Portfolio Categories: Reviews
-
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
In this exquisite novel, WW11 is depicted through two parallel stories focussing on the experiences of Marie-Laure a French girl who has been blind since the age of six and […]
-
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Wow! This is by no means an easy or uplifting read and yet, I found it to be utterly compelling. Containing graphic depictions of […]
-
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
Set against the backdrop of the legendry British heatwave of 1976, Maggie O’Farrell brilliantly penetrates the depths of a family crisis and the devastating and long-range power of family secrets. With […]
-
On Canaan’s Side by Sebastian Barry
Told over the 17 days following the suicide of her beloved grandson, 89 year old Lilly Bere, consumed by grief, reflects on her life. Hers has been a life marked […]
-
The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower
This brilliant piece of psychological writing, set in 1940s Sydney, seeps into one’s bones and is very difficult to dislodge. After the death of her father and subsequent abandonment by […]
-
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
Jasper Jones has won a stack of Australian awards and it deserves every one of them in my opinion. This novel sees Charlie, the 13 year old quiet, bookish protagonist […]
-
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
The goon squad of the title refers to time and the novel which could loosely be described as being about the American music industry, deals with the treatment its characters […]
-
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
Set in North Korea in the recent past when Kim Jong iI reigned supreme, this Pulitzer Fiction Prize winner is the harrowing story of Jun Do, who lives his life […]
-
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
This novel has lingered in my mind for ages…it is a superb vision of a not too distant America teetering on the edge of fiscal collapse juxtaposed with a highly […]
-
The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt
What a fabulous reading experience this was! On an overarching level it is a sensational critique of cultural misogyny, in particular the insincerity and superficiality of the art world. On […]