THis is not a book to cheer you up about human nature, but it is a good read for sure. I am MmeClinton, and my daughter is Neuilly, who registered this book for the Booker Prize book ring. I am sending it on to Tania in North Carolina! (that is, on Tuesday when the P.O. will be open again...)

This book made it to me this afternoon. Thanks for sharing! I will get into it as soon as I finish my current read of Sleeping Beauty by Dallas Schlulze, c. 1999.

I finished "Sleeping Beauty" this afternoon. With any luck, I will get to start this book before I start cooking dinner. Where do I get all this reading time? I am at home with 2 daughters who appreciate the wonder of books - they have their own stacks to delve into. They often will see me sitting at my end of the table with a book - I don't see them complaining :)

List of participants in bookring (taken from the page on tantan's site):

tania-in-nc (North Carolina, USA)

NeedSun (Ontario, Canada)

Lillyanna (Spain)

Jenatleisure (England)

dodau (England)

jazz-ee2

blurbren (Malaysia)

meganh (Victoria, Australia)

lady-anglophile (Kuwait)

rhythmbiscuit (Colorado, USA)

dospescados

Back to MmeClinton in Maine, USA!


This is the link to TanTan's booker prize page.

I collect quotes as I read. These ones are fun, poetical, or even philosophical. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" in the book. These happen to be close to the spot where I stopped reading each night.

There was no threat here [walking in the Lake District], only elemental indifference. There were dangers, of course, but only the usual ones, and mild enough - injury from a fall, getting lost, a violent change of weather, night. Managing these would restore him to a sense of control. Soon human meaning would be bleached from the rocks, the landscape would assume its beauty and draw him in; the unimaginable age of the mountains and the fine mesh of living things that lay across them would remind him that he was a part of this order and insignificant within it, and he would be set free. p84
[comment: I don't do enough of getting out into the nature - we used to do it a bit as a child in N.Z., so the seed was planted by my folks. I can relate to his feeling.]

Vernon slumped with his tea while his mental odometer tallied the insults and humiliations. p159

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For book discussion questions look here. I have to admit that I was left partly confused at the ending. These questions , in themselves, answered some of my doubts.

Thanks for sharing the book with me. I shall send it up to Canada, soon. -- update sent 4/5/05

Sorry this took me so long to journalize. It arrived on April 11. I have a few bookrings to read before this but I will get to it pretty soon. Thanks for sharing!

I never really understood what this book was about. All in all, it was well written and easy to read but the subject matter was not my cup of tea.

I mailed it to Lillyanna today.

I am going to read it as soon as I can...Sorry for the delay!!!