As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee (1969)

 

Hove Book Group Meeting Notes: 1930s Europe Theme

Welcome to the summary of our latest Hove Book Group meeting on Thursday 15 October 2026 exploring the theme of 1930s Europe. 

Below are the summary comments from handwritten notes, and our latest recommendations.

📚 READ: As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee (1969)

Overview & Member Reviews

Laurie Lee’s classic account captures a 19-year-old leaving his Cotswold village in 1934 with a violin, a tin of biscuits, and a blanket, walking to Southampton, working in London, and then journeying across Spain.

• Nigel: Found it a magical account full of poetic sensibility where sun-baked Iberian towns are rendered in vivid detail. It operates on two levels: youthful wanderings and the political innocence of pre-war Europe on the brink of the Spanish Civil War. (9/10)
  
  
• Nick: Notes that reading it alongside George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia highlights Lee’s unique focus on the heart and soul of Spain through a naive, wide-eyed poet's perspective. It makes the sudden crash of war in 1936 feel like a total shock. (9.5/10)
  
  
• Roland: Felt it had the potential to be boring, but ultimately captured the experience of walking through Spain with a sense of the material poverty of the people he meets. Captures nature and landscape really well. The final journey back to Spain was a classic ending. (7.5/10)
  
  
• Tristan: Described it as beautiful, descriptive, and evocative. Noted some niggles on a possible incident of paedophilia, and mentioned Roy Campbell was a fascist. Lee picked up Spanish suspiciously quickly. It is however amazing, gorgeous writing, and ends on a cliffhanger. (9/10)
  
  
• Hamish: The best bit was end. Questioned how much is true. Very little happens. Appalled by the father raping his daughter and Lee nursing the rapist father who had been beaten by his wife (4/10)
  
  
• Keith: So many great descriptions and extremely evocative passages. Crazy to set out on this venture. Told in a wonderful way. (8/10)
  
  
• Robin: Romantic, beautiful, nostalgic, and an important document of a pre-industrial Spain. (8/10)
  
  

🎵 LISTEN: Best of Hot Club de France by Hot Club de France

Overview & Member Reviews

A revolutionary European string-only take on jazz (Jazz Manouche), featuring Django Reinhardt’s rhythm guitar and Stéphane Grappelli’s violin melodies.

• Nigel: Amazed at how fresh the recordings still sound. Captures the fragile beauty of the interwar period just before the storm broke through the contrast between Reinhardt and Grappelli. (8/10)
  
  
• Nick: Rhona came in and started doing the quickstep when she heard it. Grappelli is one hell of a fiddle player, but probably best to leave it now. (5/10)
  
  
• Hamish: Amazing to listen to something that is 90 years old. Happy to listen to it in a French bar, but this isn't really me so wouldn't choose to listen otherwise. (5/10)
  
  
• Tristan: Not for me despite clearly being skillfully played. Appreciates the skill and its historical significance. Jazz in general is a hard no. Inoccuous but wouldn't go out of his way to listen. (3/10)
  
  
• Roland: Was aware of Stephan & Django, but feels the music is very simplistic and ultimately absolute bollocks. Anyone could do this rudimentary stuff. (There was pushback on this assertion from the musicians in the group). (3/10)
  
  
• Robin: Likes a bit of Gypsy jazz but only in small doses. (5/10)
  
  
• Keith: Also likes a bit of Gypsy jazz and can even play a few Django tunes. Outstanding musician who carved an incredible niche but Keith has now moved on. (8/10)
  
  

🎬 WATCH: Munich: The Edge of War (2021) directed by Christian Schwochow

Overview & Member Reviews

A historical drama examining Neville Chamberlain's efforts to avoid war with Germany in 1938, blended with a fictional spy and espionage suspense narrative.

• Nigel: A bit uninspiring and too much running around in Munich. The period detail is convincing and explains Chamberlain's motivations, but the added suspense felt a bit superfluous. The strong homoerotic undertones were not explored, alas, and this was a missed opportunity. (5/10)
  
  
• Robin: I love a war film, but this is quite forgettable. Has tension, but the scriptwriter is no John le Carré. (4/10)
  
  
• Hamish: Captures the history really well and specifically Chamberlain's desire to avoid another war. (6/10)
  
  
• Roland: Clearly a pivotal moment in history, but not great drama. Spy element elevated it but was also a bit silly. Watchable enough though. (5/10)
  
  
• Tristan: Insights into political machinations and the civil service. Happy to watch it. (5/10)
  
  
• Keith: Sets and period detail were incredible. Airport thriller vibes with the jeopardy & added insights into the Civil Service of the era. (5/10)
  
  

Score Summary Table

Title / Choice	NB	NS	RM	TR	HW	KH	RF	Av. Score
📚 As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (Laurie Lee)	9	9.5	7.5	9	4	8	8	7.86
🎵 Best of Hot Club de France	8	5	3	3	5	8	5	5.29
🎬 Munich: The Edge of War	5	—	5	5	6	5	4	5.00

