Bournville by Jonathan Coe - Book Group June 2024 discussion thread

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Columba
Columba
29 Jun
4:56pm, 29 Jun 2024
22,538 posts
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Columba
Reginald Perrin was books before it was a TV series? I must look out for them. I loved that series.
Diogenes
Diogenes
29 Jun
5:16pm, 29 Jun 2024
86,681 posts
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Diogenes
David Nobbs @Columba
Diogenes
Diogenes
29 Jun
5:17pm, 29 Jun 2024
86,682 posts
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Diogenes
Oops, McG already said that
McGoohan
McGoohan
29 Jun
5:18pm, 29 Jun 2024
54,213 posts
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McGoohan
There was one book (Death of Reginald Perrin) first which was filmed as series 1. When Nobbs came back to write further series he wrote the books first. He did the same book first, TV later thing with A Bit of a Do.
Little Nemo
Little Nemo
10 Jul
8:39pm, 10 Jul 2024
14,942 posts
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Little Nemo
I was a bit worried about this book as I didn't enjoy the previous one we read by this author - What a Carve Up. However this was a much better read for me. I enjoyed the selected episodes from recent history, times when the country is supposed to be united in celebrating or mourning. As someone who completely didn't get the outpouring of emotion over Diana's death it reminded me of how out of step I felt.

My major problem with this book was that I really struggled to remember who everyone was and how they were connected to each other. I really should have made a list as I feel it probably made some of the sections less impactful. I have to confess that I still haven't worked out who the father possibly working as a spy was.

My favourite parts were those involving Mary. She wasn't always a very nice person but I liked the idea of how she could have had a completely different life with Kenneth. But the fact that she was happy enough with Geoffrey made a it an interesting conundrum. Would she have been any happier? Maybe she would have been more open-minded about things but have been miserable.

My least favourite aspect was the bits about Boris which felt a bit shoe-horned in and clumsy. It feels almost too soon to be writing about him.

I gave this book a 7 and maybe I'll give some more of his stuff a go.
Columba
Columba
11 Jul
11:17am, 11 Jul 2024
22,542 posts
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Columba
@Little Nemo I suspect quite a lot of us also didn't "get" it, and felt out of step.
Little Nemo
Little Nemo
11 Jul
11:24am, 11 Jul 2024
14,944 posts
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Little Nemo
I think after the event it became a bit more obvious that I wasn't the only one but around the time it seemed like everyone I knew got swept along with it. Bizarre things like a wedding I went to that was scheduled for the day of the funeral even had some people questioning whether it should go ahead and people actually having to say "it's what she would have wanted" to explain why it was happening :-o
12 Jul
7:21am, 12 Jul 2024
First-time poster!!
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McGoohan
McGoohan
12 Jul
8:20am, 12 Jul 2024
54,240 posts
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McGoohan
Not a Coe fan there ^ ;-)
Diogenes
Diogenes
12 Jul
8:45am, 12 Jul 2024
86,932 posts
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Diogenes
Well, this post seemed reasonable enough, but on the Elmet thread they were trying to sell services. There was a whiff of AI about it.

About This Thread

Maintained by McGoohan
Top Brummie author Jonathan Coe has returned to his roots* to give us this, his fourteenth novel.

Bournville tells the tale of Billy Wilder, the mysterious owner of a chocolate factory who offers five lucky children the chance to have a guided tour. Aided and sometimes resisted by Mr Wilder's assistants, the Brumpah-Lumpahs, will the children be able to solve the mystery in time?

When you have completed this tale of the unexpected, please dispose of your thoughts like a chocolate wrapper into a bin, into the thread below.

*Stupid fat fingers on the first post on this thread

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