My first reaction as I started reading Laurie Steed's debut novel, You belong here, was, "oh dear, another novel about a dysfunctional family", but I was quickly disabused of that prejudice because while that is indeed the book's "genre", Steed writes it in such a fresh and engaging way, albeit seriously so, that I was … Continue reading Laurie Steed, You belong here (#BookReview)
21st century literature
Raphaël Jerusalmy, Evacuation (#BookReview)
Raphaël Jerusalmy, for those who, like me, hadn't heard of him, is a French-born and educated writer living in Tel Aviv. He had a career in the Israeli military intelligence services, worked in humanitarian and educational fields, and is now an antiquarian book dealer in Tel Aviv, where his novella, Evacuation, is set. In some … Continue reading Raphaël Jerusalmy, Evacuation (#BookReview)
WG Sebald, Austerlitz (#BookReview)
For the first time in my reading group's 30-year history, we read a book recommended by a fictional character. It happened like this: after reading and discussing Rabih Alameddine's An unnecessary woman (my review) in January, we thought it would be interesting if we all nominated which book mentioned by the "unnecessary woman", Aaliya Saleh, that we'd … Continue reading WG Sebald, Austerlitz (#BookReview)
Jenny Ackland, Little gods (#BookReview)
The universe is telling me something. Jenny Ackland's Little gods is the second novel I've read in a few months that is set in the Mallee region of northwestern Victoria, the other being Charlie Archbold's Mallee boys (my review). Interestingly, both are coming-of-age novels, both involve farms, and both have a death at the centre. … Continue reading Jenny Ackland, Little gods (#BookReview)
Michelle de Kretser, The life to come (#BookReview)
Michelle de Kretser's Miles Franklin shortlisted novel, The life to come, makes for great reading but difficult blogging because, like her Miles Franklin Award winner, Questions of travel (my review), it is big, and covers a lot of ground. Where to start is the problem. However, I'll give it my best shot, starting with its form. … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, The life to come (#BookReview)
Marie Munkara, Of ashes and rivers that run to the sea (#BookReview)
The stories keep on coming, the stories, I mean, of indigenous children stolen from their families and what happened to them afterwards. I've posted on Carmel Bird's compilation of stories from the Bringing them home report, The stolen children: Their stories, and also on Ali Cobby Eckermann's memoir Too afraid to cry. Now it's Marie Munkara's … Continue reading Marie Munkara, Of ashes and rivers that run to the sea (#BookReview)
Michelle Scott Tucker, Elizabeth Macarthur: A life at the edge of the world (#BookReview)
There's something special about reading a good, engaging history - and this is how I'd describe debut author Michelle Scott Tucker's biography Elizabeth Macarthur: A life at the edge of the world. There are, in fact, three prongs to my statement, namely, it is history, it is good history, and it is engaging history. I … Continue reading Michelle Scott Tucker, Elizabeth Macarthur: A life at the edge of the world (#BookReview)
Jan Wallace Dickinson, The sweet hills of Florence (#BookReview)
There are several reasons why I enjoyed Jan Wallace Dickinson's historical novel The sweet hills of Florence, the first being Florence itself. I fell in love with Italy in Florence. Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's belltower, the Uffizi and all the other gorgeous places of art and architecture, not to mention the food, combined to capture my heart. … Continue reading Jan Wallace Dickinson, The sweet hills of Florence (#BookReview)
Richard Flanagan, First person (#BookReview)
Richard Flanagan's latest novel First person, which I did with my reading group, is a challenge to read. By this I don't mean it's "hard" to read but that it requires careful attention to pin down. On the surface, its subject is straightforward. It's the story of struggling as-yet-unpublished writer, Kif Kehlmann, who accepts the job … Continue reading Richard Flanagan, First person (#BookReview)
Wendy Scarfe, The day they shot Edward (#BookReview)
There's something about novellas, about the way they can combine the tautness of the short story with the character development of a novel, and then hone in on an idea, undistracted by side-stories. This, in any case, is what Adelaide-writer Wendy Scarfe achieves in her book, The day they shot Edward. Like her previous novel, … Continue reading Wendy Scarfe, The day they shot Edward (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 