HBG Endorse It (11 September 2026 – 15 October 2026)

• 📚 BOOKS:
  
  
  • The Rouse by China Miéville
    
    
  • The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men by Jon Ronson
    
    
• 🎬 FILMS:
  
  
  • True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993) [Netflix]
    
    
  • Little Siberia (2025) dir. by Dome Karukoski [Netflix]
    
    
  • Diego Maradona (2019) dir. by Asif Kapadia
    
    
  • Obsession (2025)
    
    
• 📺 TELEVISION:
  
  
  • Curb Your Enthusiassm
    
    
  • Celebrity Traitors [BBC iPlayer]
    
    
• 🎵 MUSIC:
  
  
  • Andy the Dandy DJ at Paris House
    
    
• 🌐 PRIME:
  
  
  • Expats
    
    
• 🦟 FLY KILLER DEVICE:
  
  
  • Bugasalt

Change by Édouard Louis

Thursday 10 September 2026

Theme: Aspirations (Selected by Keith)

READ: Change by Édouard Louis

The group held a polarising discussion on Louis’s autofiction memoir, focusing on themes of social mobility, personal transformation, self-erasure, and the cold treatment of friends and family along the way.

• Keith: Found Louis highly motivated to transform himself, though he felt unsure about how the author felt about it and indeed how he felt about it. Found it interesting but not sure he enjoyed it. (8/10)
  
  
• Nick: Called it a "perfect book club tome". Absorbing, gripping, and fast-paced, though Louis comes across as a narcissistic, self-pitying, hypocritical social climber who treats others as stepping stones. (7/10)
  
  
• Robin: Found very little to like outside of the skillful writing. Criticised the narrator's narcissism, coldness, and lack of empathy, particularly towards his mother. Would not recommend. (2/10)
  
  
• Nigel: Loved the raw honesty and socioeconomic analysis. Praised it as an intense and very readable chronicle of social mobility, self-erasure, and manufactured identity. (9/10)
  
  
• Hamish: Enjoyed the first 30 pages, but became less enamoured as it went on, finding the author self-absorbed and unpleasant. (6/10)
  
  
• Roland: Agreed regarding Louis's unrelenting ambition, but felt it was mitigated by self-reflection, making him a rounded human being. Found it a powerful, captivating read. (8/10)
  
  
• Tristan: Noted the abject poverty of his background made for a great story, but questioned how much was fiction vs. truth. A touching coming-of-age story, though a bit repetitive. (6.5/10)
  
  

LISTEN: A Grand Don’t Come For Free by The Streets

The album received overwhelmingly positive reviews for its storytelling, relatability, and emotional depth, with a few dissenting views on its listening experience.

• Nick: "Urgent and magnificent." Called Mike Skinner a genius and highlighted "Dry Your Eyes" as a desperate, classic love song. (9.27/10)
  
  
• Robin: Found it beautifully written, original, touching, and empathetic. (9/10)
  
  
• Nigel: Called it an enduring landmark UK album that expertly captures male heartbreak and relatable everyday vignettes. (8/10)
  
  
• Hamish: Didn't really get it despite acknowledging Skinner as a brilliant storyteller. (6/10)
  
  
• Keith: Had never heard The Streets before. Enjoyed the lack of aspiration related to the broader theme and thought it was done really well. (9/10)
  
  
• Tristan: Had always hated the album previously. Found it still grates, yet he was able to enjoy and appreciate it much more this time. (5/10)
  
  
• Roland: Like Tristan, was deeply skeptical, but was "blinded by the light" which  resulted in an unlikely  "Damascene conversion." (6/10)
  
  

WATCH: Sorry We Missed You (Dir. Ken Loach)

The film provoked strong reactions regarding its heavy, polemical nature and themes of bleakness versus social realism.

• Nick: Could not watch due to no internet following a move, but looks forward to seeing it.
  
  
• Robin: Did not watch.
  
  
• Nigel: A powerful rewatch. Noted that Ken Loach remains the master of hard-hitting polemics, though legal changes have thankfully reduced some of the delivery practices depicted. (7/10)
  
  
• Hamish: A very bleak film with very little positivity, where characters suffered as a consequence. (4/10)
  
  
• Keith: So-so bleak with very little positivity. (9/10)
  
  
• Roland: Thought there were just too many bad things one after another. An important political film, but felt like pure misery. (5/10)
  
  
• Tristan: Agreed it was a relentless portrayal of misery. Felt it was "too much," yet important and timely. (6/10)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ENDORSE IT  

  
  

  HBG endorse it: Thursday 31st July 2026 - 10 September 2026

  
  

  PODCAST 

  Shadow World - Breaking The Cycle (BBC Radio 4)

