Saturday Samplers Book Group Discusses Stories by Hilary Mantel

Bernardsville Library’s book group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, April 7 at 11:00 am to discuss "The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher: Stories" (2014) by Hilary Mantel. [The author will not be present.]

Hilary Mantel is one of Britain's most accomplished and acclaimed writers. The author of many novels and a memoir, she is the two-time winner of the Man Booker Prize for her bestselling novels "Wolf Hall" and its sequel, "Bring Up the Bodies," both of which were adapted to the stage by The Royal Shakespeare company and to television by BBC/Masterpiece Theatre.

"The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher" is a collection of ten stories. In them, all her gifts of characterization and observation are fully engaged and her penetrating characterization, unsparing eye, and rascally intelligence are fully on display. Stories of dislocation and family fracture, of whimsical infidelities and sudden deaths with sinister causes, brilliantly unsettle the reader in an unmistakably Mantel way. Whether set in a claustrophobic Saudi Arabian flat or on a precarious mountain road on a Greek island, these stories share an insight into the darkest recesses of the spirit. Displaying all of Mantel's unmistakable style and wit, they reveal a great writer at the peak of her powers.

Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and sometimes overlooked literary and narrative works. No sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.