Litsy

pick

Brought this book because some of my trusted Litsy folks put it on their best of lists for last year.
What a compelling, sad, haunting read. I couldn‘t look away, this is the sort of dread you just don‘t want to ever imagine.
Very well written, sad reminder of homophobia in the 80s, though not gone away completely obviously.

squirrelbrain I may have to read this too…. It made so many Littens‘ lists. 4d

TrishB @squirrelbrain I‘ll send you this one- I brought nearly new and happy to pass on. I don‘t want to give myself the excuse to start collecting them 😁 4d

LeahBergen Don‘t start collecting them or you‘ll end up like me!! 😂😂 I‘m so glad that you liked it. 4d

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Tamra Harrowing isn‘t it?! 4d

CarolynM It‘s not enjoyable but so good. I liked that it explored what happens when a wrong conclusion is reached. Beware Persephones! Collecting them is an expensive business, especially if you don‘t live in the UK 😬 I blame @LeahBergen 🙄😉 4d

LeahBergen @CarolynM 😆😆 4d

BarbaraBB I blame @LeahBergen too 🥰 and I still remember this book 4d

squirrelbrain Thank you Trish. Don‘t send it though - hang on to it until Stockport as it‘s only a couple of weeks away now. 4d

LeahBergen @BarbaraBB Oops! 😆 4d

Cathythoughts Great review. What a memorable book. ❤️💔💔 3d

TrishB @squirrelbrain will do 👍🏻 3d

TrishB @LeahBergen @Tamra @CarolynM @BarbaraBB @Cathythoughts an absorbing read (edited) 3d

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rubyslippersreads

Emmeline | Judith Rossner

Catching up on last month‘s #PersephoneClub book. I‘m fascinated by stories of the Lowell Mill girls, but this one is particularly bleak. It took me a long time to finish because my feelings of dread kept growing stronger and stronger, as did my anger at most of the characters. Poor Emmeline never had a chance.

rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @Caryl @sisilia @CarolynM @daena @LeahBergen @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @Tamra @andrew61 @Cathythoughts @Bookbuyingaddict @julieclair @willaful 2w

LeahBergen Poor Emmeline, indeed. 😬 2w

quietjenn I am very behind, but already not expecting a happy ending ... 2w

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CarolynM So much to be angry about in this book! 2w

Cathythoughts Great review. Tough book , Yes, a lot of feelings of dread. 2w

Bookbuyingaddict Great 👍 review & totally agree , poor emmeline beauty was a curse all she craved was friendship & love ❤️ the women were jealous and awful to her whilst the men lusted or treated her as a pawn 😩certainly no sisterhood 👯‍♀️in this book ! Glad I read it though thank you 🙏 Leah x x x. X 2w

rubyslippersreads @Bookbuyingaddict Even Matthew (before anyone knew who he really was) could be possessive and controlling. 2w

rubyslippersreads @CarolynM @Cathythoughts Yes. Hard to find many likable characters. 2w

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Tamra

Someone at a Distance | Dorothy Whipple, Nina Bawden

pick

I could not put this down! Whipple has an exceptional ability to convey the emotional lives of her characters with such realism. Not for a minute did any of it feel like fiction; it was like being a fly on the wall. That is until the end. I suspect had this novel been written today the end would be quite different. Still, a 5⭐️read!

This novel has the best description of a cozy happy family Xmas I‘ve ever encountered. Just picture perfect.

