Blackbirds 2022 (set)

Leesniveau: C: adult adultreader

Schooltype: VO bovenbouw havo/vwo (4 havo, 5 havo, 4 vwo, 5 vwo, 6 vwo)

Leeftijdscategorie: 16 -18 jaar

Blackbirds zijn speciaal geselecteerde Engelse leesboeken van topauteurs. Je kunt ze lezen voor je lijst of gewoon voor jezelf. Elk schooljaar verschijnt een nieuwe set van drie Blackbirds, maar je kunt ook zelf een eigen keuzepakket samenstellen. De Blackbirds zijn afgestemd op de niveaus van Novellist. Deze boeken zijn geschikt voor de leeslijst voor de bovenbouw havo/vwo.

Inhoud set

• Richard Osman - The Thursday Murder Club
• Jane Austen - Emma
• Bethan Roberts - My policeman

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB: Auteur Richard Osman, leesniveau C1

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?

Review

The Thursday Murder Club really is a gentle, entertaining and cosy read, the perfect ‘curl-up-by-the-fire’ on a cold Winter’s evening book. Much of the crime fiction that is currently on the market is fast-paced, heart-pounding and, ofttimes, quite gruesome. You will not find this here in Richard Osman’s first outing. The Thursday Murder Club is a real pleasure to read. It provides much-needed light reading during these very strange days. It is a return to the Agatha Christie style of crime fiction that will be very welcome on the bedside locker of many a reader.

Bron: Mairéad Hearne via The Thursday Murder Club | Richard Osman | Review | Swirl and Thread

EMMA: Auteur Jane Austen, leesniveau B2

With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen’s most flawless work. Beautiful, clever, rich and single Emma Woodhouse is content with her life and sees no need for love or marriage. However, she enjoys interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of Mr. Knightley and tries to arrange a match for Harriet Smith, her plans unravel and have consequences that she never expected.

Review

The plot was amusing and engaging and I genuinely found it a real page-turner. Despite the fact that Austen narrates their drama with a slight tone of sarcasm I still felt like I connected with the characters and actually cared what happened to them. I even liked Miss Bates, the annoying aunt of Jane Fairfax who had sunk from prosperity into unfortunate circumstances. The romance aspect to it was one of the reasons that I loved it so much; I really wanted the characters to figure out who was engaged to who because as the reader I already knew. It was exciting and fun and made Emma overall light-hearted and a joy to read from beginning to end.

Bron: Emma by Jane Austen – review | Children's books | The Guardian

MY POLICEMAN: Auteur Bethan Roberts, leesniveau B2

It is in 1950s’ Brighton that Marion first catches sight of Tom. He teaches her to swim in the shadow of the pier and Marion is smitten - determined her love will be enough for them both. A few years later in Brighton Museum Patrick meets Tom. Patrick is besotted with Tom and opens his eyes to a glamorous, sophisticated new world. Tom is their policeman, and in this age it is safer for him to marry Marion. The two lovers must share him, until one of them breaks and three lives are destroyed.