September 2020

History

People of the River by Grace Karskens

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Almost seven hundred pages face the reader of Professor Grace Karskens’s latest book People of the River. This is a masterpiece of historical writing that deals with the lost worlds of early Australia (as she calls them). Karskens bases her text on the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers areas, where she identifies

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General Fiction

The Wreck by Meg Keneally

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This second novel by Meg Keneally has much in common with her first solo novel Fled. The early part of both novels is set in Britain at a time when the common people felt powerless, exploited by those with money and where survival was all a matter of chance. The second

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Children

The Polar Bear in Sydney Harbour by Beck and Robin Feiner

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve One of the most exciting developments in publishing is the high quality and irresistible nature, mostly, of books for children.  From babies to young adults, there is an ever-growing selection which would impoverish a family should book-loving parents succumb and shower their offspring with appealing items. Of course, libraries are an

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Memoir/Biography

Heartache & Birdsong by Sam Bloom

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve From a heartache, deep and near unbearable, to the carefree beauty of birdsong, the road crawled along by Sam Bloom is an unforgettable experience she shares with her readers.  The horror of her predicament, after a catastrophic accident on a family holiday in Thailand, is graphically and movingly conveyed in her

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ABIA 2020 Winners

The winners of ABIA Awards for 2020 were announced earlier this year.  A selection of the winners is listed below. Literary Fiction Book of the Year:  The Weekend   Charlotte Wood Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year:  your own kind of girl   Clare Bowditch General Fiction Book of the Year:  Bruny  Heather Rose

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General Fiction

Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan

Reviewed by Rod McLary Mayflies is written in two parts: part one is set in Summer 1986 and part two is set in Autumn 2017.  The seasons selected for the titles of the parts suggest the mood of what is contained within them. The protagonists are Tully and his best friend James [or Noodles as

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Crime/Mystery

Hermit by S.R. White

  Reviewed by Ian Lipke Another crime story, a handsome hero (beautiful heroine, if you prefer), regulation plot, and a vicious killer that must be put away – we all know the drill. But not this time. S.R. White has broken the mould. Hermit is a very different crime story – in fact, it has

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Non-Fiction

Where Shadows Have Fallen by Adrian Mitchell

Reviewed by Ian Lipke All those women, like so many restless houris, each demanding to possess his memory. All those equally wavering details, supporting a romanticised idea of the poet. The one thing that is securely on the record is the poetry itself, a poetry of light and shade, and uncertain ways. A poetry of

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Children

A Clue for Clara by Lian Tanner

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve It is widely accepted that there is an insatiable thirst for the detective genre in novels, as is evidenced by the number of books bought or borrowed.  Most devotees are women especially book club members.  Therefore, it was with an air of familiarity that I picked up A Clue for Clara.

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General Fiction

The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The Tolstoy estate is the setting for this novel.  It is where the revered Russian writer is buried, in a glade in his lands west of Moscow and where he lived most of his later years. Estate can also mean legacy and this book surely is a valued indication of that.

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General Fiction

Poly by Paul Dalgarno

Reviewed by Rod McLary The rather intriguing title of Poly – the first work of fiction by Melbourne writer Paul Dalgarno – comes from the word ‘polyamory’.  The word means ‘the practice of intimate relationships with more than one partner, with the informed consent of all partners involved. It has been described as consensual, ethical,

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General Fiction

Ordinary Matter by Laura Elvery

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Ordinary Matter is the second publication of Brisbane writer, Laura Elvery. Her first collection of short stories, Trick of the Light, a finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards, was published in 2018. Her 2020 publication consists of short stories in honour of women who have been recipients of Nobel Prizes between

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