You probably know by now that I occasionally like to review short stories that are available online, most often those published by the Library of America. So when author and blogger, Andrew Blackman, recently posted that one of his stories had been published online, I thought I'd check it out. "Nights on Fair Isle" is, … Continue reading Andrew Blackman, Nights on Fair Isle (Review)
English writers
Jane Austen’s letters, 1801-1806
The years from 1801 to 1806 were somewhat unsettled if not downright traumatic years for Jane Austen. In December 1800 her father retired and her parents decided to move themselves and their two daughters to Bath. And then in 1805 her father died, suddenly. She writes to her brother, Francis, on 21 January (Letter 40) … Continue reading Jane Austen’s letters, 1801-1806
Julian Barnes, The sense of an ending (Review)
I should have known I wouldn't be the first to think of it, but during my reading Julian Barnes' Booker Prize winning novel, The sense of an ending, I was suddenly reminded of TS Eliot's The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock. It was the melancholic tone, the sense of life having passed one by, … Continue reading Julian Barnes, The sense of an ending (Review)
PD James, Death comes to Pemberley (Review, sorta)
How do you review or evaluate a Jane Austen "sequel"*? Do we expect, want even, the author to channel Austen? I suspect the answer is as varied as are the readers of sequels, and it probably depends on why we read Austen. Those who are mostly interested in the stories and what happens to the characters … Continue reading PD James, Death comes to Pemberley (Review, sorta)
Virginia Woolf, The mark on the wall (Review)
Back in November I wrote a post titled Nettie Palmer on short stories which resulted in Stefanie (of So Many Books) recommending one of her favourite short stories, Virginia Woolf's "The mark on the wall". I told her I'd read it and, finally, I have. This is the sort of story I like. It doesn't have a strong … Continue reading Virginia Woolf, The mark on the wall (Review)
Howard Jacobson, The Finkler question
Whispering Gums, as you would expect, writes erudite marginalia and so you'd be in for a treat if you ever obtained my copy of Howard Jacobson's 2010 Booker award winning novel, The Finkler question. The margins are peppered with my reactions, like, you know, "Ha!" and "Oh dear". Riveting stuff ... and yet, what comments … Continue reading Howard Jacobson, The Finkler question
Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto
Would you believe the issue of fact and fiction is consciously raised in yet another novel I've read? In his preface to The Castle of Otranto Horace Walpole suggests that it's possible the story - which he tells us that he "found" and translated - is based on fact. And he concludes that: If a … Continue reading Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto
Red Dog (Movie and Book)
First, the disclaimer: I'm a dog person and am therefore a sucker for stories about dogs and their loyalty. I know, I know, it's their nature, but that doesn't stop me crying over doggie devotion stories. Red Dog is one of these! If dogs don't move you, you may not want to see this film, … Continue reading Red Dog (Movie and Book)
Jane Austen, The Watsons (Unfinished)
In one of those coincidences that we often bother about in fiction, my local Jane Austen group scheduled Jane Austen's unfinished novel, The Watsons, for our July discussion. A coincidence because, if you are an Austen fan, you'll know that just this week the manuscript was sold at auction for nearly £1 million. Thank goodness … Continue reading Jane Austen, The Watsons (Unfinished)
Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Melbourne scenes, 1850s
One of the contributors to Charles Dickens' weekly magazine Household Words was Richard Horne. According to the notes on Contributors in Margaret Mendelawitz's five-volume set, Charles Dickens' Australia, which I reviewed last week, Horne was an English-born author who lived in Australia from 1852 to 1869. He agreed to write travel pieces for Household Words "in return", … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Melbourne scenes, 1850s
Whispering Gums 