General Fiction

General Fiction

The Campers by Maryrose Cuskelly

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

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General Fiction

Someone Down There Likes Me by Robert Lukins

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

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General Fiction

The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Rachael Johns, author of The Bad Bridesmaid, is an Australian writer of contemporary relationship stories around women’s issues, a genre she has coined ‘life-lit’. Johns drew inspiration for her new book from The Parent Trap in writing what she called a “reverse Parent Trap for grown-ups”. In this story, which is

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General Fiction

Would You Rather by Maggie Alderson

Reviewed by Colleen McLennan Maggie Alderson is a British author with extensive editing experience in both England and Australia. She is author of ten novels and four collections of her columns from Good Weekend magazine. Her children’s book Evangeline, the Wish Keeper’s Helper was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award. In her latest book,

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General Fiction

Wings Above the Mallee by Lėonie Kelsall

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Lėonie Kelsall’s latest book is part of her series set in South Australia in her fictitious town of Settlers Bridge, so when reading this story, it is no surprise when the reader comes across characters they may have encountered in her previous books. The Homestead in the Eucalypts was the origin

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General Fiction

Finding Joy in Oyster Bay by Susan Duncan

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Susan Duncan’s latest novel is called Finding Joy in Oyster Bay. The first chapter spoke of nothing like “joy” as it is about a young woman who chooses to abandon her child. However, she knows that the baby will be cared for by others. As I continued to read on, I

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General Fiction

My Name is Gucci by Sun Jung

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve A significant factor that changed our pandemic-gripped lives was, for many lonely or perhaps childless people, the owning of a pet. The most popular was the dog because it, like its owner, needed to go out for daily exercise. Therefore, the leading ‘character’ in My Name is Gucci, a large spotted

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General Fiction

River Song by Di Morrissey

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This hard-covered novel with dust jacket, River Song, is Di Morrissey’s thirtieth book to be published. Over the years she has been providing interesting human stories for her readers taking them to different parts of Australia. She is well regarded in the literary world for her Australian-based stories and has been

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General Fiction

Dusk by Robbie Arnott

Reviewed by Rod McLary A common theme of Robbie Arnott’s two earlier novels – The Rain Heron and Limberlost – is the interrelation between humans and nature, their connectedness.  This theme continues in Dusk where nature or the natural environment dominates the foreground of the novel to the extent that the humans seem to be

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General Fiction

The Deal by Alex Miller

Reviewed by Rod McLary Alex Miller is one of Australia’s finest writers.  Among the many awards he has won, he is twice winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award for The Ancestor Game and Journey to the Stone Country.  And it is in The Ancestor Game where we first meet the protagonist of The Deal

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General Fiction

Beam of Light by John Kinsella

Reviewed by Rod McLary Firmly anchored in the Aboriginal landscape – stolen from the First Nations people with much bloodshed – this collection of short stories by John Kinsella speaks of people living on the edges of the community.  Primarily known as a poet, John Kinsella brings to his short stories that sense of landscape

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General Fiction

Mural by Stephen Downes

Reviewed by Rod McLary The basic premise for this novel is a rather daunting one.  D – his full name is never revealed – is a psychopath held in a secure facility for crimes which also are never revealed.  He has been asked by his psychiatrist to write down his thoughts, admissions and uncertainties.  What

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General Fiction

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Liane Moriarty’s books are undeniably popular. Over 20,000,000 copies have sold worldwide. She has been crowned the modern Jane Austen in her ability to capture modern urban life in all its variety, lacing this with her perceptive wit. Her writing is not ‘chick lit.’ escaping into a stereotypical world. Plots are

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General Fiction

Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This novel by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding is set in the Hamptons in the United States.  This setting is important as it describes the changing face and expectations of people now flocking to this area especially for the holiday season. Though enjoying the benefits these new people bring, the locals

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General Fiction

The Youngest Son by John Byrnes

Reviewed by Rod McLary The Youngest Son tells the story of the three Leach siblings – John, Maureen and Bob [the titular youngest son] – and the lives they make for themselves.  In a sprawling tale spanning fifteen years [1929 to 1944] and the Great Depression and a World War, the action takes place on

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