Book Enthusiast

Still Alice - Lisa Genova

2012-02-01T23:19:00.000-08:00

Still Alice

Lisa Genova

Simon & Schuster

At fifty, Alice is a respected cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a renowned expert in linguistics. Together with her husband, also a Harvard professor, they lead an idealistic life. They have three well-balanced children who look to be following their parents in becoming successful in their chosen fields.

This idealistic world starts to crumple when Alice begins to forget things. At first they are minor - a word just at the tip of her tongue. Nothing to worry about. But soon other more worrying signs start to emerge. She forgets the topic she is to lecture, misses an interstate conference she is to attend, and gets disorientated jogging a route she regularly takes in her neighbourhood. Although she knows there is something wrong, Alice's life and sense of herself is thrown into a spin when she learns she's suffering from Alzheimer's.

Through Alice's eyes, we see how the event takes a toll on each member of the family. Her husband, John struggles the most to accept her diagnosis. At times selfish and insensitive, he almost seems to be in denial of his wife's needs as he continues to make career plans that are clearly detrimental to Alice's condition.

Using a professor with a brilliant career as her protagonist, Genova has added extra poignancy to the narrative. The passages in the doctor's surgery are repeated to ad nauseam. Genova overestimates the reader's interest in wanting to learn to such detail about the treatments and the various trials or medication. What is interesting however, is the changes taking over Alice. The questions she sets herself daily and the deterioration in her answers as the disease takes hold, is a brilliant demonstration of the disease's devastating effects.

It takes a lot of effort for anyone over the age of -say 30- to not become paranoid after reading this book. At one point I was convinced I may have early onset of the disease. The paranoia did not settle the further I travelled into the book.

In the end, even as Alice forgets names and relationship of those around her, at her core, she remains the same. She is Still Alice.

And that my friend, is a good lesson for us all. 3 stars

Fingersmith - Sarah Waters

2012-01-31T19:24:00.000-08:00

Fingersmith

Sarah Waters

Virago

'My name, in those days, was Susan Trinder. People called me Sue. I know the year I was born in, but for many years I did not know the date, and took my birthday at Christmas. I believe I am an orphan. My mother I know is dead. But I never saw her, she was nothing to me. I was Mrs Sucksby's child, if I was anyone's'

Susan Trinder, 17, grew up in the slumps of London. An orphan, she is raised by petty thieves and pickpockets. Her life takes a sudden turn when Richard Rivers, a trickster, comes up with a plan to make them all rich.

Maud Lilley also 17, is an heiress kept in seclusion by her uncle in a large house outside of London. Set to inherit a large fortune upon marriage, she is easy prey for the likes of Rivers - who plans to marry, then commit her to a mental asylum. Sarah is to abet Rivers in his plan by installing herself as Maud's maid and chaperon to help win her over.

Simple.

And so begins a tale of betrayal and treachery. Where nothing is ever as simple as it appear and no one is to be trusted. With dastardly gentlemen, unscrupulous villains, vulnerable girls in peril, and transgressive heroines, Fingersmith does not dissapoint in keeping the reader glued to its pages.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. 4 stars

Sarah Thornhill - Kate Grenville

2012-01-31T17:59:00.000-08:00

Sarah Thornhill
Kate Grenville
Text

Sarah Thornhill completes a loose trilogy which includes the highly acclaimed The Secret River and The Lieutenant. While there are romantic elements, they are weighed by remorse and guilt for atrocities committed against Aborigines during colonisation.

Sarah, the daughter of William Thornhill, is independent, resourceful, feisty, and in love. Told through her eyes, the novel is narrated as it might be thought or spoken, in bits of sentences. Though illiterate, Sarah is sensitive and highly observant.

Deeply in love with a young Aboriginal man Jack Langland, Sarah imagines a life alongside her lover. Their relationship kept secret, once discovered, prompts her stepmother to reveal to Jack a hidden secret that so horrific, has haunted the family for many years and has lead to the estrangement of a son.

Believing her father to be a noble and generous man, Sarah knows nothing of the secret and is devastated when Jack leaves her. Heartbroken, she eventually marries an Irish settler who is kind and respectful to her. But just as it appears that her life is settled, family secrets are revealed, casting a chill shadow over its members.

Simply and beautifully narrated, Sarah Thornhill is a tale set in the colonial past whose theme is as relevant in today's society as it was back then. Grenville has crafted a magnificent tale that is sure to be an Australian classic in years to come. 4.5 stars

Freedom - Jonathon Franzen

2011-09-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

Freedom

Jonathon Franzen

4th Estate

Freedom. It encapsulates people's hopes, dreams, aspirations, experiences and beliefs. It inspires and moves us. It rouses us into action. It can be manipulated, stripped, abused and denied. And whilst some go to extreme lenghts to gain it, most take it for granted.

Freedom is the story of Patty and Walter Berglund; their children Joey and Jessica; and their friend Richard Katz. Its a portrait of modern America - not the star spankle, clean cut version, but the ugly, selfish, wart-riddled society it has morphed into. It's a story of how individuals use their personal rights to deny others theirs. The ever increasing self-centredness of individuals and their refusal to put the needs of society before their own.

The dialogue is witty and razor sharp in its accurate portrayal of 21st century society. My one criticism however is the long waffling passages. Franzen likes to take the reader inside the protagonist's head. He walks us inside their shoes and we are privy to their every thought. This leads to long segments that slow the narrative and detract from the overall message of the book. I would have preferred to have the characters just take me on their journey rather than invite me to a therapy session that stretch beyond the customery one hour.

Thankfully towards the end, the narrative takes on a different pace. Franzen rewards the reader for their patience by giving them a sharp and highly satisfying ending. Yes the journey is at times arduous. Yes the characters are unlikable and at times infuriating. But atleast for this reader, the end made the journey worthwhile. 4 stars.

How I became A Famous Novelist - Steve Hely

2011-09-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

How I became A Famous Novelist
Steve Hely
Black Inc

Pete Tarslaw is America's foremost literary opportunist. By day he works for for EssayAides, a service for wealthy kids that turns their gibberish into polished college application essays. But one day watching a daytime show interview a best-selling novelist, that he begins to wonder whether he can better utilise his talents to gain fortune and fame.

With dreams of attracting an audience of 'young women in little sweaters and tight jeans, pliant and needy' - and the second alterioir motive of upstaging his ex girlfriend at her upcoming wedding - Pete sets offto Barnes & Noble to browse through the genres. To his dismay he finds writing thrillers with their regular twists, rapidly moving plot line and veiled threats too exhausting. Literary fiction on the other hand he finds much easier. Believing that by manipulating the reader with 'wordy spackle', he can trick them into thinking there is great wisdom within the novel's pages.

Hely does not hold back any punches and no one is spared from his poison pen - not even Oprah. It is at times an uncomfortable read - a bookseller, author and literary tragic, I too have sighed over adjective-chocked passages. In fact in the future, I might just refer back to Hely's book, not as a satirical gib but a reference to becoming a famous novelist! 4 stars

Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom

2011-09-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays With Morrie
Mitch Albom

The best selling memoir, chronicles Albom's visits to his old college professor, Morrie Schwartz, in the months before Morrie passed away from a Motor Neuron Desease.

Morrie Schwartz is an inspirational teacher and mentor, touching the lives of his students. Sixteen years as passed since Albom last seen his professor. He is reminded of the promise he made on his graduation to keep in touch and learning of Morrie's illness decides to visit him.

Visiting his old prefessor every Tuesday, Morrie's wit, wisdom and the joy he takes in living strikes a strong chord with Albom. Having moved away from the ideals he once held in college, Albom is witness to the values that although have not made Morrie rich, have remunerated him with a rewarding and happy life. Growing up, Albom once inspired to the same principals of happiness but has lost sight of them in his quest to become a successful sports reporter. Each Tuesday Albom learns a new lesson from his professor... the secrets of living a happy life.

This is not the type of book I normally choose to read. Picked by a member of our book group (she also picked Eat, Pray, Love), it smacks of smug, over bearing sentimental clap trap that makes Oprah fans salivate. There is nothing new to be learnt that we have not already been taught by Oprah in her quest to educate and better our lives. I have not seen the Albom-Oprah episode but can only imagine the visit was filled with lots of tear-jerking sentiments and heart-felled audience enthusiasm who despite having heard the same message a thousand times (afterall most of it is just commonsense), believe it to be far more powerful when received from the whispy last breaths of a dying man.

Albom's memoir, however noble in its intention, still comes across schmaltzy and preachy. It might be a reflection of our society that we flock with such enthusiasm towards parables in the hope of unlocking the secret to life's happiness. Maybe if we are serious about change, we should stop looking to outside sources and take a quiet moment to reflect on ourselves. We might just find the answers already there. 3 stars

The Street Sweeper - Elliot Perlman

2011-09-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Street Sweeper

Elliot Perlman

Vintage

On a busy New York City corner, four people, a street sweeper, an oncologist, a history professor and a little girl are clustered in a small group. From those who pass them on that busy corner, few if any have any idea as to what has led the group here. Yet these seemingly unrelated individuals from different walks of life are bound by a common history of struggle, bravery, and unexpected kindness of those who have come before them.

Recently released from prison, Lamont Williams is an African American janitor working on probation in an Manhattan hospital and seeking to locate the daughter he has not seen for the past few years. By chance on one of his shifts, Lamont befriends an elderly patient, Henryk Mendelbrot, a Holocaust survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau prison camp.

Whilst Henryk recalls the horrors of those dark days in Poland from his hospital bed, a few kilometers uptown, the historian Adam Zignelik, a history professor at Columbia University and the son of a civil rights lawyer, is on the cusp of a professional and personal crisis. Desperate for something to save him, he uncovers the remarkable story of a man who was determined to record the voices and stories of Holocaust survivors.

As the two men struggle to survive in the early 21st-century New York, their different paths converge in ways neither could have foreseen. Their stories span the 20th century, sweeping across continents and touching on pivotal historical moments, to finally bring us to the present. In the hands of a less skillful author, The Street Sweeper could have ended up a sentimental Holocaust or a preaching civil rights story. But Perlman's fresh approach and skill breathed new life into these well-visited chapters of our history. 4 stars

To Be Sung Under Water - Tom McNeal

2011-09-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

To Be Sung Under Water

Tom McNeal

Abacus

The first time we fall in love, lasts forever.

Love is complex. It can uplift spirits and it can bring them crashing to the ground. Traversing between Vermont and Nebraska where her parents have separated to, Judith meets and falls in love with Willy Blunt. They separate, promising to wait for one another when she leaves for college. But now Judith is introduced to a different world and has new sets of friend. She meets Malcolm and consciously starts to let go of her past; starts to let go of Willy and the promises she made him.

In her mid-forties, Judith is living in California. She is married to Malcolm and together they have an intelligent teenage daughter. In her career, she's a successful film editor and puts in long hours to meet deadlines. By all counts, Judith has everything a modern career woman aspires to in the 21st-century. But Judith is not happy. She suspects her husband is having an affair; her daughter behaves distant and she feels threatened by the new breed of ambitious editors gunning for her job. As Judith becomes more disillusioned with her life, her thoughts return to happier days. And to Willy Blunt. At this point the author raises the philosophical question: if you had the chance to reunite with your first love, would you do it?

For Judith it means returning to Nebraska and track down Willy Blunt. She discovers Willy shrunken by life. Married with two sons, he has never forgotten Judith. Alone in the log cabin he has built, he confesses to her these poignant words.

For you, I was a chapter-a good chapter, maybe, or even your favorite chapter, but still, just a chapter-and for me, you were the book.

