This novel gave us the public versus the private lives of fictional Hollywood screen stars, with all genre of relationships involved.  Whilst this generated 4/5 for easy summer holiday entertainment and readability, we concluded that overall it only merited 3.5/5. Read more

This esteemed tale of espionage set in Cold War '74 felt very much of its time - a rarefied group operating within an elite 'old boys' network to their own ethical code - a slow paced yet complex plot with dated language. We rated writing quality 3/5 - yet none of us finished it... Read more

This 'Marmite' book made us consider some of our own 'what if?' questions.  The analogy of life to chess-playing, the philosopher quotes and the encouragement to keep moving forward meant one rating of 5/5, whilst collectively we opted for 4/5. Read more

Don't feel guilty if you don't finish, as this is uncomfortable on many levels, yet a worthwhile immersion in that time; a glossary would have helped but it is still a challenging read. 2/5 (for readability) Read more

This book proved an eye-opener for many of us; the Vietnam war was a period we had all lived through but was perhaps not appreciated for the far-reaching impact it had on people involved. 4/5 Read more

A book which prompted discussion, we felt it encouraged us to ‘embrace the present and find strength in the face of the unknown'. 3/5 Read more

This was a long book of historical fiction from a prize-winning author.  Overall our group considered it lengthy, somewhat predictable and unrealistic. Read more