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Pure Fiction
When the local library starts a reading group, Ed is the first to sign up. He is soon joined by Kate, Zoe, Bob, Donna, and Gideon. As the reading circle draws its members into an unlikely community, the plots become increasingly outlandish, and their lives grow ever more entwined.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2003
About the author
Julie Highmore
18 books67 followersAfter having her three children, Julie became a mature student at first Westminster College, then Oxford Brookes University, where she gained a degree in English. As part of the course, she studied creative writing with Philip Pullman, who encouraged her to continue with her writing after graduation. This she did, and her published work includes nine rom-com novels, and more recently, a crime fiction series for The Book Folks. The Missing American - the first in the series - features the somewhat flawed, Oxford-based private investigator, Edie Fox; a single mother and very young grandmother who inadvertently gets her precious family caught up in her first big case. Although her recent novels have ventured into some dark places, Julie manages to inject humour into the stories without diminishing the danger of situations Edie finds herself in.
Between graduating and becoming a published author, Julie taught English as a foreign language, and for several years was a reader for Oxford University Press’s Children’s Books.
She enjoys music, binge-watching a good TV series, country strolls, doing the New York Times crossword, and hanging out with her husband and ever-expanding family. With two Edie books now in production and a third following in Spring 2023, Julie is hoping to continue with the series while also exploring other crime-fiction paths.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 4, 2019
Lettura scanzonata e scacciapensieri, a tratti piacevolmente surreale alla maniera di Alexander McCall Smith di 44 Scotland Street.
Dai, ogni tanto ci vuole!
Dai, ogni tanto ci vuole!
March 30, 2014
I can sum this book up in three words:
Boring Beyond Belief.
The characters were boring, their stories were boring, the writing was boring, the whole thing was just boring. There were multiple times where I considered just putting it down and walking away and never picking it up again, but I just went ahead and read it all because "might as well." And, as a result, I have not been affected by this book. I do not have a changed perspective on life, and I am none the wiser about anything.
I did not get attached at all to any of the characters. There were times they didn't feel real to me. And whenever they acted prejudiced I could never tell whether it was the actual characters doing so, or the author herself letting her biases leak into her book. Either way, I cared not a cent for what happened to any of them and was really quite glad when the book ended and I could stop reading about them.
Their stories were so very dull - literally nothing happened. They all just gossiped with each other while they went about doing dull domestic things, and after every little snippet of each character's life I would end up thinking "Why were we shown this? Nothing happened. What I just read is pointless and does nothing to move the plot (or lack of it) along."
It isn't exactly a bad book. I'm sure there are some people who'd like it, and I'm sure it could entertain you if there was literally nothing else for you to amuse yourself with. But really, I wouldn't recommend it.
Boring Beyond Belief.
The characters were boring, their stories were boring, the writing was boring, the whole thing was just boring. There were multiple times where I considered just putting it down and walking away and never picking it up again, but I just went ahead and read it all because "might as well." And, as a result, I have not been affected by this book. I do not have a changed perspective on life, and I am none the wiser about anything.
I did not get attached at all to any of the characters. There were times they didn't feel real to me. And whenever they acted prejudiced I could never tell whether it was the actual characters doing so, or the author herself letting her biases leak into her book. Either way, I cared not a cent for what happened to any of them and was really quite glad when the book ended and I could stop reading about them.
Their stories were so very dull - literally nothing happened. They all just gossiped with each other while they went about doing dull domestic things, and after every little snippet of each character's life I would end up thinking "Why were we shown this? Nothing happened. What I just read is pointless and does nothing to move the plot (or lack of it) along."
It isn't exactly a bad book. I'm sure there are some people who'd like it, and I'm sure it could entertain you if there was literally nothing else for you to amuse yourself with. But really, I wouldn't recommend it.
January 26, 2022
Mi aspettavo di meglio. La copertina, il titolo e la trama ti illudono che possa essere un bel libro originale ma così non è, almeno per me. E' scritto bene, ma è molto piatto. Di fatto, succede ben poco. Ci ho messo molto a leggerlo perchè non mi ha preso. Non avevo quasi più voglia di andare avanti; l'ho fatto solo perchè odio non finire i libri una volta iniziati. Finisce dopo trecento pagine, ma potrebbe finire da un momento all'altro e non ti accorgeresti della differenza. Un libro leggero, fin troppo... mi aspettavo qualcosa di più.
