May Meetup

April saw us review two coming of age novels which both went down very well with the group, the one about posh American students, The Secret History, scored 71 while the one concerning less posh Fifers scored 65.

For May we have a chunky 19th century, classic French gothic novel and a contemporary psychological horror novella to entertain us.

Please note, with thanks, we appreciate attendees making a contribution of £1.50 at the meeting to help cover meetup charges.

Happy Reading.

Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo (nominated by Julia)

In the vaulted Gothic towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral lives Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer. Mocked and shunned for his appearance, he is pitied only by Esmerelda, a beautiful gypsy dancer to whom he becomes completely devoted.

Esmerelda, however, has also attracted the attention of the sinister archdeacon Claude Frollo, and when she rejects his lecherous approaches, Frollo hatches a plot to destroy her, that only Quasimodo can prevent.

Victor Hugo's sensational, evocative novel brings life to the medieval Paris he loved, and mourns its passing in one of the greatest historical romances of the nineteenth century.

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck (nominated by Chloe)

An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he’ll be reunited with his loved ones after death in an eternal hereafter.

Then, he dies.

Soren wakes to find himself cast by a God he has never heard of into a Hell whose dimensions he can barely grasp: a vast library he can only escape from by finding the book that contains the story of his life.

Other books nominated were:

Dishing the Dirt by Nick Duerden
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Year of the Rat by Harry Shukman
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd