There were five of us who met up at the newly refurbished Bell in Aston Clinton. I was very glad that the three missing from last time also want to keep our group going. And we had a very pleasant evening.
I found "Headlong" to be a strange mix of farce (Michael Frayn famous for his very funny play "Noises Off") and a highly academic thesis on the appreciation of the Dutch master Bruegel and the history of 16th Century Netherlands. I have to say that I did find the art appreciation passages quite a struggle, especially the detailed descriptions of Bruegel's paintings that had nothing to do with the story. But it has given me an idea of what to look for the next time I look at an old master. Although I don't really want to know about Iconolgy and Iconography. I never did manage to work out what they are.
Apart from that I thought the book was an exhilarating read as our unsympathetic, intelligent but idiotic hero digs himself an ever deeper hole. There are, typically, many twists and turns along the way. The general consensus from the book club is that it is a very good read, and if anything we did learn a lot about the incredible history of 16th Century Netherlands and their harsh rule by Spain. I would never have known.
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