From the publisher:
From the author of the international bestseller Incendiary comes a haunting, warm and beautiful novel about the tenuous friendship that blooms between two disparate strangers—one an illegal Nigerian refugee; the other a recent widow from suburban London.
Published in more than twenty countries, Chris Cleave’s first novel, Incendiary, won a 2006 Somerset Maugham Award and was an Observer Book of the Year and a New York Times Editor’s Choice. Incendiary is also a major feature film, starring Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams, to be released in 2008.
Little Bee tells the story of two very different women—a young refugee from the Nigerian delta and a suburban English housewife—whose lives collided years ago on a beach in Africa. Told in alternating voices, with humanity and humour, the story follows the course of their friendship as they struggle to save themselves and each other from the cruelties of life. In the end, their bond will face the ultimate test when each woman must make a devastating decision.
From the author:
Thank you so much for reading The Other Hand, a novel I feel very tenderly about. I hope you enjoy it! You are among the first readers of the novel in the world, and you are certainly the first book club to take it, so this is going to be a critical experience for me in more than one sense. Your reaction to the novel will help me in two direct ways - when I’m answering journalists’ questions about it over the coming months; and when I’m working on my current writing project. I take readers’ feedback to heart – you are the only teachers I have and your engagement is the only way I can make myself better, so I am truly grateful for any comments you have. And if you have any questions, I will be very pleased to answer them in the forum.
Having thanked you for your engagement, I would also like to thank Waterstone’s for their support. Waterstone’s is a unique retailer, run by people who genuinely love books and enjoy working with readers to seek out the best ones. From talking with them I know they make this work because they respect readers as much as writers do, which is all a writer can ask of a bookseller. Thank you.
Chris Cleave, 25th June 2008
Read more about Chris on his author page
From the publisher:
Welcome to LA. City of contradictions. It is home to movie stars and down-and-outs. Palm-lined beaches and gridlock. Shopping sprees and gun sprees. Bright Shiny Morning takes a wild ride through the ultimate metropolis, where glittering excess rubs shoulders with seedy depravity. Frey's trademark filmic snapshots zoom in on the parallel lives of diverse characters, bringing their egos and ideals, hopes and despairs, anxieties and absurdities vividly to life. Some suffer, like the otherworldly wino who tries to save a spoilt teenage runaway. Others gain, like the canny talent agent who turns sexual harassment to blackmailing advantage. Some are loaded, or grounded, and have luck on their side. Others, like the countless actresses-turned-hookers, or schoolboys-turned-gangsters, are doomed.
"Out of the many characters in Bright Shiny Morning, one dominates them all - the city of Los Angeles. Frey etches out the city's persona through the experiences of a cross-section of its inhabitants, from the highest to the very lowest. It is testament to his skills that even the most profoundly unsympathetic of these individuals cannot fail to get under your skin and the novel is always engaging although don't expect a story in the conventional sense."
Tom Goddard, Waterstones.com
An ambitious and wide-ranging first novel from the author of the controversial rehab memoir, A Million Little Pieces which paints a vivid fictional portrait of the city of Los Angeles and its many and varied inhabitants...Did you feel that James Frey suceeded in creating believable and sympathetic characters here? How did you find the unconventional narrative structure of the book? Did it affect your overall enjoyment of the book? Does the book provide a rounded portrait of the city that gives a real impression of sense of place and what the city is like? Did you empathise with any of the characters more than others? Amberton, Dylan, Old Man Joe - who did you feel was the most convincing character?
A bit of a difference on the bookclub this month, as we ask you to tell us about your "life-changing books" - books that have either literally changed your life, or that have had a long-lasting effect on you or your outlook. We'd love you to nominate a book or books that is memorable for you and tell us why...
Earlier this year, booksellers from every Waterstone's store were asked to nominate a book that had made a profound impact on their lives and to give a short explanation why this book made such an impression. Over 100 titles have made the final list, and we've highlighted a few of our favourites here. If you pop into your local Waterstone's you'll be able to see more of the reasons our booksellers gave for their choices too.
We also asked our Waterstone's Cardholders to nominate books for this promotion, and four have been included in the final list and are shown on this page too. Don't forget, if you'd like the opportunity to nominate books for future Waterstone's promotions, as well as access to exclusive competitions and offers, and the chance to earn points while shopping, then sign up for a Waterstone's Card.
Michael Angill of Waterstone's Cardiff on Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts...
"This book at times moved me to tears and at other times stirred in me a great desire for adventure."
Publisher synopsis:
Humphrey and Ailsa meet as children by a grey, northern sea. Humphrey is quiet, serious - and will in time explore the sea's mysteries; Ailsa is angry, a freckled cobra ready to strike. Yet they fascinate one another and when they meet again years later they fall briefly - and disastrously - in love. Half a lifetime passes before Humphrey and Ailsa's paths finally re-cross. What will each make of their past? And of the future? The Sea Lady tells the story of first and last love, of evolution and the ebb and flow of time that gives shape to our lives.
Themes for discussion:
What are your perceptions of the main characters?
Does the novel give a strong sense of period and place? How does it do that?
In what way did you find the novel thought-provoking?
What does the novel have to say about love? Was the portrayal sentimental in any way?
