In her introduction to Learning to dance: Elizabeth Jolley, her life and work, a book that was intended to comprise only non-fiction to create a sort of autobiography, literary agent Carolyn Lurie wrote that Jolley would sometimes "draw so directly on her life" for her stories "that it seemed illuminating to include a small selection of … Continue reading Elizabeth Jolley, Poppy seed and sesame rings (#Review)
Australian writers
Elizabeth Jolley, The orchard thieves (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Jolley's twelfth novel, The orchard thieves, is a little different from most of the other Jolleys I've read. It's a little less black, a little less about alienation, but it's unmistakably Jolley in style and preoccupations. By preoccupations, I mean her interest in family relationships and dynamics - and, related to that, her humane, … Continue reading Elizabeth Jolley, The orchard thieves (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian ghostwriters
If you've read my blog recently, you'll know exactly what inspired this post. Yes, Richard Flanagan's novel First person (my review), which was inspired by his experience of ghostwriting Australian fraudster John Friedrich's memoir. The book was called Codename Iago. You probably all know what a ghostwriter is, but just to make sure, here's the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian ghostwriters
Richard Flanagan, First person (#BookReview)
Richard Flanagan's latest novel First person, which I did with my reading group, is a challenge to read. By this I don't mean it's "hard" to read but that it requires careful attention to pin down. On the surface, its subject is straightforward. It's the story of struggling as-yet-unpublished writer, Kif Kehlmann, who accepts the job … Continue reading Richard Flanagan, First person (#BookReview)
Wendy Scarfe, The day they shot Edward (#BookReview)
There's something about novellas, about the way they can combine the tautness of the short story with the character development of a novel, and then hone in on an idea, undistracted by side-stories. This, in any case, is what Adelaide-writer Wendy Scarfe achieves in her book, The day they shot Edward. Like her previous novel, … Continue reading Wendy Scarfe, The day they shot Edward (#BookReview)
Eleanor Limprecht, The passengers (#BookReview)
The passengers is Eleanor Limprecht's third novel, but the second I've read, that being Long Bay (my review) based on the life of early twentieth century abortionist Rebecca Sinclair. The passengers is also a work of historical fiction, though not specifically based on one person's experience. Instead, it's about the Australian war brides who married … Continue reading Eleanor Limprecht, The passengers (#BookReview)
Nick Earls, NoHo (#BookReview)
Nick Earls is a Queensland-based writer known mostly for humorous fiction about contemporary life. While I'd heard of him, I hadn't read any of his work when I attended a session involving him at the 2016 Canberra Writers Festival. The session was titled "Modern Masculinity" (my report). Earls was there because of the recent publication of … Continue reading Nick Earls, NoHo (#BookReview)
Sarah Krasnostein, The trauma cleaner (#BookReview)
I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't planned to read Sarah Krasnostein's biography The trauma cleaner. I feared it might be one of those sensationalised, voyeuristic stories, but how wrong I was. I thank Brother Gums and partner for this great birthday gift. I was wrong because ... no, let me start with why I thought … Continue reading Sarah Krasnostein, The trauma cleaner (#BookReview)
Helen Garner, The last days of chez nous, and Two friends (#BookReview)
Helen Garner must have loved prize-winning book designer WH Chong's cheeky cypress-dominated cover for the Text Classics edition of her two screenplays, The last days of chez nous and Two friends. You'd only realise this, though, after reading her Preface, in which she explains that she had incorporated cypresses into her screenplay for their "freight of … Continue reading Helen Garner, The last days of chez nous, and Two friends (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie books I read in 1998
And now for something completely different for Monday Musings, a post about books I read a long time ago! It was inspired by the Canadian-based Debbie of ExUrbanis who has a series of posts on her blog on what she read in the past. I figured 1998 would be a good place to start - because … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie books I read in 1998
Whispering Gums 