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By: AUCK 342
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2025-05-21 13:28:09 |
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We all adored this book. Poignant, funny and insightful. |
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By: PUKEKO 004
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2025-04-07 09:29:57 |
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A slow start, but became an intriguing read which led to an interesting discussion at our group meeting. |
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By: MILT 002
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2024-10-23 15:00:50 |
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VERY diverse views on this book! As a result it created great discussion. |
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By: QUEEN 015
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2024-08-07 10:25:47 |
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We all agreed this was a good light read. It's no-one's favourite book but prompted interesting discussions about the main character's motives and conduct. |
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By: PICT 007
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2024-04-09 20:26:16 |
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Everyone in the group liked this book. Everyone read it and finished it, and it was an interesting insight into how deaths are dealt with when there are no relatives left. Some humour and touching moments in it too. |
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By: WHANGA 001
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2024-03-14 12:40:49 |
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Generally enjoyed - a lot of discussion re. relationships in the story, and the credibility of Andrew and his make-believe family. Dry humour and author appreciated. |
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By: CHCH 268
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2024-03-11 10:07:15 |
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Very mixed response to this. Readers found they loved parts of the story, but other parts they found annoying and not credible. |
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By: WHAKA 017
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2024-02-26 14:49:28 |
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Our readers generally thought the book was interesting and enjoyable but a bit tedious. Only one of the group found it slightly hilarious. It definitely was not a "must keep reading" book. It was a light read for the beginning of the year. The subject matter was very interesting as were the mix of characters and their responses to various situations. It was quite sad in many respects but ended on a nice note. |
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By: CHCH 537
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2023-12-04 15:47:03 |
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An easy read and most enjoyed it. |
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By: AUCK 166
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2023-11-28 12:52:15 |
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Quirky and well-written. A lot of the group enjoyed the story and of the characterisation. The office politics were hilarious. Some members didn't relate to the main character and didn't continue to read. |
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By: CHCH 194
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2023-11-24 14:14:39 |
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Such a different topic but a truly interesting angle of this sad subject. It provided diverse discussion. |
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By: MARTIN 003
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2023-07-24 09:42:09 |
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Robust discussion! A believable story, and we enjoyed Andrew and Peggy's relationship. Enjoyed the humour and the complicated lifestyles of most characters. Many related to Andrew's made-up family - had personal experiences of similar behaviour as children. |
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By: OPOTI 001
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2023-05-22 10:16:30 |
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We enjoyed the way this book was written, about a subject we found fascinating, disconcerting, and knew nothing about! We liked the ending. |
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By: WELL 229
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2023-03-02 13:08:45 |
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The group really enjoyed reading this book. It was an amusing read with some well-drawn characters and events that generated some good discussions in our group. |
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By: MATAM 006
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2022-12-19 14:43:50 |
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Our favourite book of the year. So many themes dealt with: loneliness, death, deceit, romance - but all done with a sense of humour and believability. |
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By: AUCK 143
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2022-11-17 11:51:12 |
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Easy to read style, but thought the style was contrived. Brought together beautifully by its satisfying ending. |
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By: WELL 079
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2022-11-17 11:24:12 |
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All agreed it was easy to read, and some found it amusing. Some of our group, however, disliked it enough to not bother reading it. We found it tackled a number of issues but not entirely successfully. |
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By: HAMIL 010
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2022-10-20 14:47:35 |
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Most of us were not enthusiastic to begin with, but the book developed well with thought-provoking and good discussion topics. So our rating improved with reading! |
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By: AMBER 006
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2022-08-31 15:43:34 |
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Most of our group thoroughly enjoyed this book. Some found it a little slow, some found it funny and others not. All found it thought-provoking and took time to reflect on loneliness and its consequences. |
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By: WHAKA 002
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2022-08-08 11:23:43 |
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Most people quite liked it. It wasn't at all funny though. |
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By: DUNED 113
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2022-06-27 11:46:11 |
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We all loved this book. |
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By: WHITBY 002
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2022-06-05 15:36:34 |
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Not a topic we had given much thought to, the burial of people without friends or families, but it was dealt with in a sympathetic and humorous way as was Andrew's personal situation. We felt like giving him a bit of a shake when he felt it impossible to tell the truth. An easy read but not high on our recommended list! |
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By: NELS 076
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2022-05-11 14:34:03 |
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We all liked it, but not sure we'd recommend it ( if that makes sense!). A lonely anti-hero protagonist trying to make sense of his relationships. Thank goodness there was humour underlying throughout. Here's to friendships!!! |
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By: NGARB 001
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2022-05-04 17:03:07 |
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The author chose an unusual occupation for the main character which added to the interest in the story, and the themes of grief and loneliness were well interwoven. We ALL enjoyed the book. |
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By: TEKUI 002
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2022-03-30 15:27:08 |
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We LOVED this book. As it says on the cover, it was brilliant, hilarious and moving, and the characters were so real. You could never live such a lie in a small town (like Te Kuiti!). Very very well-written. A great read. |
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By: OWAKA 001
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2022-03-30 14:41:28 |
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Overall, enjoyed by everyone, despite the frustration at all the detail. We liked the way the past story was revealed at a point of crisis. |
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By: DUNED 058
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2022-03-02 13:36:23 |
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Interesting discussion although we all agreed the book was about grief rather than loneliness, and was sad rather than hilarious. |
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By: WELL 045
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2021-11-17 14:43:20 |
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Delightful book. |
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By: ASHB 016
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2021-10-27 16:13:08 |
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Most people in the group enjoyed this book and found it easy to read. Created good discussion as many hadn't even really thought about this topic. A couple of members struggled with the lies and felt he could've gotten out of it earlier. |
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By: MATAM 001
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2021-09-27 13:05:49 |
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Most of us enjoyed this book, and gained more insights into Andrew's character with the discussion. The book dealt with the details of lonely deaths in a sometimes quirky way. It also showed the results in Andrew's life, of not coming to terms with traumas of the past, which continue to have impact. But the book did have a hopeful ending. |
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By: RIVER 001
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2021-09-08 13:59:18 |
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Slow start but a good read. |
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By: AUCK 272
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2021-06-18 14:32:44 |
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An easy read with some sad lives - people dying alone. |
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By: CHCH 317
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2021-06-11 13:45:43 |
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Generally well-liked by the group. It was an intriguing subject - funerals put on by a council because family members were not a part of the deceased's circle. Grief seemed to be the main theme, with the main character, Andrew, alluding to a family that it turns out he doesn't have. Quite thought provoking! |
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By: WELL 007
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2021-05-21 12:06:34 |
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A depressing subject, most could not empathise with the protagonist. But he can write, everyone finished the book and it stimulated a lively discussion. |
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By: WANAK 008
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2021-05-13 10:08:07 |
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Most of our group enjoyed this book, full of great characters and the settings resonated with our members originally from the UK (more that half of our group!). Some found the main character's occupation an unpleasant part of the story whilst others found it to be fascinating. It promoted a good discussion regarding anxiety and other mental health issues. |
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By: AUCK 234
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2021-05-10 12:07:13 |
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Once you got into it, it was all right. Once you understood why he was like he was, you saw where the author was coming from. A light, fun read. |
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By: WHANG 015
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2021-02-22 11:35:15 |
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A nice easy read to start the year off. It makes you realise how people lose contact with friends and family so easily. |
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By: DUNED 002
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2020-11-19 13:20:11 |
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Many people thoroughly enjoyed it; some thought it one of our best reads this year. |
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