Tamra It‘s so dreary again today - the pic was not taken in the evening despite being so dark. 😒 3w

Tamra Ugh, Louise was such a despicable woman! Whipple made her the perfect foil to the happiness of the North family. Ironic how she made the matriarch so happy, not that Louise cared a wit. 3w

Ruthiella I love Dorothy Whipple! “The Priory” is my favorite, but maybe only because I read it first? I also read and loved this one and “Greenbanks”. 3w

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Cathythoughts Oh I loved this book. ❤️❤️❤️ 3w

Tamra @Ruthiella I have a enjoyed a couple of her other titles, but I will add The Priory to my TBR now! 3w

Tamra @Cathythoughts soooo good! 😊 3w

LeahBergen Oh, Louise! 😠 This was such a great read. 2w

LeahBergen @Ruthiella The Priory was my first Whipple, too. 👍 2w

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Bookbuyingaddict

Emmeline | Judith Rossner

pick

Oh emmeline! I Had a discussion in the pub recently about how some people do genuinely seem to be born with no good luck or good fortune at all and seem to attract one disaster after another & so it is with emmeline. One of the most depressing books iv ever read because you just know what disaster is going to befall the beautiful but naive emmeline. It js a pacey page turner but I‘d never have read it if it wasn‘t my Persephone bookclub pick.

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, Tamara, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, andrew61, Cathythoughts, dabbe, julieclair, willaful

LeahBergen It was certainly a page turner for being so bleak, wasn‘t it? 3w

CarolynM I wouldn‘t have read it without #PersephoneClub either. I‘m so glad I did! 3w

Bookbuyingaddict @LeahBergen @CarolynM Absolutely 👍loved it and it took me by surprise 😮 who could have guessed that ending ! I sat up in bed with my new Christmas 🎄 gift 🎁 reading 📖 light to finish it , raced through it thank you 🙏 for choosing it 😌it‘s a shame our reviews are restricted to 451characters you can‘t say it all in that ! Happy NYE x x x 3w

37 likes3 comments

Ruthiella

The Hopkins Manuscript | Robert Cedric Sherriff

pick

My final book of #10BeforetheEnd

A SciFi novel, published in 1939, about the moon colliding with the Earth. For a 400+ page book, it read fast. Hopkins, the narrator, is a bit of an a** and his obsession with chickens reminded me of Gonzo from The Muppets. For all that, it was still quite affecting. Hopkins does evolve emotionally and like all good SciFi the book illustrates the best and the worst aspects of humanity.

elkeOriginal Never thought I would see Gonzo reference in a review for a Persephone book 😉😆 3w

Tamra This one has been staring at me from my TBR shelves. 😁 3w

Ruthiella @elkeOriginal 😅 Hopkins really loves his prized hen, Broodie. 3w

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Ruthiella @Tamra It read quite easily, if that‘s any encouragement to pick it up! I was at first daunted by it‘s length, but I actually read it faster than the 200+ page

William, an Englishman

Tamra @Ruthiella I loved Fortnight in September & Greengates so I have high hopes! 3w

Ruthiella @Tamra I have yet to read Greengates, but The Fortnight in September is one of my favorite books ever. There is some of that melancholy and sweetness in this book as well, regardless of the subject matter/end of the world storyline. 3w

Tamra @Ruthiella yes! Well put! 3w

LeahBergen Like @Tamra , I loved Fortnight and Greengates. I must add this to one of my Persephone buying sprees. 😆 3w

Ruthiella I hope you like it if you read it. I will definitely add Greengates to my TBR. 😅 3w

CarolynM You made it through all 10! Well done🎉 3w

Ruthiella @CarolynM Thank you! I feel accomplished. 🤭 3w

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andrew61

Emmeline | Judith Rossner

pick

What a compelling but sad story about a child (13) whose poverty striken family, send Emmeline to work in the hazardous cotton Mills on New Hampshire. The subsequent events find her then moving away from the area back to her family, but again, fate deals her a terrible hand. Based on a true story, very readable
@quietjenn @Tamra @CarolynM @sisilia @Caryl @daena @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @Bookbuyingaddict @julieclair @willaful #persephoneclub

andrew61 A few spoiler comments. I was shouting as I read abt Maguire's seduction of Emmeline,an innocent 13 year old, who only wanted a friend rather than a predator. Then ostracised by her community! Such a judgemental society. Hannah, then her saviour , seems to befriend her but rips her child from Emmeline. Finally, what to say abt Matthew, I am still reeling when I thought happiness had finally arrived. Wish we were all sat around a table to discuss. 3w

