Anna Funder's Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's invisible life is a book with a mission, a mission that is implied in its full title. That mission is to examine the notion of "wifedom", and the way patriarchy works to construct it, through the example of the invisible - or, as Funder also calls it, erased - life … Continue reading Anna Funder, Wifedom (#BookReview)
Australian writers
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 4, Kate Helen Weston
In 2021, I started my Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers, with posts on Helen Simpson and Eliza Hamilton Dunlop. This year I added Marion Simons, who was my first post on the Australian Women Writers (AWW) blog this year. As I explained then, Elizabeth Lhuede and I have decided to focus this year … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 4, Kate Helen Weston
Rachel Matthews, Never look desperate (#BookReview)
One of the most appealing things about Rachel Matthews' third novel, Never look desperate, is that it features some decent men. In this #metoo era, which differs little from what came before, there's plenty of fiction which shows men in less than stellar light. And that's fair enough. One of the reasons I read fiction … Continue reading Rachel Matthews, Never look desperate (#BookReview)
Marjorie Barnard, The lottery (#Review, #1937 Club)
This will probably be my only review for the 1937 Year Club but I am thrilled to do it, because it is by Marjorie Barnard, an author whom I have mentioned many times, but have not yet managed to review here. My post is on a short story from her collection, The persimmon tree and … Continue reading Marjorie Barnard, The lottery (#Review, #1937 Club)
Shankari Chandran, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens (#BookReview)
Shankari Chandran's Miles Franklin Award winning novel, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens, was my reading group's March book. Unfortunately I was out of town at the time of the meeting, but of course I wanted to read it - and I did, finally! Like many people, I think, when I first saw the book, I … Continue reading Shankari Chandran, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Vale Yasmine Gooneratne (1935-2024)
It was through the Jane Austen Society of Australia's (JASA) newsletter, Practicalities, that I learned of the death of Yasmine Gooneratne, a woman with whom I have crossed paths - one way or another - three times. She was an academic at Macquarie University, where I did my undergraduate degree; she wrote a novel, A … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Vale Yasmine Gooneratne (1935-2024)
Carmel Bird and Jace Rogers, Arabella (#BookReview)
If you have read Carmel Bird, and particularly if you have read her bibliomemoir Telltale (my review), you will know that she has a whimsical turn of mind. You will also know that she can turn her hand to most forms of writing, including children's picture books. Her latest outing, Arabella, proves the point. Arabella … Continue reading Carmel Bird and Jace Rogers, Arabella (#BookReview)
Karen Viggers, Sidelines (#BookReview)
I don't usually start a book review by relating its content to my own experience, but local author Karen Viggers' latest novel Sidelines invites exactly this. Sidelines is about children's sport and what happens when the competitiveness gets out of hand. It was largely inspired by Viggers' own experience as the mother of sporty children, … Continue reading Karen Viggers, Sidelines (#BookReview)
Richard Flanagan, Question 7 (#BookReview)
Question 7 is the fifth book by Richard Flanagan that my reading group has done, making him our most read author. That surprised me a little, but he has produced an impressive body of work that is hard to ignore - and, clearly, we haven't. We always start our meetings with sharing our first impressions. … Continue reading Richard Flanagan, Question 7 (#BookReview)
Karen Viggers in conversation with Alex Sloan
When Colin Steele emailed out the schedule, to date, for this year's Meet the Author series, I immediately marked in my calendar those events I could attend. There weren't many, as life is busy with yoga, tai chi, reading group and concert subscriptions, but the first I could attend was local author Karen Viggers (who … Continue reading Karen Viggers in conversation with Alex Sloan
Whispering Gums 