Tuesday, 11 December 2018
The Trouble With Goats And Sheep by Joanna Cannon
by Sue,
My favourite newspaper (the Guardian) tells me
this novel is ‘vibrant and funny’ and is set in Britain in the summer
of 1976, one of the U.K.’s hottest, driest summer, recalled in this
year's wonderful months. So, as the nights and the cold draw in here,
the prospect of a combination of heat and humour is encouraging. I’d
thought of asking us all to recall what we were doing in the summer of
1976, but it’s over forty years ago . . . Instead, then, we might want
to consider these questions: What does it tell us about Britain in the
seventies? The central characters are two ten year olds. Has the
children’s perspective added anything to the novel? Would you like to
live in The Avenue? Is it anything like a street in America/Australia?
Is the novel funny? I do worry about humour crossing cultures. Looking
forward to your comments, ladies.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
Hello Ladies, How is the weather where you are? We have had the most gloriously clear autumn days here followed by a few days of soaking ...
-
by Katie, The brother of a dear friend of mine witnessed the suicide of a friend/classmate inside his school during normal school hours. ...
-
by Sue "All families have things to hide but few can match the horrors that come to light in Atkinson’s improbable, convoluted bu...
Hello Ladies!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you both! I hope your holidays were wonderful. The kids had a great time!
Having our main characters being 10 made the novel cuter. Grace taking the minister’s idea of God being everywhere to a literal level gives the reader something to chuckle at. Their innocence mixed with their perspective minds helped move the story along. I enjoyed when they made the adults feel guilty or more transparent than they realized.
Sue, you ask if we would want to live in a neighborhood such as this and my answer is assuredly not! Many of the neighbors were pretty horrendous but I think I disliked Sheila the most. I thought she was a pretty horrible character. I would hate to live in a neighborhood with a woman like her. Not that many of the other characters were much better. It was very frustrating how all the neighbors thought they were so much better than Walter but each had their own hidden demons. It was very much a case of appearances being deceiving. All the members of the neighborhood may have looked “normal” on the outside but each with their own issues.
From the many books I’ve read, together and separate, I feel like the neighborhood mentality in the 70s was similar in small towns both in England and the States. Each neighborhood seems to have its own set of unwritten rules regarding what is considered acceptable and what isn’t. Communities that seem unwilling to welcome people of different mindsets or ethnicities. I think the different reactions between Grace and her parents when the Indian family moved into the neighborhood is a great example. The older generation being unwilling or uncomfortable with someone outside of their “normal” and the younger generation embracing it.
This whole neighborhood reminds me of my elementary school community. A large community that pretended to accept others who were different but did not truly accept them. People who snubbed others who did not think or act the way they did. A very unpleasant community I gladly am no longer a member of.
Very interesting read, Sue. I’m not sure I would have picked it up without your recommendation. I look forward to hearing what you both thought.
Much love,
Katie
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteHope both you and your families had a wonderful Christmas, and that you enjoyed it as much as the children, Katie. I’m guessing your Christmas may have been quieter, Nancy, since you’d celebrated with the family earlier in the month. Hope you and Ivars enjoyed it. We spent much of the day with Mum and Dad. It was their 70th wedding anniversary on New Year’s Eve. They had a good time.
We’ve had a merciful rest from Brexit over Christmas, but we’ll start again in a few days. You’re right, Nancy, the political climate in all our countries has changed and in my country’s case heaven knows where we are being taken. Prince Charles attended the commemoration of the Iolaire ferry disaster. At least the royal family is demonstrating a little stability.
Loved this book. Gorgeous description: ‘Evening had tempered the sun, and a wash of gold folded across the living room. It drew the sideboard into a rich, dark brandy and buried itself in the pleats of the curtains.’ (p.39) And the characters . . . well, I hate to say this, but it’s almost as though Dr. Cannon lived in my street. The conversation between Mr. Kapoor, the Forbes and Mrs. Roper about planning for the Jubilee celebrations (pp302-305) was just wonderful. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to something similar, most recently a few days ago. So, here in the backwoods, we haven’t moved on a lot.
Clearly, the author make us see why Sheila Dakin, Brian Roper and John Creasy, for example, are the way they are. (Mrs. Creasy is a saint.) However, there are no excuses made for Harold Forbes.
The shift from the children’s perspective to the ‘omniscient narrator’ was a practical way of learning more about the characters. I thought the children’s perspective really illuminated the adults’ behaviour. Their understanding of Walter was a joy. I had some difficulties with the street’s response to finding Jesus in the garage – but it was a convenient means of exploring children’s relationships and development. Lisa, understandably, is a horror in the making.
I’m sure you’re right, Katie, about the similarities between small British and American communities in the 70s. Sadly, the bullying and vicious mistreatment of ‘oddities’ in our society has, if anything, increased. Or perhaps more publicity is being given to mental health problems, which we are not adequately addressing.
I’ll conclude by saying that I was working in Bahrain in 1976, but spent the summer in the U.K., some of it on a yacht offshore Scotland. No wind to speak of. Moved so slowly, we had to stay awake all night to reach our destinations. But the phosphorescence on the water was beautiful.
A very happy New Year to you and your families
Much love to you both
Sue
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteHappy New year to you and your families, we have finally waved goodbye to our visitors and are enjoying the slower pace. I’m off to Melbourne next week to spend a few days with Gracie that she has off between jobs, so I’m looking forward to that.
Our Summer this year is the mildest I can recall which is so pleasant. Good to hear your holiday celebrations were successful.
I enjoyed our novel although I’m not sure I would say it was funny. I found myself mostly a little saddened as it seems in rural small town Australia not much has changed in the community dynamics.
I was eleven in the Summer of 1976 spent my entire time camping at the beach and was no where near as perceptive as the girls in our story and not privy to the adult conversations around me. Not that there weren’t whispers and innuendo flying around the campground community!! Gossip seems to thrive no matter the decade or the generation.
I guess I felt saddened by this novel also because I could easily relate to Walter. Growing up as an adopted child with sketchy origins in my little community my parents and I were under extra scrutiny to appear “normal” , and I seemed always needing to prove my value as a suitable playmate to parents I’m sure had as many skeletons in the closet as the characters in our novel.
I would like to thin we have become a much more inclusive society and in many ways we have , but the rise of these extremist neo nazi groups in all our countries is terrifying. Just last week on a Melbourne beach there was such a rally organised by a far right group to protest against immigrants. These mostly young white men seem to be so full of rage and so misinformed. A massive police presence seemed to keep the violence contained. Australia as a colonised nation is only five minutes old, where do these ideas of privilege and entitlement come from !! Sorry ladies, done now :].
We are getting a little low in our reading list, so any new suggestions? I’ll go searching for a few, always a pleasant task.
Much love, Nancy
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your days with Grace, Nancy, and your search for books. Below a few books recommended by friends:
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Instructions For A Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
Hope you are both enjoying life
Much love
Sue
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteSue, your choices sound very exciting I'm looking forward to reading them.
Here are my suggestions let me know what you both think.
The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
Dirt Music by Tim Winton
Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
love, Nancy