Reactions to Eimear McBride's A girl is a half-formed thing, which I reviewed recently, vary greatly. It is, overall, a bleak read and its style is idiosyncratic, which makes it a double whammy. So, for example, it has been called "brutal" (by Sunday Times Ireland) and a "joyous thing" (by Michael Cathcart, RN's Books and Arts Daily). … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Eimear McBride is not all grim
Month: November 2014
Eimear McBride, A girl is a half-formed thing (Review)
I try very hard when writing reviews to avoid clichés and superlatives, like, say, "achingly beautiful" or "masterful". But I think I'm going to use one for Eimear McBride's multi-award-winning debut novel A girl is a half-formed thing when I describe it as "searing". I can't think of a more apposite word. Yet I fear it too … Continue reading Eimear McBride, A girl is a half-formed thing (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Voss Literary Prize
Did the title of this post grab your attention? It grabbed mine so dramatically when I came across it that I immediately abandoned my plans for today's post - they can wait - to tell you about it. The first thing to say about it is that it's not what you think, if indeed like me … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Voss Literary Prize
Art meets Literature at In the Flesh
I'm pushing it really with my heading, as for many the literary aspect of the National Portrait Gallery's In the Flesh exhibition would be a passingly noticed sideline, but for me it added significantly to my enjoyment. It helped of course that I found the following in the first room: It is not time or opportunity … Continue reading Art meets Literature at In the Flesh
Ethel Turner, Tales from the “Parthenon” (Review)
Hands up if you're an Aussie and didn't read Ethel Turner's Seven little Australians in your childhood. Surely no hands have gone up? Seven little Australians, her first novel, was published in 1894 when she was 24, and was an instant hit, eventually becoming a classic. According to Wikipedia, it was, in 1994 (and may still be), "the only book by … Continue reading Ethel Turner, Tales from the “Parthenon” (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: World War 1 in Australian Literary Culture
A couple of weeks ago, while I was having coffee with Australian Women Writers' Challenge team member, Yvonne (of Stumbling Through the Past), she mentioned a project at the AustLit website, World War 1 in Australian Literary Culture. Given this year is the centenary - have you heard?! - of the start of the First World War, and given … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: World War 1 in Australian Literary Culture
Jill Sanguinetti, School days of a Methodist lady: A journey through girlhood (Review)
When I read a memoir, particularly one by an unknown person like Jill Sanguinetti's School days of a Methodist lady, my first question is why was this memoir written? Sally Morgan's My place, for example, explores how she discovered her indigenous origins and why her family had kept this hidden, while Frank McCourt's Angela's ashes chronicles the … Continue reading Jill Sanguinetti, School days of a Methodist lady: A journey through girlhood (Review)
What do you say when you order food at a restaurant?
This post is not quite on my usual topic. It's about a little linguistic issue that's been bothering me of late - though it's been around for a little while now. It's this ... When you order food at a restaurant or cafe, what do you say? "May I have a long black please" or … Continue reading What do you say when you order food at a restaurant?
Delicious descriptions: Clare Wright’s sources on the Australian landscape
While the focus of Clare Wright's The forgotten rebels of Eureka, which I recently reviewed, is the role of women in the Eureka Stockade, the book offers a wealth of wonderful insight into the times. As regular readers know, I have a specific interest in descriptions of landscape so I greatly enjoyed contemporary descriptions of the environment that … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Clare Wright’s sources on the Australian landscape
Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post by Dorothy Johnston, writer and Barbara Jefferis Award judge
Literary awards, their role and import, have come under frequent discussion here at Whispering Gums. So, when writer Dorothy Johnston, whose The house at number 10 and Eight pieces on prostitution I've reviewed and, more relevantly, who was one of the judges for this year's Barbara Jefferis Award, suggested a guest post on the Award, I was … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post by Dorothy Johnston, writer and Barbara Jefferis Award judge
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