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Post by claire on Nov 29, 2005 13:35:28 GMT
This will take place on Tuesday 6 December starting at 8pm Irish. The book this time round is from Marsha Mehran, Pomegranate Soup. Please feel free to talk openly about the book. Looking forward to it
claire
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Post by megan on Nov 29, 2005 13:59:38 GMT
Hi Claire,
I've got the book and hope to take part in the book club next Tuesday for the first time. I'm looking forward to it!
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Post by Marian on Nov 30, 2005 13:49:05 GMT
Hope to be able to make it.
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Post by claire on Nov 30, 2005 15:40:22 GMT
I'm hoping EVERYONE can make it
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Post by Oonagh on Nov 30, 2005 17:00:53 GMT
I cant im working evenings but ill try to post during the day if i read it by then
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Post by claire on Nov 30, 2005 19:36:43 GMT
Please do Oonagh. Leave any comment you wish. Pity you can't make it
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Post by nicc on Dec 1, 2005 5:28:40 GMT
Will put it on my calander so I remember to come on on Wed morn.
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Post by claire on Dec 1, 2005 11:30:54 GMT
If if you think you'll forget then post your comments in advance, love to hear what you thought of it
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Post by tatty on Dec 4, 2005 14:30:18 GMT
I'm sorry i can't make it with being offline and stuff and couldn't get my hands on the book. But i will leave my comments before it gets going.
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Post by charlene on Dec 5, 2005 18:05:45 GMT
I will be a little late as I have a computer exam at 6.30pm till 8.30pm I have just found out today
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Post by megan on Dec 5, 2005 18:25:23 GMT
No worries Charlie. We should still be yapping away by then - hopefully!
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Post by claire on Dec 6, 2005 7:07:14 GMT
I'll hang around for ya, good luck with the exam!
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Post by susanmay on Dec 6, 2005 11:26:20 GMT
Good luck with your exam Charlie. You'll do just great.
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Post by charlene on Dec 6, 2005 11:38:49 GMT
Thanks I am so nervous I think I remember everything.. It was supposed to be Monday coming but its James christmas play and I can't miss that so they were good enough to let me go to the night class tonight and do it HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by tatty on Dec 6, 2005 11:41:27 GMT
You will be fine Charlie, oyur a whizz kid now on here with your computer skills. That was good of them to let you change it, let us know how you get on!
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Post by Shirley on Dec 6, 2005 11:49:21 GMT
You will teach them a thing or two after all your good work on this site Charlie, I bet!
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Post by megan on Dec 6, 2005 12:45:38 GMT
Best of luck this evening Charlie!
I already award you an A* for all the fabulous little people and pictures you've put up on this site!
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Post by charlene on Dec 6, 2005 13:37:51 GMT
Thank you guys you lot are the best.x
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iulia
Full Member
Posts: 131
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Post by iulia on Dec 6, 2005 14:05:16 GMT
im am so sorry i won't be able to make it tonight! i already promiced a friend i'll help her out with an english project, but i'll defo swing by tomorrow!
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Post by megan on Dec 6, 2005 14:31:14 GMT
Okay Julia! talk to you tomorrow!
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Post by claire on Dec 6, 2005 20:05:04 GMT
Well, good evening to everyone out there. Ready to chat about Pom Soup??
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Post by megan on Dec 6, 2005 20:06:32 GMT
Yes, absolutely Claire. I was waiting for the right thread to post up on!
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Post by Shirley on Dec 6, 2005 20:07:15 GMT
Yep! Just about to post my overall opinion of it now!
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Post by claire on Dec 6, 2005 20:11:17 GMT
It's a while since I read this book abut I have to say I loved every minute of it. I think Marsha wrote a great story set in the 80's in Ireland. The irish characters well to me very real and the old busy-body reminde me of an old neighbour of mine who used to give out yards if we were kissing at the garden gate!
As for the sisters, each so different. I loved the resturant and could only dream of going into it. I have never read a book which has left me feeling hungry and reading about the dishes had my mouth watering. I could taste it, smell it and almost touch it. Every time I picked up the book I was lost in another world.