December 1, 2015
"Solo narrativa, proporrei" aveva detto Bronwen, e tutti noi avevamo aderito. Poi, per qualche motivo, aveva chiesto a me di scegliere il primo libro. "L'Ulisse" avevo risposto all'istante. "Mi sono sempre riproposto di leggerlo".
Si era levato un generale mormorio di insoddisfazione e solo sei persone si erano ripresentate a casa di Zoe il martedì dopo, una delle quali - Bronwen - era arrivata a pagina 83 e si era presa un meritato applauso. E siccome al momento non c'era ancora molto di cui parlare, Zoe aveva suggerito di fare una partita a Taboo, e ci eravamo divertiti. Probabilmente a molti di noi non sarebbe dispiaciuto giocare a Taboo tutte le settimane.
Ho trovato questo libro in biblioteca, attratta dalla copertina. Leggendo la trama, le premesse non erano poi così male: Ed, casalingo con figlia a carico, decide di unirsi ad un gruppo di lettura per cercare un po' di svago.
La sua storia s'intreccia con quella degli altri partecipanti, facendo sì che questo gruppo di lettura diventi qualcosa di più.
Non sapevo se dare una stella e mezzo o due, ma alla fine ho pensato che ho letto di peggio. Il problema di questo libro, secondo me, sono i personaggi piatti (alcuni personalmente non mi hanno proprio detto nulla).
E' un romanzo adatto per una lettura leggera (e non pretende nemmeno di essere di più di questo, chiaro).
Un'altra cosa
Si era levato un generale mormorio di insoddisfazione e solo sei persone si erano ripresentate a casa di Zoe il martedì dopo, una delle quali - Bronwen - era arrivata a pagina 83 e si era presa un meritato applauso. E siccome al momento non c'era ancora molto di cui parlare, Zoe aveva suggerito di fare una partita a Taboo, e ci eravamo divertiti. Probabilmente a molti di noi non sarebbe dispiaciuto giocare a Taboo tutte le settimane.
Ho trovato questo libro in biblioteca, attratta dalla copertina. Leggendo la trama, le premesse non erano poi così male: Ed, casalingo con figlia a carico, decide di unirsi ad un gruppo di lettura per cercare un po' di svago.
La sua storia s'intreccia con quella degli altri partecipanti, facendo sì che questo gruppo di lettura diventi qualcosa di più.
Non sapevo se dare una stella e mezzo o due, ma alla fine ho pensato che ho letto di peggio. Il problema di questo libro, secondo me, sono i personaggi piatti (alcuni personalmente non mi hanno proprio detto nulla).
E' un romanzo adatto per una lettura leggera (e non pretende nemmeno di essere di più di questo, chiaro).
Un'altra cosa
March 6, 2011
I actually chose this book on a whim because it had cupcakes on the front of it! I found out that the cupcakes had nothing to do with the story :(. Overall it was a very easy, very quick read, but it didn't really go anywhere. The ending just felt like a random page out of the middle of the novel and there was no real resolution to any of the problems in the novel. Overall, read it only if you actually have a cupcake...or two....or three....or twenty (you'll need them to get through this).
September 2, 2012
I bought this book about eight years ago, when my local library was selling off box-loads of books that hadn't been taken out in over a year...I think it was 50p! I really enjoy reading this book, at least once a year probably. It's quite a clever story that links the main characters well, but it is also quite a simple/gentle read. The characters have just enough depth, and the plot is mostly believable. Definitely a recommended read.
