Transatlantic Red Deers A few months ago a casual internet search alerted us to the town of Red Deer in Alberta, Canada. Further enquiries revealed that the Public Library hosts a dynamic and active book group, the Fireside Readers. An exploratory email and discussions on both sides of the Atlantic sparked an idea. What would happen if we chose a book each for both groups to read? Even more discussion followed and in the end two books, a novel and a non-fiction story were chosen. The Sheffield based Red Deer Readers looked for something with local interest and chose 'Black Diamonds' by Catherine Bailey, the story of the Fitzwilliam family of Wentworth House in South Yorkshire, one of the wealthiest aristocratic families in England in the early 20th century. Their fortune was made from coal - the Black Diamonds of the title - and the book tells of their descent into acrimony and scandal. Over in Red Deer, the Fireside Readers offered us a choice of two books and we settled on 'The Day the Falls Stood Still' by Cathy Marie Buchanan. The story of 17 year old Bess Heath, who has led a sheltered existence as the younger daughter of the director of the Niagara Power Company, meets Tom Cole by chance on a trolley platform, and finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. Social class, family tensions and the dawn of hydro-electricity combine in the Canadian author's debut novel. Come back after our September and October meetings to compare the groups' views of these two books.

Site Map