How much do you think about the first sentence of your review? Like me, you probably try to find some anchor or point of interest to lead off from, but my problem with novelist-journalist Francesca Rendle-Short's fiction-cum-memoir, Bite your tongue, is that I have too many angles to choose from. Which one do I use? Do … Continue reading Francesca Rendle-Short, Bite your tongue (Review)
Review
Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
I'm not sure how to describe Jamil Ahmad's Man Asian Literary Prize novel, The wandering falcon. Is it a disjointed novel, a picaresque, or a collection of connected short stories? It doesn't matter greatly - it is what it is - but at least by raising the question I've given you a sense of how … Continue reading Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Ana Menéndez, Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban offerings
I love food and I enjoy reading about food. I particularly enjoy reading about food - and food traditions - from other cultures. And so, when Ana Menéndez's story popped up on the Library of America last month I made a note to read it. The last piece of food writing that I read from LOA, … Continue reading Ana Menéndez, Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban offerings
Banana Yoshimoto, The lake (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Image created by Matt Todd of A Novel Approach When I saw that Banana Yoshimoto's novel The lake was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize I knew that it would be a high priority for me to read, because I like Japanese literature and I have read and enjoyed Yoshimoto (her novel Kitchen) … Continue reading Banana Yoshimoto, The lake (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Anuradha Roy, The folded earth (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Anuradha Roy The folded earth London: MacLehose Press, 2011 257pp. ISBN: 9780857050441
Monday musings on Australian literature: Women of letters
Letter-writing has a long literary tradition - both fictional and non-fictional. Epistolary novels, according to Wikipedia, go back to the 1400s, and I'm sure if you're a reader you've read at least a few. My favourite Australian example is a gut-wrenching young adult novel Letters from the inside by John Marsden. But these are not my … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Women of letters
Andrew O’Hagan, The life and opinions of Maf the dog and of his friend Marilyn Monroe
Andrew O'Hagan's The life and opinions of Maf the dog and of his friend Marilyn Monroe is a fun - though also serious - book, so I'm going to start with something trivial, just because it will provide a laugh to those who know me: Like all dogs, I take for granted a certain amount … Continue reading Andrew O’Hagan, The life and opinions of Maf the dog and of his friend Marilyn Monroe
Alice Pung, Her father’s daughter
Her father's daughter (2011) is Alice Pung's second memoir - if you can quite call this book a memoir. Unpolished gem (2006), her first, established Pung in the eyes of both critics and readers as a writer to watch. I agreed with them, but with some minor reservations. She certainly demonstrated the ability to write and … Continue reading Alice Pung, Her father’s daughter
Henry James, Paste
It's been a while since I've read any Henry James though, like many readers, I did a few years ago read Colm Toibin's The master and David Lodge's Author Author. I was pleased, therefore, to see James pop up as Library of America's author last week. The story is "Paste" and it is a bit of … Continue reading Henry James, Paste
Nigel Featherstone, Fall on me
Fall on me bookcover (Courtesy: Blemish Books) Nigel Featherstone is nearly a local writer for me - he lives in the country town an hour down the road - but I haven't read him before, even though he has published a goodly number of short stories and short fiction. How does this happen? Anyhow, Fall on me is … Continue reading Nigel Featherstone, Fall on me
