Scoop - Rene Gutteridge (General Fiction)
A fun & slightly wacky novel about the people at a TV news station, and the crazy goings-on behind the scenes as the sacred “Sweeps Week” approaches. Gutteridge develops a cast of characters that seem truer to life than you might expect: the overworked & high-strung producer, the young but inexperienced male news anchor, the older female news anchor who is clinging to her job with everything she has, the devout (but attractive!) Christian female who talks about God like he’s her best friend, and the reporter with a conscience… but wait, there’s more!
There are literally enough characters to fill a TV station, but it all makes sense because everyone has their place. The ‘major drama’ of the novel is well handled, but I think the problem itself takes a bit of a backdrop to the people – in a good way.
It wasn’t a spectacular novel, but different, well written, and pretty entertaining. I sat down and read it in one shot, so that has to say something!
Rating: 3 coffees out of 5
The Bookshop – Penelope Fitzgerald (Literary Fiction)
What an interesting, albeit brief, little tale! Thoroughly British in nature, and packed with odd, quirky characters, this is the story of a woman who decides to open up a bookshop in her very small town. For whatever reason, many of the residents are hostile to the idea, and the book centers around her struggles to keep the shop open and profitable whilst fending off certain community members who would wish to close her down.
I can honestly say I was a bit disappointed in the ending… mostly because I wanted the story to continue, as I felt it wasn’t entirely finished. But, I suppose that was Fitzgerald’s intent, and as a result, the whole of the book makes for an interesting little read that is easily devoured over a few cups of tea on a lazy afternoon.
Rating: 3 coffees out of 5