Waterland, May's book choice, was made into a film starring Jeremy Irons
May saw Tyneside Book Club tackle Graham Swift's 1980s classic, Waterland. There was certainly agreement that this was a heavyweight book, setting out to explore weighty and important themes.
Members also felt it was a powerful evocation of a place - capturing the weird and liminal essence of The Fens.
Where there was disagreement though was over how engaging people felt the novel was, and how successful Swift was in turning those themes and ideas into something that compelled.
For some this was a satisfying read; beautifully structured and well told, it had much to say about history, humanity and nature. Fans enjoyed the layering that allowed the narrator to blend history with the events of his life.
For some the novel also had much to say to us about humanity and history; as well as our relationship with nature and our frailties. It was also about how ordinary lives can be extraordinary.
For some members though, those qualities faded as they found themselves bogged down in the fractured and digressive narrative that failed to connect emotionally.
For some, after an intriguing opening, the book struggled to deliver for much too long, with the plot only accelerating towards the end of the novel. For some members, this exhausted their patience. They could appreciate he way Swift weaved together the various strands, but it also felt a little machine-tooled and schematic.
There was also much discussion about the marginalisation of narrator Tom Crick's wife Mary, and some members felt they would have liked her to be given more of a voice. Women as a whole played little part in the book. Some also found the narrative device of Crick telling the story to his students a little contrived, and distancing.
For some, the details also became rather gruesome and grim. There was also some discussion about how Waterland handled disability and the terms Swift's characters used in the novel.
Members mostly agreed that Waterland did feel like a novel of its time, and that in certain ways was a little dated in its approach. One member had an edition in which Graham Swift talks about why he would write in a different way today.
There was still a sense this was a book which had much to say, but that lack of emotional engagement meant some members felt unsatisfied by the end.
Members also felt it was a powerful evocation of a place - capturing the weird and liminal essence of The Fens.
Where there was disagreement though was over how engaging people felt the novel was, and how successful Swift was in turning those themes and ideas into something that compelled.
For some this was a satisfying read; beautifully structured and well told, it had much to say about history, humanity and nature. Fans enjoyed the layering that allowed the narrator to blend history with the events of his life.
For some the novel also had much to say to us about humanity and history; as well as our relationship with nature and our frailties. It was also about how ordinary lives can be extraordinary.
For some members though, those qualities faded as they found themselves bogged down in the fractured and digressive narrative that failed to connect emotionally.
For some, after an intriguing opening, the book struggled to deliver for much too long, with the plot only accelerating towards the end of the novel. For some members, this exhausted their patience. They could appreciate he way Swift weaved together the various strands, but it also felt a little machine-tooled and schematic.
There was also much discussion about the marginalisation of narrator Tom Crick's wife Mary, and some members felt they would have liked her to be given more of a voice. Women as a whole played little part in the book. Some also found the narrative device of Crick telling the story to his students a little contrived, and distancing.
For some, the details also became rather gruesome and grim. There was also some discussion about how Waterland handled disability and the terms Swift's characters used in the novel.
Members mostly agreed that Waterland did feel like a novel of its time, and that in certain ways was a little dated in its approach. One member had an edition in which Graham Swift talks about why he would write in a different way today.
There was still a sense this was a book which had much to say, but that lack of emotional engagement meant some members felt unsatisfied by the end.
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