Novel discussion

[Infomaniac]

I run a small reading group and we discuss books we have read. Can anyone give me any ideas for a book which will create a lively discussion?

[carrot99]

Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor - not a straightforward novel - it's quirky and has an odd story running through the story. It took a few pages to get into it but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

From Amazon:

O'Connor manages to achieve a real sense of the tragic, as personal dramas of the most distressing kind play themselves out against the background of the Irish potato famine and the almost equal nightmare of the mass emigration that it caused. As passengers die of starvation and disease in steerage, a drama of adultery, inadvertent incest and inherited disease plays itself out in first class.

But it's not a tragic or sad read and it's funny. Very clever I would say.

[Infomaniac]

Thank you Carrot. Actually this is one of the many unread books on my bookshelf, and your answer has encouraged me to read it.

[carrot99]

It's worth a read.

A second and lighter choice - but again quirky, clever and amusing is Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Again I really enjoyed this but I don't think there would be so much to discuss as in Star of the Sea, but it depends on your group.

Good luck with your choice. So many books, so little time!!

[Mortartube]

Try Ancestral Vices by Tom Sharpe. In fact try most of his books. His books are hilarious in my opinion but also exceedingly well written.

[Infomaniac]

Thank you all for taking the time to give me some excellent suggestions.

[Mortartube]

Please let us know which you choose.

[Infomaniac]

I think I'll go for the Joseph O'Connor but will add the others to my list for future reference.
Thank you all very much for your interest.

[naomi24]

Sorry I'm late coming in on this, but here are a few for your list (maybe a future list?) - and all are incredibly thought-provoking.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.

[bensmum]

We've just discussed We Need to Talk about Kevin which some of the group hadn't read before and it provoked very lively discussion. Madame Bovary was another which was interesting to discuss.
We haven't had Star of the Sea as a book club choice but I have read it and it is very good

[123everton]

The Nazi Officers Wife by Edith Hahn Beer and Susan Dworkin.

[Infomaniac]

We've read A Thousand Splendid Suns and the Book Thief, and had really good discussions. Will certainly add all the other suggestions to our list. Thank you so much.

[123everton]

The Knock At The Door by Margaret Ajemian Ahnert is well worth a read as is China Witness by Xinran the latter is a series of short interviews with elderly Chinese people who survived The Long March and other major events in pre and post revolutionary China.
Xinran is quite a good writer and well worth a look on merit alone.
I meant to add that all those titles are non-fiction as that's pretty much all I read.

[Infomaniac]

We've just read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Isiguro and, although very different, it is darkly futuristic in a similar way to The Handmaids Tale

[naomi24]

Wuthering Heights is an excellent suggestion ..... or what about Jane Eyre? Or Pride & Prejudice? Plenty of social issues to discuss in all of them.