Hi there,
Here are the books for the September 16th meetup. And remember, you don't have to read both books! Enjoy, and see you on the 16th of September!
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LOCATION HAS MOVED FROM THE BLEEDING HORSE TO JIMMY RABBITTE AT 87 LOWER CAMDEN STREET.
Note: If these books are difficult to find in bookshops, try online (e.g.: Amazon.co.uk, kennys.ie, easons.com, bookdepository.com to name a few).
AS THIS GROUP DOES NOT TAKE ONLINE PAYMENTS, EVERYONE WILL SHOW AS 'UNPAID'. PLEASE IGNORE.
1. James – Percival Everett
The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson’s Island until he can formulate a plan.
Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he is desperate to protect, and the constant lie he must live. And together, the unlikely pair embark on the most dangerous, and life-changing, odyssey of them all.
2. Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel
England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages. From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with great passion and suffering and courage.
Séamus
