This month, Brunch Book Club is unapologetically Irish.
It’s March. St Patrick’s Day is in the diary. We’re reading Maggie O’Farrell. Subtlety was never really on the cards when it comes to a girl named TaraGH.
Your March choice is Land, which takes us to Ireland in 1865, where a father and son are mapping a country still living with the aftermath of the Great Hunger. Expect family, memory, buried treasure, persistent ghosts and a particularly loyal dog. An excellent contribution from the dog community.
We’re taking the opportunity to celebrate Irish storytelling and spend some time with the history beneath it: land, language, occupation and the question of who gets to put a place—and its people—on the map.
How does a family carry the past? What does a landscape remember? And what happens when the official version leaves rather a lot out?
We’ll get into it together during our online discussion, then head to Paradise Green in Bishopsgate for brunch, introductions and whatever tangents we’ve collected along the way.
No Irish ancestry required. No history exam at the door. Just curiosity, a willingness to listen and room in your afternoon for a table full of readers.
You can sit with us. We’ll make room.
See you at brunch! 🥂📚🥑
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Paradise Green, Bishopsgate
Art, Australian-inspired food and a very good setting for an afternoon together: March takes us to Paradise Green.
Set on Bishopsgate near Liverpool Street, this Daisy Green Collection restaurant brings bold interiors and a menu inspired by Australian dining. An excellent backdrop for meeting new readers and continuing the conversation over brunch.
Land
by Maggie O’Farrell
On a windswept peninsula in 1865, Tomás and his ten-year-old son, Liam are working on a project to map the whole of Ireland – a challenging task in the aftermath of the Great Hunger. Tomás is determined that his maps will bear witness to the disaster.
When Tomás is sent off course by a mysterious encounter in a wood, his life, and that of his family, will never be the same. Now Liam must somehow finish the work himself, and find a way to get them both home.
Tomás’s wife, Phina, is alarmed by the change in her taciturn husband, while Enda, their eldest daughter, still smarts from the injustice of not being allowed to take part in the mapping. Rose, the youngest, fears what lies ahead because it isn’t long before Tomás proposes a huge change for them all.
Land is a story of love and survival, buried treasure, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away.
TICKETS
£15 | In-Person Brunch Book Club
Includes our online discussion and your reserved seat at brunch. Food and drinks are paid for separately.
£5 | Online-Only Book Club
Join us for the full book discussion from the comfort of your sofa, favourite café or wherever you fancy!
THE IMPORTANT BITS
Our in-person brunches are for women (including trans women), non-binary people and the LGBTQ+ community. Online discussions are open to everyone.
Food and drinks are purchased separately from your ticket.
Brunch guests must complete any required pre-payment and menu selections seven days before the event.
Tickets are refundable up to seven days before the event.
Our discussions contain spoilers, so please finish the book beforehand.
Online joining details will be emailed during the week of the event.
You can sit with us. Always.
To ensure you receive all communications please add admin@brunchbookclub.com to your contacts and always check your spam.
PLEASE NOTE: This is an all day event starting with our online book discussion at 10:30am followed by brunch in the afternoon. To ensure you have all details please sign up to our mailing list where you'll receive a full itinerary, discussion questions, Online Discussion link and much more.
PREORDER & PREPAYMENT POLICY: To confirm your place, we require a full preorder and prepayment one week in advance of the event. If these aren’t received by the deadline, your ticket will be forfeited. A preorder form will be sent to attendees via email two weeks before the event. To ensure you receive all communications please add admin@brunchbookclub.com to your contacts and always check your spam.