“Midnight Blue” by Simone van der Vlugt
OFF THE SHELF
“Midnight Blue” by Simone van der Vlugt
The group were all quick to agree that this was an excellent easy read for the month and gave it a score of 8 out of 10.
The book is set in the Netherlands in the 17th Century and although lacks historical references there is an excellent plot which twists and turns throughout the story. Catrin, the main character of the book, is a strong and ambitious woman who leaves her hometown, after the death of her husband. There is a dark shadow cast over her exodus which gradually unfolds throughout the story and her dark past is forever following her. She first finds employment as a housekeeper in Amsterdam, where the city is flourishing, and it is here that her talents and skills as an artist are discovered. Catrin tries to fulfil this ambition but is thwarted until she leaves for the smaller city of Delft. As a designer of ceramics, she tries to survive life as a widow and finally marriage. The book is written in the first person, and this helps to develop Catrin’s strong emotions and feelings that have been formed by her relationships and hardships in her life.
Isobel Davies
“Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is an unlikely title, for a book about William, who has great difficulties relating to a real world.
After a childhood of neglectful love, his parents had lost a baby and were incapable of showing any feeling. William’s one interest in life is baseball and he achieves a scholarship to a college. He meets Julia and her loving family of sisters who almost adopt William. So, the story continues with Julia, a great world organiser falling for William and they get married, later in life, they divorce, and he marries her sister, who through her love of books, understands William and his isolating life.
The group gave the book a score of 8 out of 10
Anne Gill