Reviewed by Rod McLary After the Great Storm is the debut novel from Australian short fiction writer Ann Dombroski and is set in Sydney sometime in the near future – a future in which moral ambiguity seems endemic. Alice Kaczmarek is the protagonist whose husband David is serving a life sentence accused of orchestrating an
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve This is Garrett Carr’s first novel for adults. Set in Donegal, on Ireland’s west coast, it brings to life the small community of Killybegs, with its deep connections, struggles to maximise its meagre assets, and wrestling with relationships. The boy is in fact a small baby, a few days old, washed
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke While researching for this book, the author looked for evidence to see whether the French Revolution offered any real change and opportunities for women in the country. Their role within the revolution was great. They formed their own political clubs and societies and took part in some of the most important
Upcoming Author Events FRIDAY MARCH 7 2025 | INSTORE EVENT 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start | 60 minutes Join us for the launch of Joanna Jenkins’ new book The Bluff. Joanna will be in conversation with Ben Hobson. ABOUT THE BOOK From the bestselling author of How to Kill a Client comes a page-turning
Reviewed by Ian Hamilton The body count by the end of this murder mystery is very modest: one dead man (although there are three fatalities if you count Horace the prize-winning bull and Frank the corgi). We are placed in a small rural town with the delightful name of Myddle. It is located on the
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Love Unedited is the work of Caro Llewellyn, an Australian business executive, artistic director, festival manager and nonfiction writer. Her publications include the 2020 Stella Prize-shortlisted memoir Diving into Glass, which explores her father’s experiences with polio, her own multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis and the realities of living with a disability.
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Three Wild Dogs – and the Truth – a memoir about the life and times of the dearly departed Reuben and Archer; concluding chapters are dedicated to Frosty who is still living the dream. The dream is having a loving, no-matter-what-happens, loyal carer, some might say owner, but I’m not sure
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Stories tell us much about a nation’s identity. Having been passed down in oral or written forms, they help shape both where a nation has come from and where it is going. The challenge is often to have these stories in a permanent form, so they are not forgotten. There have
Reviewed by E.B. Heath We have two minds. One thinks, the other knows. Forrest Hayes Steve Biddulph has revolutionized the left-brain (analytical and verbal) vs. right-brain (creative, emotional and non-verbal) paradigm by asserting that it is more accurately described as left mind, right mind, so giving some credence to the well-worn saying regarding indecision –
Reviewed by Rod McLary Dorothy Porter is one of Australia’s most esteemed poets who received, among many other awards, the Christopher Brennan Award for a lifetime achievement in poetry. Dorothy – or Dod as she was affectionately called by her family – was ‘fuelled by a lusty human humour and a generously sharp-tongued spirit’ [Michael
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The oral history of the Yolngu people of East Arnhem Land is reimagined in a fascinating telling of the times before Cook, in the late 17th century. The authors combined to produce a book that is a vibrant depiction of life in this area of which so little is known of
INTERVIEW WITH MARYROSE CUSKELLY – AUTHOR OF THE CAMPERS Recently, QRC was fortunate to be able to interview Maryrose Cuskelly about her new book The Campers. Queensland Reviewers Collective: Your previous book The Cane, centred on the disappearance of Janet McClymont, was inspired by the true-life disappearance in 1972 of Marilyn Wallman in Mackay. The Cane explored the reverberations
Reviewed by Rod McLary In her latest book, Maryrose Cuskelly takes a critical look at how a comfortable self-regarding middle-class community responds to the intrusion into their domain by a group of rough sleepers. In The Campers, the author explores the impact of homelessness and the presence of rough sleepers on a community and, however
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders In ancient times – before 1995 – one way to find a soulmate was a blind date. In that year, the first on-line dating service began and quickly evolved into the opposite of blind dating. Bios and pics mean that within milliseconds, you can know all about a person, sufficient to
Reviewed by Rod McLary F Scott Fitzgerald – in his 1924 short story The Rich Boy – wrote ‘Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me’. Robert Lukins’ new book is essentially about one very rich family – the Gulch family – and they are one very different