Pure Fiction [Paperback]

Julie Highmore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Highmore's addictive second novel, set in Oxford, is basically a literary soap opera. When Bronwen, the local librarian, starts a reading group, she has no idea that her enrollees are there for reasons other than a thirst for literature. Ed is a househusband who simply wants to get out one night a week. Kate, a fortyish and unattached furniture restorer, is looking for someone new. Bob is literally pushed to join by his wife, who thinks his retirement has left him too much time at home. Advertising exec Zoe needs something to take her mind off her increasingly kinky affair with a member of Parliament. She drags along her friend, Gideon, who has recently landed on her doorstep. As the months pass, this quirky cast of characters plays a grown-up game of musical chairs, becoming involved with one another in odd combinations. Ostensibly about novels, the book meetings quickly turn to gossip and mayhem, as Highmore manages to combine Northern Exposure and Rosamunde Pilcher with hilarious results. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'This quick and enjoyable read is written in a refreshingly subtle understated style. It's perfect if you are looking for something light for a few hours of indulgent escapism' Daily Record -- Daily Record 20040118

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755306074
• ISBN-13: 978-0755306077
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,213,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure Fiction is Pure Fun, September 17, 2004

By 

C. M. Coyne (Mansfield, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pure Fiction (Hardcover)

A fun read full of romance and humor. One gets to know the members of a book group and to follow the characters' lives in the course of a year. All of them seem to be seeking a connection - either friendship or love and there are some surprising developments. There's not too much discussion about the books in their book group - but one might still get some ideas for great reads. Fun chick lit!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute, May 6, 2005

By 

E. Northrop (MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pure Fiction (Hardcover)

Cute book. Admittedly it took me half the book to warm up to the stories and keep everyone straight - the author jumps from paragraph to paragraph with each different character. I thought the end was a bit anticlimactic.