Reviewed by Ian Lipke When Adam Brewster, the protagonist of John Irving’s new novel, The Last Chairlift finds himself enmeshed in an incestuous affair with his unmarried mother, all the signs flash “Beware! This book may not be worth the time needed to read it.” The fleshpots are further indicated by the naming of the
Reviewed by Gerard Healy This is a cracking crime novel from Ann Cleeves featuring her sharp but down-to-earth Inspector Vera Stanhope. It is the tenth Vera novel that Cleeves has written. This story involves a group of friends, who bonded over a weekend retreat on an island, near the end of their secondary school days.
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This was one of the most interesting, humorous and satisfying books that I have read for some time. Written by Western Australian Craig Silvey, and illustrated with sketches by Sara Acton, this book with its hard cover and dust jacket reminded me of the Readers Digest books. One of this author’s
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The author of this novel, Annie Seaton, is a prolific writer having produced well over fifty books in ten years. She has been classed as a hybrid author, with a foot in different publishing areas. She has also written over several genres from contemporary historic romance to eco-adventure fiction set in
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve From the very beginning, the poor yet colourful way of life in nine-year-old Javier’s village in El Salvador paints a vivid picture. Yet he longs to escape to Los Angeles to reunite with his mother and father, whom he hasn’t seen for years, merely spoken on the phone. They had travelled
Reviewed by Richard Tutin The question is often asked if written history should be subjective or objective. Answering this question has led to many debates and discussions. Those debates and discussions include whether history as a discipline should be taken seriously or removed from the fabric of society entirely. It is therefore good to come
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The best architects not only have imaginative skills related to their profession, but also are sensitive to the client’s needs and personality. Henrietta, Ms Mouse, is a splendid example of this. This much loved classic, first published in the 1980s, has delighted adults and children alike, for decades. George Mendoza is
Reviewed by Ian Lipke The Naturalist tells the story of Allan Riverstone McCulloch, who worked for the Australian Museum across the decades leading to 1925. McCulloch was immensely talented. He was scientifically able, demonstrated artistic talents way above the ordinary, and possessed organisational skills that were a credit to his department. He wore the badge
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This book is the third novel written by one of the UK’s most treasured comedians and presenters. He hosts The Graham Norton Show on BBC1, a show on BBC Radio 2 every Saturday and is a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. The story Forever Home is not a comedy unless
Reviewed by Rod McLary ‘Hazing’ is a peculiarly American phenomenon intended to be a ceremony for initiating new members into a college fraternity by subjecting them to humiliating or difficult tasks. It may be thought that hazing is a relatively new phenomenon but it dates back many hundreds of years. Its longevity goes some way
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Peter Watt has experienced many avenues of life. He has been a soldier, articled clerk to a solicitor, prawn trawler deckhand, builder’s labourer, pipe layer, real estate salesman, private investigator, police sergeant and adviser to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. The diversity of his career is reflected in his writing
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. Humour is a non-contact sport in Britain, I think they are pushing for it to be included in the Olympics, in which case Marina Hyde will certainly win gold. I haven’t relished reading political and cultural commentary so much since the late, very
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Australia is home to over eight thousand shipwrecks around its coastline. This staggering number asserts the important role ships have played in bringing people, goods and services to our shores especially when European settlement began in 1788. One of the greatest maritime disasters that Australia had to face was the wrecking
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Kamila Shamsie’s stunning new novel is an unflinching depiction of the changing friendship between two girls, Maryam Khan and Zahra Ali, who are going to school in Karachi. Their lives are brightened by books, videos and music. They had met for the first time in a bookshop when they had simultaneously
Reviewed by Gerard Healy Robert Ludlum created the Jason Bourne character and wrote three books featuring him before his death in 2001. Other authors, including Brian Freeman, have taken up the task of extending Bourne’s fictional life. This book is Freeman’s third Jason Bourne story (and numbers 15,16 and 17 in the whole series). And