Although To Be Sung Under Water has all the ingredients of a sweet and tender love story, and although McNeal's writing is staggering, I could not find myself being drawn to the story or the characters. I understand that there are loves that never leave our hearts; feelings that no amount of time or distance can erode. But I failed to understand Judith. She has a comfortable life. Her suspicions over her husband's infidelity are unfounded and her relationship with her daughter can be resolved if she spends less time holing herself in her past and more time with her.

I had high expectations from To Be Sung Under Water. I really hoped to fall in love, to swoon, to be heart sick over the unrequited love. But in the end, the story failed to connect. 3 stars

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

2011-07-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
Harvill

Le Cirque des Rêves arrives unexpectedly one day. Behind the black & white striped canvas tents lays an enchanting world of beauty and unexplainable illusions. A sumptuously rich and textured tale, The Night Circus is dark as it is dazzling.

At the centre of the tale is the rivalry between two magicians and their pupils, trained from an early age for a single purpose. Celia and Marco unbeknown to one another have been hand picked to compete in a game where only one will be left standing.

The circus is the venue by which the opponents display their skills and set challenges for the other to follow. But this time, the opponents are too well matched, and what begins as a show of talent grows into something deeper. And darker. Something that could effect the fate of the circus and those involved with it.

The Night Circus is a tale of love, rivalry and wondrous illusions. The plot is cleverly played out, and tucked between chapters are small invitations for the reader to experience the circus firsthand. Highly original and artistic, The Night Circus is sensuous and ultimately satisfying.

4.5 Stars.

For The Term Of His Natural life - Marcus Clarke

2011-07-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

For The Term Of His Natural Life

Marcus Clarke

Penguin

Accused of a crime he did not commit, Richard Devine- an English aristocrat, is sentenced to life imprisonment at the penal colony of Tasmania. Taking on a new identity (to save his mother grief and shame), the now Rufus Dawes sails to Van Diemen's Land on board a convict ship. What he discovers upon arrival, he encounters a penal system entrenched in treachery, savagery and cruelty.

This book polarised our small book group. Whilst some debated the circumstances which conspired to convict Dawes, I argued in favour of Clarke's writing. Whilst the dense layout of text irritated some of our readers, I applauded the content and prose. And whilst they thought the relationships were highly improbable, I again stood my ground and pointed out its merits.

In truth, I forgive the book's follies because I enjoyed the imagery and took great pleasure in the structure of the sentences. I sighed longingly at my inability to match Clark's skill. Had Clarke been a lesser writer, then I may have been less forgiving. But since he's not, I continue to argue in his favour.

4 Stars

Tiger's Wife - Tea Obreht

2011-07-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

The Tiger's Wife
Tea Obreht
W&N

There appears to be a new trend amongst the up and coming literary giants. Beautifully composed and artfully layed out novels, this new breed of young authors are telling stories steeped part in legend and part in reality. The Tiger's Wife is one such book. An amalgamation of interwining stories, it encapsulates the purity, mystery and darkness of the human spirit.

The book opens with the protaganist Natalia hearing the news of her beloved grandfather's passing. A shroud of mystery surrounds his death and his decision to travel to the remote village just before he passes away. Deciding to investigate, Natalia heads out to the village to unravel the mystery. As the story unfolds we come to realise the key to her grandfather's life and death "lies between two stories: the story of the tiger's wife, and the story of the deathless man".

Mistaking the style at first glance as YA, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a tale that effortlessly transcends genres to knit a mystery shrouded in darkness and Balkan folklore. Unravelling each piece of the puzzle presented new joy and my delight in Obreht prose was endless.

The Tiger's Wife is extravagant, folkish, bizarre and ultimately a joy to read.

4 Stars

Fall of Giants - Ken Follet

2011-07-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

Fall Of Giants
Ken Follet
MacMillan

Fall Of Giants is both wonderful and disappointing at the same time. An epic novel, it has a cast of characters with intertwining lives, whose stories traverse across a sweeping world stage.

What makes 'Fall Of Giants' wonderful is its vast historic content. With an army of historians at his disposal, Follet weaves a tale on a massive scale, taking care to illustrate all view points. I particularly enjoyed the Russian revolution and Follet's close attention to detail which had me absorbed throughout the second half of the book.

What let the book down for me is Follet's writing. Historical facts are drummed in with patronizing regularity. Follet has a habit of drawing the readers' attention to obvious points. As the result the narrative comes across coerced and details that may have been better served left subtly for the reader to decipher are force fed.

Another issue I have with this book is the two main characters Ethel and her brother Billy. Despite their very limited schooling, both possess superior oratory talents. Follet explains this rather unlikely skill (several times as if trying to convince not just the reader but also himself) by the family's minister father's habit of encouraging his children to debate around the dinner table.

Overall, Fall Of Giants is an ambitious and enjoyable read. Heavily researched, it makes for an entertaining saga filled with war, love, betrayal and intrigue. 3 stars

Whatever You Love - Louise Doughty

2011-06-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Whatever You Love

Louise Doughty

Faber & Faber

There are moments in our life that change us forever. For Laura, the moment arrives with a knock on the door. Expecting to see the small form of her nine year old daughter, she is surprised by the two larger shadows against the paneled glass. Opening the door, she is momentarily puzzled by the presence of the two uniformed officers on her front step. Her brain does not compute what they tell her. And its not till later, after she follows them to the hospital, and even much later, when her daughter's funeral is over, that the force of the words finally hit her. Betty, her golden-haired child is killed by a speeding car as she and a her best friend cross the road. And Laura vows to take away from her daughter's killer, the one thing he cherishes most in the world.

Whatever You Love strikes a hard punch at the core of every parent's heart. Without resorting to sentimentality, Doughty straddles our basic human needs: love, shelter and security. She illustrates that love makes us vulnerable; it propels us to fight, and fuels our innate need to protect Whatever You Love.

4 stars.

Netherland - Joseph O'Neill

2011-06-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Netherland

Joseph O'Neill

4th Estate

Hans van den Broek, is a Dutch-born equities analyst who lives in New York with his English born wife Rachel, and their son. The events of 9/11 forces them to move uptown to the run down Chelsea hotel and here, their marriage slowly begins to unravel.

There are many levels to this book, all of them seamlessly melting and shifting into one another. On one level its the story of Hans, his pain of being separated from his family, and his inner yearning to again a sense of belonging in this fast shifting world. On the other hand its a story of cricket, its followers and the passion it invokes in the heart of its participants.

Hans partially finds solace from his loneliness in the group of largely West Indian cricket players. He befriends Chuck Ramkissoon- a West Indian entrepreneur with dubious business dealing and grand ambitions to open New York's first world class cricket stadium. Unfortunately for Chuck his cricket plans don’t pan out, and he vanishes under murky and ultimately grisly circumstances.

I will confess I have a lot of trouble with this book. The narrative often veering on a tangent, left me bereft and confused. On the other hand I can appreciate original work and to O'Neill's great credit, Netherland is a truly original. His narrative deftly holds a mirror to our modern life. And closely observed, it reveals at times the dark, the insecure and increasingly disfranchised aspects of our society. 4 stars

Town Like Alice - Neville Shute

2011-06-08T02:37:00.001-07:00

Town Like Alice

Neville Shute

Post WWII, Jean Paget a secretary working in a London shoe factory, is informed by the solicitor Noel Strachan that she has inherited a large amount of money from an uncle she barely knew. Placed as her trustee, Strachan - also the narrator of the story - acts as Jean's adviser. He reluctantly agrees to give Jean some of her inheritance to build a well in a small Malayan village in return for the kindness the villagers had shown her during the Japanese invasion of the island.

As a POW during the Japanese invasion, Jean along with a group of women and children are marched from one village to another by their captors. Not allowed to settle in any spot and not used to the hard physical labour, many die. Speaking fluent Malay, Jean takes leadership of the group and after many months on the road, finally convinces a village elder to let the remaining group to live amongst them for the duration of the war. It is during this time that she meets and strikes a friendship with a young Australian soldier, Sergeant Joe Harman. Risking his life, Harman steals food and medicine for the women but finally caught, is crucified and left to die by the Japanese.

When Jean returns to Malay, she by chance hears news that Harman having survived, has returned to Australia and decides to travel to the outback town of Willstown to meet him. In a bizarre twist of events, Harman also hears that Jean lives in London and at the same time she is travelling to meet him, is on his way to find her. They eventually meet and romance blossoms. Deciding to stay in Willstown, Jean sets out to transform the town to a town more like Alice Springs. Again drawing on the same ingenuity and resourcefulness that helped her survive Malay, Jean achieves her goals, breathing life into the stale outback town.

Despite the strong story line, I feel hard pressed to shower praise on this book. For one thing, I cannot fathom why Shute decides to narrate the story through the solicitor rather than Jean, hence keeping the main (and the strongest) character at an arms length to the reader. I also find the Laconic Harman and his cliche euphemisms, cartoonish. With such story line, there is ample opportunity to draw on the readers emotions. Yet oddly, Shute's execution is dry, the narrative soldiering through the text with the stiff upper-lip formality of post-war English middle-classes. 2.5 stars

Almost French - Sarah Turnbull

2011-06-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Almost French
Sarah Turnbull
Bantam

There is plenty we can learn from the French - appreciation of all things beautiful and how to avoid looking like a slob (someone who has not made an effort in dressing well is an assault to the French sensability). There is also a lot the French can learn from the rest of us -how to be inclusive and less hung up on all things French.

Light and fluffy like a soufle, Almost French documents the entertaining recollections of a young Sydney girl who falls in love with a 'very French Frenchman' and moves to Paris. Yes, a trite cliche, and one can be forgiven in assuming the book will descend into lots of lovely moments motoring through the city of Love, and reminiscences of sharing 'Eclair de chocolat' and flaky croissants. Thankfully Turnball avoids this well-trodden path and instead chooses to recount how she navigates the highs and lows of Parisian life as an outsider.

Initially puzzled by the cool rebuffing from her partner's friends and appalled by the strict adherence to everything from the order of food at mealtimes, to the manner of one's dress, Turnball struggles to fit into her new life. But like many expats around the world, she eventually grows to understand and appreciate the differences. Living within the peripherals of both cultures, the notion of home becomes confused as one culture fuses into the other to create its own identity.

Acutely insightful and filled with laugh-out loud observations, Almost French is about what it means to be a foreigner etching a life in the adopted homeland. 4 stars.

Hand Me Down World - Lloyd Jones

2011-06-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

Hand Me Down World

Lloyd Jones

Text Publishing

I devoured this book, finishing it in three days. Hand Me Down World has been receiving plenty of publicity and much praise which is definitely justified.

Hand Me Down World is the story of Ines (not her real name), an illegal African refugee who is washed onto the shores of Italy on a seemingly impossible mission to find her son. With no language and little money we hear her story through the people whose lives momentarily intertwine with hers. Each story is presented as a new piece of a puzzle, fitting into the next to give a clearer picture of this unassuming yet determined woman.

We eventually get to hear Ines's story through her own perspective. And from her we are presented with new takes on the previous stories. Just like the question over her real name, it's never clear which recollection is the truth and which is altered to favour the opinion of the storyteller. One thing that is apparent however, is Ines's single minded determination to be reunited with her son.

Hand Me Down World is a touching and beautiful tribute to the extent of a mother's love for her child. Whilst highlighting the plight of the illegal immigrants and the sometimes ugly nature of man, Hand Me Down World is also a homage to random acts of human kindness, as time and again we encounter men and women who willing to go out of their way to help their fellow man. 4.5 stars.

