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)
21st century literature
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 It's the story of struggling as-yet-unpublished writer, Kif Kehlmann, who accepts the job … Continue reading Richard Flanagan, First person (#BookReview)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)
Eleanor Limprecht, The passengers (#BookReview)
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)
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)
Whispering Gums 