January 15, 2013
Really didn't like this book at all - there wasn't a lot of point to the story and I didn't find any of the characters particuarly likeable or that you could empathise with. For example, I wasn't sure if you were supposed to sympathise with Ed for having a wife who was cheating on him or be annoyed with him for sponging off Kate and being a bit pathetic. As per other reviews - I was very glad when I finished it and nearly gave up halfway through!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2013
What happens when seven strangers, all needing an escape from their lives, join a new literary book group? Since most of the participants are primarily interested in getting out for a night, the discussions often stray very far from the books. Set in Oxford, you get a strong sense of British expressions and customs as they chat about their relationships and lifestyles. While it might be a book that brings them together, there are other things that bring them closer.
June 26, 2022
Pure Fiction depicts the interwoven (often sexual!) relationships of the members of a new book group. The story unfolds at a fast pace with minimal character development, so it isn’t a particularly thought-provoking or engaging read. It felt like the author had amalgamated a number of comic ideas gathered over the years, prioritising them over the integrity of the story, but it is a relaxing tale and made me laugh out loud on a few occasions.
June 28, 2012
I almost gave up on this in the first thirty pages, but ended up sticking with it. A light, mostly enjoyable read. There really wasn't much to the story; just about the people in a reading circle, and how by the end their lives were all intertwined.
I quite liked Kate and Ed and Duggie; and loved how everyone all got on to Ross at the end. :)
I quite liked Kate and Ed and Duggie; and loved how everyone all got on to Ross at the end. :)
May 5, 2022
A fun, easy read. I really liked it--meaning 4 stars, but i reserve 4 stars for books of substance i really like. Reading this book will not change your life outlook in any significant way, or at all. A fun, easy read is it.
July 22, 2022
Хороший роман, не дающий заскучать. Приправленное английским юмором, повествование не наскучивает и идёт легко и плавно. Кроме того, эта книга расширяет литературный кругозор — я открыла для себя 10+ новых авторов и произведений.
April 10, 2018
English writer, cute story
August 24, 2021
Quirky and charming in its own right, but I am not really sure how much value I drew from reading this.
June 16, 2011
Mi aspettavo sicuramente qualcosa di diverso, ma in compenso ho letto un romanzo fresco, divertente, diretto. Tanti personaggi, tanti problemi comuni ed un circolo di lettura al centro di tutto. Un circolo che è terapia di gruppo, che è evasione dalla realtà ma che dalla realtà trae poi profitto, trasformando le vite di ognuno dei personaggi in piccoli romanzi e trasformando lo stesso circolo in una comunità di amici con intrecci amorosi e problemi di tutti i giorni, piccoli o grandi che siano.
Interessante la struttura della trama, fatta di spezzoni e continui cambi di ambientazione. Per non far torto a nessuno, la scrittrice inserisce caratteristiche dei tempi nostri nei personaggi, ben definiti. Dal politico bastardo all'uomo casalingo, dalla povera disgraziata alla donna arrivista. Insomma interessante il microcosmo che si va formando attorno al circolo, pieno di sentimenti ed errori, in cui i libri sono protagonisti silenziosi delle vite dei loro lettori. Consigliato vivamente.
Interessante la struttura della trama, fatta di spezzoni e continui cambi di ambientazione. Per non far torto a nessuno, la scrittrice inserisce caratteristiche dei tempi nostri nei personaggi, ben definiti. Dal politico bastardo all'uomo casalingo, dalla povera disgraziata alla donna arrivista. Insomma interessante il microcosmo che si va formando attorno al circolo, pieno di sentimenti ed errori, in cui i libri sono protagonisti silenziosi delle vite dei loro lettori. Consigliato vivamente.
February 21, 2009
The characters were rather predictable, and there wasn't a single one that I really felt sympathy for.
Basically, it's about a reading group that gets together every week or so to discuss a new book. There's the handsome house husband whose wife is having an affair, the woman who had babies two young and then get pregnant again but has hopes for college, the skinny bitch who is having an affair with a horny married man who actually impregnates the aforementioned pregnant woman, the empty nester, the obnoxious college professor... I won't go on. None of the individual stories grabbed me. I was actually kind of disgusted at the unemotional sex (nothing graphic though), and Gideon's gluttony.
The best part was the happy ending. I don't know who was happier, me or the characters.