The Novel In The Viola - Natasha Soloman

2011-06-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

The Novel In The Viola

Natasha Soloman

When you have loved a book like Mr Blumenthal's List, had invested time praising its merits and had pressed it with assurance onto reluctant buyers hands, you can't then turn around and ignore the next book by that same author. Still, I wish I had since The Novel In The Viola met none of my expectations.

Elise, a Viennese girl from a family of famous Jewish artists, leaves her home and immigrates to England. The year is 1937 and Austria is under the spell of Hitler's antisemitism. Moving to a small sea-side town, she is hired as a maid at Tynford estate. Culture clashes, home sickness and worries for her family add to her unhappy introduction to her new life. The situation changes for the better when Kit, the son of her employer, arrives home from university and a budding romance ensues.

Elise's character starts out interestingly but any spark she possesses at the beginning seems to fizzle out by the second half of the book. Her friendship and love affair with Kit is too convenient and in my opinion, rather unrealistic. The supporting characters are colourful, with the exception of Mr Tynford, who reminded me of a limp handshake.

Despite her assured sense of storytelling, Solomon has produced a tempered tale. The Novel In The Viola is pleasant enough and has a few interesting moments but as a whole, failed to reach the heights of the author's debut novel. 2.5 Stars

Bronte's Story - Bronte Cullis

2011-03-08T23:47:00.000-08:00

Bronte's Story

Bronte Cullis

Random

Bronte Cullis is a neurotic teenager. Despite coming from a loving, supportive family, she is anxious and obsessive. Her life is ruled by phobias and fears over protecting her family. Fragile and brittle, she's an easy target for bullies at school. Its not surprising that when her grandmother develops cancer and her only friend leaves the school, her neurosis and anxiety spill into self harm. For six long years Bronte listens to voices inside her head. And the voices tell her to stop eating.

Bronte's Story outlines the destructive power of anorexia and its hold on its victims. Scattered are entries from Bronte's journal that provide an insight into her dark inner thoughts. Whilst struggling through her illness, Bronte comes to the notice of Channel nine's 'A Current Affair'. She and her family are interviewed by Ray Martin and her progress becomes the focus of several follow up segments.

Bronte's Story should have remained a five-minute segment on television - or alternatively a 6-page women's Day article. The journal entries combined with a narrative repeating the same thought come off clunky. The publishers were clearly trying to fatten the word count by adding supporters' letters and the exhaustive journal entries. As fascinating Bronte's Story is to me, the narrative failed to hold my interest and I spent half the time skipping entries. 2 stars

Caleb's crossing - Geraldine Brooks

2011-03-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Caleb's Crossing

Geraldine Brooks

4th Estate

Too many books, too little time. So why should anyone stick to a single author? Why indeed, except of course if the author is innovative enough to re-invent themselves with every book. I've come across very few who do this: Margaret Atwood, Vikram Seth, Andrew McGahan and Geraldine Brooks. All brilliant. All original. All exciting. And in this culture of homogeneous, neatly bottled and presented genres, refreshingly brave enough to step outside the box.

From this illustrious pack, Brooks is by far my favourite. I love how she lets her imagination rest on the 'slender scaffolding' of history, transporting her readers to a forgotten past. Caleb's Crossing is no different. Set in 17th century Martha's Vineyard, it's inspired by the tale of the first Native American man to graduate from Harvard College in 1665.

The daughter of a Puritan Minister, Bethia is denied the education she craves. On a chance meeting with a Chieftain's son, she discovers in him a kindred spirit, equally curious and thirsty for knowledge. Teaching him to read, she introduces him to her Christian God. In return he teaches her the secrets of the island and his native language.

Despite the obstacles placed by her gender and circumstances, Bethia strives to learn and exercise her intellect whilst quietly observing and celebrating Caleb's achievements. Together they form a bond that's unshakable despite the growing tension between the island's natives and the colonists. As the clash of cultures unfolds resentment escalates, inevitably resulting in tragedy.

Caleb's Crossing depicts the harshness of pioneer life against the sad withering and disenfranchisement of an ancient culture. 4.5 stars

Past The Shallows - Favel Parrett

2011-03-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Past The Shallows

Favel Parrett

Hachette

At first glance, Parrett's writing appeared simplistic and better suited to YA. But as I settled into the rhythm and flow of the narrative, I discovered a deceptively simple, stripped back prose that carried a heavy punch, which once delivered, left me breathless.

Set in the wild and beautiful south east coast of Tasmania, Past the Shallows is a story of family secrets and the intimate spaces of the human heart. It's the story of love, loss and the bond between brothers. Harry and Miles live with their father, an abalone fisherman. Their older brother Joe moved out after the tragic death of their mother, leaving the two younger brothers to bear the brunt of their father's anger and self-loading. Things are made harder by the drop in abalone numbers due to over fishing. To make money, their father takes bigger risks, fishing illegally in the protected areas.

A marvelous achievement by the first-time novelist, Past the Shallows reminds me of my last year's favourite, The Book of Emmett by Deborah Forster. Masterful and heartbreakingly beautiful, the quiet prose seeps in the hearts and minds of readers and continue to resonate long after the last page is read. 4 stars

Under This Unbroken Sky - Shandi Mitchell

2011-03-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Under This Unbroken Sky

Shandi Mitchell

Weidenfeld & Nicolson

In the spring of 1938, Theo Mykolayenko returns home after a year in prison for the crime of stealing grain to feed his family. Having escaped Stalin's Ukraine, Theo refuses to be beaten. Unable to purchase land under his own name, he comes to an arrangement with his sister to buy a quarter land in her name with the understanding that he will pay her back once the grain is sold. Theo takes to the land with unbending resolve, clearing, ploughing and harvesting grain. As the first shoots sprout and the crops grow, the family slowly heals and strengthens.

Abandoned by her abusive husband, Theo's sister Anna and her children rely on her brother and his family to help them survive their harsh surroundings. But not all is well with Anna. She is broken and unhinged and when her husband returns with an unforgivable plan to rob Theo of everything he has built, she agrees to go along with it.

When the clash comes between the two families, it is as harsh as the landscape itself. The dramatic conclusion and its tragic ending leaves the heart resonating with compassion. I wanted so much to reach into the story and put things right. To reverse time. To help them heal.

Absorbing and beautifully written, Under This Unbroken Sky is storytelling at its most powerful.

4 stars

The Logic Of Life- Tim Harford

2011-03-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

The Logic Of Life

Tim Harford

Life sometimes seems illogical. Individuals do strange things: take drugs, have unprotected sex, mug each other. Love seems irrational, and so does divorce. On a larger scale, life seems no fairer or easier to fathom: Why do some neighborhoods thrive and others become ghettos? Why is racism so persistent? Why is your idiot boss paid a fortune for sitting behind a mahogany? And why oh why are there no eligible men left in the city?

The poorer cousin to its predecessor Freakanomics, The Logic Of Life opens promisingly but falls away when the author runs out of things to say and resorts to laborious passages that eventually overstay their welcome. A possible logic behind ladening his book with uninteresting fillers could be that in order to justify the advance he wanted from his publisher, Harford had to fatten his word count. 3 stars

So Cold The River- Michael Koryta

2011-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

So Cold The River

Michael Koryta

Eric Shaw is a cinematographer who once worked on big Hollywood films but since has spiraled down to making commemorative videos for weddings and funerals. Shaw's life took an about turn when the wealthy Alyssa Bradford approaches him with the offer of making a documentary on her billionaire father-in-law, Campbell Bradford.

Born in a small town in Indiana, Bradford left the town just before the town and its famous spa resort fell into ruin. Restored again to its original beauty, Shaw visits the resort taking with him the antique bottle of mineral water Bradford had kept all his life. Tasting the water Shaw experiences visions that appear as portals into the past, a past that may unravel the secret of Campbell Bradford.

The succinct prose and the cast of complex well drawn-out characters, help to make So Cold The River a riveting read. The paranormal aspect is tasteful and never detracts from the plotline. I went through a few sleepless nights, impatient for what happens next. 4 stars

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

2011-02-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

North & South

Elizabeth Gaskell

Wordsworth Classic

A tale of misunderstandings, assumptions and personal prejudices clouding over judgement. No I'm not confusing this with 'Pride and Prejudice', although one could easily recognise elements of it throughout North and South. Combining Austen's wit (although not enough of it) and Dicken's depiction of the poor (thankfully sans his incessant dribble), Gaskell weaves a novel about life's struggles and conflicts.

The protagonist Margaret Hale, is resilient and confident -a characteristic which is often mistaken for haughtiness- and shows none of the 'delicate' qualities expected of women in her day. Whether its shouldering the responsibility of informing her mother of her father's decision to resign from his Parish and move the family to Milton, or putting herself between angry strikers and their employer John Thornton, Margaret draws on this inner strength with grace and propriety. Similarly, when the need arises for her to take the role of nurse, carer and organiser, she resumes her role with little fuss or fanfare.

Aside from Margaret's character, I enjoyed the passages relating to the events that lead to her brother's exile and Mrs. Thornton's cutting views added a spice to otherwise dreary narrative.

In truth I'm not a real fan of Victorian novels. Their middle-class concerns with marrying well and point scoring - whilst sipping copious cups of tea - is tedious. As much as I loved 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Oliver', I cannot say the same for North and South. 2.5 stars

The Reversal - Michael Connelly

2011-02-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

The Reversal

Michael Connelly

Allen & Unwin

The Reversal is my first foray into Connelly's Bosch and Haller characters. Alternating between Haller's first-person narration and the third-person narrative following Bosch, Connelly sears a heart-thumping court room thriller that guarantees to keep the reader glued to the pages.

Representing The People, Haller and Bosch have teamed up for the trial of a previously convicted felon. Twenty years ago, Jessop is jailed over the abduction and murder of a twelve year old girl. New forensic evidence based on the DNA found on her dress, have cast a doubt over the conviction. With the help of his ace defender, Jessop hopes to reverse the verdict and clear his name.

It's so easy for the author's to resort to the 'good prevails over evil' cliche. Thankfully Connelly has not only resisted this path but deftly illustrates the muddy boundaries of the laws and the point scoring tactics of ambitious lawyers willing to manipulate these blurred edges to further their career. Combine that with a page-turning narrative and you have yourself a superior entertaining novel. 4 stars

The Death Instinct - Jed Rubenfeld

2011-02-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

The Death Instinct
Jed Rubenfeld
Headline

A term coined by Sigmund Frued, The Death Instinct refers to the two competeing desires that drive men: one that drives him towards death and destruction and the other towards love and life. Now how do these desires relate to the work of madame Curie?

To answer that, we need to enter the prolifically creative mind of Jed Rubenfeld.

The book opens with the real life historical bombing of the Wall street in 1920 during which a billion dollars of US gold goes missing and causes a near invasion of Mexico by US forces. To make matters worse, President Wilson suffers a stroke that leads to a Presidential power vaccum. Add to this the rise of the industrialisation and the use of radium in consumer goods and you will have the thickening plot that sets the backdrop to The Death Instinct.

The American doctor Stratham (also in Rubenfeld's first book Interpretation of Murder) is this time teamed up with the gorgeous French scientist Collette. Together they are on the quest to solve the mystery of the missing gold and the curious illness that befalls the local factory workers. Freud's cameo appearance half way through the book also adds an interesting twist to the narrative.

