For Booker list ring.
Participants (I think you all know 'The Rules'!) Anyone with problems with the order below please PM me and I'll happily relocate you.

goodthinkingmax
Fleebo
FreePages
Child 44
livrecache
star-light
tqd
miss-jo
jubby*
back to me, Sujie

Sorry Sujie - I just realised I neglected to journal this when I received it.

What a strange book. I should be beyond being surprised by Booker longlist choices by now. For most of the book I wanted to slap the weak Dorothea. She finds her strength and redemption towards the end so abruptly that I did not find it believable at all, though I was relieved! I'm a huge Charles Dickens fan and do not want to think that the character of Alfred is based in any way on Dickens. I felt that the passages starring Alfred could be set in Blackadder or another historical sendup with Alfred little more than a loathsome caricature or a costumed comic character, with little depth. The Alfred I read about could not produce literature comparable to Dickens! Queen Victoria makes a brief cameo, not entirely credible to me. I was irritated with myself that I was compelled to read this to the end!

I will PM Fleebo and pass this on soon.

Acting as a go-between.

Goodthinkingmax passed this on over brunch this morning for delivery to Fleebo at next tuesday's meetup.

Received safely from Pixette. Thanks.

This book has been with me for a very, very long time. I could blame crasy for nicking it and reading it first, but he reads fast, so that argument wouldn't hold much water. I am very sorry for holding it up.
I enjoyed this story a lot, although I am bemused by its presence on the Booker longlist... it just didn't feel all that "literary" despite being both historical and about the wife of an author. I agree with goodthinkingmax that Alfred's character did not remind me of Charles Dickens, although there are so many blindingly obvious parallels in their lives that it's impossible to argue that Alfred is NOT based on Dickens.
I can't really imagine the kind of wife that would have perfectly suited Alfred - he needed someone to both challenge and not challenge him: hard to find in just one person. Although it's easy to look down on Dodo for her consistently poor choices and capitulation, I certainly wouldn't have liked to be in her situation, trying to make the best of it. I'm not sure why I didn't find her to be weak, but I didn't.
Sending on to FreePages now!

The "Girl in the Blue dress" has been caught in Canberra!
She'll turn completely blue wearing that little off the shoulder number, it's bloody freezing here now.
Looks like my sort of thing, being a historical setting. I'll see how it goes.

Thanks Fleebo for sending it.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:


Placed in the post today to livrecache. Enjoy :-)

I caught this book inside my front door.

I have a couple of rings ahead of it, but I look forward to reading it. Thanks to all who have been responsible for its travel thus far.

I know little about Dickens' life, but I am reasonably familiar with his work, and the references were quite interesting. I thought the narrative, being a blend of past and present, worked well enough, but I'm always a tad sceptical about characters who can relate whole screeds of conversation, years after the event. But that's a minor point. It's inspired me to find out more about Dickens, the man.

I too am surprised that this book was long-listed for the Booker and the Orange prizes. It was an enjoyable read, but very light weight. Maybe Alfred being a caricature was an intentional device, because many of Dickens' own character are caricature like. I thought Dodo was a bit wet, really, although she did seem to come into her own once the One and Only was dead. And, yes, I found the Queen Victoria section to be quite gratuitous.

Overall though, I was entertained by this book, and it well written, so that's a plus. Thanks for sharing, Sujie.

DrCris has asked to be placed at the end of the list. I've now pm'd star-light (I presume that's who it should be, rather than starlight???) to get her details.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to another bookcrosser. I hope you enjoy it.

Caught!

With full-time work and part-time study I have little reading time, but I'll do my best. Give me a kick if I'm taking too long.

I made a start on this book but put it down when life got busy. I have been looking at it for the last couple of weeks trying to decide if I’ll pick it back up, but in the end decided to pass it on. I’m going to use the fact that it was a longlist rather than shortlist title as my loophole.

tqd asked to be skipped, so I have sent this book to miss-jo.

Received with thanks. Also thanks for the yummy tea to enjoy with it.

Oh dear. I started reading this a few days after I received it, but just couldn't get into it at all. I've just had another go, but stopped at page 125 in favour of my contribution to the 2009 challenge. After 2 failed attempts I'm afraid I'm not up for a 3rd.

I'm not even sure why I had so much trouble with it. It's not hard to read but I really didn't care about it in any way and was, if anything, a little bored. Not good, not bad, just 'meh'.

Thank you Sujie. I'll pm jubby to get the girl moving again.

Received in the post today - thank you.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted home - comments to come.

Arrived before Jubby's comments....looks like I'll have to read it now....
Thanks everyone for participating.