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Amiable
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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#Tagyoureit @rubyslippersreads ! You posted a book with an image of trees on it, which fits this week‘s theme for the scavenger hunt! If you spot another Litten posting a book with a tree on it anytime this week, tag them to keep the game going!

TheBookHippie 🌳🌳🌳🌳 1d
Chrissyreadit 🎉🎉🎉🎉 1d
43 likes2 comments
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rubyslippersreads
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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What an unpleasant family! Although living cheek by jowl with all of your in-laws would probably make most people cranky. 😏 And I did want to find out what happened, in spite of the unlikeable characters.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

Tamra Yes! It would drive me batty to live with them if I didn‘t work outside the home to get away. The son who was the market grower had it best. 😜 2d
Ruthiella Agree, everyone was pretty terrible and yet I did want to know what would happen. 😂 Their social sphere was way too small. No wonder Mrs. Rockaby was dying to move back to London. 2d
Ruthiella P.S. Nice call back to Mr. George‘s hobby/book in your picture! 👍 2d
LeahBergen I was thinking the exact thing about living all together like that!!! 😬 1d
CarolynM It might not have been so bad if any of the other villagers had been people you could be friends with! 39m
40 likes5 comments
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LiseWorks
A Cooler Climate | Zena Collier
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#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii Man the weeks are flying by
1. My grandson and my daughter stayed a few days
2. #LitsySnailMailClub has some sign ups that bring me joy
3. My garden
4. Cooler weather cause boy those hot, humid days are hard
5. I saw the neighborhood fox this week.

Mimi28 I‘ll be sending you a letter next Tuesday I promise. Great list of joys 🫶🏽🩷😊 5d
dabbe 🩵💙🩵 5d
LiseWorks @Mimi28 great, you should sign up #LitsySnailMailClub ❤️ 5d
23 likes3 comments
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Suelizbeth
Patricide: A Novella | Joyce Carol Oates
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Pickpick

I never know what to expect from a Joyce Carol Oates work. I‘m left with the feeling that I‘m not sure what actually happened. In this case, I‘m not sure anything did happen. But it might have. What I do know is that we‘re left with a surprisingly happy-ish ending, I think. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

30 likes1 stack add
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CarolynM
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

What a charmless lot these characters were! I had trouble feeling sympathy for any of them, except maybe Lavinia who seemed to be doing her best. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella Lavinia and Mrs. Monsoon seemed OK. But the bar is very low! 😆 1w
LeahBergen ‘Charmless lot‘ is exactly right! 😂 1w
Tamra @LeahBergen 😂 great review & description! 1w
Centique Lovely flowers! 4d
rubyslippersreads I felt sympathy for the poor cat! 😾 2d
65 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Ruthiella
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

The middle and upper class of a small English village rub along together awkwardly in this novel. The eccentric Mr. Monsoon, the pretentious Mrs. Rockaby, the loony Lady Tyce, etc. There‘s no real plot nor any character to root for really, but I enjoyed it on the whole. It‘s often funny and has maybe a subtle feminist edge to it at times, but as @Tamra noted, much longer would have been too long.

LeahBergen That ditch! 😂 2w
Tamra 😷😂 2w
Tamra I really expected more about Mrs. Tyce and her poison pen! That could have been a really fun storyline. (edited) 2w
See All 10 Comments
Ruthiella @LeahBergen The ditch is the only character that has a transformative arc! 😂 1w
Ruthiella @Tamra For sure! 1w
CarolynM Perfect picture! 🤣 @LeahBergen 1w
Ruthiella @CarolynM You can almost smell it! 😷 1w
rubyslippersreads I‘m surprised someone didn‘t get thrown into that ditch! 🤣 2d
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads Oh! That would have been quite something! I guess Mr. Monsoon winging his daughter-in-law was enough excitement. 😂 2d
75 likes10 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

“Yes”, Mr. Swan says to himself, “the human family. Yes.”

This is an observational study about how family members can love & drive one another crazy in equal measure. 😜

I really enjoyed it, but I‘m also glad it wrapped up when it did because family bickering doesn‘t provide much in the way of narrative drive.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tamra In the end I sort of pitied Swan, despite being so rigid & insensitive to others. But, I suspect he‘s happier alone. (edited) 2w
Tamra Also, Amy???? On the one hand yay for her getting out of an unhappy situation, on the other I can‘t applaud her abandoning her children. (Maybe she still sees them.) But that was bold for a 1950‘s plotpoint - women taking control of their destiny. 2w
franciscopoppie Hi Tamra
I don‘t usually comment like this, but I must say, I‘m truly impressed by your profile and your personality. Your sense of humor really stands out too it's refreshing and inspiring 🌺❣. You can send me a message in my gmail: franciscopoppie@gmail.com
2w
LeahBergen Swan is definitely cut out to be a “confirmed bachelor”. 😆 And I couldn‘t believe that Amy just up and left like that. I thought at first that her husband was just using fighting words when he accused her of not caring about the children. I guess he was right! 2w
54 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
LeahBergen
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

A novel about the “impoverished semi-gentry of a country village, consisting of cantankerous parents and frustrated adult children… Each family quarrels with itself in the same laconic and polite way”. That quote from an early review sums up the plot perfectly. It seems to have a more wry feel to it than many of our other #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub reads (and one of the best descriptions of an awkward tea party ever 😆).

I enjoyed it!

Ruthiella I‘ve not started yet, but based on your review and @Tamra ‘s comments, I‘m really going to like this one. 😊 3w
Tamra Wry is the perfect adjective! I am loving how each family is perfectly imperfect in their own ways. 😊 (edited) 3w
CarolynM It does seem to have a slightly different tone from many of the others - makes village life sound less appealing. 3w
See All 10 Comments
Tamra @CarolynM village life always seems appealing until everyone can hear & comment on you sneezing. 🤧🤣 3w
Cathythoughts I like the sound of this ‘Wry‘ one. Great review ❤️👍🏻 3w
LeahBergen @Ruthiella I hope you like it! 🤞 2w
LeahBergen @CarolynM @Tamra Yeah, I‘m not so sure that I‘d be the best fit for village life 😆 2w
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts Thanks, Cathy! 😘 2w
Ruthiella About 80% read now. That tea party! 😆 2w
LeahBergen @Ruthiella Right? 😆 2w
65 likes1 stack add10 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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😂 Celia has planted so many witty barbs & slights in this novel! Throughly enjoying it! #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella Oh good! I was hoping for that kind of sharp edge. 3w
LeahBergen Mr Swan is quite something, isn‘t he? 😆 3w
Tamra @LeahBergen 😜 quite the catch huh???? 3w
Tamra @Ruthiella definitely! Makes it fun. 3w
46 likes4 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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rubyslippersreads I can‘t get past using a match for a bookmark! 😳 3w
Tamra @rubyslippersreads in a library book no less!😆 3w
LeahBergen Novel reading?? Gasp! 😆 3w
43 likes4 comments