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2018 Reading Group - February: Fatherland by Robert Harris - *Spoilers from 25 February*

68 replies

Chillywhippet · 28/01/2018 09:08

So for February we have a thriller Fatherland by Robert Harris.

We will discuss the book from 25th February so please no spoilers until then.

Umm. That's it really. We have a thread where we are sorting the book list for the year. Will post link later when not on phone.

It's a new group for this year so please join in. We are working it out as we go along and everyone is welcome for one book or all twelve.

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BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 10/02/2018 14:41

I read this when I was living in Berlin, it wasn't my usual type of book but I found it quite absorbing. I don't remember it well enough to discuss it (19 years since I read it), but I will be back to read what the rest of you have to say about it.

runningoutofjuice · 10/02/2018 16:02

Lol chilly, didn't want my name to be mud and all that Wink

mamapants · 16/02/2018 20:10

How are people getting on?

WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo · 16/02/2018 20:13

I'm just over 2/3 the way through. My nook keeps running out of battery with no warning so I've treated myself to a replacement today, just need to get it set up :)

Taytocrisps · 17/02/2018 17:22

I'm finished.

KiteyDelighty · 17/02/2018 18:45

I finished and rather enjoyed it (whereas I gave up with North and South about two thirds of the way through). Looking forward to the discussion.

AiryFairy1991 · 17/02/2018 22:40

I’ve been so busy this month (and now floored with an awful cold, I can just about change the channel on the TV before collapsing in a heap because of the effort). So I don’t think I’ll finish in time! Hoping to power through it this week.

RustyBear · 19/02/2018 12:58

If anyone is an Audible member, Fatherland is on offer @£2.99 for today only, read by Michael Jayston.

WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo · 19/02/2018 13:03

I finally finished it this morning. I really enjoyed it :)

endehors · 20/02/2018 17:59

I'm about halfway now. Not bad considering it's not the sort of book I'd usually choose.

Plentyoffishnets · 20/02/2018 22:31

I just finished it this evening. Found it really gripping and whizzed through the last 100 pages or so.
I'm quite surprised by how much I enjoyed it - he's a great writer to keep the pace, suspense and character development going. I would never think I'd be rooting for a member of the SS !

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Chillywhippet · 21/02/2018 21:05

I'm liking it but then I've had a John Grisham guilty pleasure for ages

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mmack · 21/02/2018 21:34

I read it last year and really enjoyed it. Its hard to find a thriller that stays thrilling to the end but I was gripped until the last page. Ill be back to discuss after the 25th. (BTW my apostrophe key isnt working and I apologise for the annoying lack of grammar.)

Rockmeamaryllis · 22/02/2018 11:16

Didn’t think I’d like this book as it’s not my usual type, but loved it. Looking forward to discussing it later this week.

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Chillywhippet · 24/02/2018 11:03

Finished! Just in time. Looking forward to discussing it tomorrow.

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desperatelyseekingcaffeine · 24/02/2018 22:15

I'm really enjoying it but only quarter of the way through thanks to flu! Looking forward to catching up on discussions when I've finished.

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Chillywhippet · 24/02/2018 22:19

Desperately - hope you feel better soon. The great thing about the discussion threads is that the discussion is there for you when you are ready Flowers

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AiryFairy1991 · 25/02/2018 00:08

Finished with 3 minutes to spare! Grin I thoroughly enjoyed it. It acheieved a great sense of anticipation that meant from about halfway through I couldn’t put it down!

mamapants · 25/02/2018 08:49

What time does discussion open?

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Chillywhippet · 25/02/2018 09:26

Last month we started initial discussion at 7pm and went on, quietlyfor a week and a half Grin

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Chillywhippet · 25/02/2018 09:46

Some prompts, not that we’ll need them. You certainly don’t have to address any of these questions. It’s just to get us thinking.

from Penguin Random House website

Fatherland

  1. Did you find the alternative history of Fatherland convincing? If so, what details strengthened that conviction?
  1. 'Fatherland works on all levels' -- Washington Post. What do you think this means? How do you think Fatherland works best?
  1. Do you think Robert Harris's portrayal of women effectively reflects the society he has created?
  1. 'History is told through the eyes of the victor.' How does this statement apply to Fatherland?
  1. 'You're an irony yourself, March, in a way... We set out to breed a generation of supermen to rule an empire...we trained them to apply hard fact -- pitilessly, even cruelly...And what happens? A few of you...begin to turn this pitiless clear thinking on us...' (page 240). What other ironies do you think there are in Fatherland?
  1. How does the theme of deception work in the novel?
  1. Do you think Xavier March had a fatal flaw? If so, what was it?
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Chillywhippet · 25/02/2018 19:25

I’ll kick off then by saying I enjoyed it, especially as the book went on.

I did get a bit confused between the people, not the main characters, but the more distant ones. I found myself rooting for March and getting annoyed at the decisions he made (like going to see his son). I desperately wanted things to work out for him and for there to be a happy ending.

I found reading the documents about the Holocaust plans disturbing (of course). Last week I saw the Holocaust exhibition at the Imperila War Museum. It’s a really interesting idea that people would not have known about it.

The Guardian Book Club has 4 articles about the book. First one here

[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/30/guardian-bookclub-fatherland-robert-harris]

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AiryFairy1991 · 25/02/2018 20:15

I felt really sick as they read the documents, but I suppose that’s the reaction you’re supposed to have!

I also found myself getting frustrated with March. It’s easy to see how a whole country could turn a blind eye in the face of so much terror. I imagine it’s much easier to accept the lies and pretend it isn’t happening than to question and end up killed yourself. I had seen some discussion questioning why no one seemed to know what happened to the Jews in the book but I imagine had Germany won then that’s exactly how it would have been. Don’t ask and you don’t have to feel guilty.

I found it difficult in the beginning. As Chilly said with the different characters and also the different division of the police. I read that part a few more times than I’m comfortable admitting!

I’m surprised that one of the discussion questions from penguin books was about the women of the novel cause there wasn’t all that many! We barely knew about March’s ex-wife. And Charlotte Maguire was hardly a product of Nazi Germany so I’m not sure how you could discuss the women of his society at all. I liked Charlotte and thought she was a good representation of what a journalist should be when it’s done well and with a view to telling the truth rather than selling whatever celebrity crap they like to sell now.

I liked the twist. I didn’t see him being betrayed by Jaeger at all and it totally took me by surprise. It’s not often I’m so totally shocked by a book.

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Chillywhippet · 25/02/2018 20:29

Airey, the relief that March was being rescued was so short lived wasn’t it? I need to reread the last chapter to see how March twigged he was in a trap.

I guess the portrayal of women did represent the society Harris had created. This was the 1960s so loads of sexism and misogyny in RL. The women in Fatherland were idealised and oppresssed as perfect wives and mothers. Except the librarian, working long hours and seeking sips of alcohol in secret.

I liked Charlie, brave, capable, feisty, did not do what March told her but very much had her own agenda and ideas and was a hero in the end.

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