  Isle of Wight Festival The Reunion (BBC Radio 4)

  
  

  BOOK

  I Hear a New World (2026) by Alan Moore

  Ragtime by EL Doctorow 

  
  

  FILM 

  The Odyssey (Christopher Nolan 2026)

  No Other Choice (Dir by Park Chan-wook) (Mubi) 

  
  

  FESTIVAL

  We Out Here 

  Shambala

  
  

  MUSIC

  Nick Cave in Preston Park

  
  

  TELEVISION 

  Two Weeks In August (BBC)

  
  

  
  

River of Shadows by Rebecca Solnit

Hove Book Group - Meeting Notes (Thursday 30 July 2026)

Theme: California 

Choosing: Tristan

READ: River of Shadows by Rebecca Solnit

Summary: Mixed reactions to Solnit’s broad, essayistic style. While members appreciated the insights into how 19th-century California shaped modern technology and speed, many felt it was overly dense, repetitive, and lacked detail about Eadweard Muybridge's actual character.

Scores and Comments:

• Tristan (7/10): Wanted a non-fiction book and got it, though it could have been half the length. Too dense with too much detail, but loved the final chapter pulling together how we accelerate into the future.

• Robin (8/10): Broadly liked it. Described it as a collection of science, geography, photography, etc. Felt there was too much repetition and Solnit stayed too long in Nob Hill.

• Nigel (6/10): Found it dense, but noted fascinating insights on time/space changes, the Silicon Valley origin story, and cinema. Felt Muybridge was a ghost in his own biography.

• Nick (8/10): Fascinating time; San Francisco was quite the place during the 1870s. Found the Stanford relationship pivotal. A lovely, really great book.

• Keith (6/10): A good choice. A fascinating time brought alive, though not as taken by the style due to too much detail and repetition.

• Hamish (0/10): Found it repetitive, dense, and a struggle. Noted very little detail on Muybridge's character. Neither enjoyed nor appreciated it.

• Roland (7/10): Thought-provoking biography looking at tech impacts on space and time. Questioned if Solnit was too reductionist regarding Muybridge's early head injury. Speculation over Roland's unusually succinct and incomplete review 

  
  

  
  

LISTEN: The Rest is History (Episode 61: California)

Summary: Generally low to moderate marks. Members noted it served as an accessible broad-brush introduction to California's rapid historical growth, but found it lacked depth and jumped around too much.

Scores and Comments:

• Tristan (5/10): Listens to a lot of episodes and likes it, but found the execution too much. Too much jumping around despite some staggering stats.

• Nigel (5/10): Solid companion piece to the book. Covers themes of reinvention, rapid growth, and environmental/indigenous devastation in an accessible format but a poor example of this usually excellent podcast.

• Keith (2/10): Doesn't know the podcast and was not impressed. Found it sickening to listen to.

• Robin (3/10): Deeply disappointing as they are usually so interesting and authoritative.

• Hamish (1/10): Not a fan of podcasts in general. Felt you cannot cover California's history in an hour and found the details scant with annoying adverts.

  Nick (4/10): Big fan of the podcast but felt this was not up to the usual standard despite a few interesting insights

  
  

WATCH: Nope (2022, Dir. Jordan Peele)

Summary: Strongly divided opinions. Some members praised its ambitious themes on spectacle and monetisation, while others found it silly, disconnected, or nonsense.

Scores and Comments:

• Tristan (5/10): A silly film and ridiculous. Found no connection to Solnit's book, sadly. Asked "What was the point?" and was very disappointed.

• Nick (9/10): Loved it! Thought it was great. Loved the alien and loved the tree part. Enjoyable for everyone.

• Nigel (9/10): Brilliant, genre-bending sci-fi horror spectacle. Appreciated the thematic commentary on collective addiction to monetisation and attention.

• Keith (6/10): Thought it was too much nonsense despite being good fun. Initially depressing, but liked the inventiveness.

• Robin (2/10): Completely pointless, but had some good elements and a great setup. Complete nonsense.

3. 
   

HBG endorse it: 26 June 2026 - Thursday 30th July 2026

FILM 

The Odyssey (Christopher Nolan 2026)

TV

Ann Droid (BBC)

BOOK

Roots, Radicals and Rockers by Billy Bragg

THEATRE 

Loves Labours Lost at The Globe

MUSIC

Temptations/Four Tops at Love Supreme

Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley

*THEME: Soho*

READ: Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley

LISTEN: London Conversation by John Martyn

WATCH: The Small World Of Sammy Lee

Thursday 25th June 2026

📖 Book: Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley

Overall Sentiment: Disappointed overall, with a shared feeling that it was an over-convoluted or fragmented ensemble piece that didn't live up to its potential, despite one higher score.

