Grief memoirs are a problematic lot. Some of us love them, some of us hate them, while others, including me, sit somewhere in the middle. The most recent I've read, Marion Halligan's Words for Lucy (my review) and Gideon Haigh's My brother Jaz (my review) were moving, intelligent books that added something to my understanding. … Continue reading Geraldine Brooks, Memorial days (#BookReview)
American writers
Ann Patchett, Tom Lake (#BookReview)
I have not read Ann Patchett for a long time. In fact, I've only read one novel, Bel Canto, way before blogging, and one nonfiction piece, “The bookshop strikes back” (my review). So, when I saw all the love her latest novel, Tom Lake, was getting in 2023's end-of-year lists (including Kate's annual compilation), I … Continue reading Ann Patchett, Tom Lake (#BookReview)
Langston Hughes, Feet live their own life (#Review, #1961 Club)
Today's post for the Year Club is one of those rare occasions when I am not posting on an Australian short story. The simple reason is that I could not find one in my anthologies, and I am keen to read from my physical TBR. Happily, I found one in Great short stories by African-American … Continue reading Langston Hughes, Feet live their own life (#Review, #1961 Club)
Adeline F. Ries, Mammy: A story (#Review)
Adeline F. Ries's short story "The scapegoat" is the sixth in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers, which my American friend Carolyn sent me. Like the previous author, Emma E. Butler, Adeline F. Ries is barely known. Adeline F. Ries The biographical note at the end of the anthology, like that for Butler, … Continue reading Adeline F. Ries, Mammy: A story (#Review)
Emma E. Butler, Polly’s hack ride (#Review)
Emma E. Butler's short story "Polly's hack ride" is the fifth in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers, which my American friend Carolyn sent me. Unlike the previous author, Paul Laurence Dunbar, is barely known. Emma E. Butler The biographical note at the end of the anthology comprises three sentences! The first two … Continue reading Emma E. Butler, Polly’s hack ride (#Review)
Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Sister Josepha (#Review)
It's a year since I've posted on a Library of America (LOA) story, but I was driven to post on this one for two reasons. I have just posted a review of "The scapegoat" by Dunbar-Nelson's first husband, Paul Dunbar, and, earlier this year, I reviewed "A carnival jangle", written by Alice Dunbar-Nelson, before marriage … Continue reading Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Sister Josepha (#Review)
Paul Laurence Dunbar, The scapegoat (#Review)
Paul Laurence Dunbar's short story "The scapegoat" is the fourth in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers, which my American friend Carolyn sent me. Compared with the previous author, Gertrude H. Dorsey Browne, Dunbar is much better known. Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Dunbar c. 1890, from The African-American Experience in Ohio, 1850-1920, Public … Continue reading Paul Laurence Dunbar, The scapegoat (#Review)
Louise Erdrich, The night watchman (#BookReview)
Louise Erdrich's Pulitzer Prizewinning The night watchman is historical fiction about a community fighting back against a government set on "terminating them". Erdrich, whom I have reviewed before, is an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota and it is the story of this community's response to something called the … Continue reading Louise Erdrich, The night watchman (#BookReview)
Gertrude H. Dorsey (Browne), An equation (#Review)
Gertrude H. Dorsey's short story is the third in the anthology Great short stories by African-American writers, which my American friend Carolyn sent me. It presented an unexpected challenge. Gertrude H. Dorsey (Browne) The biographical note at the end of the anthology is one of the shortest provided by the editors. It goes: Who was … Continue reading Gertrude H. Dorsey (Browne), An equation (#Review)
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer prize winning novel Olive Kitteridge has been around for 17 years, but it's only now that I have managed to read it. And that's because my reading group scheduled it as our June read. It's not that I didn't want to read it - I really did - but other books kept … Continue reading Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 