Couched in the wonderfully atmospheric Victorian conservatory of The Montpellier Spa Hotel, Cheltenham Literature Festival hosted its first monthly book group this week.

Nearly twenty people took their seats in the lush glasshouse, each clutching a now treasured copy of Vintage’s Restoration by Rose Tremain, and the conversation was vigorous from the outset.

An initial jaunt around the room over delicious loose leaf tea and Bonne Maman biscuits showed we were a mixed group from 15 year old Xanthe to retired Doctor Gof, each with very different thoughts on the book.

Some were shocked by Restoration’s racy content; others wanted a bit more raunch. Some found it a riotous romp; others a grippingly relevant parable of greed.

The first topic put to us by our book group host, author Jane Bailey, was did we feel the immoderate Merivel was an honest narrator. This was hotly debated before we moved onto questions of if Tremain successfully captured a male voice, if we enjoyed the book’s cinematic tableaux, and how believable and likeable we found the characters.

Next month’s book is Vintage’s A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, chosen in honour of the author’s impending 200th anniversary and, of course, to get us in the festive mood!

For more information about The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival click here