If you want to have a little peek at where I blog, go check out my Scene at Kittling: Books ... and while there, do have a look around her blog. I love her Widget headings, such as "Top commenters, Bless 'em". We do, too, don't we! Note to self: Try to comment more on … Continue reading For voyeurs only – I’m at Scene of the Blog
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
Monday musings on Australian literature: Ruth Park
For a New Zealander, Ruth Park is a very popular Australian! Not only did she write the much-loved (and studied) Harp in the south trilogy, but she also wrote the hugely popular (in its time) radio serial The muddle-headed wombat, was married to the Australian D'Arcy Niland (now deceased) who wrote The shiralee, and is mother … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Ruth Park
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
Monday musings on Australian literature: Elizabeth von Arnim
This week's Monday musings is a bit cheeky since Elizabeth von Arnim (or Mary Annette Beauchamp, her birth-name) was born in Sydney in 1866 but her parents left Australia in 1871 for Switzerland and then England. Von Arnim spent the rest of her life abroad. So, why am I writing about her? She didn't grow up … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Elizabeth von Arnim
Kate Chopin, Désireé’s baby
I read Kate Chopin's short story "Désireé's baby" (1893) back in March when Kirsty mentioned it in her comment on my last Chopin post, but I didn't blog it then. However, when it appeared a couple of weeks ago as a Library of America selection, I felt its time had come. But, what to say? … Continue reading Kate Chopin, Désireé’s baby
On endings – in novels, that is
Australian writer, Amanda Lohrey, was interviewed on this morning's Bookshow about her new book, a collection of short stories titled Reading Madame Bovary, which Lisa at ANZLitLovers has well reviewed. I'm not going to talk about the interview here in any detail, but I did think she had something interesting to say about endings, particularly given the … Continue reading On endings – in novels, that is
Monday musings on Australian literature: The gum tree in the Australian imagination
In the next week (I hope), I'll be reviewing Anna Krien's Into the forest, her investigation into the longstanding conflict over logging native forests in our southernmost state, Tasmania. In the meantime, though, as I've been reading the book, I've been thinking again of the role eucalypts play in Australian life and culture - and, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The gum tree in the Australian imagination
Books into films
'Do you mind what they did to your book?' 'Well, they can't do anything to my book. They can't alter a single comma ... ' I came across the above in an article about P. D. James' in the September issue of goodreading magazine. The discussion relates to her non-crime novel The children of men which was adapted into … Continue reading Books into films
