Chelsea Library Book Group

Love books and lively discussions?

Chelsea Library's Reading Group meets once a month to explore a range of captivating reads chosen from prize-winners and short- and long- listed books. It's a welcoming space to share ideas, discover new authors, and connect with fellow book lovers in the community.

Whether you’re a casual reader or a literary enthusiast, there’s always a place for you here!

In September we are reading The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine, Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction.

About the Book

From the prize-winning author of Dance Move and Sweet Home, this is an astounding novel about intimate histories, class and money - and what being a parent means.
Meet Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh: three very different women from Belfast, but all mothers to 18-year-old boys.
Gorgeous Frankie, now married to a wealthy, older man, grew up in care. Miriam has recently lost her beloved husband Kahlil in ambiguous circumstances. Bronagh, the CEO of a children's services charity, loves celebrity and prestige. When their sons are accused of sexually assaulting a friend, Misty Johnston, they'll come together to protect their children, leveraging all the powers they possess. But on her side, Misty has the formidable matriarch, Nan D, and her father, taxi-driver Boogie: an alliance not so easily dismissed.
Brutal, tender and rigorously intelligent, The Benefactors is a daring, polyphonic presentation of modern-day Northern Ireland. It is also very funny.