"Harp in the South silenced: author Ruth Park dead at 93" confronted me this morning on page 3 of our daily newspaper. I guess it had to happen, but it is nonetheless sad to see such a grand dame of Australian literature leave us. I have referred to her several times on this blog, three … Continue reading Vale Ruth Park
Women writers
Tracy Chevalier, Remarkable creatures
Most readers experience, I think, periods of reading synchronicity when we read books in close succession that are related in some way. I am experiencing such a period now as Tracy Chevalier's Remarkable creatures is the third book I've read recently to deal in some way with the first decades of the 19th century. The … Continue reading Tracy Chevalier, Remarkable creatures
Joanna Biggar, That Paris year (Guest post)
When I received That Paris year via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program, I got the sudden attack of the guilts! How was I to review this book alongside all the other books I wanted to read? And then the thought struck me! My daughter, Hannah (aka Wayfaring Chocolate), is a reader, was an exchange student … Continue reading Joanna Biggar, That Paris year (Guest post)
Toni Jordan, Fall girl
It's just as well I'm not one of those readers who likes to draw conclusions about writers' lives from their writing, because if I were I'd be seriously concerned about Toni Jordan. You see, her latest novel, Fall girl, is about a con-artist, a very experienced one in fact. And Jordan writes so convincingly you'd … Continue reading Toni Jordan, Fall girl
Edith Wharton, A journey
I am a fan of Edith Wharton and have read around seven of her novels, some of which are part of my personal canon. However, I have only read a couple of her short stories, and she wrote quite a few of those too. In fact, she was a prolific writer. And so, when last week's … Continue reading Edith Wharton, A journey
Gretchen Shirm, Having cried wolf
I have come to the conclusion that short stories are the best holiday reading for me. After a day's sightseeing followed by reading up on sights for the next day, I usually find I have little time left for my reading. Novels are hard to read under such circumstances, but short stories? Well, they are … Continue reading Gretchen Shirm, Having cried wolf
Nicole Krauss, The young painters
In her work, the writer is free of laws. But in her life, Your Honour, she is not free. Nicole Krauss's short story, "The young painters", is a sly, clever little piece. I have not read Krauss's novels so came to this short story with no preconceptions, other than that I'd heard of her. The story … Continue reading Nicole Krauss, The young painters
Ruth Park, Missus
Missus was the last written in Ruth Park's Harp in the South trilogy, but is the first in terms of chronology. The first two novels, Harp in the South and Poor man's orange, were published in 1948 and 1949 respectively, while Missus was not published until 1985. These first novels, which met with some controversy on publication, … Continue reading Ruth Park, Missus
Ruth Reichl, Not becoming my mother
Book cover (Courtesy: Allen& Unwin) Ruth Reichl and Kate Jennings were both born in 1948, the former in the USA and the latter in Australia. Both had problematic relationships with their mothers and have written about those relationships, Reichl in memoirs and Jennings in her autobiographical novel, Snake. In her first memoir, Tender at the … Continue reading Ruth Reichl, Not becoming my mother
Anna Krien, Into the woods
How can so many people all be looking at the same thing and see it so differently? The man moseying around in front of me looks at a 300-year old tree and sees a nursing home, while an activist twenty minutes down the road sees a block of flats for furry and feathered creatures. Vive … Continue reading Anna Krien, Into the woods