Fusing facts, fiction and a little romance, Rubenfeld navigates the reader towards a heart-thumping, action-packed conclusion that leaves one guessing to the very last page. 4 Stars

I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith

2011-02-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

I Capture The Castle
Dodie Smith

Chosen by a bookclub member, I Capture The Castle came highly recommended. And like most things that come highly recommended, it created an expectation the story failed to deliver. Initially enchanted by the setting and the characters, I thought I will be embarking on a quaint tale of pre-war England. And although there were a few amusing episodes (all involving the eccentric novelist father), I did not fall in love with the tale.

The heroine, the seventeen year-old Cassandra Mortmain lives in an old sparsely furnished castle with her desperately romantic older sister Rose, her one-hit-wonder novelist father James, her beguiling stepmother Topaz, her school boy brother Thomas and the poetry reciting, gorgeous live-in help Stephen (who also happen to be in love with her). With little money, the Mortmains have a tough time to make ends meet. Their fortunes take a turn when a new family moves in to the nearby manor house. The new owners turn out to be rich Americans whom to Rose's delight, have two eligible sons and she quickly sets out to snare the oldest brother.

So far so good.

Unfortunately this is where the fun ends. Rose whines with irritable regularity, James's inability to get started on his next book is frustrating and I just about tore my hair out over Cassandra's foolishness in not returning Stephen's love. There is an unexpected twist near the end which promises to spice things up. But I guess being English and proper, Smith manages to resolve it in the most unsatisfying yet politely civilised manner. 3 stars

How it Feels - Brendan Cowell

2011-02-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

How it Feels
Brendan Cowell
Picador

Four teenage friends living in Sydney’s Southern Shire, have finished their final exams and are about to embark on different paths. In one wild, drug and alcohol fuelled end of year celebrations their lives change forever and friendships are broken.

This is a strange and unusually crafted novel. I confess I left it half way through mainly because of my irritation with Neil and his narcissism. The characters live on a daily orgy of promiscuous sex, alcohol and drugs that seem over exaggerated and unreal.

Cowell has a mixed bag of narratives where moments of great prose are littered with passages of overblown swearing and colloquialism. Despite showing potential and artistry as a novelist, too much effort is spent on trying to be cool. How it Feels best suits adults in their late teens or early twenties. 3 stars

Otherland- Maria Tumarkin

2010-12-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Otherland

Maria Tumarkin

A Russian-Jewish immigrant, Tumarkin and her family move to Australia in 1989. Twenty years later, Tumarkin returns to share the country of her childhood with her daughter Billie.
On the surface Otherland is the chronicle of this six week journey. At the core of it however lies a tale of interconnecting mother-daughter stories welded together through shared histories and experiences. Visiting the places and people of her youth, Tumarkin hopes to bring a closer understanding of her roots to her daughter.
During her travels, Tumarkin’s makes perceptive and honest observations about the new Russia, which in her absence has morphed into a country that is foreign and unfamiliar to her. Extracts from Billie’s diary peppered throughout the book add fresh, sharp insights that are surprisingly clear and immediate for someone so young.
In Australia, our memoirs are often reflections of our multicultural identities. Otherland mirrors this unique characteristic with prose that is engrossing and unadulterated. No words are wasted. A touching tribute to migrants, it depicts the cost of leaving the lands that house our history, to countries where we etch new identities in the soil. 3.5 stars

What Makes Us Tick - Hugh Mackay

2010-12-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

What Makes Us Tick

Hugh Mackay

Truth be told, I am a sucker for studies on social behaviours. Complex and insecure, we have a tendency to think of ourselves as the most important person in the world, with problems and desires that are uniquely our own. In What Makes Us Tick? Mackay reveals that as a whole, we share ten ‘social’ desires that motivate our behavior and are linked to our sense of identity, relationship with people and place in the society. Interestingly, Mackay also offers explanations as to the motivation behind some of the uglier characteristics of our behaviour.
'The darkest shadow cast by each of our desires is the wish to see that same desire frustrated in someone else…Refusing to acknowledge another person, for instance, is usually a shadow cast by our own unfulfilled desire to be taken seriously.'
A longtime social researcher, Mackay’s conclusions revolve around studying small groups of people and observing their interaction with one another. Peppered throughout the book are quotes that add personal colour and life to each chapter. There is nothing new or earth shattering revealed here. Most readers will recognise these desires in themselves and in their daily interactions with others. But maybe that’s the point: maybe we’re not so different after all. The ten desires chronicled connect us and by recognizing and acknowledging them, we can learn to be a little kinder, more accepting and a little less self-possessed. 3.5 stars

Inheritance - Nicholas Shakespeare

2010-12-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Inheritance

Nicholas Shakespeare

I first saw this book on the new release shelves and later found it on the Independent booksellers’ bestsellers list. When a member of our bookgroup whose turn was to choose did not show, I made a split decision and picked Inheritance.
Any Larkham is a bumbling young (Hugh Grant like) Englishman working as an editor in a small publishing house with a dubious list of self-help titles. Recently dumped by his fiancé and about to be evicted from his flat, he faces a dim future until he accidently stumbles into a funeral and embarrassed by his mistake, feels compelled to stay to the end. At the end of the service, Andy reluctantly signs the guest list only to discover a few weeks later that he has inherited 17 million pounds. Encouraged by his best friend David, Andy seeks to discover the man he never met who has changed his life forever.
A delicate tapestry of woven lives, Inheritance is an ambitious tale executed with perfection and filled with characters that command our attention. 4 stars

My Brother Jack - George Johnston

2010-10-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

My Brother Jack
George Johnston

An Australian classic, My Brother Jack is the story of Davy and Jack Meredith, two brothers growing up in a Melbourne suburb during the years between the First and Second World War.

Born to a drunken, abusive father and a caring, loving mother, the boys are distinctively different from an early age. While the older brother Jack is a tough fighter, who drinks, swears and wenches, the younger brother Davy lives a quiet existence under the shadow of his brother, preferring the company of books. During the depression years, the fortune of the brothers starts to change. Davy earns a good income and a growing popularity as a writer. With a glamorous wife, a new house in a new suburb and a set of fashionably desirable friends, Davy seem to have it all. Yet feeling straitjacketed by constraints of his new status, Davy yearns for the grounded simplicity and honesty of Jack’s life.

At the advent of WWII, the brothers grow further apart as Davy’s status and importance increases. With the relationship of the brothers taking 180 degrees turn, Jack looks up to his younger brother, showing the type of admiration that as youngsters, Davy felt towards jack.

Flawless and effortless prose has ensured that both My Brother Jack and its sequel Clean Straw for Nothing win the prestigious Miles Franklin Award. However, the book feels dated which may explain why it’s rarely studied anymore in the Australian schools. 3 stars

Last Song - Andrea Levy

2010-10-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last Song
Andrea levy

Miss July -with a little editorial help from her son- tells the story of her life in Jamaica during the last years of slavery and the early years of freedom that follow.

Born a slave girl on the Amity sugar plantation, July is removed from her mother at a young age and used by the mistress of the plantation Caroline Mortimer, as a housemaid. Set during a dark chapter in human history Long Song is a moving story that marries the deepest, smallest personal emotions with an epic narrative tale. July leads the reader through the turbulent years recalling her heartache, fears, disappointments, hopes, desires, loves, betrayals, and eventually her acceptance of the events that constitute her life.

July’s occasional breaks from recounting her story to speak directly to her reader adds a humourous and unique tempo to the narrative. Her banter with her son Thomas Kinsman, as he attempts to abide and abet his mother with the editing of her story adds a humourous and unique twist to the narrative.

Told with unwavering honesty, Love Song’s bittersweet ending is touching without being over sentimental. Levy is a talented and distinctive voice whose perceptive eye and sharp wit assures her of a bright-bright future and much fuss-fuss!

Last Song was shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize. 4 stars

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

2010-08-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Help
Kathryn Stockett
Penguin

Set in Mississippi at the time of the equal rights movement, The Help is a sumptuous tale of courage and determination to right what is wrong.

In Jackson Mississippi, segregation is a way of life. While Martin Luther King marches in Washington, the black Americans living in Jackson, continue to live a life of quiet desperation. The laws ensure the two races do not mix outside of the master-servant relationship. For three women suffering under the laws that defines their lives, the time has come to make a change.

Skeeter, young white daughter of a wealthy plantation family, returns home from graduating college to discover her beloved maid Constantine has left and no one will tell her why.

Aibileen and Minny, two African-American maids working for white families, struggle daily with the humiliation of living in a society entrenched in segregation and governed by laws that offers them no protection.

The three come together under the most unlikely circumstances and agree on a project that threatens the status-quo of the town they live in forever.

Poignant and moving, The help effectively cuts through the outer layers of race and culture to reveal the bare bones of humanity. The characters wonderfully narrated are well rounded and believable. Stockett’s loving tribute to her own maid Demetrie rounded the book nicely, leaving the reader with the resonating message that even though we are each individuals with our own separate consciousness, deep down our hearts still beat to the sound of the same drum. 3.5 stars

White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

2010-08-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

White Tiger
Aravind Adiga

Witty and sharply observant, White Tiger is the story of Balram Halwai, one of India’s many poor struggling with the filth and the humiliation that constitutes his daily existence.
Servant to a rich family, Balram narrates his life through a series of emails to a Chinese diplomat, beginning with his childhood raised in the Darkness to a successful entrepreneur with a flourishing business.

Balram’s generous spirit and his battle with his conscious for the act he must commit to free himself is terribly touching. Aware of the dire consequences to his extended family once discovered, Blaram is faced with a difficult decision. It did puzzle me however as to why Balram chooses to narrate his life to a stranger in emails when he’s a wanted man living under a false identity.

White Tiger is an enjoyable and engaging read. Adiga has an unflinching ability to describe the harsh reality of India's poor and her democratic duplicity with an acid tongue and a flowing narrative. I do not feel however that Adiga offers anything new in his observations of the Indian society that previous writers have not already covered. Still, in 2008, White Tiger impressed judges of The Booker Prize to award Adiga the highly prestigious prize. 3 stars

Brooklyn - Colm Toibin

2010-08-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn
Colm Toibin
Picador

Toibin has produced a wonderfully sensuous novel that as the cover correctly describes, is quietly magnificent. The story itself is rather unremarkable in its account of a young Irish girl, Eilis Lacey, who moves to America and settles in Brooklyn. Working in a large department store during the day, Eilis aims to better herself by studying bookkeeping classes in the evenings, hoping eventually to find a job in an office. The two years living in Brooklyn have a profound effect on Eilis. Summoned back to Ireland following a tragedy, Eilis is aware the locals treat her differently to the girl who left two years ago.

Brooklyn is tender and loving. For me, the real joy lies in Toibin’s talent to choose and fit words to create passages that have a lingering effect on the reader. I found myself thinking and worrying about the characters, eager to return to them in between reads. It is with great sadness that I finally read – and reread – the last page, not wanting it to end yet feeling privileged that I was part of something truly remarkable. 5 stars

Ghost Watch - David Rollins

2010-08-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ghost Watch
David Rollins

Rollins returns with another installment of his hugely successful Vin Copper character. Following the death of his longtime partner, Cooper agrees to accompany two American entertainers who are to perform for the troops in a secret location in Rwanda. Flying over the dense jungles of Congo, their chopper suddenly stalls and forced to crash land.

Finding themselves in a hostile land and caught between warring armies fighting for stranglehold on the mineral rich mines, Cooper has a complicated job keeping his principals safe. Things are further complicated when some of the principals are taken captive.

