Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. It is fair to say that this book really divided the group with some members who thought it was fabulous and others who were ‘glad to get to the end of it’ and even one or two who didn’t enjoy the read sufficiently to preserve to the end. The group did agree that the descriptions of Essex were very evocative and that the book in general was highly informative and touched on many interesting topics across a myriad of threads and themes. Where the group differed in opinion was whether or not they found the book to be an enjoyable read and this seemed to depend on how engaging they found the story and the characters. ‘I’d read it again’ ‘very cleverly written’ interesting but not engaging’

Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. In the main this book was enjoyed by the group although some members found it hard to get into the story. It was felt to be very original with lots of unexpected twists and turns in the story line. The descriptions of the New York of the times were fascinating given our current understanding of that city and overall the book was felt to be a compelling piece of history. Whilst some of the group did struggle to get into the story, most were glad they preserved and thoroughly enjoyed the book. ‘It made me laugh out loud’ ‘very original’ a right old romp’