Reviewed by Ian Lipke People remain fascinated by a spinster with no apparent redeeming qualities who failed to fit in with her society’s Number One requirement of any woman of the time viz that she find herself a husband. She compounded her objectionability with her preference for reading and walking, and became the cynosure of
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The unusual title, Good Dogs Don’t Make it to the South Pole, might be considered a statement of the shortcoming of being a good dog. Reading this book, one realises that, in fact, a good dog is most fortunate in not attempting a polar expedition, especially if it shared the fate
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders What a tale this is. William Buckley was a towering giant of a man. After being wounded in the Napoleonic wars, he fell on hard times and was transported to Australia for petty theft. Sailing into Port Phillip in 1803 as a convict dragged into the British government’s half-hearted attempt to
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Heroes in literature, flawed though their personalities might be, usually follow a personal honour code. They are most often the main character of a literary work who, eschewing or disregarding injury or death, combat adversity through feats of human courage or the application of intellectual reasoning. These are sufficient to bring
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This is the second historical fiction novel by Martha Hall Kelly inspired by the life of World War heroines. Her earlier book, Lilac Girls, published in April 2016, became an international bestseller. It introduced readers to the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday, from the famous Woolsey family of New York City who were
Reviewed by E.B. Heath The title implies life and death, so unsurprisingly, Springtime: A Ghost Story, does not have the usual elements of the ghost narrative. No creepy houses, or deathly apparitions menacing from the shadows. Michelle de Kretser’s novella places the reader in the dazzling light of Sydney in the spring, teeming with energy,
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Charles Frazier, in his new novel Varina, takes the reader back to the American Civil War years in America, just as he did in Cold Mountain, a very well-known novel of the recent past. The novel switches from the early 20th Century back to the 1840s quite seamlessly as we journey
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The Botanist’s Daughter by Kayte Nunn came about as the result of the author’s belief that ‘stories circulate in the ether and if you are receptive, they will tap you on the shoulder and start to whisper in your ear’. (http://kaytenunn.com) On a visit to Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens the author