Books on the Broad reading group online discussion of God's Own Country by Ross Raisin Online discussion started 20 April, 2009, with comments on the first chapter only in the first week to allow people time to come on board. Complimentary copies of this book were distributed during The Readers' Voice Convention. If you wish to join in the discussion then you should email to BooksontheBroadmail@gmail.com to start the registration process. Once you have registered you will be able to add comments and to make attachments to these pages. Add your comments on chapter 2: "I was up early. The sun had just started to show himself . ..." below. To add your comments on chapters 3 - 12 click here. You can use the navigation bar on the left to move between sections and add further comments back and forth as you wish. |
See my comments on chapter one - let's press on to page 90 - end of chapter 12 - over the Bank Holiday, if people are agreed?
I think the " bad parenting" theme comes up again in chapter 2. Sam sees the father / child relationship with the new family and it is nothing like his own experience. You can't help but feel sorry for him.
Love the imagery with the mushrooms sprouting up everywhere over night sucking up all the goodness from the land, just like the houses and the towns growing up around the moors. The fact that the mushrooms grow happily in the muck around them shows that Sam is under no illusion about the countryside. He doesn't see it with rose coloured glasses. But he clearly has a huge regard and love for it probably an anger too that the towns don't see it as he does. Just when he is getting all poetic on page 9 his rough edges show through as he talks about the "arse end of summer" It feels like Sam is determined to shock the reader with his realism and bad language. I think he is daring us to like him, he is saying " don't trust me. I am bad"
The lack of speech marks is odd. I wondered if it was so Sam could use his own words. Can we trust anything he reports to us as it is him speaking all the time.
He is very physical, very sensual isn't he. The way he caresses the mushroom. Utter contempt for the town folk but seems to forgive the young girl as she is young and pretty. Very much the teenage boy.
The girl is taking shape in the story as well. She seems strong and confident. I don't think she will be a pushover for Sam. Wondering if he has met his match.
His generosity/plan to win the newcomers over back fires on him and you get the feeling things always go wrong for him. He seems to get the short straw all the time hence the huge chip on his shoulder. I get the feeling he is not the kind of chap to take responsibility for his actions. He has a real "it wasn't my fault" attitude which can only turn out badly for him. "Oh yes, you've buggered it now".
Christina
Unfortunately, I've become separated from my copy of G.O. C. while travelling in the Far East.
But I'm glad you've decided to take a longer view, as I found it a bit tiresome dissecting it chapter by chapter.I prefer to look at a complete novel. I've also found that knowing that Ross Raisin might be invited to read our comments,rather inhibiting. I've had so little published myself,I'd hesitate to be very critical face to face with an author.Off the record,as it were, I'd be able to say exactly how the book grabbed me .My real interest in this discussion is just in the variety of responses or reactions to the story. I'm not very excited about deconstructing novels any more.
Christine
In his acknowledgements, the author mentions Arnold Kellett's Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore, which I found on Amazon. I also found the website http://www.yorkshire-dialect.org/dictionary.htm quite useful.
Chapter leaves one wondering how this is going to develop.