Big Read

One title for all book lovers to read, debate and enjoy…

Established in 2007, the Big Read has become a project embraced by book lovers all over the region. Since its inception, the Big Read has gone from strength to strength in encouraging people across Gloucestershire, all over the UK and even internationally to read and share their thoughts.

Every year book groups take place in venues across Gloucestershire in the run up to the Literature Festival, all joining to read one title. During the Festival itself hugely successful book group meetings, as well as panel events thematically linked to the Big Read, are held and are always incredibly popular.

The Bonne Maman Big Read 2011

Joseph Heller, author of 2011's Bonne Maman Big Read acclaimed title, Catch-22, made three Festival appearances at Cheltenham. The first was in 1962 soon after the book’s release, then again in 1993, and finally just two months before his death in 1999.

Take part

Whether you’re new to the book or simply want to revisit it, we’d love you to take part in this year’s Bonne Maman Big Read and join our book groups throughout the Festival, including our special Members’ group with afternoon tea.

Catch-22 50 Year Anniversary Event

L054 Catch-22: Sarah Churchwell, Mohammed Hanif & Andy McNab 
Sat 8 Oct / Montpellier Gardens / £8 (Members 10% discount)

Admirers of this classic novel, academic Sarah Churchwell, and authors Mohammed Hanif and Andy McNab discuss its enduring appeal.

Book tickets

Join in with The Big Read at one of this year's free Big Reading events

Click the event title for more information.

L040 The Big Reading - Sat 8 Oct / 3:00pm / Hotel Du Vin / Free

L085 The Big Reading - Sun 9 Oct / 3:00pm / Montpellier Chapter / Free

L325 The Big Reading - Sat 15 Oct / 3:00pm / Montpellier Chapter / Free

L375 The Big Reading - Sun 16 Oct / 3:00pm / Hotel Du Vin / Free

 

Join in The Big Read Book Groups during September

During September a number of book groups will be happening in Gloucestershire. Please get in touch with the venue if you would like to take part ……

• Tues 6 Sept / 7:00 pm / Chipping Campden Library - 01386 840692 or 0845 230 5420
• Wed 21 Sept / 7:00 pm / Stroud Library - 01453 751651 or 0845 230 5420
• Thurs 29 Sept / 7:00 pm / Cheltenham Library - 01242 532686 or 0845 230 5420

Copies of the book will be available from Gloucestershire Libraries from August onwards.

 

Download the complete Catch-22 reading guide here

Includes biography, questions, synopsis, character information, author comments and video links.

 

Bonne Maman

"Catch-22 is the only war novel I've ever read that makes any sense." —Harper Lee

"Catch-22 gave us a right to laugh at the macabre. Laughter is a soldier's response to a lot of absurdity and the terror of it all. The military machine does the strangest things that make no sense to the rest of us." —Tim O'Brien

"My favourite book is Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 which captures the black farce of war." —John Pilgrim, Guardian

"My all time favourite war novel." —Andy McNab

"Blessedly, monstrously, bloatedly, cynically funny and fantastically unique. No one has ever written a book like this." —Financial Times

"I think this is possibly the funniest book that has ever been written. I love the constant invention and the relentless energy that it has. Like all the best satirical and absurd novels, it sticks really strictly to its own bizarre logic." —Christopher Brookmyre, Express

"The greatest satirical work in the English language." —The Observer

"To my mind, there have been two great American novels in the past fifty years. Catch-22 is one." —Stephen King

About the Author

Joseph Heller was born in 1923 in Brooklyn, New York. He served as a bombardier in the Second World War and then attended New York University and Columbia University and Oxford, the last on a Pennsylvania State University, before returning to New York, where he began a successful career in the advertising departments of Time, Look and McCall's magazines. It was during this time that he had the idea for Cath-22. Working on the novel in moments and evenings at home, it took him eight years to complete.

"I missed my deadline for Catch-22 by four or five years. I felt that it was the only book I was going to write, so I wanted to do it as well as I could. Actually, I wasn’t ever sure I was going to be a writer. When I started Catch-22, I thought writing novels might be a useful way to kill time.

Everyone in my book accuses everyone else of being crazy. Frankly, I think the whole society is nuts. The question is: what does a sane man do in an insane society?"

—Heller

His second novel, Something Happened was published in 1974. Other works include Good As Gold (1979), Closing Time (1994), and Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man (2000). Joseph Heller died in 1999

Our past Big Read titles were:

Do you have a book you are passionate about and want to get everyone reading? Let us know at bigread@cheltenhamfestivals.com

As the Big Read is part of the Festival’s outreach programme, it's always one of our priorities to involve local communities. We have worked with Gloucestershire Libraries: as a crucial partner they stock and circulate the Big Read book choice, as well as organise their own book groups the members of which form a large part of our Festival book group participants and related event audiences.

