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
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.
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.
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,
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
Reviewed by Ian Lipke I expect a dry treatise. Instead, I find a warm, welcoming publication, chockfull of information that is free of esoteric jargon. This is a book written for the general reader. There is no hint of a patronising tone, yet the subject matter is deep. I understand virtually everything I read
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar and translated by Anonymous is shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize, the only Iranian-Australian author to ever be nominated for this huge achievement. The prize money is divided equally between the author and translator. The novel is published by Wild Dingo Press and has
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Talk about culture shock. A young man arrives from England and immediately goes to work with a bunch of hard drinking, hard swearing journalists who make no bones about their dislike for poms. Nevertheless, by lunchtime on the first day he has managed to sink below their low standards and become
Reviewed by Rod McLary The title of this latest thriller from Val McDermid may conjure up for a new reader images of paintings of fruit and flowers by the Old Masters. If that is what has happened, then it is not entirely wide of the mark. Paintings and artists do appear in the novel but
Reviewed by Rod McLary It is always exciting to read the first published book of a new author. Sam Coley is the author of this book describing a road trip undertaken by Alex and his twin sister Amy following the sudden death of their parents. The circumstances which lead to the road trip and the
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve More than thirty novels later, Ann Cleeves has presented her millions of followers with another thrilling tale – this time featuring, for the ninth time, Vera Stanhope. Her skill does not seem to falter. With apparent ease, Ann Cleeves has written an engrossing crime novel which, although it has the time-honoured
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Fake Law opens with astonishing examples of the vagaries of recent legal outcomes. Courts in the UK had ruled that babies afflicted with rare medical conditions could not be kept alive on life support because their treatment would be exorbitant to the NHS, according to media reports. News outlets also reported
Reviewed by Ian Lipke New readers of John Connolly, if such exist, will find the writer’s style annoying, even frustrating. He uses a multiplicity of words when fewer would have done the job. Born in Dublin in 1968, John Connolly’s first book Every Dead Thing launched his career in a spectacular start. He was in
Reviewed by Gerard Healy The overall theme of this collection are the many connections between Europe and Australia from cultural, historical and artistic viewpoints. Many of the writers reflect on their families’ immigrant experiences and the perspectives they’ve gained from that. This Griffith Review, like most previous ones, includes essays, memoirs, fiction and poetry as
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Fiona Cummins has produced a winner with the publication of her When I Was Ten. She shows that somewhere in a society like ours – or indeed in ours – evil flourishes beneath the bland, smiling faces of people we would never suppose to be anything but good. In like vein