Unapologetically testosterone charged ‘Ghost Watch’ squarely targets the male market. Quick paced with lots of explosions, gunfire, near death missions and double-crossings, its an ideal alternative for fans of Matthew Riley and Chris Ryan. Rollins knows his target market well and delivers a punchy, fun, action packed thriller that will keep his readers churning through the pages. The cheesy one-liners and wisecracks work well with the character and add humour to a highly enjoyable novel. 3.5 stars.

Nowhere Man - John M Green

2010-07-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

Nowhere Man
John M Green
Pantera Pres

PJ O’Rourke describes Green as ‘Just like Michael Crichton… only better.’ After reading this part thriller, part science fiction novel, I can only assume O’Rourke wrote such a glowing review because he was a) drunk, b) bribed by a wad of cash or c) had a momentary absence of his senses. As for the brilliant novelist Michael Crichton, I feel hugely affronted on his behalf to have his talents compared to Green.
Sonya (and no I don’t know what her surname is because the author in his wisdom does not bother to mention it when we, the reader, first meet her. In fact as one astute "fan" told me, you have to turn to page 31 to learn it's 'Wheen') arrives back after her morning run to discover her husband Michael is missing. Suspecting foul play, she sets out to investigate his disappearance. Sonya, the red lipstick wearing, motorbike riding, sexy, University professor(no cliché was spared when it comes to our heroine) comes across a computer software game that accurately predicts the future of the stock market. Which brings us to the only interesting (and surprisingly well written) part of the book. Using the software, Sonya successfully rides through the stock market crash, saving her house from the clutches of the big bad bankers before they foreclose on her.

Does Sonya finally solve the riddle of her husband’s disappearance? Personally, I could not endure the torture long enough to find out. The story told with excruciating clumsiness is a long yawn stretching over far too many pages. What I would like to know however is how the editor could do such a disservice to the author, the publisher and the reading public by allowing such a clumsy work released into the market. 1 star – for effort!

The book Of Emmett - Deborah Forster

2010-07-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

The Book of Emmett
Deborah Forster
Vintage
Praise to first time novelist Helen Forster for her sublime portrayal of this Australian suburban family. Growing up in the outskirts of Melbourne Louisa Brown and her siblings endure the daily onslaught of their father’s alcohol fueled rage. Years later, the family gathers for Emmett Brown’s funeral, reflect on their lives and the effects of the long shadow cast by their father.
The Book of Emmet arrived in my hands like a breath of fresh air. Forster’s symmetry and artistry to string words into prose is a pure delight to read. As a writer reading this book, Forster’s talent is nothing short of magic. Retracing the pages, I re-read passages, and underlined so many sentences, no page was intact. I love Forster’s delivery, subtle and effortless in its execution. At no time did the writing feel forced or pretentious.
It’s a privilege to come across such a wonderfully crafted work. It gives me an added pleasure that Forster is Australian and that I, a bookseller, can press this jewel like a cherished gift in to the hands of my customers with the words ‘You’re going to love it.’ And mean it. 5 stars.

The Delta - Tony Park

2010-07-22T03:21:00.000-07:00

Tony Park’s compelling tale is the latest action packed thriller set in the beautifully unique yet troubled African continent. Set in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and the neighbouring Namibia, Delta is inspired by real life rebellions and the looming prospect of future wars over climate change and dwindling water resources.

The heroine Sonja Kurtz - an ex-soldier turned mercenary – is on the run after a failed assassination attempt on Zimbabwe’s president. Hoping to start afresh, Sonja takes refuge in the Okavango Delta. Instead of respite however, she finds herself again in the eye of the storm fighting alongside rebellions to destroy the dam that’s threatening the delta’s fragile eco-system.

Since 1995, Park and his wife have spent an average of six months a year in Africa, traveling and researching topics for his novels. Delta is the meshing together of Park’s love and concern for Africa with his knowledge of years serving the Australian Army Reserve. The result is an environmentally conscious, heart-thumping thriller that grabs the attention of the reader from the opening scene and maintains it till the very last page.

Although the audience for this book is males between 30-50, there is a vulnerability and insecurity beneath Sonja Kurtz’s tough exterior that makes her appealing to the female readers. 4 stars

The House of Special Purpose - John Boyle

2010-07-15T02:55:00.001-07:00

The House of Special Purpose
John Boyle

Georgy Daniilavich is a Russian peasant whose life takes a dramatic turn when he saves the life of Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholavich, the uncle of Tsar Nicholas II. Moved to the Winter Palace in Petrograd, Georgy finds himself at the centre of the Royal life at a time of great turmoil in Russian history.
Going back and forth between the Russian Court and Georgy’s later life in London - where he lives in exile with his wife Zoya – the story follows the events that have conspired in changing Georgy’s life forever.
The brutal murder of the Tsar and his family has always been one of the most talked about focal points of the Russian revolution. Since then, there has been much speculation surrounding the Tsar’s youngest daughter, Anastasia, surviving the execution. It is these myths that Boyle weaves into his story as we move closer to the events of that faithful day and the true identity of Georgy’s wife Zoya.
Already a fan of John Boyle, I was drawn to The House of Special Purpose by its historical content. Although much research has obviously gone into making the story credible, the story itself is disappointing. Despite Boyle’s attempt to tease out Zoya’s identity, it is clear from quite early on in the book who she is. With the mystery of Zoya taken out, the story’s strength becomes its historical context and at the heart of it, the love affair of the two main characters. And although the blossoming love affair is tender and touching, the historical points seem forced in their delivery. 3 stars

Alone in Berlin - Hans Fallada

2010-07-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

Alone in Berlin
Hans Fallada
Penguin
Otto and Anna Quangle, law abiding, simple working class couple living in a Berlin, have always done their very best to stay out of trouble. When they receive a letter informing them that their only son is killed in the war, something breaks in them and they turn their anger and grief into an extraordinary act of defiance against the Nazis. Ignoring the dangers, the Quangles drop anonymous postcards denouncing Hitler in busy buildings throughout the city.
The postcards soon reach the attention of the Gestapo and the ambitious inspector Escherich who makes it his personal endeavor to catch their author.
Based on real life characters, Hans Fallada weaves an intriguing and vivid portrait of life under Nazi Germany. The totalitarian system that spread paranoia, fear and torture moved to crush any opposition to it with swift, brutal violence. Most of the previous literature I’ve come across about this period tend to concentrate on persecution of Jews by the Nazis or the war itself. Alone in Berlin, is the first book I’ve read that gives an insight into the scale of fear spread by the Nazis throughout Germany and the treatment of those who dared to defy them.
For me the great importance of this story is in the characters’ moral integrity. Despite the great danger to their lives and those around them, they remain loyal to their values, refusing to bow down to the threats of an unjust regime. It mattered little to them how effective their campaign was because in Otto’s words ‘The main thing was you fought back.’ 4 stars

Love in The Time Of Cholera

2010-07-15T02:39:00.000-07:00

Love in The Time Of Cholera
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Penguin
This highly acclaimed Latin classic has long since been a source of curiosity to me. Written lovingly and with great care for the characters, Marquez weaves a tale of unrequited love spanning half a century between Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daze.
Following the accidental death of the prominent doctor Dr Juvenal Urbino, Florentino seizes his chance to re-declare his love to the doctor’s widow. As teenagers, Fermina rejects Florentino’s love choosing instead to marry the famous doctor. Spurned but not disheartened, Florentino takes refuge in the arms of numerous lovers while secretly continuing to love Fermina from a distance. In their seventies, and after the death of Dr Urbino, Florentino hopes to kindle in Fermina the passion he had long since held for her.
The long drawn-out sentences coupled with a lack of pronouns, makes reading Love at the Time of Cholera, an arduous task. Florentino with his refusal to move forward borders on pathetic. His insipid moaning and scampering into the arms of other women, is both tedious and sad. The story redeems itself only in the last pages when the two main characters set off on a river cruise. Having to endure the 400 previous pages, the last scenes came too late to leave any lasting favourable impressions. 2stars

God Of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

2010-04-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

God Of Small Things
Arundhati Roy

Like ripened fruit Roy presents her tale in delicate segments, gently pulling apart each piece to reveal the mystery enclosed at its core. In truth I struggled with this book and twice nearly gave up. It was not till 2/3rds into it that I finally fell in love with the narrative. The following quote marks the pivotal moment when The God Of Small Things stops being a string of beautifully constructed sentences and turns into narrative that I identify with.

'In the great stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn't. And yet want to know again. That is the mystery and their magic.'

The strength of this book lies in its originality. With poise, wry wit and sharp intellect, Roy creates a narrative based around her flawed, blemished characters. The result is a cleverly created plot, teased out in a shuffle of interlocking chapters. The last chapter is possibly the most beautiful narrative I have ever read on human frailty, love and loss.

The God of Small Things is a rare and highly ambitious tale that has stayed with me long after the last page. 4.5 stars

Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin

2010-04-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

Mao's Last Dancer
Li Cunxin
Viking

The sixth of seven boys, Li is born into a poor yet proud Chinese peasant family. At 11 he is selected by Madam Mao's men searching the countryside for children who can be developed into ballet dancers. Knowing nothing of the arts, Li leaves his small village and moves to the Beijing Dance Academy where he spends the next seven years perfecting his art. On a scholarship to Houston Li defects, greatly angering the Chinese government. Battling heartache, loneliness and guilt, Li rises to eventually become one of the most celebrated leading men in the world of ballet.

Peppered with Chinese parables, anecdotes and fables that add authenticity, Li retells his story with care, poise and balance. His love and respect for his parents throughout the book adds a touching note which I personally found particularly moving.

Full of grace, dignity and gravity, Mao's Last Dancer is an inspiring story of a remarkable man who risks everything to achieve his dream. 4 Stars

Lovesong - Alex Miller

2010-03-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

Lovesong
Alex Miller
A&U

Sabiha and John's love affair begins unexpectedly when John, seeking shelter from heavy rain takes refuge in Chez Dom, a small Tunisian cafe Sabiha runs with her aunt in Paris. Despite their deep love and affection towards one another, over the years a shadow begins to fall over the couple's lives. Whilst John longs to return to his native Australia, Sabiha refuses to leave until she has a child. Unable to conceive and desperate to have a daughter of her own, Sabiha makes a decision that changes the course of their lives.

Years later in Melbourne Ken, an aging writer is intrigued by the sadness in the eyes of the beautiful Tunisian woman who has opened a pastry shop in his neighbourhood. Befriending her husband, Ken slowly learns of John & Sabiha's story. Lured by their tale, Ken sees in the couple, the possibility of one last novel.

Lovesong marries the deepest, smallest emotions hidden in a person's heart with the clarity and subtlety of a well constructed novel. I love this book and would recommend it to all lovers of good story telling.

Mr Rosenblum's List - Natasha Solomons

2010-03-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

Mr Rosenblum's List
Natasha Solomons

Jack and Sadie Rosenblum escape Hitler's Germany and land on the shores of England knowing know one, with very little money and heartsick at having left their loved ones behind. Desperate to regain a sense of belonging Jack immerses himself in becoming a proper English Gentleman, much to his wife's irritation. He follows the guidelines on manners, customs and habits of his new home as set out in the 'helpful list' for immigrants. Overtime he adds to the list his own observations, until he reaches his last point: English Gentlemen play golf.

After repeated requests to join various golf courses are rejected, Jack decides to build his own. Selling their home in London and moving to Dorset, Jack throws himself full heartily into building his golf course. Meanwhile Sadie spends her days remembering her lost family by baking towering cakes that taste of sadness and tending to her rose garden.

Filled with a cast of ecentric characters Mr Rosenblum's List is a quaint tale that leaves the reader with a warm feeling in the stomach and a breezy smile. I liked the idea that for all of us in exile there are corners in the world where we can regain our sense of belonging.

