Harley Savage is a large, rawboned, plain person with a ragged haircut and a white t-shirt coming unstitched along the shoulder. Douglas Cheeseman is a big-eared man who avoids his own reflection, and has bored his wife into leaving him. They are not the usual suspects for a burgeoning romance.

Released to mopperhond by post

Arrived this morning. Thanks a lot, I am looking forward to reading it on this rainy autumn day.

I liked this book tremendously. Beautifully written with a lot of details. I liked the interweaving pattern of the stories in the book and the similarities between the two main characters, which are slowly getting more clear once the story develops. The beginning is a bit slow maybe, but read on and you will be caught by the story. The end is a bit predictable but still a very nice read. Maybe a good one for a book-ray? I'll announce it on the Dutch forum ...

The book will be sent on to Violoncellix, who in turn will send it to Suzy26.

RELEASE NOTES:

How wonderful to come back from a trip abroad and find a thick envelope from mopperhond, with this book inside! I look foward to reading it, but it may take a while due to other rings and rays I'm in.

Thank you for the beautiful card, mopperhond! (A card from the UAF, United Assistance Fund, which supports refugee students in the Netherlands, in a highly successful way.)

Edit 3 May 2006: I will take this book with me on a trip to Japan, and then send it on to Suzy26.

I received this book today at the BC meeting in Castricum. Thanks violoncellix and Frakke-Per!

Slow-paced story about Harley and Douglas, but I reckon life in a small town in the Australian bush is pretty slow and uneventful, so the writing style perfectly matches the way of life there. It reminded me of Coopers Crossing, the town in the tv series The Flying Doctors. Everyone knows everything about everyone else. No way you can keep a secret there. The story is very rich in detail. Harley and Douglas are described with all their doubts, fears and insecurities, making them people of flesh and blood, easy to identify with. There is also much humor in the story. Especially Felicity Porcelline's obsession with getting old and wrinkly is hilarious, her affair with the butcher ludicrous. The end was rather predictable, but all in all it was a nice read.

'Found' this book at the Castricum meeting today. Picked it up because of the title. It is now sitting on mountain To-Be-Read, waiting for me to have time to read it. Thanks for sharing this book!

This book is reserved to go with me on my holidays to Australia/Malaysia/Singapore (end of September). I'll read it on the way and leave it when it is finished, so there is no knowing where it will end up! As soon as I know and have access to internet, I'll release it properly. If not and it gets caught, this place is reserved for my future journal entry...

Well, indeed this book has been in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Malacca) and Singapore, but I did not manage to finish it until the tram back home in The Hague. So it will go on the pile to release at the next meeting of bookcrossers in the Netherlands.

The book didn't really get me at first, but as soon as the characters started to live in my mind, I couldn't put it down anymore. The plot is not very sharp, but the characters are very well written. I particularly liked the awkwardness of Douglas, the way he seeks for 'social normalcy' by looking at other people. I recognize some of that from the days that I myself still cared about what other people might think of me.

Harley is also really well written. She is a real woman, with very real thoughts. I totally agree with her attitude toward the dog and second her fondness of fabric, yarn and 'old rubbish'.

The relationship between Felicity and Freddy seems kind of odd in the story. Felicity is weird and that comes across really well, but I don't see the relevance of the storyline. Nevertheless, it is well written again.

I'll see if I can add some more books of this writer to my list!

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p.240: Felicity found the entrance without difficulty, in the lane behind Alfred Chang Superior Meats, and went in boldly, through a back yard with a choko vine wandering over the broken fence, and into the doorway.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Dit boek gaat mee naar Enschede!
Bagels = Bagels&Beans, Korte Hengelosestraat 38

I came to the meeting with 4 books and left with one. this one :-)

On the search for a good read during my holiday in Tanzania, I discoxered this book on my shelf. It took.me some time to pick up the story, but when I did I really enjoyed this book! I will release the book here.

Left it in the service-area.