U3A LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY (AKA) The Book Group meets on the first Monday of every month at Eastwood Library at 11.00 am.
The contacts for the group are Sue Draper, 01773 717 676 cd16cs14@tiscali.co.uk and Pauline Clayton 01773 788 366 pauline.clayton1@ntlworld.com
BOOK GROUP MEETING 2ND FEBRUARY 2026
Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
First many thanks to Janet who led the meeting and provided many thought challenging questions for discussion.
Quick synopsis of the book is the story of a mother who deliberately lied to her children, twin brother and sister, Julius and Jeanie now aged 51, and how this deception impacted on their lives after her death. Jeanie’s life suffered most as she was told at an early age that she had heart failure and as a consequence was kept away from school and at the age of 51 could still neither read or write. After the death of their father, Julius was expected to look after his sister and be the breadwinner.
After their mother’s death the siblings discover that their home does not in fact belong to them and they are in arrears with rent. They face eviction, lack of anywhere to live and very little opportunity to make money. We discussed how easy it was to find yourself homeless through circumstances beyond control and the difficulty in trying to find alternative accommodation. They were taken in by their mother’s friend,but this did not work out and once again they were left on their own. The isolation of Jeanie from a normal childhood and school friends left her marginalised and unable to forge out a life for herself. Her only talent was gardening and growing crops. Julius was also constrained by his responsibility to his sister with limited opportunity to enjoy a normal life although he did occasionally get some respite by “knocking off” the lady over the chip shop.
The twins were helped to varying degrees by friends and we considered whether we would help someone in similar trouble, bearing in mind that their circumstances were extreme with none of the usual hygiene facilities available to them.
Eventually their fortunes change and they are restored to their own home which has been adapted by their mother’s former lover to cope with Julius injuries and it is finally revealed to Jeanie that her heart condition was a lie. We tried to understand why her mother would invent such a story. Was it due to selfishness or a means of protecting her children.
The book was an easy read in spite of the depressing story line and members said they would consider reading another by the same author. Score 8/10.
Book for February: Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
Recommended Books:
3 Days in June by Ann Tyler
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Sue Draper
Previous meetings:
2021
The Book Club held its first out door meeting in April. Six of us visited Sue Draper’s beautiful garden, complete with firepit and copious amounts of sunshine and enjoyed a lively discussion about our latest book: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn.
The book received a mixed reception, some of us thought that it made a slow start but picked up later.
We discussed the device of using references to classic films in the plot. Some thought it wasn’t relevant to those who were unfamiliar with the films.
We thought the book had an intriguing plot and was cleverly constructed but were disappointed by the denouement. We thought that Ethan was an unlikely murderer. We also discussed whether Anna was an unreliable narrator due to her addictions. But we were pleased that she seemed to be recovering at the end of the book.
We talked about agoraphobia, one of the main themes in the book, in respect of the current lockdown and whether some people would find it difficult to go out when we are able.
Some recommended books:
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, 99p on kindle
The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields.
Hazel has kindly offered her garden for the next meeting on May 10th. Our book for this month is ‘Cold Comfort Farm’ by Stella Gibbons.
Pauline