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By: PAIHIA 001
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2024-11-24 11:41:28 |
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Most of us enjoyed this and we had a few nostalgic conversations about our old party lines back in the day. Good story, sad. Easy to read. |
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By: HAMIL 007
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2024-08-21 10:00:33 |
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Members thought this was a well-written book with a good cast of well described characters, each of whom epitomises an aspect of the picture the book presents of rural life. Some of them e.g. Joy- also developed through the events that unfolded. The plot was strong but there were key elements that seemed implausible and detracted from the book. Overall it's a worthwhile book and sparked considerable discussion... |
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By: DRUM 001
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2024-02-28 14:28:21 |
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Mixed reaction to the book. Very good discussion. Most of our members are country people and thought ( in some cases) that it was a bit "close to the bone". Clever title 'The Party Line", as we thought people had to "toe the party line". |
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By: WHANG 022
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2023-08-08 11:39:47 |
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Loved this book a lot, a slice of rural life we can identify with. A comment from a migrant to N.Z. was that all migrants need to read this book to 'get' the Kiwi psyche. |
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By: NEWP 022
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2022-04-07 11:56:33 |
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Lots of memories shared during our discussion. Several members felt it ended abruptly and did not like that some people were forgotten. |
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By: HAMIL 053
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2021-08-27 14:12:31 |
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This book was an easy read which everyone enjoyed. Some members of the group felt that some of the characters and storylines were not very plausible, and that the author could have done this better. All agreed it took them down memory lane to life in the 70s in rural New Zealand. It created much discussion as to the attitude changes over the years to domestic abuse and society's attitude to it. |
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By: MATAM 007
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2021-06-08 22:21:12 |
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Everyone enjoyed this book, and there was a lot of discussion about the area which is familiar to us all. |
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By: CHCH 449
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2020-02-15 15:31:17 |
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An interesting insight into NZ of a few years ago. This invited some discussion on personal backgrounds, especially for those with farming and party line experience. We weren't excited about the style of writing and there were some anomalies with the narrative. |
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By: CHCH 355
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2019-11-13 11:39:40 |
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Well-written and thought provoking book. |
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By: HAMIL 029
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2019-11-08 17:58:59 |
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We enjoyed the New Zealand setting and related to the period the book is set in very strongly. The theme of abusive relationships was a basis for a good discussion. Several of the group were disappointed by the way the book ended, feeling that the story of Ian and Gabrielle needed more completion. |
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By: ASHB 016
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2019-07-21 23:40:30 |
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Bar one we all loved this book. Great to read a NZ book and we are all old enough to remember some of the events referred to and the way it was. Most of us grew up with party lines so lots of laughs about those! Times have certainly changed. We thought the ending was strange though and quite feeble compared with the rest of the story - a bit of a fizzer. And what did happen with Gabrielle and her Dad One lady had been in this type of situation (not the bad stuff) but share milking in an isolated area and having to work with bobby calves so it was all very real to her. Was easy to read. |
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By: NEWP 014
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2019-02-11 12:39:09 |
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What a slice of NZ life. Entertaining, easy to read and very popular. |
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By: CLUTHA 001
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2019-02-11 12:32:14 |
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This was our group's favourite book of the year. The story was relatable and multi-layered and fascinating. Loved it! |
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By: AUCK 174
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2019-02-11 12:28:59 |
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Lots of good discussion. We enjoyed reading a book set in both a time and place familiar to us. Thought provoking - especially around changes in beliefs and attitudes towards women and abuse since the time of the book's setting. |
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By: KATIK 006
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2019-02-11 12:26:46 |
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This brought back memories of party lines, and bobby calves crammed into crates, for most of us. We were frustrated that Ian and Gabrielle were dropped from the story and we made up stories about 'what happened next' to them! Very thought provoking. |
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By: AUCK 331
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2018-08-20 14:39:43 |
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All agreed it was an easy read (not amazing writing) and we enjoyed the NZ context, and the memories of the life that was. It captured the time well. |
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By: CHCH 145
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2018-08-20 14:32:47 |
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An excellent book. A clever and perceptive thought-provoking analysis of the seventies, revisited by Nicola returning in the 21st century - looking at the social taboos, denial of abuse and tragic circumstances. |
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By: GORE 006
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2018-07-30 14:11:14 |
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An interesting story but we didn't like the way it jumped around time wise. |
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By: HAVE 008
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2018-07-30 14:10:18 |
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A complex and revealing story of the small-mindedness of a small country community and its antagonism to anyone who is threatening to 'rock the boat', or failing to conform to its unspoken rules... Boundaries have been set and anyone not adhering to them is ostracised. |
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By: AUCK 058
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2018-07-30 14:07:43 |
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The group all thought the evocation of country life in 1970s New Zealand was skilfully done. Several of the group remembered party lines and had some stories of their own. All thought it was well written and that it held their attention! A number thought the overall feeling was bleak rather than upbeat. |
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