Herb Hamlet's Bluey's War certainly stirred up a hornet's nest! I'm quite cross that I forgot to do the usual round up of scores out of ten as I think they would have ranged between minus five and eleven!
It was fantastic to get such a range of experiences of the book. In many cases, the book evoked a positive response because it connected the reader to experiences in their own lives. However for others the plot line and the language used was enough to get their hackles up despite any connection to their life experiences!
One reader has present family members overseas on deployment so the experience of husbands returning to families and the effect that has on family dynamics was a topic very close to home. She thought the way war experiences were told in very broad terms was the way she had experienced post-deployment discussion. She felt there was no need for detailed description of the horrors of war in this style of book. Because of the family's close association with today's war this reader found she had a close affinity with this book.Other readers spoke of grandfathers, uncles and fathers coming back from the war and that on the whole, the war was a 'no-go' topic of conversation. Some of these relatives took pride in attending Anzac Day Parades while others found the memories were too raw for this reminder and therefore refused to attend.
Another of our readers knows the country around Goondiwindi quite well and while identifying with the landscape, felt that the description was a bit on the bland side. There was a search for adjectives but these were found to be a little thin on the ground and those that were used were somewhat mundane in character. Another knew the Gold Coast really well and was delighted to be transported to childhood haunts by the accuracy of Hamlet's description.
There was a lot of discussion about how this pared back style of writing was appropriate to the time and setting of the book. There was discussion about the book being written by a male and that he had captured the laconic style of the 1940s and 1945s really well.Others thought it might do very well to use this style when relating a neighbourhood yarn but it was not good enough to be published as a book! Some thought that while this direct style was appropriate to this story it could only be considered as a lightweight read and certainly could not be deemed 'literature'. Some admitted to normally disliking this style of writing but were very taken with it in the context of this story.
Our next reader has read a lot of factual books on the Second World War and therefore found this part of the book rather underwhelming in its depiction of prisoner of war camps in South East Asia. Other readers argued that this book was fiction and within the romance genre and therefore not the place for the sort of detail that one would find in memoirs and factual accounts of the war.
One of our book clubbers was quite cross with the 'happy' ending. She could not understand how Ellen could forgive Bluey and that this ending was too romantic and too unrealisitic. Other readers argued that it took incredible strength of character on Ellen's behalf to forgive and possibly empathise with Bluey's behaviour. Others maintained that Ellen's behaviour was quite in keeping with the mores of the time and that one just copes with the situation at hand and that strength of character and bravery have nothing to do with it. Readers who had grown up in small country towns spoke of erratic behaviour by returned soldiers being tolerated and accepted by townsfolk uncluding the local constabulary.
One of our readers enjoyed how Ellen and Bluey's children were depicted. They particularly enjoyed David's protectiveness of his mother when it came to thwarting Humphries' designs on Ellen and how he enlisted his sister's assistance to ensure that his mother and Humphries were never alone together.
One reader noticed that Bluey's speech patterns changed intermittently thoughout the book and they found this changing style frustrating: at times he spoke with a strong country Australian accent and at other times there was no Australian slang in his speech. Others argued that the vocabulary and idiom used was appropriate to that time and place and that his language varied according to the context.
Some of our readers really enjoyed the down-to-earth feel of the book and believed this gave the story credibility and authenticity. Others considered the no-frills style as being unworthy of publishing while others really prefer a book of much more substance and therefore found the lighter touch difficult to cope with.
It was wonderful to hear such a contrast in readers' experiences of Bluey's War. Some readers were keen to experience other books by this author to see whether the story dictated the style or whether his style was consistent while others indicated an almost allergic reaction to the idea of reading another book by this author. Whether the book was loved or loathed, I'm sure everyone's experience of this novel was enhanced by the passionate, animated discussion at book club.
Looking forward to more lively conversation at our next book club at Gordon White Library on Thursday 27 August, 2015.
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