Welcome to Litsy!

Okay, #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub , with our November book we come to the end of our year of reading!

Are we in for another round? Here‘s our next group of selectors (according to our records):

January: @rubyslippersreads
March: @quietjenn
May: @LeahBergen
July: @CarolynM
September: @Cathythoughts
November: @Ruthiella

If we‘re all in, let‘s start with our January and March “pickers” posting their two choices for us to vote on. 😃

“To be forgotten the very moment she thought she had been discovered and found precious was a punishment adult and terrible.” Poor Theresa, that is the story of her young life.

Complicated characters populate this novel. They are certainly not cardboard cutouts, which I wholly appreciated. However, for me it lacked a narrative drive so I didn‘t feel all that compelled to pick it up. #PersephoneClub

Wow, I am guessing chapter 5 pretty much sums up this sad & fraught father daughter relationship. 😟 The chapter also probably explains why they are who they have come to be, which is damaged people. #PersephoneClub

I can‘t say I enjoyed this. It‘s a sad little story populated with unhappy, unlikeable characters. Even though I felt sorry for Therese, who everyone treated so badly, I found her hard to like, mostly because the author kept telling me she was charmless. I was surprised at how much the author claimed to have enjoyed her experiences in India - I didn‘t feel any of that from the descriptions in the book.
#PersephoneClub
2nd down for #10BeforeTheEnd

I enjoyed this story of Teresa, swept away to India by her father when her mother (who abandoned her) threatens to come back into her life. Her father is cold and self absorbed but the boat journey (which I loved reading about) and her time in India opens her eyes to an entirely new world.

#PersephoneClub

The 1st half as Teresa's father escapes Eng with his dtr to India, is a romp with curious characters + vivid descriptions of life on a ship but more vividly the sights,smells,+ sounds of bombay. The 2nd half finds the pair on T's half sisters tea plantation, a story then of strained family + marriage. Good read
@quietjenn @Tamra @CarolynM @sisilia @Caryl @daena @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @Bookbuyingaddict @julieclair @willaful #persephoneclub

I'd love to visit India but this passage transported me to a busy Bombay street as 14 year old Teresa strikes out on her own, escaping her dreadful father Mr Digby who is travelling half the world to spite his ex wife. Another enjoyable read in #persephoneclub
@LeahBergen @Cathythoughts @rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @Tamra @CarolynM @sisilia @Caryl @daena @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @Bookbuyingaddict @julieclair @willaful

It‘s now October so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@Aimeesue ‘s pick for us this month is The Far Cry by Emma Smith. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!

I‘ve been MIA from our reading groups for a while as we‘re still travelling around in our trailer (it‘s time to head home now though as the leaves are falling!) I‘ve managed to read all three and heartily enjoyed them.

The Native Heath : a fun and frothy slice of village life
The Children Who Lived in a Barn: nice try, Mr and Mrs ‘We Forgot to Come Home to Our Children‘ 😆
Spam Tomorrow: a witty and heartfelt exploration of life on the Homefront

#PersephoneClub
I can‘t decide how I felt about this one. On the surface, it‘s a fun adventure similar to The Boxcar Children. I loved the way the children worked together to take care of themselves and fend off the dreaded DV and other “do-gooders”. The “Rules of the Barn” and refusal to take charity/handouts were admirable and smart. ⬇️