ever. 1984 presents a “negative utopia”, that is at once a startling and haunting vision of the world — so powerful that it’s completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of entire generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions — a legacy that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

Reviewed by Happy Days Reading Group:

After reading 1984, we felt that George Orwell was very forward thinking, dealt with deep political issues in a passionate manner but tended to let the political issues overtake the plot.

Star rating: ***

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Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

About the book

1891. Seventeen-year-old Léonie Vernier and her brother abandon Paris for the sanctuary of their aunt’s isolated country house near Carcassonne, the Domaine de la Cade. But Léonie stumbles across a ruined sepulchre – and a timeless mystery whose traces are written in blood.
2007. Meredith Martin arrives at the Domaine de la Cade to research a biography. But Meredith is also seeking the key to her own complex legacy and becomes immersed in the story of a tragic love, a missing girl, a unique deck of tarot cards and the strange events of one cataclysmic night a century ago…

Reviewed by Boaters Book Club:

Most felt it was overwritten, over researched, in need of a good editor, with poor characterisations, based on The De Vinci Code with the expectation of it becoming a tour/travel book and that it was reusing Labyrinth. The parallel stories were not liked however a few ideas were considered good.

Star rating: **

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Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

About the book

Souls cross ages like clouds cross skies . . .
Six interlocking lives – one amazing adventure. In a narrative that circles the globe and reaches from the 19th century to a post-apocalyptic future, Cloud Atlas erases the boundaries of time, genre and language to offer an enthralling vision of humanity’s will to power, and where it will lead us.

Reviewed by Sherfield English Page Turners:

The group as a whole found this a difficult and challenging book to read- 2 or 3 did not finish it. The spoken word edition with its different voices pointed up the cultural and era changes well. The linking between each section was intriguing and the Sonmi and Timothy Cavendish stories provoked most discussions as to whether they were real or hallucinatory.

Star rating: **

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