I am a Willa Cather fan, and have read some of her novels and short stories, so was intrigued when eNotated Classics offered me an eNotated version of Cather's My Ántonia for review. eNotated? That sounded like something worth exploring so, although I've read the novel before, I decided to read it again. I wasn't sorry. … Continue reading Willa Cather, My Antonia (Review of eNotated edition)
Women writers
PD James, Death comes to Pemberley (Review, sorta)
How do you review or evaluate a Jane Austen "sequel"*? Do we expect, want even, the author to channel Austen? I suspect the answer is as varied as are the readers of sequels, and it probably depends on why we read Austen. Those who are mostly interested in the stories and what happens to the characters … Continue reading PD James, Death comes to Pemberley (Review, sorta)
Merlinda Bobis, Fish-hair woman (Review)
How do you classify a book like Fish-hair woman by Filipino-Australian writer, Merlinda Bobis? Darned if I know, but I'll have a go. It's part war story, murder mystery, political thriller, romance, and historical epic. It draws on the magical realist tradition of writers like Isabel Allende, but overarching all this, it is a book about … Continue reading Merlinda Bobis, Fish-hair woman (Review)
Virginia Woolf, The mark on the wall (Review)
Back in November I wrote a post titled Nettie Palmer on short stories which resulted in Stefanie (of So Many Books) recommending one of her favourite short stories, Virginia Woolf's "The mark on the wall". I told her I'd read it and, finally, I have. This is the sort of story I like. It doesn't have a strong … Continue reading Virginia Woolf, The mark on the wall (Review)
Anna Krien, Us and them: On the importance of animals (Review)
I'll admit it right up front, I am not a vegetarian or a vegan. I like to eat meat. I wear leather shoes. I like to think, though, that the source of these products has had a comfortable life and a quick, stress-free death. But I'm kidding myself, I know. And Anna Krien's essay, Us … Continue reading Anna Krien, Us and them: On the importance of animals (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Women writers and politics in the 1930s
I have written before about the fact that there's been two periods in Australian literature when women writers seem to have flourished. One was around the 1920s to 1930s and the other around the 1970s to 1980s. Today I want to write a little about this first period because, from the perspective of 80 plus … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Women writers and politics in the 1930s
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Living Treasures
Over the weekend, the list of Australian Living Treasures was updated. This has to happen every now then because, you know, our living treasures have a habit of dying eventually, which rather disqualifies them from the list! I've chosen to write this post this week for two reasons. The most obvious one is the updating … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Living Treasures
Gillian Mears, Foal’s bread (Review)
Foal's bread is Gillian Mears' first novel in around 16 years, though she has published short stories in the interim. This is a shame because she is a beautiful writer, particularly when she writes about the place she knows best, the farms of the New South Wales north coast. Foal's bread is about the Nancarrow … Continue reading Gillian Mears, Foal’s bread (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Tony of Tony’s Book World
As with most of my guest posters to date, I came across Tony (of Tony's Book World) not long after I commenced blogging. He stood out like a beacon because he was a non-Aussie blogger who had read a significant amount of Australian literature, including Patrick White no less. If you check his blog, you … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Tony of Tony’s Book World
Jahnavi Barua, Rebirth (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
What a shame Jahnavi Barua's novel, Rebirth, is, to the best of my knowledge, available "for sale in the Indian Subcontinent only" (backcover). Our Shadow Man Asian team had real problems tracking this one down, but I'm very glad we did manage to obtain some copies, eventually, because this is a beautiful book. The title, … Continue reading Jahnavi Barua, Rebirth (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
