This Modern Novels Group is for members interested in reading and discussing contemporary works of fiction The group is small (no more than twelve members), encouraging participation in a relaxed and friendly environment. Meetings are held monthly in members' homes, when, following a brief introductory review by a member of the group, the selected book is discussed.

Our group’s final meeting of 2025 was attended by eleven members - almost a full complement - plus an invited guest. Consequently, there was much shuffling of chairs to accommodate everyone before the meeting could begin. It was an interesting meeting and also very enjoyable, despite the ‘unChristmassy’ book we were discussing: Year of Wonders, a first novel by an Australian-born journalist, Geraldine Brooks. Her book painstakingly re-creates 17th century England, based on the true story of Eyam, the ‘Plague Village’, in Derbyshire’s rugged hill country, which quarantines itself to arrest the spread of the devastating bubonic plague. Our thoughts returned to COVID restrictions.

Attendance at meetings has continued to flourish and this year’s choices have already generated some very interesting and lively discussions. We kicked off this year with P D James’s dystopian novel, The Children of Men. This book, a departure from James’s usual writing, was published in 1992 and is set in 2021. Worryingly, we recognised a number of unsettling parallels in today’s society.
In complete contrast, in February, we discussed The Red Notebook, a novella written by a French author, Antoine Laurain, a prize-winning novelist, screenwriter and antiques collector. The central character is a bookshop owner in Paris, whose life changes forever when he finds a woman’s handbag abandoned on the top of a rubbish bin on a Parisian street. It’s a charming book, well worth reading and you’ll discover how his life changes.
In March we discussed one of Jojo Moyes’ novels Someone Else's Shoes, a character-driven story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances. It asks who you are when you are forced to walk in someone else's shoes.
April’s book, Disgrace by J M Coetzee, won the Booker prize in 1999 and in 2003 Coetzee was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Disgrace is a powerful and unsettling novel that explores themes of masculinity, power dynamics, and the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa. Although most of us had read it years ago, we appreciated the opportunity for a second reading of this multi-layered, classic novel.
Two very different books have been chosen for our May and June meetings: Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid and The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier. I’m sure that both these books will generate interesting discussions.
Celia Harris

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