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Original poster

we need to talk about kevin

75 replies

starj · 20/01/2007 21:30

Just finished we need to talk about kevin for the second time,and again find the whole book fascinating, disturbing and amazing. Anyone else feel the same?

OP posts:
Original poster
starj · 20/01/2007 21:59

Yes please What's pig island about?

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KezzaG · 20/01/2007 22:04

£Ddonut, check out the thread under site stuff called Troll, Weirdos etc. I cant do links but it explains it all...not good.

Pig Island - a dark story of a journalist who goes in search of cults, healers and so on and discredits them. He is completely fearless as he has no spiritual beliefs. He goes in search of a cult leader who he has written about years ago and the story is about what happens when they finally meet and he begins to understand the true nature of evil. I got to the end and had to read it again. Its another one where you are left with lots of questions in your head about what may happen next, but it didnt feel as if the author had cheated you out of an ending if that makes sense.

Also enjoyed Tokyo by the same author. Slightly more disturbing, but left me open mouthed. For a female writer she has a funny old mind.

I am just about to finish my current book, anyone got any good reccomendations? Maybe I should join the bookclub.

ninja · 20/01/2007 22:05

I found this book extremely disturbing - but the thing that disturbed me was how at the end you realised that maybe the mum's perspective wasn't the whole story and that actually it was a 'chicken and egg' scenario - was it her hostility or his 'eveil' behaviour that started first. You seemed to see this vunerable son who yearned for the love of his mum.

I agree The Time Traveller's Wife is excellent but takes a bit of getting into. It's by Audrey Niffenegger

lissielou · 20/01/2007 22:09

tried time travellers wife and couldnt get into it. have you tried never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro here i love this book, its one of the best books ever. or the eyre affair by jasper fforde?

3Ddonut · 20/01/2007 22:12

Thank you ninja, my wine - fogged brain is not working properly anymore.

kezzaG, if it's not good, i'd prefer to be ignorant sorry!

Original poster
starj · 20/01/2007 22:13

haven't tried The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist yet (try typing that after 1/2 bottle of wine ) It's on the bookshelf, shall I try?

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KezzaG · 20/01/2007 22:14

I wanted to throw the Time travellers Wife at the wall! I cannot get my head around any concept of time travelling, I even got confused in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban when they went back in time just once!

I have added Never Let Me Go to my wish list on amazon, not the sort of book I would normally pick up so thanks for that.

Original poster
starj · 20/01/2007 22:14

Go Hilary!

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KezzaG · 20/01/2007 22:16

3DD - Not good as in she made it all up and possibly has munchausens or some other attention seeking discorder, the story could probably be made into a book so maybe this isnt such a thread hijack after all.

lissielou · 20/01/2007 22:17

kezza my email is [email protected]
if you want to borrow it let me know and ill lend it you

Original poster
starj · 20/01/2007 22:19

Read Time Traveller's Wife a while back b ut couldn't really get away with it Never Let Me Go was very good but raises too many questions.
Oh dear, Hilary goes to"Bible Breakfasts" we're all doomed

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Original poster
starj · 20/01/2007 22:21

Sorry, I'm not trying to "hijack a thread" this is my first day so please excuse me

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lissielou · 20/01/2007 22:23

one of the things i loved about never let me go was the concept. its just so haunting.

has anyone else read the thursday next series?

KezzaG · 20/01/2007 22:25

Who is Hilary? Now Im confused?? starj I thought I was hijacking a thread not you???

thanks for the offer lissie, I will check what I have on my bookcase and email you, maybe we can do a swap. I only recently gave lots of my books to a charity shop but Im sure I still have something good left.

hotandbothered · 20/01/2007 22:26

Still trying to get into ...Kevin. Finding it hard to get going, it doesn't flow very well. Loved The Time Traveller tho'!

lissielou · 20/01/2007 22:27

cool

isolde76 · 20/01/2007 22:27

I loved this book, for me I thought it was incredibly thought provoking. I thought that the 2 dimensional depiction of the daughter was deliberate, because Eva was very much like her son, whether she liked it or not, and therefore lacked empathy for others. Even though he was clearly pathological right from the beginning (the hint being that the Nanny thought so too), I do think that her parenting exacerbated things and must have caused such a degree of guilt and self loathing which she then projected onto others. There was a sense of her having disdain for both her husband and daughter because they both lacked the strong character that she and Kevin had which she both loathed and loved. I think there is also a feeling of her 'switching off' to her emotions over a long period of time because she knows she cannot trust them, and that might have added to her painting her daughter and husband in that light because it is far too painful to come to terms with her feelings. You got the feeling that she was only just coping which would of course have coloured her demeanor.

What I found very interesting was the inner struggle about becoming a parent and the misgivings involved. Mind you, Eva came across as being exceedingly selfish and non-maternal, and agree whole heartedly with Ninja - you get to see it in a bit more of a perspective at the end when the son shows some remorse for his actions. Reminds me a bit of Bree's son in Desperate Housewives. Is all that nasty tough exterior a front for a very very vulnerable little boy?

funnypeculiar · 20/01/2007 22:29

oh - have just checked the Ishiguro link - have been trying to find that book for ages - heard it reviewed when it was first out, and couldn't for the life of me remember who wrote it or what it was called - just that the concept wasn't smthg I associated with the author (iykwim) - hurrah!

lissielou · 20/01/2007 22:30

loved it funny, one of the best books ive ever read!

thewoodlandfairy · 20/01/2007 22:33

sorry to butt in but i've just started the time travellers wife, Does it matter that i can't really work out what's going on twith the back and forward to and froing? Is it a good read? Re: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist, my ex-boss rated it as his favourite book, mine was (at the time) The magus - john Fowles and we agreed to read eachothers, so to speak. He did, i didn't, it all just sounded too heavy. Anyone know any different?

KezzaG · 20/01/2007 22:39

woodland fairy, my dh read the Timetravellers Wife after I got the hump as I didnt understand. It made him cry!!! He said it didnt matter if I couldnt understand the whole back and forth shinenigans but I didnt go back to it so dont know.

3Ddonut · 20/01/2007 22:42

The back and forth thing is because he's a time traveller, I know that's obvious but, it's an odd tale, just go with it, don't try to understand it, just read the dates and keep it all in mind while reading....

suedonim · 20/01/2007 22:44

WoodlandFairy, I didn't get the time travel either but still liked the book. It's worth going on with it.

thewoodlandfairy · 20/01/2007 22:46

It's just that sometimes he knows her and then not, and she knows some stuff and i wanted to get it. I will persevere, should be reading that rather than half watching junk murder 'Copycat' that dh has on the tv...so much blood and slit throats. Why do men like this stuff?

lissielou · 20/01/2007 22:51

coz they yearn for the cave