Book Club June meeting

Dear All,
Many apologies for the late posting- it's been a bit of a month!
Many thanks to everyone who attended May's meeting, it we lovely to see both new and regular members. As usual, views were divided in relation to No One Writes to the General, some loved it, some did not, and it received an overall score of 3.25, which we round down to 3/5.

June's book is Bridget Collins: 'The Betrayals'. Here is the book blurb:

'An intricate and utterly spellbinding literary epic brimming with enchantment, mystery, and dark secrets from the highly acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding.
If your life was based on a lie, would you risk it all to tell the truth?
At Montverre, an ancient and elite academy hidden high in the mountains, society's best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu--the great game--an arcane and mysterious competition that combines music, art, math, poetry, and philosophy. Léo Martin once excelled at Montverre but lost his passion for scholarly pursuits after a violent tragedy. He turned to politics instead and became a rising star in the ruling party, until a small act of conscience cost him his career. Now he has been exiled back to Montverre, his fate uncertain.
But this rarified world of learning Léo once loved is not the same place he remembers. Once the exclusive bastion of men, Montverre's most prestigious post is now held by a woman: Claire Dryden, also known as the Magister Ludi, the head of the great game. At first, Léo feels an odd attraction to the magister--a mysterious, eerily familiar connection--though he's sure they've never met before.
As the legendary Midsummer Game approaches--the climax of the academy's year--long-buried secrets rise to the surface and centuries-old traditions are shockingly overturned.
A highly imaginative and intricately crafted literary epic, The Betrayals confirms Bridget Collins as one of the most inventive and exquisite new voices in speculative fiction.'

Media reviews seem to have been positive:

‘Dizzyingly wonderful … a perfectly constructed work of fiction, with audacious twists that clumsier hands would fumble, and irresistibly moving emotional beats’ (The Times).

‘Another sumptuous act of imaginative world-building … If you’re looking for an absorbing, transporting work of fiction – and why would you not be? – The Betrayals is just the thing … settle in, and enjoy getting lost in this captivating book’ (Observer).

‘Ingenious … Collins’s story holds everything up its sleeve for as long as possible’ (Guardian).

‘The Betrayals is a beautiful dystopian romance about coming of age as an artist and the love affair artistic collaboration can be, while also being an acute political novel about the fate of spiritual values in a totalitarian system. A rich delight’ (Sandra Newman).

‘Captivating’ (Daily Mirror).

‘An immersive, imaginative slice of storytelling’ (Daily Express).

‘A storyteller of rare imagination … This intricate symphony of a novel is both a disturbing portrait of fascism and a soaring meditation on artistic expression’ (Mail on Sunday)

For those of you who like to read ahead, here the the books for the next few months:

July: Kingsley Amis: 'Lucky Jim'
August: Asako Yusuki, 'Butter'
September: John McGahern: 'Amongst Women'.
October: Robert Harris: 'Conclave'
November: V.E. Schwab, 'The Invisible Life of Addie Laroue'

I hope to see you soon. Happy reading! Remember that you are welcome to come to meetings even if you haven't read the book!

Best Wishes
Tracey