---

Previous Big Reads

The Big Read 2010

In 2010 The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival joined forces with Bonne Maman Pâtisserie and Vintage Classics for the Big Read — Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.

A Classic Tale

The classic tale of passionate love and tragic misunderstandings, featuring the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba as its heroine, has captivated readers since its publication in 1874.

What We Did

In the run-up and during the 2010 Festival book clubs joined us to delve deep into the hearts and minds of Bathsheba and her many admirers. Free book groups took place in and across the country where book lovers had the chance to get together to enjoy excellent Bonne Maman Pâtisserie and discuss the colourful characters and twisting plot of Far From the Madding Crowd!

During the Festival we hosted a discussion event on Thomas Hardy with Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Liz Jensen, Posy Simmonds and Claire Tomalin, as well as an event with Posy Simmonds, author of the Tamara Drewe graphic novel inspired by Far From the Madding Crowd, and Stephen Frears who directed the recent film version of the novel.

"Cheltenham’s Big Read is a wonderful initiative — at Vintage Classics we recognise that reading can be a solitary pursuit and that there is nothing quite like sharing your passion for a book and discussing your interpretation of a novel. For instance, do Gabriel Oak’s stoic charms beat Heathcliffe’s brooding sulks or Darcy’s mystery? (For my money yes, he’s the best romantic hero you’ll ever meet). We hope the 2010 Big Read will encourage people in Gloucestershire and across the globe to revisit Far From the Madding Crowd as well as discover it for the first time. Vintage Classics is delighted to be partnering with The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival and Gloucestershire libraries because celebrating reading and sharing our literary passions is what we're all about." —Laura Hassan, Vintage Classics Editorial Director

Bonne Maman and The Big Read

Everyone knows that curling up to read a good book is one of life’s little pleasures and having an opportunity to discuss it with others over a cup of coffee and some fantastic biscuits or cakes only makes the enjoyment last longer.

That’s where the Bonne Maman Big Read came in for the 2010 Big Read. A classic book, Far From the Madding Crowd, interesting people to lead the debates and delicious Galette biscuits and Madeleine cakes.

“Bringing people together to discuss books they’ve read is such a friendly and sociable activity and Bonne Maman biscuits and cakes add to enjoyment of the occasion.” —Julien Zigliara from Bonne Maman Pâtisserie

To set up and run a reading group:

Download our step by step guide.

To get your Big Read group started:

Download the Far from the Madding Crowd reading notes (PDF) from Vintage Classics.

The Big Read 2009

In 2009 the festival was delighted to be joining forces with Penguin and Gloucestershire Libraries for the Big Read — The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald!

A tale of love and hate, glamour and decay, this great novel will sweep you away to 1920s America, a world of decadent parties and wild jazz music. A portray of the dissolution of the American dream and its morals and values, Fitzgerald’s literary masterpiece will leave you in a whirlwind of emotions and is sure to cause heated discussions!

Did you join in the fun?

We encouraged as many book groups and individual book lovers to join us in reading The Great Gatsby. Lots of activities and projects related to the Big Read were planned to take place in the run-up as well as during the Festival, such as book groups and talks.

The Great Gatsby and beyond

Have you caught the Fitzgerald-fever and are dying to find out more about the Great Gatsby, the author and the roaring Twenties?

• Fitzgerald’s Radiant World by Thomas Flanagan — the origins of The Great Gatsby.
• Who was F. Scott Fitzgerald?
• John Crace’s digested classics.
• Mark Lawson on the timeless appeal of The Great Gatsby.
• Listen to a rare recording — Fitzgerald reads from Othello!
• Oh, yes — there was a film! Immerse yourself Jay Gatsby’s world of flappers, parties and champagne!

The Big Read 2008

In 2008 the Festival teamed up with Waterstone’s, Gloucestershire Libraries and Penguin Modern Classics for a Big Read extravaganza!

All Festival goers and readers in Gloucestershire were invited to read Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh over the summer and join us for a range of bookgroups and events at the Festival. We hosted bookgroups at libraries across the county, as well as in Waterstone’s stores. At the Festival we programmed events linked to the book, including a discussion about Madresfield, the real Brideshead, and a panel discussion about the legacy of Brideshead, including Alexander Waugh, Selena Hastings and John Mortimer.

Brideshead Revisited — Plot Synopsis

The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly-disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognize only his spiritual and social distance from them.

You might have seen the 2008 film of the book or the seminal 1981 TV miniseries — if you haven’t, then we would recommend you take a look.