Rightly or wrongly, I try to keep my reviews to a reasonable length. When they start creeping up to 1200 words, I worry that readers will be discouraged from reading. There's so much to read out there - so many books, so many blogs, so many articles. And so, when my review of The luminaries … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: More on Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries
New Zealand writers
Eleanor Catton, The luminaries (Review)
Now here's the thing ... I don't make a practice of reading mysteries. I really don't care about who dunnit. When Mr Gums and I watch television crime shows, I rarely concentrate enough to work out the plot intricacies, but I do watch the characters. I'm always interested in the detectives and their relationships. I … Continue reading Eleanor Catton, The luminaries (Review)
Beryl Fletcher, Juno and Hannah (Review)
I've been pretty remiss in my blog regarding New Zealand literature. I have read and enjoyed several New Zealand novelists, such as Keri Hulme, Janet Frame and Fiona Kidman, but the only New Zealand writer I've reviewed here to date has been Lloyd Jones. And so I was both intrigued and pleased when Spinifex Press … Continue reading Beryl Fletcher, Juno and Hannah (Review)
Lloyd Jones, Hand me down world
I used to find myself saying, I can't imagine. But, I've since found out, you can - it's just a case of wanting to. What this character is talking about is empathy - and empathy, the having or not having it, is for me a major theme of New Zealand writer Lloyd Jones' latest novel, … Continue reading Lloyd Jones, Hand me down world
Kiwis have style!
Much as I, an Aussie, hate to admit it, those New Zealanders have style! Kimbofo has just posted, on her Reading Matters blog, New Zealand Book Council's current promo - take a look here. Beautiful isn't it? It springboards from Maurice Gee's novel Going west - which reminds me that I really must read the … Continue reading Kiwis have style!
Whispering Gums 