Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Di Morrissey was one of the first 21st century writers to realise that people were ready for books set in Australia. The Thorn Birds was the most memorable of any earlier examples. Since then many writers have brought the Australian landscape to readers through their various novels. Since publishing her first,
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Having read the glowing tributes on the dust cover and found the hyperbole on the Macmillan website, I could not withhold my excitement as I contemplated the precious jewels awaiting me when I open Jeffrey Archer’s Hidden in Plain Sight. … I wondered if I’d missed something somewhere, something hidden in
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Not being familiar with Simon Farnaby’s Paddington 2 movie or The Horrible Histories series, I came to read The Misadventures of Merdyn the Wild with no preconceived notions. On reading chapter one, I could just imagine an adult reading this story to a younger child and them both enjoying it immensely.
Reviewed by Rod McLary While Don DeLillo would reject such a classification, it is generally thought that his novels are postmodernist in that they explore postmodern themes such as ‘rampant consumerism, underground conspiracies and the promise of rebirth through violence’. His latest novel The Silence is no different – its primary theme is the breakdown
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Dan Keighran’s book contains one of those stories that we treasure, one we keep coming back to when we think that life is tough. It is the story of a little boy who slept in the dirt but grew to be a man of principle to whom service to others was
Reviewed by Ian Lipke The cover of Breaker Morant reveals that Peter Fitzsimons is Australia’s bestselling non-fiction writer as well as Australia’s greatest storyteller. Grand statements, indeed. (I wonder what Henry Lawson might have thought!) Readers, however casual, cannot fail to see the thirty pages of Endnotes, the five-page bibliography, and the twelve-page index, each
Reviewed by Gerard Healy An interesting take, by journalist Rick Morton, on what happens when you grow up WITHOUT money. From his very personal experiences, Rick explains how life treats the poor and the not-so-poor in our society. It’s probably among only a handful of books on finance written from the lack-of-money perspective and it’s
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Australian writer, Sally Hepworth’s latest book is about sisters, twins, their relationship, and their identity, themes which she tackles very well. In this case it is about sibling dependency. The book tells the reader of the life of the Castle twins. The title of the book, The Good Sister, implies that
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke With her latest novel, Rosalie Ham is hoping to latch onto the success of her earlier novel, The Dressmaker, which was made into the acclaimed movie of the same name starring Kate Winslet. The cover of her new book states ‘She’s back!’ in dark blue on the bright yellow cover. This
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve In March this year as Covid 19 began to grip the world, Dr Catherine Hamlin, famous internationally, died in a hospital in Ethiopia aged 96. All those whose lives were touched by her mourned the loss of this woman who was loved for her contribution to women’s health while possessing most
Reviewed by Rod McLary In his previous book The Passage of Love, Alex Miller wrote a fictionalised memoir. In that book, he speaks of Martin Bloch – a close friend who encouraged him in his writing. The Passage of Love was reviewed in these pages in April 2018. The fictionalised Martin Bloch in the previous
Michael Robotham has triumphed at this year’s Crime Writers’ Association Awards, receiving the prestigious and internationally recognised Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year for his bestselling Good Girl, Bad Girl. Announced in the early hours of the morning, Robotham’s win cements his place as Australia’s foremost crime writer. He is one of
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Out of Copley Street is a collection of short stories featuring the working-class boyhood of Geoff Goodfellow. He is better known for his poetry giving voice to the anger of the disenfranchised. He usually presented his poetry on building sites, in factories and in prisons. The book is dedicated to one
Reviewed by Ian Lipke In his book, L’Ancien Régime et la Révolution (1856) Alexis de Tocqueville claimed that the French Revolution (1789–1799) was never intended to change the whole nature of traditional society. It was not interested in tearing down all forms of the ancien régime or in creating a state of permanent disorder. He argued a theory
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve In the days before Covid 19, and if you were lucky enough to participate in a Writers’ Festival, as I was, you will be struck by the crowds of devoted children, accompanied by equally enthusiastic parents hanging on every word spoken by Andy Griffiths. Sessions involving him and Terry Dent unfailingly