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)
Literature by period
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)
Randolph Stow, The merry-go-round in the sea (#BookReview)
Randolph Stow is a writer I've been meaning to read for the longest time - since, would you believe, the 1970s? Embarrassing, really, given his significance. My plan had always been to read his Miles Franklin award-winning novel To the islands first. However, the first I actually bought was The merry-go-round in the sea - back in … Continue reading Randolph Stow, The merry-go-round in the sea (#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)
Elizabeth Jolley, Poppy seed and sesame rings (#Review)
In her introduction to Learning to dance: Elizabeth Jolley, her life and work, a book that was intended to comprise only non-fiction to create a sort of autobiography, literary agent Carolyn Lurie wrote that Jolley would sometimes "draw so directly on her life" for her stories "that it seemed illuminating to include a small selection of … Continue reading Elizabeth Jolley, Poppy seed and sesame rings (#Review)
Elizabeth Jolley, The orchard thieves (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Jolley's twelfth novel, The orchard thieves, is a little different from most of the other Jolleys I've read. It's a little less black, a little less about alienation, but it's unmistakably Jolley in style and preoccupations. By preoccupations, I mean her interest in family relationships and dynamics - and, related to that, her humane, … Continue reading Elizabeth Jolley, The orchard thieves (#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)
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)
Whispering Gums 