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A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

I hadn’t a clue what this book was about when I picked it up and came to it off the back of A Clash of Kings (Game of Thrones) so initially found its pace and central characters quite refreshing. It’s not plot lead which in theory appeals to me as I like that sort of book but whereas the first half of Revival by Stephen King drew me in and never let go this one left me cold.

I didn’t dislike the characters as often puts me off a book, I just didn’t empathise/warm to them. My main criticism is that I found the book really shallow. Many attempts were made at possibly opening the book up – Susans true parentage being revealed for example but were cast aside in a throw away sentence. I was screaming for Nora to just crack and give us something other than a serene smile or to get in Dennys head and find out what exactly was going on and what he got up to when he swanned off but the closest we got was a phone call right at the end of the book and Nora serving hamburgers instead of lasagne.

One of the group commented that this was quite true to life – the lack of inner monologue from each character and no beginning middle or end of each point. Things were just put forward as and when they happened and then left. I do take on board that point and it was done quite well but it left me feeling like I was reading without a purpose. I think that sums it up for me - reading without a purpose. I knew nothing was going to happen, get discussed in depth or finalised.

I did find it easy to read which as I commented during the meeting always gets a point from me. If you can’t have me relating to the characters or you can’t have me gripped by what will happen next, the least the author can do is enable me to read it quickly.

There were some particularly good sections to the book, for example the beach house and the family who went on holiday at the same time as them but whom they never spoke to. I think everyone has a scenario a bit like that – the guy at the bus stop, the neighbour over the road, the lady who stands outside the butchers every Saturday morning but I felt this section also reflected the characters in the book – they don’t talk to the family who have the same holiday as them and who appear to be similar to them just as they don’t talk to each other, not really, not in any depth.

I also enjoyed Linnie and Juniors versions of their romance. Romeo and Juliet v being sprung upon in a boarding house but some commented that this jump in time made the book feel quite disjointed. There were moments of humour as well with the group particularly liking Reds deafness causing confusion over whether the neighbours cat or grandson had died.

The book is different to a lot on the market which I always appreciate and Tyler has written a number of novels so is obviously well liked but I won’t be returning. I think I was on my own as the group in general seemed to enjoy the true to life element, appreciating the writing quality rather than the story and marked it highly. It averaged a 7 to my 4.

Next book is For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway

Question of the Month – next months choice is a result of us reading Mrs Hemmingway a couple of months ago. Have you ever read a book that has made you read another one? Not follow ons but another book entirely? Which one and why?


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