Reviewed by Richard Tutin Black Inc’s latest title in the “Shortest History” series heads for France and its fascinating story. Colin Jones, who has authored several titles on different aspects of French history, has been given the brief to bring this survey to life while at the same time keeping it within the framework as
Reviewed by E.B. Heath A book must be an ice axe to break the sea frozen inside us. Kafka Rodney Hall is energizing to read. Initially, Vortex requires focus. The narrative is fragmented depicting a plethora of characters that pivot from one to another throughout the novel, each with their own plot thread. Unconventionally, chapters
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Detective Sergeant Stilwell has been bounced off the county homicide squad and rusticized to Catalina Island, a district as infested as the rest of the Los Angeles police precinct. Here, the exclusive Black Marlin Club won’t admit even the long-serving Avalon Mayor Doug Allen to full membership. Yet in the community,
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke As the cover suggests this story is about sailing, but it is not just about that. It is also about family history and the tensions between two families who have been in a particular area for generations. With the main characters pre-teens, this story is also about friendships and jealousies. Nell,
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Sea Change is an excellent example of an imagination at its most vivid. Here the author envisages the devastation likely to be inflicted on an island community called the Kapiti Coast. A dramatic rupture in an Alpine region triggers a tsunami that, in a series of waves of varying strength, is
Reviewed by Ian Lipke It was Gillian Wills who first made the comment that “Musicians are artists that paint in sound.” She went on to make the point that despite the wide acceptance of this judgment, music is played across the country in acoustically inept buildings and rooms. Ms Wills would know what she is
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Jo Harkin’s hero is depicted at the beginning of the story as a small boy living on a farm where his greatest menace is the village’s devil goat. All is normal behaviour for John Gollan until his life is upended; he is not John Gollan but the son of the long-deceased
Reviewed by Richard Tutin I have enjoyed watching cricket in its various forms for most of my life. It’s enjoyable to watch closely contested five-day test matches with scarce wickets and runs. In the games where Australia participates, the baggy green cap is frequently seen. Of course, not all players are wearing it throughout the
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Most of us have grown up with the idea that the Antarctic is a relatively untouched land of ice, mountains and penguins. It seems unthinkable that we should exploit it for mining or oil or whales. Yet through the 19th and most of the 20th centuries, Australia saw Antarctica as a
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The author of this children’s book is Jacqueline Anne French AM, known professionally as Jackie French. She is an Australian author who has written across several genres for both adults and children. Her most notable works, among the 200 she has written, include Rain Stones, Diary of a Wombat, The Girl
Reviewed by Colleen McLennan Alice Austen is an American writer, playwright, screenwriter and producer. She was a student at the University of Oregon and was a member of the women’s track team. She studied at Harvard Law School and was the co-founder of the Harvard Human Rights Journal, and studied creative writing under Seamus Heaney.
Reviewed by Rod McLary Dystopian novels – and there are many of them from Brave New World to The Road to The Handmaid’s Tale – all attempt to anticipate the future and of course we have no way of telling whether they are or will be accurate. Some assume huge scientific advances, others a cataclysmic
Reviewed by Clare Brook My Name is Emilia Del Valle is the latest historical-fiction novel by Isabel Allende set in nineteenth century Chile. Written in the first person, it reads like a memoir. However, Emilia del Valle is a fictional character who is determined to overcome her impoverished background and the societal conventions of the
Reviewed by Richard Tutin When someone wishes to pursue a momentous project at all costs they are often regarded as being obsessive. If they manage to complete it well, they are then called visionary. Such is the situation with Charles Todd whose greatest achievement was the completion of the Overland Telegraph in 1872. David Dufty
Reviewed by Rod McLary Psychologists say that a white lie is a small, socially acceptable untruth told – among other reasons – to avoid embarrassment. It can also be a lie of omission; that is, when something incorrect is said and there is no attempt made to correct the error. But as with so much