Reunion bookcover (Courtesy: HarperCollins Australia) I wanted to love Andrea Goldsmith's Reunion. And I expected to, as I remember enjoying the last book of hers that I read. But, somehow, I found it a bit of chore to read, though it did pick up towards the end. I think I understand why it was not listed … Continue reading Andrea Goldsmith, Reunion
Australian writers
Shaun Tan, Eric
When I bought Eric on a whim the other day (as you do!), I didn't realise that it had been excerpted from Shaun Tan's Tales from outer suburbia which I haven't yet read, but have given to others. That's okay though, because it means that I've finally read a little of Shaun Tan, something I've wanted to … Continue reading Shaun Tan, Eric
Alex Miller, Lovesong
Lovesong is my first Alex Miller novel, which is a bit embarrassing, really, given that he has won the Miles Franklin Award twice. John was the quiet type ... Except when he was telling me his story. Even then there was something quiet and private in the way he spoke about himself and Sabiha; as … Continue reading Alex Miller, Lovesong
Thea Astley, The multiple effects of rain shadow (Review)
There are two main reasons why I like - actually love - to read Thea Astley. One is her language, her wonderful way with words that may, at times, be over-the-top but that is never clichéd. The other is her passion for the underdog, and thus for social justice in a world where it is … Continue reading Thea Astley, The multiple effects of rain shadow (Review)
David Malouf, Ransom
Words are powerful. They too can be the agents of what is new, of what is conceivable and can be thought and let loose on the world. (p. 61) Is risk-taking only the province of the young? Do desperate times call for desperate measures? Or, more to the point, can the impossible be made possible? … Continue reading David Malouf, Ransom
Helen Garner, The children’s Bach
I've said a few times now that I rarely reread books, and then go on to write about something I've re-read. I must look like a liar, but the fact is that if I've liked a book so much that I've reread it it's likely to find its way here. The funny thing is, though, … Continue reading Helen Garner, The children’s Bach
Dorothy Porter, The bee hut
The most powerful presence is absence (from "Egypt") The above lines open Australian poet Dorothy Porter's The bee hut, a collection of poems mostly writen in the last five years of her life. The lines are prophetic ... and they appropriately open a collection which deals very much, though not exclusively, with the tension between life … Continue reading Dorothy Porter, The bee hut
Richard Appleton, Appo: Recollections of a member of the Sydney Push
I wanted to start my review of Richard Appleton's memoir, Appo: Recollections of a member of the Sydney Push, with a mention of its evocative cover, but I now see that my friend Lisa, at ANZLitLovers, has already done this, so I'll start more boringly with definitions instead! According to Wikipedia, the Sydney Push was a left-wing intellectual … Continue reading Richard Appleton, Appo: Recollections of a member of the Sydney Push
Sarah Waters in conversation with Marion Halligan
Sarah Waters, 2006 (Courtesy: Annie_C_2, via Wikipedia, under Creative Commons CC-BY-2.0) In a delightful coincidence, Sarah Waters was in town tonight for a literary event, just one night after my reading group discussed her novel The little stranger - and so, naturally, those of us who were free turned up to hear her converse with … Continue reading Sarah Waters in conversation with Marion Halligan
Ruth Park, Swords and crowns and rings
Note to self: never again "read" an audiobook over a long period, such as, say, 5 months! This is how I read Ruth Park's engrossing 1977 Miles Franklin award-winning novel, Swords and crowns and rings. It was not hard to keep up with the plot as it's pretty straightforward - and powerful. It is hard, … Continue reading Ruth Park, Swords and crowns and rings
Whispering Gums 