Did you find the book touching, or funny, or both?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book and its themes and characters, and how it made you feel. Do feel free to post and revisit the discussion to give your thoughts on the opinions of other bookclub members.
Enjoy the discussion!
Publisher synopsis:
"Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Autumn 1996, and things can only get better - or so believes the Reverend John Gore bound for the North-East after a decade's absence, charged with the mission of 'planting' a new church in the deprived West End of town. But on his return to a Victorian city in the throes of 'regeneration', Gore finds his task complicated by run-ins with three impressive locals, all of whom he needs to successfully bring off his mission. Slowly these relationships draw him into a moral maze, as he learns more than he wished about the secrets people keep so as to live with themselves."
Themes for discussion:
An epic contemporary novel, set in the North-east of England, that explores themes of politics, religion and life in the North in a deeply serious but highly readable way.
What did you think the novel has to say about the role of religion in today's society?
Which one of the three main characters did you sympathise with most, if any?
What overall impression does the book give you of life in the North-East?
Does the novel offer you a convincing portrayal of working class life in the North, and give the reader a strong sense of place?
We look forward to reading your opinions. There are a few reading copies remaining, if anyone would like to read the book and join in the discussion.
Just email greg.eden@waterstones.com for your copy, but do be aware that the number available is limited.
When he wants to get away from things, away from his mum and "Uncle" Tuck, away from the shouting and the sound of the TV, Merton Browne hides in his cupboard with a torch and a Tintin book and pretends he's going to space. As he gets older things don't change much. He thinks secondary school will be about learning, but mainly it's about staying out of trouble. Disenchanted and desperate to avoid the attentions of Savage and his posse, Merton finds refuge among the forgotten history books in a dusty basement, remnants of another regime. Inspired by what he reads he comes up with a plan to earn protection for him and his friend...
The Illumination of Merton Browne is a powerful and redemptive novel about the power of education, recounting one boy's journey from a West London sink estate to another life...Did you identify with any of the characters here? Did the book's view of family relationships resonate with you? What do you think of the book's portrayal of bullying? Did you find it a realistic picture of the teenage world? Did you empathise with Merton in the same way throughout, or did your feelings towards the character change? Is anything morally acceptable in the interest of self-preservation...?
If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?
'Every family is a ghost story ...' As a child, Charley Benetto was told by his father, 'You can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy, but you can't be both.' So he chooses his father, only to see him disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence. Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been destroyed by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits rock bottom after discovering he won't be invited to his only daughter's wedding. And he decides to take his own life. Charley makes a midnight ride to his small hometown: his final journey. But as he staggers into his old house, he makes an astonishing discovery. His mother - who died eight years earlier - is there, and welcomes Charley home as if nothing had ever happened...
Mitch Albom is the bestselling author of the inspirational bestsellers, Tuesdays With Morrie and Five People You Meet In Heaven. Here, he provides us with another modern fable of family ties, the chance to rebuild a parental relationship, and to exercise and to seek forgiveness. Did you identify with any of the characters here? Did the book's view of family relationships resonate with you? Did you come away from the book with a different view of family relationships than before? We'd love to hear from you on these, or any other aspects of the book that you found interesting...
If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?
Jonathan Turner of Waterstone's, Darlington on A Spot of Bother :
"I developed a strange affliction while I was reading this book. I started wanting to read it out loud to whoever was around me at the time. That was fine when it was my wife, but it wasn't so good on the train. There were just so many bits that I thought were worth quoting. I only laughed out loud twice but he's got such an easy and amusing style I wanted to share it with others."
This is Mark Haddon's follow-up to his amazing debut, The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time - a mordant, darkly humorous look at family relationships, which is almost uncomfortably true-to-life as it allows the reader to look into the everyday life of George, and the impact on his family as his mind gradually unravels in a miasma of paranoia.
If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?
The Lies of Locke Lamora is something of a mixture between Hustle and Oliver Twist, with a hint of The Pink Panther and a dash of Ocean's Eleven.
Part historical novel, part revenge thriller, part crime novel and part fantastical adventure this is a brilliant debut novel from a hugely talented first-time author.
In the words of Jennifer Williams, a bookseller based at Waterstone's Greenwich:
"Lies is funny, twisty, clever, violent and rude, with likeably wicked characters and a story that's a mixture of The Sting and a gangster movie. It's also extremely addictive and you are guaranteed to be desperate for the next part, Red Seas Under Red Skies. Easily the best book of 2006.."
If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?
The Interpretation of Murder has been called:
"A dazzling literary thriller - the story of Sigmund Freud assisting a Manhattan murder investigation. Think Shadow of the Wind meets The Historian. The Interpretation of Murder is an inventive "tour de force" inspired by Sigmund Freud's 1909 visit to America, accompanied by protege and rival Carl Jung.
In the words of Jeffrey Karacs, a Waterstone's bookseller based at Waterstone's Kensington:
"Mix together New York in the early 1900s, the murder of a beautiful young woman, a trainee psychiatrist, a rookie cop and a host of sinster characters and you have the recipe for a perfectly formed historical novel. Add to this the figures of Freud and Jung and you will discover what I found to be an original, page turning spin the detective genre which held me in suspense right until the very end. I predict it to be on the best sellers list in 2007 from a first time novelist, and not since 'Shadow of the Wind' have I so enjoyed a book."
If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?
