top of page

BOOK CLUB

Open to members of Whiteley WAGS WI only

 

We meet monthly to discuss our wide choice of books. 

If you are a member of our WI and would like to take part in discussions please let us know by emailing

whiteleywags@gmail.com

​

Third Monday of every month 7.30pm​​

​

image.png

​January 2025 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus​

 

For 1960's women life is simple; look after the house, care for the children, have sex on demand and the dinner ready at six! Hmmm, that's what most 1960's men seem to think anyway. But what happens if you are both beautiful and intelligent and want to do things your own way? Well, you could try presenting a live cooking show...

 

Bonnie Garmus' tongue in cheek narrative style (and the wonderful dog's point of view) belies some pretty dreadful challenges for women and people that don't quite fit the "norm". Elizabeth Zott is not worried about men, relationships or having children. She is a chemist and wants to research Abiogenesis. However, in a male dominated environment, where women exist as secretaries at best, her life is made difficult, very very difficult, and nothing goes to plan. 


By creating Elizabeth as a straight talking feminist hero, Bonnie Garmus brings much humour and many laugh out loud moments to the story. This serves to make the darker and often outrageous aspects bearable but does not diminish their impact. The novel shows us a sweeping range of injustices, towards women and those that are seen as outsiders, at the hands of men in powerful positions. Dysfunctional family life, homosexuality, religious hypocrisy and rape all feature. Elizabeth, however, is not just a survivor, she is a challenger. The chance to present a live TV show, and cast aside the directions she is given, is a catalyst for change that even Elizabeth has not envisaged. 
 

There are a few moments in the novel that don't quite ring true, even for the era in which it is set, but this was a lively story, with much to discuss, and enjoyed by our readers.


Book club score: 8.5/10

 

image.png

February - It ends with us by Colleen Hoover

image.png

March -  Wave Walker by Suzanne Heywood

april book.jpg

​April - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

May - When All is Said by Anne Griffin

June - Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

July - That Bone Setter Woman by Francis Quinn

august book.jpg

August - The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie

September - Light Over Liskeard by Louis de Bernieres

October - Songbirds by Christy Lefteri

April - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

November - A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale

December - The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

January 2026

The Strange Disappearance of Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan

Whiteley Primary School, Gull Coppice, Whiteley, PO15 7LA

Second Thursday of each month (excluding August) at 7.30pm

Email us at whiteleywags@gmail.com

© 2021by Whiteley WAGs WI 

 Created with Wix.com
 

bottom of page