"We'll remember you" says Margrét to Agnes on the day of her execution. We sure will, if Hannah Kent's debut novel Burial rites has anything to say about it. Kent's book is the second novel set in Iceland I've read, the first being Icelandic writer Halldor Laxness's unforgettable Independent people. Although Laxness's novel is set a century after Burial rites, … Continue reading Hannah Kent, Burial rites (Review)
Review
William Wells Brown, Madison Washington (Review)
Having recently reviewed Harriet Ann Jacobs' story "The lover" in the Library of America's (LOA) Story of the Week program - and also having seen the movie 12 Years a Slave - I couldn't ignore William Wells Brown's story, Madison Washington, when it appeared last month as an LOA offering. Brown (1814-1884), like Jacobs, was born into slavery. He managed to … Continue reading William Wells Brown, Madison Washington (Review)
Jo Baker, Longbourn (Review)
"Never say never" is one of my favourite mottos, though I must admit there are some things I never will do, such as climb Mt Everest, say, or even write a novel. However, when it comes to reading choices, there are certain types of books that are not my preference, such as crime and Jane … Continue reading Jo Baker, Longbourn (Review)
Sue Milliken, Selective memory: A life in film (Review)
Funny how things go sometimes. I may not have read Sue Milliken's memoir, Selective memory, had the publisher, Hybrid Publishers, not noticed my rather particular interest in film via my recent review of Margaret Rose Stringer's And then like my dreams. I'm glad they did because this book took me down memory lane ... Sue Milliken is … Continue reading Sue Milliken, Selective memory: A life in film (Review)
Neomad: A Yijala Yala Project
First up, I have to admit that I'm rather challenged when it comes to e-book apps. I did love The Wasteland app which I reviewed a couple of years ago, but it was clearly designed for a, let us say, more staid demographic. Neomad, "a futuristic fantasy" in three episodes, is another matter. Consequently, my … Continue reading Neomad: A Yijala Yala Project
Angela Savage, The dying beach (Review)
When I received Angela Savage's novel The dying beach out of the blue last year as a review copy, I didn't put it high in my list of reading priorities. I had - and still have - a pile of books waiting patiently, and I rarely (never say never) read crime novels. However, two things … Continue reading Angela Savage, The dying beach (Review)
Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda (Review)
The best way I can describe Christos Tsiolkas' latest novel Barracuda is to liken it to what Tsiolkas would define as a "good man", tough on the outside, but tender within. I don't know how Tsiolkas does it, but he manages to reach into your heart while at the same time confronting you to your … Continue reading Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda (Review)
The Griffyns launch 2014 with The Lost Mapmaker
Parrot tapestry, NLA foyer You have to be hardy to be a follower (or subscriber) of Canberra's chamber group the Griffyn Ensemble, about whom I've written several times before. Take, for example, the opening concert of their 2014 season. It was held at the National Library of Australia to coincide with the Mapping Our World … Continue reading The Griffyns launch 2014 with The Lost Mapmaker
Margaret Merrilees, The first week (Review)
Having discussed in this week's Monday Musings Margaret Merrilees' essay on white authors writing about indigenous Australians, I'm now getting to my promised review of her debut novel, The first week, in which she does just this. It also, according to Wakefield Press's media release, won the Adelaide Festival's Unpublished Manuscript Award in 2012. I can see why … Continue reading Margaret Merrilees, The first week (Review)
Evie Wyld, All the birds, singing (Review)
Quite by coincidence, I read Evie Wyld's second novel All the birds, singing straight after Eleanor Catton's The luminaries. I was intrigued by some similarities - both have a mystery at their core, and both use a complex narrative structure - but enjoyed their differences. Wyld's book is tightly focused on one main character while Catton's sprawls (albeit in … Continue reading Evie Wyld, All the birds, singing (Review)