Wonders of a Godless World - Andrew McGahan

2010-03-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

Wonders of a Godless World
Andrew McGahan

As a writer still finding my voice, Andrew McGahan provides me with the inspiration to stick to an art that gives me as much heartache as pleasure. Original, eclectic and talented, McGahan deserves far more attention, adoration and awards as other heavy weights in Australian literature.

On a warm night, a stranger, a foreigner, with no name or identity is washed ashore on a small tropical island and delivered to a rundown hospital for the mentally ill. From this point McGahan takes the reader on a unexpected journey with one eye on the imaginary world and another on the real. The mysterious catatonic patient is suspected of causing havoc, as the patients start behaving erratically, at times with disturbing consequences.

This is a book that will not disappoint. With its artful arrangement of words and plenty of twists, Wonders of a Godless World best suits a reader who is not merely interested in a straight forward plot but enjoys an unexpected journey. Like a rose that leaves its scent on the hand so is the effect of Wonders of a Godless World on the appreciative reader.

The Rabbit Proof Fence - Doris Pilkington

2010-02-25T18:54:00.000-08:00

The Rabbit Proof Fence
Doris Pilkington

Set during one of the darkest periods of Aboriginal and white Australian history, "Rabbit Proof Fence" follows the lives of three Aboriginal 'half cast' girls who are taken from their families and placed in the Moore River Native Settlement north of Perth, some 1,600 kilometres away from their home. Most Aboriginal children placed in such institutions never saw their families again. However feeling displaced and imprisoned the girls escape their compound and follow the Rabbit proof fence back to their homes.

Rabbit Proof Fence although a very important account of 'The stolen Generation', falls short in evoking the emotions that such a story deserves. Pilkington may have been better off co-writing the book with a professional writer better skilled in tapping into the emotions that instill empathy with the subject matter. All the same, the stolen generation is a tragic and evocative chapter in the Australian history deserving of attention through stories such as The Rabbit Proof Fence. These persoanl accounts not only illustrate the effects of the white man's law on the Aboriginal communities but hopefully encourage us to avoid the same mistakes to be repeated.

The Reader - Bernhard Schlink

2010-02-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

The Reader
Bernhard Schlink
Phoenix

The Reader is the story of 15-year old Michael Berg and his relationship with the much older Hanna Schmitz. Intense and short-lived, the relationship has a profound effect on Michael. By chance Michael meets Hanna again whilst studying Law at university and discovers a secret she has kept hidden throughout her life.

This deceptive tale of love and loss is a merely a thin veil masking over the more complex themes of betrayal, shame, and guilt. One can almost feel the heavy burden of guilt carried by the generation of Germans who lived through the Holocaust. They not only bear the guilt of witnessing the death of millions but must now face the accusations of the generation that came after them.

Schlink forces us to examine our own characteristics, that lie dark dormant and caged in the furthest corners of our minds, only to reveal themselves in extreme circumstances. The Reader questions who should be held responsible for the atrocities committed during the Holocaust; the perpetrators who made the rules, the commanders, officers and guards who blindly carried out the rules or the bystanders who turned a blind eye.

Acutely observant, The Reader is a modern classic that is well deserving of its hype.

chocolat - Joanne harris

2010-02-03T21:47:00.000-08:00

Chocolat
Joanne Harris
Black Swan

When the new stranger, Vianne Rocher opens a chocolate boutique in the small French village of Lansquenet, it threatens the suffocating statuesque of the church as enforced by its cure Father Reynaud. Vianne’s plan for an Easter Festival further divides the community and escalates resentments.

Chocolat is an exotic tale of love, belonging and earthly pleasures. Harris skillfully weaves a tantalizing tale spiced with delicious delicacy and prose. It is a novel to enjoy unashamedly in a smoky café over a strong cup of Chocolate espresso and a slice of cake.

Female Chauvinist Pigs - Ariel Levy

2010-02-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the rise of raunch culture.
Ariel Levy

There was a time not too long ago when women felt offended if viewed as mere sex objects. Having fought for equal rights, equal pay, we insisted equal respect for our intellect and opinion. It was the feminist movement and women all over the Western world felt empowered by it. Today however there is a rise of different women’s movement. Popularity of celebrities as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears has seen an increasing acceptance of women flaunting their bodies in an array of sexual poses. It is thought liberating, fun and sexy to show, press and flaunt as much female flesh as possible. This rise of raunchiness is not exclusive to our celebrities and pop stars. Striptease and pole-dance classes have gained incredible popularity over the past decade. Girls as young as 12 dress in micro shorts and revealing tops usually with the words ‘Princess’, ‘Diva’ or ‘porn Star’ across their chests.

In Female Chauvinist pigs, Levy investigates the rise of this new pop culture. Is it really women’s newfound liberation or a decline in the level of self-respect? Does attracting men or sleeping with countless partners make women more empowered or just cheap? Have we regressed to the dark ages before the feminist movement or is this a natural progression of our liberation and if so why have our men folk not gone through the same transformation?

Female Chauvinist Pigs is a fascinating study into today's culture; how it has given rise to this new phenomenon that frowned by our feminist mothers is embraced as the norm two generations later.

A very rude awakening - Peter Grose

2010-02-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

A Very Rude Awakening
Peter Grose

In 1942, Sydney was a party town. Despite many Australians shipping off to war, for most Australians the fighting felt a long way away. The daily newspapers devoted more space to horseracing than to Hitler. Even after the Darwin bombing, and the speed by which the Japanese were advancing through South-East Asia, no one believed the Japanese could advance this far south. The party came to a shattering halt on May 31st when 3 Japanese midget submarines crept into the Sydney harbour. What followed was a night of mayhem that saw 27 sailors killed exposing the ill preparation and the lack of competency of Australian officers to protect against foreign attack. Expertly researched using archives and first person accounts A Very Rude Awakening is the account of the sheer luck by which Sydney and the Allied navy survived a major attack in her harbour. 4 stars

Brothers and Sisters - Charlotte Wood (editor)

2010-02-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

Brothers & Sisters
Charlotte Wood (editor)

‘Your brother or sister, it might be said, is your other self – your grander, sadder, braver, shrewder, uglier, slenderer self.’

Despite (or maybe because of) sharing the same gene pool, our relationship with our siblings is often fraught with friction. At various times, we love and hate them in equal measure. We are fiercely protective of them one moment and ferociously fighting them the next.

In this collection, Wood has compiled twelve short stories by individual Australian authors. In each (with the exception of one about an only child) the characters speak of the deep bonds – whether beautiful or broken – between themselves and their siblings. Because of the familiarity of the subject, each story has elements that we recognize in our own personal lives or the lives of those around us.

Unlike the theme of love in its infinite scope to hold one’s attention, reading repeated stories on sibling relationship was a tad tiresome. However, the artful assembly of this collection and the close proximity of its theme to our own lives makes it a worthwhile read. 3 stars

The power of forgiveness - Janice Beaumont

2010-02-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

The Power Of Forgiveness
Janise Beaumont
A&U

Beaumont, wishing to rid herself of destructive anger has set out in search of people who have harnessed the power of forgiveness to turn their lives around. The result is a self-help book based on detailed examples of her own and other peoples’ experiences.

Where other self-help books offer meditations or a step by step template the reader can follow, The Power of Forgivenes only gives reasons why one should rid themselves of anger. There are no guideline as to how these inspiring individuals have managed to turn their lives around.

Most chapters are far too short, often no more than a page and in most cases with the same repeated message: if we don’t learn to forgive, our anger will eat away at us and if not treated it will lead to bitter, pathetic personalities.

Initially I thought that this book although well intentioned fails to offer any real help to the reader. After all we have all seen examples of destructive behaviour, what we want to know is how to rid ourselves of it. A month after however, I still find myself thinking and practicing its message. I can’t say I have forgotten or wish to reconnect with people who are nasty but I have stopped holding on to the experiences. 3 stars

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

2010-01-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

Slaughterhouse 5
Kurt Vonnegut
Vintage

Slaughterhouse 5 tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a 44 year old optometrist time traveler. On the night his daughter marries Billy abducted by aliens from Tralfamadore, is put on display in their zoo, where he is a great attraction for the locals. So it goes.

A POW in WWII, Billy held in Dresden works as free labour during the day and locked up in the slaughterhouse at night. When Dresden is bombed by the allies, Billy and his inmates survive the assault whilst above them firestorms destroy the city, killing 135,000 people.

My favourite passage is the movie Billy watches documenting ‘The gallant American pilots’. Watching the movie backwards, the bloodied and battered gallant pilots fly backwards. The German bombers help them by sucking the bullets out of their battered American planes. In return the Americans open the big belies of their planes and take back all the bombs they have dropped. The pilots climb out of their planes, the deadly chemicals are shipped back to the factories and buried in the ground where they cannot hurt anyone. So it goes.

Slaughterhouse 5 reads a cross between a science fiction and a meditation on the futility of war. The story of Billy Pilgrim told with wry humour echoes Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy. A dark poignant undertone running through the book throws the spotlight on the human cost of war. At times moving, at times nonsensical and times laugh outloud funny, Slaughterhouse 5 is one of the most surprising and original novels I have read on WWII. It is no surprise it has remained a timeless classic for over 4 decades.
Poo-tee-weet. 4stars

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

2009-12-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

Eat Pray Love
Elizabeth Gilbert

I did not choose this book voluntarily, it was forced upon me by my bookclub. The girl who recommended it did so knowing I’d object to it.A messy divorce followed immediately by a breakdown of a short yet intense love affair, caused a spiral in Liz Gilbert that ended in a meltdown. In order to recover she decides to go abroad for a year spending up to four months in three different countries: Italy (purely to indulge in pleasure), India (to live in a small Ashram devoting herself to reaching divinity) and finally Bali (to live close to an old medicine man who once read her palm). So far a clichéd formulae guaranteed to get her on Oprah – Oh wait Liz Gilbert was on Oprah!
I really thought it was going to be a torturous read with enough spiritual mumbo jumbo to irritate my skeptical mind. My irritation was further inflamed when I found out there was going to be a month’s wait at my local library to get a copy. Thankfully they had the audio Cds, unabridged and read by the author. From that day on I listened to Liz read me her story, one single prayer bead at a time. She climbed into the passenger seat every morning for our long drive to work and waited patiently for me to return in the evening picking up where she left off. She tells her story with clarity and stripped-bare honesty and happily, repeated passages I did not understand. She is gracious and respectful towards the countries and the people who are hosting her; thankful for the part each one of them plays in her long healing process. In each country, she takes care in sharing their folklore, myths and customs, revealing to her readers the heartbeat that is unique to each country.
I love this book. I am touched by Gilbert’s sincerity and willingness to bare all. Even though our life experiences are vastly different, I find myself agreeing and identifying with many things Gilbert writes about. My one criticism was with how much bigger simple experiences were described. I have travelled through both Italy and Bali and never thought the food or the locals were as amazing as they were in this book. I guess that’s why I love books, it allows me an entry into another person’s world, lets me walk in their shoes and see their world through their paradigm. I am still going to be skeptical about books trumpeted by Oprah, but in this case I am willing to admit I made a mistake.

Fear The Worst - Linwood Barclay

2009-11-24T23:08:00.000-08:00

Fear The Worst
Linwood Barclay
Orion

How would you feel showing up to where you thought your daughter had been working all summer only to be told she never worked there. Worst still how would you feel if your daughter was now missing? This is the nightmare Tim Blake, a Toyota car salesman, faces when his 17-year-old daughter Sydney who was staying with him for the summer, goes to work one day and fails to come home. So begins a mystery with more high speed twists and turns than the wildest rollercoaster. At every turn, there are new complications and more question marks all of which conspire to keep Tim away from finding his daughter.