Individual Reviews & Ratings

• Keith (8/10): Thought it was "mad but all serves a purpose". Noted that Soho is a melting pot, liked the political dimension, but felt the chapters were too short and perhaps too fragmented. He did also observe it contained "extreme characters & improbable narratives".

• Tristan (6/10): Saw both positive elements and potential, but felt that potential was mainly unrealised. He noted that the characters were underdeveloped, and while there were some good observations and it was an easy read, there were too many quick changes. He questioned the genre ("What was it? Realism or Magic Realism? Choose a lane & stick to it"), called it "chick lit adjacent?", but overall enjoyed it.

• Hamish (6/10): Went into it feeling positive because he liked Fiona Mozley's first book, Elmet . However, he noted it had "limited characters," he found it very varied, and ultimately concluded, "Didn't get much out of it" 

• Nick (5/10): Stated, "I like books like this," but remarked that an author needs to be skilled to successfully pull off this type of ensemble piece. He felt all the characters had potential.

• Nigel (5/10): Disappointed and called it an unnecessarily convoluted mess and a missed opportunity. Critiqued the anachronistic 2020s setting for a walk-up brothel/squat, character overload (around 20 disparate characters), tonal misfires regarding sex work, and a "very silly" ending.

• Roland (4/10): Noted a "motley cast of characters," highlighting the leads Agatha, Precious, and Tabitha. He called the journey down the M1 "one of the worst scenes in the book". He felt it had echoes of Mythago Wood and admitted he "felt guilty about inflicting it on the group, despite it being not quite that bad". While he liked the Soho setting, he concluded that it didn't deliver on its promise and suffered from underdeveloped characters.

• Robin (3/10): "Doesn't have much to say" but fondly recalled his own infrequent "visits to Soho strip shows". Read only 81 pages and so did not finish it, but still noted that he "enjoyed" what he read

  
  

🎵 Album: London Conversation by John Martyn

Overall Sentiment: Largely dismissed as a basic, overly simple, or dated acoustic debut, with the notable exception of Nick, who loved it until the instrumentation changed.

Individual Reviews & Ratings

• Nick (10/10): Thought it was "Great! Until the sitar"

• Roland (7/10): Loves John Martyn and has seen him live. Described his music as an innovative fusion. Regarding this debut, he liked it and thought the talent was obvious, though it wasn't exceptional.

• Nigel (5/10): An enjoyable if "folk-by-numbers" debut. Noted great guitar picking but found it basic compared to his masterpiece, Solid Air.

• Robin (4/10): Found it a "bit samey".

• Hamish (3/10): Terse review: "Blokes with acoustic guitars? No thanks"

• Keith (3/10): Criticised it for repetitive vocals, using the same chords, and being "too earnest". Concluded that it was "dull" and he "don't connect with it"

• Tristan (0/10): Only managed to hear half a song until Tamar told him to turn this fucking shit off now. He dismissed it outright as "twiddly folky shite"

  
  

🎬 Film: The Small World of Sammy Lee

Overall Sentiment: A massive hit with the group, highly praised for its evocative period accuracy, grime, and atmosphere, though Tristan found it dropped off heavily.

Individual Reviews & Ratings

• Nick (10/10): Noted there were lots of clichés (e.g. horse race radio commentary) but found it very evocative, watchable, and beautifully "melancholy" 

• Nigel (8/10): A "little gem." Loved the opening sequence, the jazz soundtrack, Anthony Newley's manic energy, and Wolfgang Suschitzky’s striking black-and-white cinematography. Noted it perfectly captured a raw, pre-pop-explosion Soho underbelly of stale tobacco and spilt beer

• Roland (8/10): Thought it gave "great insights into the area, the era, and the milieu". He loved it, calling it "top notch" and describing the character of Sammy as "charming but flawed"

• Robin (8/10): Pronounced it "the best of the three choices" and found it amusing

• Keith (7/10): Found it to have "loads of period detail," calling it very enjoyable and a "great watch" 

• Tristan (4.5/10): Liked the "great opening" and loved the period detail, but felt the film "went rapidly downhill" and left him feeling bored and irritated 

• Hamish (No Score): WTF! Didn't watch!

Summary of Ratings At-A-Glance

Member	Hot Stew (Book)	London Conversation (Album)	The Small World of Sammy Lee (Film)
Nick	5/10	10/10 (pre-sitar)	10/10
Keith	8/10	3/10	7/10
Nigel	5/10	5/10	8/10
Roland	4/10	7/10	8/10
Robin	3/10 (DNF)	4/10	8/10
Tristan	6/10	0/10	4.5/10
Hamish	6/10	3/10	Did not watch

ENDORSE IT  

HBG endorse it: 29 May 2026-25 June 2026

MUSIC

Little Wide Open by Kevin Morby

BOOKS

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

FILM 

Bring Them Down (BBC iPlayer)

TV

Jon Snow: A Last Big Story (Channel 4)