The passengers is Eleanor Limprecht's third novel, but the second I've read, that being Long Bay (my review) based on the life of early twentieth century abortionist Rebecca Sinclair. The passengers is also a work of historical fiction, though not specifically based on one person's experience. Instead, it's about the Australian war brides who married … Continue reading Eleanor Limprecht, The passengers (#BookReview)
21st century literature
Sarah Krasnostein, The trauma cleaner (#BookReview)
I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't planned to read Sarah Krasnostein's biography The trauma cleaner. I feared it might be one of those sensationalised, voyeuristic stories, but how wrong I was. I thank Brother Gums and partner for this great birthday gift. I was wrong because ... no, let me start with why I thought … Continue reading Sarah Krasnostein, The trauma cleaner (#BookReview)
Helen Garner, The last days of chez nous, and Two friends (#BookReview)
Helen Garner must have loved prize-winning book designer WH Chong's cheeky cypress-dominated cover for the Text Classics edition of her two screenplays, The last days of chez nous and Two friends. You'd only realise this, though, after reading her Preface, in which she explains that she had incorporated cypresses into her screenplay for their "freight of … Continue reading Helen Garner, The last days of chez nous, and Two friends (#BookReview)
Glenda Guest, A week in the life of Cassandra Aberline (#BookReview)
West Australian author Glenda Guest made quite a splash with her first novel, Siddon Rock, though unfortunately I didn't read it. It won, for example, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book in 2010. I was very keen, therefore, to read her second novel, A week in the life of Cassandra Aberline, when the … Continue reading Glenda Guest, A week in the life of Cassandra Aberline (#BookReview)
Charlie Archbold, Mallee boys (#BookReview)
Reading synchronicities strike again. Both my last read, John Clanchy's Sisters, and this one, Charlie Archbold's Mallee boys, are family stories with a guilt about the death of a family member at their centre. Both, too, are set in non-urban areas, Clanchy's in coastal New South Wales and Archbold's in the dry Mallee region of … Continue reading Charlie Archbold, Mallee boys (#BookReview)
John Clanchy, Sisters (#BookReview)
Local writer John Clanchy has appeared a couple of times in this blog - as the author of the short story collection, Six: New tales (my review), and as the person launching Stephanie Buckle's collection, Habits of silence (my review) - but never for one of his novels, until now. Sisters has an interesting history: … Continue reading John Clanchy, Sisters (#BookReview)
Claire G. Coleman, Terra nullius (#BookReview)
Claire G. Coleman's debut novel, Terra nullius, was my reading group's third book for this year. The first two - An unnecessary woman (my review) and The sympathizer (my review) were well liked - but not so Coleman's book. In fact that I was the only one who liked it. So, instead of my usual review, … Continue reading Claire G. Coleman, Terra nullius (#BookReview)
Mirandi Riwoe, The fish girl (#BookReview)
Mirandi Riwoe was joint-winner of the 2017 Seizure Viva La Novella prize with her book, The fish girl - and it has now been shortlisted for this year's Stella Prize. As you may already know, it was inspired by Somerset Maugham's short story "The four Dutchmen", which I reviewed a few days ago. Indeed, Maugham's story … Continue reading Mirandi Riwoe, The fish girl (#BookReview)
Stephen Orr, Incredible floridas (#BookReview)
The good thing about reviewing Stephen Orr's latest book Incredible floridas is that you know the end at the beginning, so there's no need to worry about spoilers. The end, the one that you read at the beginning that is, is that Hal, the 22-year-old son of artist Roland and his wife Ena, commits suicide. … Continue reading Stephen Orr, Incredible floridas (#BookReview)
Sofie Laguna, The choke (#BookReview)
There are many reasons why I wanted to read Sofie Laguna's latest book The choke. Firstly, I was inspired by a very engaging author conversation I attended late last year. Secondly, she won the Miles Franklin with her previous book The eye of the sheep (which I still haven't read). Thirdly, its setting, the Murray River, is … Continue reading Sofie Laguna, The choke (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 