A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Julian Davies' Crow mellow. It's an enjoyable and at times provocative read. I'd love to share many descriptions and scenes from it but, since this is a reader's blog, I've decided to share some thoughts relevant to my focus made by the main character, poet Phil Day. Much … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Julian Davies on reading
21st century literature
Julian Davies, Crow mellow (Review)
Julian Davies, author of Crow mellow and publisher at Finlay Lloyd, has written six novels, some of them short-listed for significant literary awards, but, embarrassingly, I only became properly aware of him through his inclusion in the two Canberra centenary volumes that I reviewed in 2013, The invisible thread and Meanjin's The Canberra Issue. It's the … Continue reading Julian Davies, Crow mellow (Review)
Anna Funder, Everything precious (Review)
I must thank John aka Musings of a Literary Dilettante for introducing me to this intriguing little e-work by Miles Franklin award-winner, Anna Funder. When John read it, back in October, it was in daily instalments, but when I clicked the link in his post I was offered several e-book versions, including for the Kindle and iPad, … Continue reading Anna Funder, Everything precious (Review)
Morris Lurie, Hergesheimer in the present tense (Review)
Well, well, well, I got to the end of Morris Lurie's quirky last novel (if that's what it is), Hergesheimer in the present tense, and laughed. The final paragraph, which seemed to come out of left field, concerns Dostoyevsky's contract with a "scurrilous publisher" to deliver a novel - The gambler - on an impossible schedule. It … Continue reading Morris Lurie, Hergesheimer in the present tense (Review)
Helen Garner, This house of grief: The story of a murder trial (Review)
Well you might ask why you would want to read a book about the trial of a man accused of murdering his three sons by driving his car into a dam and escaping the car himself? Indeed, Helen Garner was asked why she would want to attend such a trial - and write about it. … Continue reading Helen Garner, This house of grief: The story of a murder trial (Review)
Delicious descriptions: Eimear McBride is not all grim
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
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)
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)
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
Clare Wright, The forgotten rebels of Eureka (Review)
Wah! Once again I delayed reading a much heralded book until my reading group did it*, and so it is only now that I've read Clare Wright's Stella Prize winning history, The forgotten rebels of Eureka. The trouble with coming late to a high-profile book is how to review it freshly. All I can do, … Continue reading Clare Wright, The forgotten rebels of Eureka (Review)
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