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Post by Shirley on Dec 6, 2005 20:18:16 GMT
Ok, well what I liked best about this book was the author's use of language when it came to describing both the aroma of food and also the scents associated with certain characters in the book. I think she described smells so well that you could actually conjure them up in your head as you read the book. It really came across that she loved food and cooking herself. I think her strengths lie in descriptive writing, as you could really experience certain scenarios that she described. What I liked least about the book was the fact that the plot didn't move very fast. As I said, I found the book to be very descriptive and it was really effective in that regard, but I personally like a work of fiction to be a page turner. I wasn't tearing myself away from all other tasks in order to see what happened in the girls' world.
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Post by megan on Dec 6, 2005 20:19:03 GMT
So here is what I think. When I first started reading Pom Soup I wanted to give up writing myself because Marsha writes so beautifully - her descriptions were wonderful and her use of language really impressed me. After my initial jealousy attact I continued reading and began to find the descriptions a bit heavy going. I can be quite a lazy reader, especiallly at the moment when I am doing a lot of writing myself, I like to read something simple like Enid Blyton or Agatha Christie. If I hadn't wanted to be involved in this book club I would have given up reading this book either during the prologue or chapter One. However as I pursued the novel my feelings changed again. I was delighted to be introduced to the three sisters and really liked them. I wanted to know as much about them as I could but then the narration began to describe everyone else in the town in great detail and once again I felt like putting the book down. Fiona in the hairdresser and Dervla, the old bag across the road were being described in great detail when all I wanted to hear about was Marjam, Bahar and Layla. I LOVED the description of Layla, her fragrance, beauty and especially the bit about when she was born and a seed came out of her mother afterwards, which turned into a flower. I loved the mystical side to this novel. It made me really like the author and want to know her better - the description of Tom Junior eating the tequila worm and then having a spiritual transformation was also wonderful. So I kept on reading even though at times it was hard being introduced to so many characters and I was glad that I did because after a while I felt that I was being mesmerised by the aroma of the cooking and Layla's rose fragrance just like the villagers were and I thought that was extremely clever of the author to do that with language. However there were still times that I became frustrated with the pace of the novel - again I will admit that this could be down to my own current laziness as I reader. I found some of the descriptions of the political situation in Iran difficult to follow, although I know that they were very well written, it just seemed to me to be a lot of information to take in. I think what I would have liked is more about the sisters, even if it meant a longer book. I liked them and would have liked to get to know them better. THe recipes were nice but not important to me - I prefer story.
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fiona
New Member
Posts: 16
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Post by fiona on Dec 6, 2005 20:19:05 GMT
Hi all and thanks Claire for the invite this evening to the book club. I just thought that I'd say hello and tell you how nice this site is and how glad I am that I found it. I signed up last Summer but have not had the chance until recently to revisit.
Anyways, that's me Fiona who appeared out of the blue!
I don't know how this works, so I will just watch for now if you don't mind and join in fully prepared for the next book. I have read some of of Pom Soup.
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Post by megan on Dec 6, 2005 20:22:44 GMT
Shirley,
It seems to me that we are on the same wave length about the story - wonderful descriptions but we wanted a faster pace
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Post by claire on Dec 6, 2005 20:26:52 GMT
I wanted to know more about the girls and their country. One thing hit me was when the oldest sister was out lookin for the younger girl and went to the convent looking that she got a fright when she saw the nuns clothed from head to toe in their habit. The nuns covering themselves up like the muslim women, both for religous reasons. Do you know what I mean?
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Post by Shirley on Dec 6, 2005 20:27:09 GMT
Hey Megan, I agree with everything you've posted. You said it all so eloquently! I didn't feel at the end of the book that I really knew the sisters in the way that I wanted to. I do agree with you that the magical realism aspect of the book was very effective. I don't like it in some books, but it worked very well in this one. Welcome Fiona, great to have you here! And I see you're online too Nicc, that's great!
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