From Amazon:

"This novel that echoes the styles of Joseph Conrad and V. S. Naipaul follows a young Guyanese engineer appointed to help save and shore up a Kent coastal village's sea defenses, and his relationship with the old woman with whom he lodges. Learning more about the village's history through his relationship with Mrs. Rutherford, the narrator discovers that underlying the village's Englishness is a latent violence that echoes the imperial past, forcing him to not only reconsider his perceptions of himself and his native Guyana, but also to examine the connection between land and memory."

This is an ex-library book which I purchased used from an Amazon seller in anticipation of the 666 challenge.

Well, I failed miserably at last year's 666 challenge, and I still don't see myself getting to this immediately. So this book will be traveling in a bookring! Hopefully it can travel the world and come back to me when I'm more likely to read it.

This is a "take your time" bookring, so no need to rush through it in a month if you don't prefer. As long as you check in and keep us posted after a few months or so, there's no problem.

Participants
Kingfan30 (UK, ships EU)
pinkydinky (UK, ships EU)
mafarrimond (UK, ships int'l)
han_cat (UK, ships EU)
EmgeeNL (Netherlands, ships EU)
Tsjara (Netherlands, ships EU)
icila (France, ships int'l)
lunatum (Finland, ships int'l, not first) [asked to be skipped]
frutz (Luxembourg, ships int'l)
cat207 (Australia, ships int'l)
biisbsw (USA, USA shipping preferred)

Back to Flewry (USA)

Book has landed safely back with Flewry, and the ring has ended. Thanks so much to everyone who took part!

Heading off to Kingfan30 to kick off the bookring. Enjoy, everyone!

Book has arrived safe and sound, thanks for sharing :)

This is the story of a young engineer from Guyana visiting England on  a work project to help build a sea defence. He lodges with an unusual character Mrs Rutherford for his stay and this book really is his views on her and life in an English village. 

It is nicely written and although there is some mystery about where Mrs Rutherfords husband is, the book really does not seem to go anywhere or have any particular plot to it, for this reason I'm glad it was only a short read.

On its way to pinkydinky

Arrived today. Thanks Kingfan30 for sending & Flewry for the ring.

An ok read that was marred for me by the meandering nature which never really got anywhere. If it had been a longer book I may even have given up on it because I just couldn't connect with any of the characters.

Off to Mafarrimond today.

The book has arrived safely. I will get reading straight away.

An interesting read. I particularly like the flashes back to Guyana. The characters were quirky but realistic.

Posted on

Arrived safe with me over the weekend, just finished a book so will go top of the TBR.

Sent out to EmgeeNL on Thursday. I'm afraid I didn't actually read this, I have had a really busy/complicated month and my head can't get into much unless it's very easy. I gave it a try a couple of times and then decided it was silly to hold on to it!

The book arrived.
Thank you Flewry for maiking this into a ring and thanks to han_cat for sending it across the sea.
As soon as I have finished my current book I'll start on this one.

It's an ok read, but nothing special.

On it's way to the next in line

Arrived here safely. Thanks for sending it on EmgeeNL!
I have a couple bookrings here, but will get to it as soon as I have finished those. Thanks for organizing the bookring Flewry!

Interesting, but rather slow going and had me struggling at times. I did enjoy reading about Guyana, the places and unusual characters from the protagonist's past. But the parts about the nature of "Englishness" were a bit vague.. history, the battles and bloodshed, imperialism, slavery, the English people.. not sure what he wanted to say. He seems to have a sort of hate-love relationship with it(?) And I wonder what happened to Jack and Mr Curtis?

Excerpt (from near the end):
I was invisible in the village, wall or no wall, I thought to myself, suddenly resenting the way they had viewed me, or rather not viewed me. It was decent of Mrs Rutherford to claim that I now belonged to the heritage of England, but I knew that I had only been a transient worker, like the Irishman Christie. I could appreciate his sullenness, his subdued rage, his desire to smash things. The wall I helped to make would be acknowledged for a moment but I would soon be washed out of their memories. Future generations would see the wall as something that was always there, a quintessentially English monument; the efforts of Christie and myself would be erased by ignorance or national sentiment. Was it not always thus in England: the drift into a deliberate unconsciousness; any awakening being a jolt of patriotic sentiment?
Mrs Rutherford herself, on one of our trips to Hastings, had pointed to me a splendid mansion in the Georgian style. 'To think that West-Indian slave money built that,'she said, 'but the crowds who go to gape at the fine furniture and fine paintings think it's the best of English heritage. And the guidebooks don't tell them any different.'


I have received Icila's address and will mail the book somewhere in the next few days.

The book is on its way to Icila in France.
Happy Reading!

I no more have a bath so don't worry I never read under the shower. ;) Thanks flewry for sharing.

Thanks Tsjara for sending and for the nice card.

I can't say I didn't like it but I don't know where is the goal. I'm curious to know more about Guyana though.

Lunatum is no more interested in bookrings now so I Pm frutz.

On its way to Luxembourg.

The book has arrived safely, thanks Icila for sending it

You have found a traveling book!
Send along to cat207

Arrived in today's mail. Thank you for sending frutz (and for the bookmark - I was due for a new one!) and thanks to flewry for sharing your book. I'm glad this is a 'take your time' bookring, as I've had two others turn up since the new year.

Not really sure what to make of this. It was pleasant enough, but pointless.

I have biisbsw's address and will get this in the mail after the long weekend.

Safely here with me. I'll read it soon and then get it back to flewry. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing this book!

Thanks for sharing this!

Arrived home safe and sound! A huge thank you to everyone who participated in this very successful bookring. Ten stops, six countries, and three continents in a little over a year -- not bad at all!