Sydney writer Madeleine Gray’s debut novel, Green Dot, has been read widely since its publication in 2023, largely due to word-of-mouth recommendation. Gray has since published a second novel, Chosen Family, a book I have yet to read. Hera Stephen is the first-person narrator of Green Dot. She is in her mid-twenties, holds three arts […]
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray Read More »
You’ll need to set aside a few days to read I Have Some Questions For You by American author Rebecca Makkai, but it’s worth it. This is a whodunnit with extras. The novel is set in rural America at a secluded private boarding school for high school students. In the 1970s one of the students
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai Read More »
In the run-up to Christmas, I’m going no further than my local bookshop. Books make the perfect gift. They promise days of enjoyment and a complete break from our hectic lives. I think I have it sorted for family members. Now the pleasurable task of putting some suggestions forward for books I’d like to receive
At the recent History Unbound Festival at Parramatta, I discovered a feast of historical fiction by Australian authors. By chance, two of the novels I’ve read since feature orphaned female protagonists who end up living in a religious order. In the 9th and 10th centuries, this arrangement offered opportunities for women which would not otherwise
Get thee to a nunnery Read More »
Alerted by my sister last Sunday afternoon, I caught the announcement on ABC Radio National of the top ten books of the 21st century as voted by readers around Australia. The countdown of the top hundred books had been underway since Saturday morning. Many listeners followed the broadcast for the whole weekend. You may be
Inconvenient Women is a non-fiction book about Australian women writers in the 20th century. It covers the years 1900-1970 and sets out in accessible prose the lives of these writers in the context of the historical and political events which influenced their lives and their writing. The book’s cover features Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin,
Inconvenient Women by Jacqueline Kent Read More »
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a 2013 collection of non-fiction magazine articles by American novelist Ann Patchett written to pay the rent while she worked on her first novels. The success of Bel Canto in 2001 meant that she could largely give up her freelance work to focus on fiction. In
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett Read More »
Over recent years, John Boyne has published a series of four novellas named after the ancient elements of Water, Earth, Air and Fire. I have just finished reading the first two, Water and Earth, both published in 2023. In each, Boyne takes on a part of human nature which is dark and difficult and examines
‘Water’ and ‘Earth’ by John Boyne Read More »
Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie begins her latest novel, Dream Count, in Washington where one of her four main characters grapples with the challenges of Covid lockdown. Chiamaka’s plans to keep herself active and productive come to nothing. She embarks instead on a dream count, remembering all the men in her life and how they failed to
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie Read More »
Intermezzo is Irish writer Sally Rooney’s most recent novel. It explores similar themes to her previous books, Conversations with Friends, Normal People, and Beautiful World, Where Are You. They all interrogate the search for love or meaningful connection with other people. In Rooney’s previous novels, a common theme has been the relationship between a young
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Read More »