Reviewed by Ian Lipke Les Twentyman and Robert Hillman, separately leaders in their respective fields, together have produced one of the great biographies of the twenty-first century. This is Les Twentyman’s own story – the unassuming hero of the down-and-outs whose lives are suddenly changed by the interjection of a down-to-earth personality into their weary
Reviewed by Dr Kathleen Huxley As a follow on from his successful book Do No Harm Henry Marsh, the author of ADMISSIONS: a life in brain surgery weaves his wealth of experiences and roles as a doctor, neurosurgeon and colleague as well as son, husband and father into a series of fascinating snapshots into
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders “It was the massacre of 180 Jews that brought me closer to my family” The last few days of the Second World War were congested with events that have become synonymous with human suffering and destruction. Gratuitous violence by retreating German troops, Adolf Hitler’s suicide, liberation of death camps and
Reviewed by Ian Lipke In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre we meet Edward Fairfax Rochester one January afternoon when his horse slips on ice and its rider is thrown. Rescued by the governess Jane Eyre, he becomes known for his brooding, taciturn manner while the story unfolds. In Mr Rochester, Sarah Shoemaker has given us
Reviewed by E. B. Heath An elderly deaf woman is alone on Dunk Island, North Queensland. It is 1923, her husband has just died, and she has no means of contacting the main land. She waits for three days before a passing boat comes to her aid. This is fact. The woman is Bertha Banfield,
Reviewed by E. B. Heath A building, the people who live in it, a society anxious about immigration and unemployment, and the over arching summer heat of Paris. Such are the elements of Fran Cooper’s first novel, These Dividing Walls, successfully fusing character study and commentary on current social problems in Europe. Fran Cooper
Reviewed by E. B. Heath New York Nights is reminiscent of a sexy fairy tale – with complications – a fun romantic comedy; it is the latest story in C.J. Duggan’s the ‘Heart of the City’ series. Now I was worried. From the moment Dr Liebenberg had spoken of helping with a ‘situation’ it
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Reading The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (hereafter Grimm’s Tales) for the first time supplies an insight into a hitherto undiscovered world. Brought up from childhood to enjoy Grimm’s Fairy Tales most people gave no thought to the possibility that what they were reading was heavily sanitized.
Reviewed by Ian Lipke This is the story of two friends who grow up on neighbouring properties in the Kimberley region of northern Australia. At age 15 they make a pact that neither will ever screw up their friendship. However at age eighteen, on the offer of places in a university, Tom Forrest kisses Willow
Reviewed by E. B. Heath The Student is a wild read! Iain Ryan has written this adrenalin-fuelled novel in the hard-boiled noir genre. However, there is more to this novel than the rush of testosterone driven, drugs, sex and violence, all of which is portrayed unflinchingly. A nuance of vulnerability associated with a coming-of-age
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders “It was the massacre of 180 Jews that brought me closer to my family” The last few days of the Second World War were congested with events that have become synonymous with human suffering and destruction. Gratuitous violence by retreating German troops, Adolf Hitler’s suicide, liberation of death camps and
Reviewed by E.B. Heath This little book, of ten short narratives, is a refreshing read. The author, Sreedhevi Iyer, writes from the perspective of multiple ethnicities and as such the reader enters into diverse cultural spaces and enjoys a literary holiday. Iyer’s cultural heritage is Indian-Malaysian-Australian; she wrote her PhD at City University Hong Kong
Reviewed by Ian Lipke For older Australians the great rabbit plagues of the first half of the twentieth century are remembered as vividly as if they were just a short time ago. Older readers will recall, as children, watching Uncle Jack sending his team of ferrets down a rabbit hole. They remember the heart
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Alison Weir’s name is irrevocably linked to the time of the Tudors in England. Her latest book, Six Tudor Queens: Anne Boleyn – A King’s Obsession is a major work that becomes Book 2 in a six-part series that traces the lives and deaths of the wives of Henry VIII. Her
Reviewed by E. B. Heath A feral dog streaks across his path, going for a gobbet of offal near the wheel of a cart. . . . Scavenging opportunist, Niccolò thinks, not without a certain admiration. Stick a feathered hat on him and give him a sword and you’ve got half the country. No