At the heart of the story is Tim’s overwhelming love for his daughter and his guilt at not having been the best possible father to her. As he delves deeper into his daughter’s disappearance, he finds out Syd and her friends may have been involved in some shady business lead by very dangerous people. These people, Tim soon finds out are just as determined as he is to find Syd.
Fear the Worst is a rollicking page-turner that sticks to the reader’s fingers like superglue and refuse to let go till the very last page.

The uncommon reader - Alan Bennett

2009-11-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

The uncommon reader
Alan Bennett

This whimsical and heartwarmingly original story set in England, is about the queen’s passion for reading.
When the queen stumbles across a traveling library visiting the palace, she feels compelled to borrow a book more out of a sense of duty than any particular interest. Had she anticipated how this simple task would change her life she may have reconsidered her choice. She falls in love with reading, taking every opportunity to immerse herself into characters, far off places and lives far different to her own. To her surprise not only do her staff not share her passion but disapprove of it. For HRH to have a hobby is to be exclusive, she is told, because it made her appear to be preferential towards certain groups of people. Undeterred the queen becomes ever more eager to race through her official duties and get back to her books leaving her subjects, staff and dogs at a loss.
In his quirky and very British style, Bennett questions our passion for reading. ‘Just like a writer finds it impossible to stop writing, a lover of books finds it impossible to not be passionate about reading.’ The ending of the book with its sharp and witty twist carries a surprising punch.
A truly delightful tale that is sure to anchor itself into many book lovers hearts.

The Australian Long Story - Mandy Sayer

2009-10-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

The Australian Long Story
Mandy Sayer (editor)
Hamish Hamilton

Mandy Sayer describes a long story as one between 10-50000 words and long enough to have subplots but not long enough to be a standalone book. In this collection, Sayer has assembled the heavy weights of the Australian literate for a compellation that is eclectic in both storyline and execution of its plots.
Sayer has chosen seven Australian authors who have written long stories set in Australia. The collection begins with David Malouf, one of the elders in Australian authors and concludes with one of the new rising stars, Nam Le. Her aim in choosing this collection is to present the reader a sample of Australian literature; introduce and sample a voice they had not read; and to celebrate the emergence and growth of storytelling that is uniquely our own.
Aside from Le, Winton and Goldsworthy, I had not read any of the other authors. Lyrical and Surreal, Peter Carey’s ‘The Chance’ set in a futuristic world was probably the most surprising. Daunted by Carey’s literary supremacy, I had till now shied away from his work. His confidence and great assurance in his writing, for me at least, set him apart and certified his ascendancy. As for my favourite, if pressed to choose I would pick two: the whimsical and funny ‘Ten Anecdotes About Lord Howe Island’ by Louise Nowra and Peter Goldsworthy’s haunting yet lovingly told story of parents faced with the terminal illness of their child in ‘Jesus wants me for a sunbeam’.
If looking for a tightly constructed collection of Australian literature, then it would be hard pressed to go past The Australian Long Story.

Town - James Roy

2009-10-29T02:27:00.000-07:00

Town
James Roy
UQP

Set in a fictional town, Town is a string of thirteen linked stories revolving around the lives of the young adults who live there. Each character is diverse in their background, personality, gender and age thus illustrating the characteristics of the town and the individual struggles, wants and desires of its residents.
Town is also an illustration of no matter what our background, we all share the common need for love, security, acceptance and a sense of belonging. Many of the stories revolved around family ties that bind or drive us apart. Amongst the thirteen stories, there is at least one character that the reader will recognize or identify with which proves that despite our outward appearances, deep down we are not all that different from one another.

The Story Of Tom Brennan - JC Burke

2009-10-29T02:08:00.000-07:00

The Story of Tom Brennan
JC Burke
Random

Tom Brennan and his family are forced to leave their home in the small town of Mumbilli, and move in with their grandmother in the nearby town of Coghill. Their move follows a tragedy involving Tom’s brother Daniel after a night of celebration. Feeling trapped and claustrophobic Tom is haunted daily by the memory of the tragedy. Throughout the story each member of the Brennan family struggles to come to terms with their new situation. At the same time Burke slowly reveals the dark side of Daniel’s character that had lead to the tragedy.
The Story of Tom Brennan is both a coming of age book and an illustration of how quickly the trajectory of our lives can change over a single incident. Tom and his family must come to terms with the new course their lives have taken and learn to tap into their inner strength to help them survive it.
This book is also a meditation on our innate need to belong, to love and find acceptance. It is an ode to the human spirit and its ability to rise under the most trying circumstances.

Came Back To Show You I Could Fly - Robin Klein

2009-10-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

Came Back To Show You I Could Fly
Robin Klein
Puffin

I first read this book as a teenager. It was the summer holidays and feeling bored and hot I picked this book up for lack of something better to do. Fifteen years later when it was chosen for our bookclub, I had only a vague memory of the plot. It has become a habit with our little group to choose youth fiction. Maybe its the ability of YA to probe into dark and serious topics with eloquent subtlety that often make them a favourite with our small group.

Shy, reserved 11-year-old Seymour is dumped by his over controlling mother to spend his summer holidays with a fussy guardian. Seymour finds himself bored, frustrated and confined to his guardian’s house. By chance he meets Angela whom he finds glamorous, beautiful and bubbly. He is flattered by her attentions and her willingness to take him with herself on outings. What Seymour does not realize however, under her happy exterior, Angela is hiding a dark secret. Klein shows great mastery in slowly unfolding Angela’s secret through her interactions with Seymour and with letters placed at the end of chapters like small clues for the reader to decipher.

Came Back to Show You I Could Fly delves into the destructive nature of drugs and how it crushes not only the lives of its users but also their families. Trust breaks down, relationships are destroyed and lives are ruined as the addiction takes hold over its victims’ lives.

Black Like Me - J H Griffin

2009-10-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

Black Like Me
John Howard Griffin
Granada

This is the diary of a journalist who for six weeks lived as a black man in New Orleans and Mississippi during the early 1960’s. As part of his experiment Griffin visited various establishments: chemists, cafes, retail outfits first as a white man and later as a black person. He recorded the difference in the attitude of the sales clerks who served him each time he visited these establishments. It confused and bewildered Griffin as to how the same clerks could display such contempt and hatred towards blacks while treating their white counterparts with pleasant and courteous consideration.

‘My revulsion turned to grief that my own people could give the hate stare, could shrivel men’s souls, could deprive humans of rights they unhesitatingly accord their livestock.’

Griffin took care to demonstrate not all whites treated blacks with animosity. However due to the suffocating atmosphere in the South, none except a few brave whites were willing to speak out in empathy with the blacks. Blacks in turn treated the whites with distrust and suppressed contempt, turning their features blank whenever a white person spoke to them.

In my opinion Griffin showed great courage to see his experiment to the end and then showed even greater courage to publish his experiences. There were times as a black man that he felt trapped and unsafe amongst the whites. He s a black, Griffin endured unprovoked 'hate stares' from otherwise ordinarily good, upstanding whites and experienced the raw base human behavior that was almost primal in its treatment of another race.

Black Like Me is a facinating sudy of the internal prejudices we carry and remains as timely today as when it was penned almost 50 years ago.

The Ghost at The Wedding - Shirley Walker

2009-10-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Ghost at the Wedding
Shirley Walker
Viking

A lyrical memoir written with great tenderness, The Ghost at the Wedding is an imaginative retelling of Jessie Walker’s family truth. In parts where facts fall short or time has eroded, Walker’s imagination has stepped in to fill in the gaps and breathe soul into the characters. Through family photos, letters, anecdotes and Jessie’s paintings in her later life, The Ghost at the Wedding Spans two generations, of the Walker family through two world wars as they survive hardship, disappointments, death, betrayal and sorrow.

Unlike most war books that concentrate on the battles and the soldier’s experiences, The Ghost at the Wedding reflects on the generation of women who saw their brothers and loved ones go off to war in search of adventure whilst the women stayed behind and mourned their absence. Upon the soldier’s return, the women picked up the pieces of their broken bodies and grieved for the ones who never made it back. As their lives continued along its path one generation of men lost to the Great War was soon replaced with another who grew and fought in the next war.

The Ghost at the Wedding is a poignant snapshot of Australian history retold through this beautifully reconstructed memoir that should rightfully be treasured by all Australians.

My Mistress's Sparrow Is Dead - Jeffrey Eugenides

2009-08-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead

Jeffrey Eugenides

Harper Perennial

The moment I love best about any book, is the moment I start the first sentence. That sense of anticipation when starting something new. It's the moment when I open myself to a whole new discovery of characters, plot and settings. It's also an intimate conversation with the author, a small personal confession perhaps or an admission of values whispered through dialogue between characters.

I don't tend to read anthologies of short stories. I only bought 'My mistress's sparrow is dead' because I accidently spilled coffee over it and felt compelled to purchase it. But what a great find it turned out to be! In this anthology of love stories, Eugenides has brought together an eclectic collection of both well known as well some lesser known authors.

I cannot imagine why I had not gravitated towards anthologies before. They are like a beautiful jewelry box that presents you with a new treasure every time you open it. Each story repeated for me the trill of a new begining, a cast of new characters and a whole new backdrop waiting to be discovered. It was like a ten course meal, presented with humility and muted fanfare.

Although I enjoyed most of the stories, some did bore me which is another thing I found wonderful about such anthologies. If the story failed to grab me in the first couple of paragraphs, I just skipped to the next one and started the journey of discovery all over again.

The only disadvantage I can think of with such anthologies is, how can one review a book with 27 stories, each written by a different author? Although Anton Chekhov's story was clearly my favourite in both prose and plot, I did enjoy most of the others in the collection as well. My mistress's sparrow is dead, is a great collection to keep by your bedside and open at anytime and at any story. Most are short enough to be finished in around 30 minutes, so you can pick it up in between books or when you are looking for something to read over a cup of coffee. And if the story does not match your mood, then you can let your fingers and eyes roam like a pair of talismen, till they lead you to one that does.

Censoring An Iranian Love Story - Shahriar Mandanipour

2009-07-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

Censoring An Iranian Love Story
Shahriar Mandanipour
Little Brown

It's no easy feat writing a love story at the best of times. It is doubly hard if you are an Iranian writer hoping to have your book published in the Islamic Republic. The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance take a serious view towards protecting the Iranian people from illicit phrases that may lead their thoughts and imaginations astray. This is the challenge the narrator of the book faces as he weaves the relationship between two young lovers Dara and Sara.

Woven in between the love story and the daily frustrations of the narrator, are subplots that draw the reader into the poetry and stories deeply rooted in the Persion mythology. At times these subplots work, at times they become confusing. This could be the fault of the translation - this book was originally written in Farsi- or it could be because some things lose their original meaning once translated.

Censoring An Iranian Love Story is at times darkly comic, at times disturbing and at times a frustrating read. It's a satirical sketch of the hypocracy the authorities perpetrate to maintain a public image of protecting the Iranians who may otherwise fall prey to impure thoughts. I found the ending disappointingly unsatisfactory but otherwise Censoring an Iranian Love Story, is an interesting meditation of modern life in Iran.

