Castlebar Book Club
The Book Club meets once a month (usually the second Tuesday of the month) in Castlebar Library at 8.00pm. Check events page for next meeting. (Previous Book Club selections)
Inheritance by Nicholas Shakespeare
Andy Larkham is late. He is due at the funeral of his favourite school teacher, who once told him: ‘It’s hard work being anyone.’ It’s especially hard for Andy – stuck in a dead-end job, terminally short of cash and with a fiancée who is about to ditch him. When the funeral leads to unexpected consequences, Andy has to ask himself: how far will he go to change his life? From early-twentieth-century Turkey to modern day London, Nicholas Shakespeare takes us on an extraordinary journey that explores the temptations of unexpected wealth, the secrets of damaged families and the price of being true to oneself. At once a love story spanning many decades and a tragedy of betrayal and missed opportunities, it is a romance for our times.
Amazon
What would you do if you unexpectedly inherited £17 million? That's the hook for Nicholas Shakespeare's new novel, which settles this peculiar conundrum on the unprepared shoulders of Andy Larkham. Perhaps Andy deserves a break, what with working for a pittance for a tiny self-help publishing house, and getting unceremoniously dumped by his model girlfriend.
Its plotting is sometimes a little too good to be true. There's a deliciously evil con-man who pops far more frequently than even the worst penny, and in the end things are wrapped up for Andy with a far prettier bow than you might think he deserves. There's no denying, though, that when he is grappling with the dark conflicts of the human heart, Shakespeare is a tremendous and captivating writer.
The Independent
Inheritance is a fable or parable about what we should do if we suddenly find we can do anything. It is artful and ample and ventures to be wise; its language is rich but not overcooked; there’s a good amount of research behind it but one doesn’t smell the lamp; it is moral but not moralistic. If it were a car its engine would thrum tautly, its doors yield up a reassuring thunk. But it is not without its faults. Several plot turns are a little too well oiled: the convenient moment Andy’s father chooses to die, the one-too-many recurrences of Makertich’s nemesis, dastardly Don Flexmore.
The Telegraph
One of the most fascinating conversations I've ever had was with a woman who worked as a counsellor for the National Lottery, advising winners on how to cope with the stress of sudden wealth. For most people, she said, the discontinuity was so enormous that it was best to think of winning as a kind of bereavement. Nicholas Shakespeare has taken that theme of discontinuity to heart in this tale of a man who accidentally inherits a fortune, to the point where his story feels like two very different novels with one title.
The Guardian
It's an utterly absorbing and enjoyable novel, one so engaging that you find yourself willing it to end happily.
Scotsman
An interesting high concept and intriguingly worked out.
The Lady
Compelling - and consistently surprising.
Sunday Times Culture
This novel combines a remarkable narrative force with the lightest of touches. A book to savour and pass on.
Economist
Readers' Resources
Dedicated to book clubs, ReadersPlace.co.uk (Random House) is a website where reading groups can find inspiration, have their say on books, and connect with other book clubs and authors. Reader's Review site with active discussion board
- CompletelyNovel.com links readers as well as new writers, offering a one-stop author-reader experience.
- Book Group Links: A selection of sites compiled by the Salt Lake City Library.
- Great Books Foundation: The grandfather of them all
- Reading Group Choices Online: Over 550 guides from publishers. 150 can be printed from the site
- Reading Group Guides: A very useful selection of reading group guides from Random House Publishers
- Writer's Resource site for writers of all abilities