There's something about novellas, about the way they can combine the tautness of the short story with the character development of a novel, and then hone in on an idea, undistracted by side-stories. This, in any case, is what Adelaide-writer Wendy Scarfe achieves in her book, The day they shot Edward. Like her previous novel, … Continue reading Wendy Scarfe, The day they shot Edward (#BookReview)
Novellas
Nick Earls, NoHo (#BookReview)
Nick Earls is a Queensland-based writer known mostly for humorous fiction about contemporary life. While I'd heard of him, I hadn't read any of his work when I attended a session involving him at the 2016 Canberra Writers Festival. The session was titled "Modern Masculinity" (my report). Earls was there because of the recent publication of … Continue reading Nick Earls, NoHo (#BookReview)
Mirandi Riwoe, The fish girl (#BookReview)
Mirandi Riwoe was joint-winner of the 2017 Seizure Viva La Novella prize with her book, The fish girl - and it has now been shortlisted for this year's Stella Prize. As you may already know, it was inspired by Somerset Maugham's short story "The four Dutchmen", which I reviewed a few days ago. Indeed, Maugham's story … Continue reading Mirandi Riwoe, The fish girl (#BookReview)
Hoa Pham, Lady of the realm (#BookReview)
Hoa Pham was one of the participants at the recent Boundless Festival (my post), so it's rather apposite that her latest work, Lady of the realm, popped up as my next review copy. The very brief author bio on the Festival site describes the novel as "about a Buddhist clairvoyant in Vietnam". Well, it is, but … Continue reading Hoa Pham, Lady of the realm (#BookReview)
Stephen Orr, Datsunland (#BookReview)
Two things I loved about Stephen Orr's novel The hands (my review) were its evocation of men, boys and their relationships, and its rural setting. And this is also why I liked Datsunland, his recent short story collection comprising thirteen short stories and a novella. It's a no-holds-barred exploration of the lives of boys and men. It is not … Continue reading Stephen Orr, Datsunland (#BookReview)
Yuri Herrera, Signs preceding the end of the world (#BookReview)
While I was travelling in the USA last month, I wanted to read at least one book relating to the regions we were visiting. I started by looking for a novel set in/about the northwest, but then Yuri Herrera's Signs preceding the end of the world, set in the southwest, popped out at me, and … Continue reading Yuri Herrera, Signs preceding the end of the world (#BookReview)
Louise Mack, The world is round (Review)
I've had Louise Mack's debut novel, The world is round, on my TBR for about 20 years. Published in 1896, when she was 26 years old, it's a fairly straightforward tragicomedy about a young well-to-do 21-year-old girl, Jean, who aspires to be a writer, and the two men who love her, the 30-plus-year-old self-confident, successful lawyer-and-writer Musgrave, and … Continue reading Louise Mack, The world is round (Review)
My literary week (3), mid-winter 2016
Today pretty much marks the middle of winter for us downunder, and what an unusually cold and wet winter it's been, at least in my city. We've had more rain than usual, and we've had snow, which is rare for us though not unheard of. Our average July maximum is around 12-13°C but this last … Continue reading My literary week (3), mid-winter 2016
Julie Proudfoot, The neighbour (Review)
When Julie Proudfoot offered me her debut novel, The neighbour, for review I was more than happy to accept. After all, it had won Seizure magazine's Viva La Novella Prize in 2014, and you all know how much I love a novella. I must say it's a gorgeous looking book. I'm not one to judge books … Continue reading Julie Proudfoot, The neighbour (Review)
Chinua Achebe, Things fall apart (Review)
At last I've read that classic of African literature, China Achebe's Things fall apart. It all came about because this year ABC RN's classics book club is doing Africa. As I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, and as my reading group has been making a practice of choosing one ABC … Continue reading Chinua Achebe, Things fall apart (Review)