Tamra @andrew61 yes, I wish we could discuss live! Matthew - I really didn‘t expect him to disappear completely. 😒 When I did some Googling, it does appear the real Emmeline was very much alone in the later years of her life. Even her son was absent. 3w

andrew61 @Tamra I found the relationship with her younger sister interesting, and it was sad that her family effectively abandoned her. It would have been curious to know what Matthew did next. 3w

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Tamra @andrew61 I was left wondering as well. 3w

Cathythoughts Great review. I wish we could discuss too. Maybe we‘ll get a zoom going someday … 3w

LeahBergen I was practically shouting, too! We would‘ve had such a loud and indignant, in-person book club 😆😆 3w

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w

CarolynM Great review. There was so much that made me angry and the victim blaming was infuriating. 3w

37 likes8 comments

Cathythoughts

Still Missing | Beth Gutcheon

❤️ FEBRUARY ❤️ #12Booksof2024 @Andrew65 I‘m in agreement with @CarolynM this is my favorite book of last February. A shocking and unforgettable story.

TrishB You‘ve both made me want to read it now! 3w

Cathythoughts @TrishB Happy holidays Trish X It‘s an excellent book ❤️ 3w

TrishB You too Cathy ❤️ hope you‘re having a lovely time. 3w

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Freespirit Sounds like a must read!!! 3w

Cathythoughts @Freespirit It‘s a good one. 👍🏻 3w

BarbaraBB Happy holidays Cathy. I loved that book too 🤍 3w

Lesliereadsalot Such a good book! Happiest holidays 🩷 3w

Cathythoughts @BarbaraBB Happy Hols 👍🏻❤️ 3w

Cathythoughts @Lesliereadsalot Happy holidays to you too 😁 (edited) 3w

Tamra This was a crazy ride!! Yikes! 3w

Andrew65 Stacked this one. 3w

LeahBergen It was so good! 3w

Cathythoughts @Andrew65 @Tamra @Leahbergen So good ! 3w

CarolynM One of the very best of our Persephone reads😀 3w

Cathythoughts @CarolynM Yes ! 3w

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CarolynM

Still Missing | Beth Gutcheon

#12BooksOf2024 February

This disturbing story which I read with the #PersephoneClub is my pick for February.

Andrew65

LeahBergen I still think about parts of this book! 😬 3w

BarbaraBB Me too. A thought provoking book 3w

Cathythoughts Great pick. So well written, I still think about it too. 3w

Andrew65 This is the second nomination for this book. 3w

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Ruthiella

William, an Englishman | Cicely Hamilton

Finished my 8th #10BeforetheEnd book.

This is a short novel which finishes in a very different tone than the mocking one with which it starts. Written during and published just after WWI , it‘s about the horror and futility of war but also the very human ability to see only what one wants to see, until the scales from one‘s eyes are forcibly removed. Still relevant.

LeahBergen I‘ll have to get to this one soon! 4w

andrew61 Sounds very good. I have it on my limited shelf of persephones. I'll aim to read it in 2025. 4w

Caryl I read this years ago and I really liked it. I was thinking recently it was time for a re-read. 💖 4w

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Ruthiella @LeahBergen I hope you find it as interesting I did! 4w

Ruthiella @andrew61 My collection of Persephone editions is also quite small. I‘ll be interested in your thoughts on this. 4w

Ruthiella @Caryl It would make for an interesting re-visit, I think, considering the books topic and knowing its outcome. 4w

62 likes6 comments

Ruthiella

William, an Englishman | Cicely Hamilton

#weekendreads

Putting effort in this weekend to finish all the books before the year ends!

#LitsySciFiBookClub
#10BeforetheEnd
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge

rachelsbrittain

LeahBergen I‘m always compelled to finish all books by December 31st in time to start a new one on January 1st. 😆 4w

Ruthiella @LeahBergen I don‘t always manage it, but it‘s such a great feeling when I do! 😅 4w

42 likes2 comments

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