'The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.'

In 1800, England was a country of small towns, tenant farmers, and landless labourers, where political power was held by a land-based, hereditary aristocracy. By 1900, it had transformed into the world's most industrialised and most urban nation, dominated by an energetic and enfranchised middle class, and the centre of a global empire. These changes were expressed in an immense boom of a specific kind of fiction, the novel of contemporary life. Flexible, with an unparalleled range of linguistic registers, techniques, and characters, and a breadth of subject unrivalled in other forms of art or literature, the novels of Austen, Dickens, Eliot and their peers reflected and created vivid other worlds which continue to move, thrill, and entertain us two centuries later.

Location: Maison des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Starting time: 7:15 pm sharp
Presenter: Carla

Format:
Part 1: presenter(s) provide a short overview of the pre-selected books, highlighting some of the reviews and critics and other relevant background. Members who have read any of the books can contribute.
Part 2: participants are invited to introduce any book that they would like to recommend and provide a short overview thereof (on a voluntarily basis).
Part 3: participants vote to select the book to be discussed in one of the upcoming book discussion meetings.
We look forward to seeing you all!

Upcoming events: https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/future
Past events: https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/_past
Presentation slides (current year):
https://www.genevainternationalbookclub.com/post/slides-2025