Does a book set in the early 1980s qualify as historical fiction? Does a book about a twenty-something woman's romantic adventures, and search for direction, qualify as coming-of-age? The answer is probably yes to both. Certainly, it is within these parameters that it's appropriate to discuss Diana Blackwood's debut novel Chaconne. Chaconne, as you can … Continue reading Diana Blackwood, Chaconne (#BookReview)
Review – Novels
Jane Austen, The Watsons (Unfinished) Redux
Jane Austen fans, as you probably know, do a lot of re-reading. Given we only have six complete novels, plus her juvenilia and a couple of unfinished novels, we have little choice. Fortunately, it's not a chore! And so, having completed rereading all her novels over the last few years for their respective 200th anniversaries, … Continue reading Jane Austen, The Watsons (Unfinished) Redux
Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
Lebanese-born American writer Rabih Alameddine's novel, An unnecessary woman, is tailor-made for readers. It was fittingly, therefore, my reading group's first book for 2018. The novel is told first person in the voice of 72-year-old childless, divorced Aaliya Saleh, who lives alone and spends her time reading and translating books. Set in an apartment in Beirut … Continue reading Rabih Alameddine, An unnecessary woman (#BookReview)
Tony Park, The cull (#MiniBookReview based on a Guest Read)
When Tony Park's The cull was sent to me for review last September, I knew it wasn't really within my normal ambit but every now and then I try something new, so thought I might give it a go. However, as time passed and more books came, I realised that I had to let it … Continue reading Tony Park, The cull (#MiniBookReview based on a Guest Read)
Tasma (Jessie Couvreur), Uncle Piper of Piper’s Hill (#BookReview)
The first thing to say about Tasma's debut novel Uncle Piper of Piper's Hill is that it's rather wordy, speaking to a literacy different from that of today's readers. For this reason, Uncle Piper won't appeal to readers who like short simple sentences, and a plot which moves along at a good clip with little … Continue reading Tasma (Jessie Couvreur), Uncle Piper of Piper’s Hill (#BookReview)
Jenny Ackland, The secret son (#BookReview)
Melbourne-based author Jenny Ackland has tried something rather audacious in her debut novel, The Secret Son. Instead of following the autobiographical route that many first novelists do, she has leapt right in and tackled, albeit from left field, one of Australia's most controversial legends, Ned Kelly. But, here's the rub: it's not exactly about Ned … Continue reading Jenny Ackland, The secret son (#BookReview)
Viet Thanh Nguyen, The sympathizer (#BookReview)
A cover blurb on my edition of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Sympathizer, captures the novel perfectly when it calls it "intelligent, relentlessly paced, and savagely funny" (Wall Street Journal). I loved reading it. It's quite coincidental that I read this straight after Hoa Pham's Lady of the realm (my review) but they … Continue reading Viet Thanh Nguyen, The sympathizer (#BookReview)
Hoa Pham, Lady of the realm (#BookReview)
Hoa Pham was one of the participants at the recent Boundless Festival (my post), so it's rather apposite that her latest work, Lady of the realm, popped up as my next review copy. The very brief author bio on the Festival site describes the novel as "about a Buddhist clairvoyant in Vietnam". Well, it is, but … Continue reading Hoa Pham, Lady of the realm (#BookReview)
Anosh Irani, The parcel (#BookReview)
One of the main reasons I read is to enter worlds unknown to me - physical worlds and more interior or personal ones. Anosh Irani's novel The parcel meets this criterion perfectly. It is set in the Kamathipura red-light district of Bombay/Mumbai, and its main character is a eunuch, or hijra, named Madhu. Brought up … Continue reading Anosh Irani, The parcel (#BookReview)
Catherine McKinnon, Storyland (#BookReview)
It is still somewhat controversial for non-indigenous Australian authors to include indigenous characters and concerns in their fiction, as Catherine McKinnon does in Storyland. But there are good arguments for their doing so. One is that not including indigenous characters continues the dispossession that started with white settlement. Another is that such fiction brings indigenous characters and … Continue reading Catherine McKinnon, Storyland (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 