I was going to label this post "Jane Austen and plus ça change" but then decided to be provocative, because Austen is regularly criticised for not discussing politics, what was happening in her time, in her novels. Of course, I disagree that novelists have to specifically write about the political background to their stories. Those … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down under: Jane Austen on politics
Women writers
Dorothy Johnston, Eight pieces on prostitution (Review)
A few months ago I wrote a Monday Musings on the Australian Society of Authors' digital publishing initiative, Authors Unlimited e_Book portal. At the time I decided to try it out and bought Dorothy Johnston's collection of short stories, Eight pieces on prostitution. The collection comprises 7 short stories and a long story or novella. One … Continue reading Dorothy Johnston, Eight pieces on prostitution (Review)
Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, The novel cure: An A-Z of literary remedies (Review)
I don't usually blog about books before I've read them cover to cover, but I'm making an exception for Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin's The novel cure because it's one of those books that's best read in small doses (no pun intended). You see, it is a book of bibliotherapy, a book that recommends novels … Continue reading Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, The novel cure: An A-Z of literary remedies (Review)
Ann Patchett, The bookshop strikes back (Review)
I'm not normally an impulse buyer except, it seems, when I visit the bookshop at the National Library of Australia! I tell myself I'm not interested in little books - you know, the sort bookshops put on their sales counters - but somehow the National Library of Australia regularly manages to break down my resolution. … Continue reading Ann Patchett, The bookshop strikes back (Review)
Romy Ash, The basin (Review)
Romy Ash has made quite a splash with her debut novel, Floundering. It was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award, among others. I haven't read it yet, but I have read a couple of her short stories that have appeared in the Griffth Review, one of which is "The basin". … Continue reading Romy Ash, The basin (Review)
Michelle de Kretser, Questions of travel (Review)
Every now and then a book comes along that is so sweeping in its conception, that it almost defies review. Such a book is this year's Miles Franklin Award winner, Questions of travel by Michelle de Kretser. Consequently, I'm going to focus on one aspect that particularly spoke to me - and that is her … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, Questions of travel (Review)
Dymphna Cusack, A window in the dark (Review)
Dymphna Cusack's A window in the dark has been glaring at me from my TBR pile for many years now. Not being able to stand it any longer, I decided to sneak it in before my next reading group book, Michelle de Kretser's Questions of travel. Posthumously published by the National Library of Australia, A window … Continue reading Dymphna Cusack, A window in the dark (Review)
Anita Heiss, Am I black enough for you (Review)
Anita Heiss's Am I black enough for you? is a challenge to categorise, so I'll start with writer Benjamin Law's description on the cover of my edition. He calls it "part family history, part manifesto" to which I'd add "part memoir" because "family history" does not really cover the self-description aspect of the book. For … Continue reading Anita Heiss, Am I black enough for you (Review)
Melissa Lucashenko, How green is my valley (Review)
Almost a year ago I reviewed a short story, "The silent majority", by Melissa Lucashenko. It was published in the Griffith Review of November 2009. I enjoyed the story and so, in honour of NAIDOC Week and ANZLitLovers Indigenous Literature Week, I thought I'd review another of her Griffith Review contributions. This one, "How green … Continue reading Melissa Lucashenko, How green is my valley (Review)
Willa Cather, Peter (Review)
Surely a whole year can't have passed since I last wrote about a Library of America short story? But yes, it has. My last one was Robert Frost's "The question of a feather" in July last year. Many times I've chosen one to read, and many times I've let other things get in the way … Continue reading Willa Cather, Peter (Review)
Whispering Gums 