I reckon the voters for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards inaugural People's Choice Award got it right when they chose Toltz's A fraction of the whole as the first winner. Not necessarily because it is the best book of the year, because I'm not sure that it is, but because it is such a life-writ-large … Continue reading Steve Toltz, A fraction of the whole
Review
Musica Viva concert: Katia Skanavi
I have been attending classical (to use the popular definition of the term) concerts since the mid-1970s, but I am not musically trained and so cannot comment with any expertise on technique, interpretation, etc. However, I do know what I like - and one of the things I like is a concert that mixes old … Continue reading Musica Viva concert: Katia Skanavi
A day of gritty viewing
I went to two films today: Mary and Max this afternoon and Samson and Delilah this evening. Hmmm...both films are named for their two main characters. What an interesting coincidence. Both films are also slow-paced aiming, I think, to give a sense of "real time" but, while Mary and Max is a highly verbal film, Samson … Continue reading A day of gritty viewing
Christos Tsiolkas, The slap (Review)
You could easily give yourself away when reviewing Christos Tsiolkas’ latest novel, The slap. For example, do you align yourself with the uncompromising, emotional earth mother Rosie or the rational, cool and collected but somewhat more willing to compromise Aisha? Do you rail against the liberal use of expletives, the relaxed attitude to recreational drug … Continue reading Christos Tsiolkas, The slap (Review)
Joan London, The good parents (Spoilers, sort of)
I was looking forward to reading Joan London's most recent novel, The good parents, because I loved her Gilgamesh, not only for its engrossing story but also for its evocation of place and period and its spare writing. The plot of The good parents is a simple one. Maya, Jacob and Toni's 18 year-old daughter, disappears just before … Continue reading Joan London, The good parents (Spoilers, sort of)
Boori (Monty) Pryor, Maybe tomorrow
Boori Pryor I wonder why I didn't read this book when it was published about 10 years ago? In the 1960s, when I was in my teens, I read poems like Kath Walker's (later Oodgeroo Noonuccal) We are going; in the 1970s when I was at university it was more academic works such as the … Continue reading Boori (Monty) Pryor, Maybe tomorrow
Eve Langley, The pea-pickers
It is hard to classify Langley's most famous novel, The pea-pickers, which was first published in 1942. In some ways it fits into the coming-of-age genre but it is different from the more usual offerings in that genre, if only because there is no real sense at the end that the protagonist has come of age! It … Continue reading Eve Langley, The pea-pickers