Basically, it's about a reading group that gets together every week or so to discuss a new book. There's the handsome house husband whose wife is having an affair, the woman who had babies two young and then get pregnant again but has hopes for college, the skinny bitch who is having an affair with a horny married man who actually impregnates the aforementioned pregnant woman, the empty nester, the obnoxious college professor... I won't go on. None of the individual stories grabbed me. I was actually kind of disgusted at the unemotional sex (nothing graphic though), and Gideon's gluttony.
The best part was the happy ending. I don't know who was happier, me or the characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2011
This book was about a book club over in England. The characters were very diverse: Ed (a stay-home dad), Bronwyn (the librarian), Zoe (having an affair with a married politician), Donna (a single mom of two who desparately wants to go back to school), Bob (semi-retired; wife suggests he join to get him out and about), Kate (a single mom to a teenager; interested in Ed), and Gideon (Zoe's roommate). The book follows these characters for about a year, so we see how the lives of the characters change and intersect in even more ways. It was interesting to see how the characters grew to know each other--and to become some of the most important people in each other's lives.
September 2, 2012
Con questi libri un po' frivoli la delusione è sempre dietro l'angolo... ed in effetti questo è un libro che ho trovato davvero noioso, piatto, tante pagine per dire niente. Perchè è davvero niente quello che mi ha lasciato.
Un poco credibile gruppo di lettura (in pratica nessuno finisce mai un libro ma ne parlano comunque), personaggi piatti di cui leggiamo qualche vicenda qua e là, alcune si intrecciano e poi non parliamo del finale davvero impensabile.
Un poco credibile gruppo di lettura (in pratica nessuno finisce mai un libro ma ne parlano comunque), personaggi piatti di cui leggiamo qualche vicenda qua e là, alcune si intrecciano e poi non parliamo del finale davvero impensabile.
July 28, 2014
puro chic-lit. é uma obra divertida, com um humor tipicamente britânico; o problema é que por vezes não sabemos bem quem é o narrador da história, pois passa de uma personagem para outra sem aviso. a autora deveria ter tido mais cuidado na elaboração da trama. gostei particularmente do Ed e do Gideon, mas a personagem Donna é uma das mais irritantes que encontrei na literatura.
July 31, 2014
I thought it was one of the worst books I have ever read. I didn't like how the chapters where from different character's points of view. It would have been fine except for the fact that there so many characters. I didn't like any of the characters. There was so much drama. It was to much for me personally. Maybe other people think it is good but it is just not the book for me.
October 29, 2016
I was hoping to like this book because it was about different people with different backgrounds who are in a book club. But I didn't like the fact that half the time it was hard for me to figure out who was speaking. Plus there were a lot of profanity, which I did not care for. Although I liked a few of the characters, overall this is one of the worst books I've ever read.
August 22, 2010
It was fiction. It was definitely not pure.
I grabbed this at the library to take camping. I wanted an easy book, and it looked fun because it was supposedly about a book group. Mostly it's about the book group members' sex lives, etc. I did like most of the characters.
I grabbed this at the library to take camping. I wanted an easy book, and it looked fun because it was supposedly about a book group. Mostly it's about the book group members' sex lives, etc. I did like most of the characters.
November 15, 2010
Due stelle sono un giudizio troppo severo, tre stelle un po' eccessivo. E' un libro leggerino, carino, un romanzo d'evasione con aspirazioni colte che si legge in un momento in cui non si ha voglia di pensare
October 8, 2012
Una bella storia, dove gli appassionati di lettura si possono riconoscere; i troppi personaggi però mi hanno fatto fare un pò di confusione, a metà libro ho cominciato ad avere le idee chiare su chi fosse la voce narrante tra un paragrafo all'altro.
April 18, 2009
This book was sort of weird to me. I liked the book club idea, but it sort of just meandered along. Not a bad book, but not really spectacular.
May 21, 2015
I actually DNF'ed this.
September 22, 2013
Frothy concoction about a reading group. Slightly amusing; qualifies as chicklit.
November 25, 2013
This is one of those books that gets better as it goes along. It's about a book club in Great Britain.
Read
August 30, 2016Cute book, interesting plot and well written. An enjoyable light British read.
February 5, 2014
good book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews