As I was reading Pierre Lemaitre's literary page-turner, The great swindle, I started to wonder about the endings of books, what I look for, what I most appreciate. What I don't look for is neat, happy conclusions. There are exceptions to this of course. Jane Austen, for example, but she was writing at a different time when … Continue reading Pierre Lemaitre, The great swindle (Review)
Historical fiction
My literary week (5), or, those reading coincidences
Last time I wrote a My Literary Week post it was because I'd scarcely read that week, but had some literary moments to share. This time it's because I've been reading things which have generated some thoughts that I want to document, but not in long dedicated posts. (I'm feeling lazy). Most have been inspired by those reading … Continue reading My literary week (5), or, those reading coincidences
Anthony Doerr, All the light we cannot see (Review)
Just when you thought that there couldn't possibly be another angle to writing about World War 2, up comes another book that does just that, like, for example, Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer prize-winning All the light we cannot see. I had, of course, heard of it, but it wasn't high on my reading agenda until it was chosen as … Continue reading Anthony Doerr, All the light we cannot see (Review)
Ariella Van Luyn, Treading air (Review)
It wasn't until I reached the end of Ariella Van Luyn's debut novel, Treading air, that I discovered it was loosely based on the life of a real person. I'm glad it happened that way. I like introductions, but I always read them last because I like to come to my reading as unencumbered as possible … Continue reading Ariella Van Luyn, Treading air (Review)
Robyn Cadwallader, The anchoress (Review)
Let me start by saying that I'm not a big reader of historical fiction, and particularly not of non-Australian historical fiction, so to read a novel set in mediaeval times is quite a departure for me. However, I did want to read Robyn Cadwallader's The anchoress for a number of reasons. Not only is Cadwallader an … Continue reading Robyn Cadwallader, The anchoress (Review)
Ali Cobby Eckermann, Ruby Moonlight (Review)
Ali Cobby Eckermann has been on my radar for a while, so when Lisa announced her 2016 Indigenous Literature Week, I decided Eckermann's verse novel Ruby Moonlight would be my first choice. This novel won the poetry prize and the book of the year in the 2013 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. I enjoy verse novels but … Continue reading Ali Cobby Eckermann, Ruby Moonlight (Review)
Eleanor Limprecht, Long Bay (Review)
One of the things that interests me about historical fiction, of which Eleanor Limprecht's Long Bay is an example, is why the author in question chooses to write his/her story as fiction rather than non-fiction. As I've written before, this is an issue with which Kate Grenville grappled when she wrote The secret river. That book was initially going to … Continue reading Eleanor Limprecht, Long Bay (Review)
Emily Bitto, The strays (Review)
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed reading Emily Bitto's The strays. It was scheduled for my reading group the day after my return from Tasmania, and I suddenly found myself in the last day of my Tasmanian holiday without having started the book. Wah! I read it in two days, helped by several … Continue reading Emily Bitto, The strays (Review)
Wendy Scarfe, Hunger town (Review)
A little over halfway through Wendy Scarfe's novel, Hunger town, one character says to another that "kindness needs to be a political way of life". It sounds a little naive I suppose, but in recent months the idea of kindness, in the political as much as the personal arena, has been playing on my mind. … Continue reading Wendy Scarfe, Hunger town (Review)
Emma Ashmere, The floating garden (Review)
I had a little chuckle when, fairly early in Emma Ashmere's novel, The floating garden, we discover that our main character, Ellis Gilbey, writes a gardening column under the name Scribbly Gum! Good name, I thought. If it hadn't been for my school song inspiration, this would have been the name for me! There's another … Continue reading Emma Ashmere, The floating garden (Review)
