I have just read Tegan Bennett Daylight's collection of short stories, Six bedrooms, in my quest to read at least some of the Stella Prize shortlist before the announcement of the winner on the 19th of this month. I haven't read Daylight before - she has written three novels, among other things - so I was glad … Continue reading Tegan Bennett Daylight, Six bedrooms (Review)
Review
Elizabeth Harrower, In certain circles (Review)
There's an interesting story behind Elizabeth Harrower's last novel, In certain circles. It was all set for publication in 1971, following her very successful The watch tower (my review), when Harrower pulled it. Why? I wondered about this as I read it, and I have some ideas, but more on that anon. First, the story. … Continue reading Elizabeth Harrower, In certain circles (Review)
Debra Adelaide, The women’s pages (Review)
When I started reading Debra Adelaide's latest novel The women's pages I thought, "Oh yes, here's another interesting story about women's lives, how their options are limited, etc etc. I'll enjoy this but I wonder why it was longlisted for the Stella?" And then, a few chapters in, I started to realise that behind this "interesting … Continue reading Debra Adelaide, The women’s pages (Review)
Fiona Wright, Small acts of disappearance (Review)
It would be a rare person these days, from Western cultures anyhow, who didn't have some brush with an eating disorder, whether through a friend, a family member, or personal experience. And yet it is one of our most misunderstood afflictions, which is where Fiona Wright's Small acts of disappearance: Essays on hunger comes in. Wright, born in 1983, is a … Continue reading Fiona Wright, Small acts of disappearance (Review)
Tony Birch, Ghost River (Review)
"Some people believe in religion. Well, I believe in stories." So says Ren to his friend Sonny late in Tony Birch's third novel Ghost River. Ren and Sonny are two young adolescent boys who live in Melbourne's old inner-city suburb of Collingwood. It is the late 1960s, when Collingwood was a largely blue-collar neighbourhood. Ghost River is a novel … Continue reading Tony Birch, Ghost River (Review)
Helen Macdonald, H is for hawk (Review)
My reading really has been rather odd lately. I've read a memoir about horse-racing (Gerald Murnane's Something for the pain), a novel about hedge-funds and investment banking (Kate Jenning's Moral hazard), and now a grief memoir focused on falconry (Helen Macdonald's H is for hawk). None of these are topics I would naturally pick up, but in … Continue reading Helen Macdonald, H is for hawk (Review)
Kate Jennings, Moral hazard (Review)
How often do you read a book that connects in some ways with something you've recently read or thought about? Kate Jennings' award-winning Moral hazard, my latest read, links pretty directly to our discussion about autobiographical fiction in my Monday Musings post on Robert Dessaix two weeks ago. Dessaix, you may remember, criticised Garner's The spare room (and other works) arguing she was just … Continue reading Kate Jennings, Moral hazard (Review)
Hail, Caesar: Not a movie review, not really
I go to the movies reasonably regularly and have seen many movies in the last few months. Some impressed me immensely, such as Spotlight and Brooklyn; some I enjoyed a lot with the odd reservation, such as Carol, The Danish Girl and The Belier Family; and others I could see the skill but they left me a little cold, … Continue reading Hail, Caesar: Not a movie review, not really
Jane Austen on history and historians
Jane Austen, we know from her letters, was a keen reader. She read novels, sermons, plays and poetry, magazines and, of course, histories. Did you know, though, that she also wrote a history? This is her juvenilia piece, The history of England from the reign of Henry the 4th to the death of Charles the 1st (online … Continue reading Jane Austen on history and historians
Gerald Murnane: Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf (Review)
When I heard Australian author Gerald Murnane had written a memoir, and even more when I heard its title, Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf, I knew I had to read it. I am not a horse racing tragic, by any stretch, but how could I resist such an intriguing sounding memoir from … Continue reading Gerald Murnane: Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf (Review)
