ERAS. gn

VE

§ Bebind the Scenes at the Museum, Kate
Atkinson, Picador 1997

Summer's here and the reading is cas. Or
soit should be in my opmion.

And our book for the neat month
should be an enjovable. escapist read per
fectly suited to the beach or the packvard
patio.

But first to our [ast miontii’s selection,
Behind the Scenes at the Magen by Kate
Atkinson. Our book chib met to discuss
this 1997 award winning novel a week age
and it received a resoundingh Gvorable
review, “Faking ity name from the memen-
to-laden memories of the narrator, Ruby
novel weaves its way through a centur

porkshire, England. And whut a

alt, black, celd Hire at is
Throughout the novel, Rubs
tells of her fa

anes, the

ritish scit- dep

in parenthetical asides.

to readers as if thes are
Ss to see what scerets

recating humor u

Her memories

ing i ymbolic cupboa
they contain

This is a novel of secrets, with the greatest one of all
never overtly revealed, but inherently apparent by the
conclusion. And as we tour Ruby’s “Muscum”, with
artifacts such as ‘ photographs of her great-grandmother
and her “secret” to Alice’s buttons on her shirt to the
blonde curls of the angelic few who ail seem to dic too
arly i in Ruby’s family, we tour an honest reflection of
life.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum has been critically
compared to Dickens” bleak David Copperfield, but 1
also found it evoked memorics of Frank McCourt’s
Angela’s Ashes. It’s a caustic and bleak world in which

KiNES Sport ts

ce spe © val NCLC CHL |

Sui ts
Ourcentire +
_coMection

MEGAN VERCHERE

BOOK REVIEWS

_ 60%

secrets

black humor and bung wit keep both
Raby and the reader afloar.
Obvious MeCourr’s tale as autohiographi
cal while Atkinson has ercated her multi
clever Mast
at

ties, She uses foatnates
ar the end ate
the many arufacts at Ruby's muscum
fowas a defircte winner in aur beaks, And
Tinghiy suggest picking ue a Cope ivan
not vet done su
Butat vou want ro follow sienge our beak
dub tor the nevtarocth, we're gemg te
leave th vind ot Yorkshire tor the sunny
Mediternanean with a book Gab baarte Captain
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de BerniAres ($16.95.
Minerva Paperbacks. Great B n, 1994) has been
rocomipended tome by so anany front people that
Thad te select tas our sainmer re.

Desenbed is “an cmononal, funny, stunning novel
and “woadertil, bepnoue” with “fabulous scope and
tremendous indescent charm,” it’s another t come
dy (aren't they alli}. set ny occupied Gr

In 194], a young Ealian officer more interested in
peace than war is ed toa small Greek land where
he weaves his wav into the islaidery’ J

He falls in love with the local doctor's daughter,
and as the war escalates, so do the difficulties of the
young soldier who must cross the war drawn lines
berveen invader and defender.

Enjoy the read and Pil provide vou with some sug.
gested topics for your next book club mecting in nwo
weeks. Happy reading!

— Megan Verchere can be contacted as
mnverchere@ibm.net — Or fax the News at 985-2104.
Watch for her book column every second Friday.

Shirts

50%

Dies Shirts

h reterence

New =
Gardening}
-— Guide

‘Fresh
Approaches
for Canadian

B. C. bestsellers

L. Briau Minter’ Gardening Guide: Fresh
Approache nadian Gardeners - Brian
Minter and Greg Rasmussen (Whitecap Books)
2. 100 Best Plants tor the Coastel Garden: The
Botanical Bones of Great Gardening - Steve
Wohysall (Whitecap Books)

3. Jebediah Days: One Woman's Island Paradise
- Mary Palmer (Harbour Publishing)

4. Lighthouse Chronicles - Flo Anderson
(Harbour Publishing)

5. British Columbia -~ Tanya Lloyd (Whitecap
Books)

— Compsled by the Association of Book
Publishers of British Colusméia.

all Varin: c Siininen Ie chets

& Ties

ul hur: Re spec ted sehe Han

% 7
off

D

UNN’'S

ne eeee ered.

hy v4

“Your Community

Book Store”

ctraordinary
Customer Service
Special orders
Out of print searches
Hospital delivery
32 Friends Club Card
Cappuccing & comfy chairs

980-9032

140 East 14 St.
North Vancouver
{Just East of Lonsdale}

SUMMER HOURS
MTWF 10-6 * Th 10-7
Sat 16-5 * Sun 12-5

Hundreds of items slashed
Hurry for best selection

ABODE

1140 Park Royal South 922-2950