The Year Of The FLood- Margaret Atwood

2009-07-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

The Year Of The Flood
Margaret Atwood

Bizarre, nonsensical and totally bohemian. But it works! With The Year Of The Flood just like Oryx And Crake, Atwood has done away with conventional story telling and has decided to instead take the reader on a roller coaster ride into a futuristic world where the ruling power exert their supremacy with questionable ethics.

The book begins at the end, after the Waterless Floods have been unleashed and the human race has become extinct. Amongst those who have survived are Toby, an ex-counter sales clerk at SecretBurger and Ren a trapeze dancer at Scales and Tails. At one stage both Toby and Ren were members of The God's Gardeners, a religious group devoted to respecting the commands of the living world. Headed by Adam One, the God's Gardeners are tolerated by the CorpSeCorps (the ruling elite driven by increasing profit share at all cost) because they are not considered a threat. Adam One has long predicted the floods and under his saintly songs and holy teachings, the Gardeners are prepared for its tidal wave. Now barricaded in the Anoo Yoo Spa and locked in the solitary confinement room in Scales and Tails, Toby & Ren reminisce of their days with the Gardeners and contemplate how they are going to survive.

Oryx and Crake was the first Atwood book I had read and it completely blew me away. It still remains as one of my all time favourite books. When I heard there is a sequel, I could not wait to get my hands on it. Maybe I had too high an expectation of this book, and hence was a little disappointed when it did not hit the same high notes as Oryx and Crake. But that should not have really surprised me. Atwood does not seem the type of writer who would mearly imitate the same idea throughout several books. Atwood's imagination, her clever use of words, and the intelligent way she pens her stories continue to keep me in awe of her.

The Year Of The Flood is fun and at times disturbing. It is an eerie reminder of the delicate nature of our ecosystem and how close we are to destroying it.

Then - Morris Gleitzman

2009-07-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

Then
Morris Gleitzman
Penguin

Once and its sequel, Then are harrowing and beautifully told stories of ten year old Felix; a Jewish boy caught in the midst of the Holocaust. Similar to The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas and equally as good, Once and Then are told through the eyes of Felix, illustrating with child like purity the senselessness of war.

Once opens with Felix in a catholic orphanage where his parents had placed him in 1939. Two years later he escapes the orphanage to find the world outside changed dramatically. He suddenly found himself alone and on the run. He met Zelda, whose parents - Nazi sympathisers - were murdered by the polish resistance and the two become unlikely companions.

In Then, we are reunited with Felix and Zelda when they jump off a train destined for a death camp and find themselves in a village occupied by the Nazis. In the climax of the book, Felix's own values are challenged. He has to choose as to whether he allows his pain to turn into hatred towards the Nazi aggressors or stay true to himself.

I read these books when my son brought them home as part of his English text. I am glad there are books illustrating the horrors of the past wrtten for young readers, so the future generation may hopefully not repeat them in the future.

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

2009-06-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi
Vintage

A graphic memoir published originally in French, Persepolis is a timeline of Satrapi's life. Outspoken, strong headed and savvy, Satrapi describes the revolution, Iran/Iraq war and her period of exile in Vienna with finesse, humour and great intelligence. This is an unflinching memoir retold through often witty illustrations and with great honesty. Satrapi does not pull any punches, criticizing both the Shah's and Islamic Republic regimes for its abuse of human rights and its hypocrisy.

I really enjoyed reading Persepolis. I saw my own thoughts and experiences growing up as a young girl in Iran reflected back at me through this moving memoir. It was amazing how parralel our lives were: both born in the same year, grew up in North Tehran and attended bilingual schools. Our parents marched in the same demonstrations and were bitterly dissapointed when their dreams of democracy turned into dust. Maybe that's why this book struck a cord with me.

Persepolis remains a timely book and a must read for anyone interested in Iran and her troubled history

American Rust - Philipp Meyer

2009-06-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

American Rust

Philipp Meyer

A&U

American Rust is a story of unfulfilled dreams; a story of a town raised on the back of a steel factory and its slow death once the factory closes down. Set against the natural beauty of Pennsylvania, Meyer paints the aftermath of economic downturn on people once their livelihood is taken away.

Isaac and Poe are two young men bound to the town by their families, responsibilities and its natural beauty. They both dream of a future away from the shackles that keeps them from moving forward. A violent act however sets them on a course that threatens to trap them further into the very life they wish to escape.

What I liked best about this book is that the characters are real with everyday ambitions and frailties. There are no heroes overcoming super human situations. Just regular people with simple dreams of college, family, love and a happy home life.

Told with empathy and great insight, American Rust a hugely ambitious book for a first time writer. Meyer however has managed to execute his task to perfection. It is a timely book given the recent collapse of GM and the closing of factories in US and abroad.

Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian

2009-05-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

Goodnight Mister Tom
Michelle Magorian
Puffin

It soon became apparent at our first bookclub meeting that I was the only one who had not read Goodnight Mister Tom, so it was quickly decided that it should be our first bookclub book. I bought it the very next day and immediately fell in love with timid Willie Beech and the reclusive Tom Oakley.

On the brink of declaring war on Hitler's Germany, and in anticipation of the bombings, the British children are evacuated from the major cities into the countryside. The sleepy village is soon crowded with an influx of children from London. Amongst them is Willie Beech, shy, undernourished and afraid. It does not take long for Tom to discover that Willie has left behind a horrific family life and Tom finds himself in the position of not only tending to Willie's physical needs but also his emotional ones. Under Mister Tom's guardianship, Willie grows and blossoms, discovering talents that had been dwarfed by his upbringing. His ability to love and trust swells and together they rediscover love and enter a relationship rich and rewarding.

It is impossible not to love this book. At times Willie's suffering was so sad it was difficult to continue reading. I feel however the novel would have had a stronger finish had it ended soon after Tom goes to London in search of Willie and discovers the shocking truth of Willie's home life. The last couple of chapters were a tad unnecessary and in my opinion detracted from the climax of the book.

Marcelo in the Real World - Francisco X Stork

2009-05-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

Marcelo in the Real World
Francisco X Stork
Arthur A Levine Books

Marcelo Sandoval is different from other seventeen year old boys- he hears music in his head, has a perverse interest in religion, owns 100's of classical music CDs and sleeps in a tree house at his family home. When spoken to, Marcelo takes longer to process what is said before responding and when speaking about himself refers to himself in the third person. As a result he is often mistaken for being slow. In the private school he attends, Marcelo is classified as having a ''development disorder", an autism-like condition.

Marcelo's father never believed in his son's condition and feels Marcelo has been over protected. He wants him to join him in his law firm over the summer rather than look after the ponies at his school for kids with special needs as Marcelo had hoped. At his fathers law firm Marcelo meets Jasmine, beautiful and free spirited, as well as Wendell, the son of his father's partner.

At the law firm, Marcelo is thrust into an environment where desire, envy, cruelty and greed live along side kindness and compassion. He temporarily loses his inner music as he is forced to recognise and react to situations instantly rather than take his time to slowly analyse them. The complexities of daily human interactions confuse him but he eventually learns that not everything can be neatly separated into right or wrong - that there are grey areas where ones morals are challenged.

Marcelo in the real world is a moving, beautifully told coming of age story. As the story unfolds, I felt an urge to protect Marcelo from the "real" world he is forced to deal with. It was heart breaking to watch Marcelo recognise that the world is a difficult place, but at the same time, heart warming to see him discover that he can still find his sense of belonging and hence his inner music by staying true to himself.

Butterfly - Sonya Hartnett

2009-05-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

Butterfly
Sonya Hartnett
Penguin

I have always enjoyed coming of age stories; there is a purity of truth about them that I really find appealing. They conjure up old memories and forgotten insecurities that at the time I had felt were uniquely my own. Set in an Australian suburban neighborhood in the 70's Butterfly is one such story.

Plum Coyle is on the cusp of turning 14. She considers her approaching birthday as the start of a new beginning, a shedding of her old self. Until now her best friends have treated her as the least important member of their group. Plum feels tolerated rather than accepted by them. To protect herself she collects small objects - a fanta yoyo, an ABBA badge, a glass lamb, an old penny - and hides them in a small chest under her bed. She pulls them out when she needs them, holding them in her hand like a talisman, using their hidden powers to give her strength.

Plum lives with her parents and her two older brothers - Justin and Cyder - whom she adores. Across from her lives her sophisticated neighbour Maureen with her young son David and her often absent husband. Maureen is everything Plum wishes she could be and when Maureen befriends her, Plum thinks she has found the mentor who will propel her into a new life of popularity.

In Butterfly, Hartnett has not pulled any punches, tackling head on the sensitive subjects of deceit, turbulent teenage years - with its insecurities and uncertainties- and the regret of past choices with delicacy and razor sharp insight.

This is my second book of Sonya Hartnett, the first being The Silver Donkey. It took a little while for me to get into Butterfly but by the end, my patience was rewarded. Its great to come across authors such as Hartnett who are not afraid to tackle a diverse range of topics. It is even better when these talented story tellers are Australian!

The Cellist Of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway

2009-04-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Cellist of Sarajevo
Steven Galloway
Text

One of my greatest disappointments in not being able to attend 2008's Brisbane Writer's Festival, was the chance to meet Steven Galloway and hear him talk about the events that inspired his lyrical novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo.

There are many dark stains throughout the history of man. One of our greatest shames was to witness the atrocities committed during the siege of Sarajevo and do nothing to help her people. Like the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 , the world looked on as the Serbian army turned against the city during a four year siege. Between April 1992 and February 1996, the soldiers burrowed into the hills surrounding the city, shelling the city while snipers took arbitrary shots at innocent people as they crossed the street.

The Cellist of Sarajevo was inspired by real life events. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, a cellist living above a bread shop witnessed 22 people killed by a mortar while waiting to buy bread. The next day, the cellist at precisely 4 pm and dressed in a tuxedo walked out of his building, sat where the mortar hit and played a rendition of Bach's Adagio in G minor. For the next 22 days at precisely 4pm, the cellist continued to play the same piece in the memory of each of the people killed there. As the news of the cellist spread, each day people gathered to hear him play, some leaving flowers. In a city gripped with fear and violence the cellist became a reminder of what was once good about the city and its people.

For three of the city's residents: Arrow (A sniper asked to protect the Cellist), Dragon (an elderly man wanting to cross a road targeted by snipers) and Kenon (a family man risking his life to get water for his family), the cellist awakened a part of themselves they had thought was permanently lost to the war. Through his selfless gift the cellist gave back to his city, unlocking in them the deep resilience that throughout history had been responsible for rebuilding cities and lives after years of war and devastation.

Poinant, lyrical and inspiring, The Cellist of Sarajevo is a story that will warm the heart and make us question how we wish to live our lives. Its about resiliance and the triumph of the human spirit; how it is fed, nourished and kept alive despite being surrounded by heartbreak.

If you're only going to read one book this year, make sure its The Cellist of Sarajevo.

The Boat - Nam Le

2009-04-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

The Boat
Nam Le
Hamish Hamilton

Nam Le's book of short stories, hit our stores under a great umbrella of praise from the literary society. It was picked by book the 'The Tuesday Bookclub' and was the first book chosen for the 'Debra Camron' (702 ABC Radio) bookclub.

Graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop, Le has written a collection of unique stories, each with their own tempo and heartbeat. The writing is lyrical and descriptive, taking time to slowly allow the reader a portal view into the background of each character. Le shows great talent in weaving charactors as diverse as a Colombian hit man living life on the edge; an elderly artist in New York struggling to renew a connection with his daughter; and a teenage boy in a small Australian fishing town dealing with his mother's illness.

Like bookends his two stories about the Vietnamese experiences were by far the most poinant and heartbreaking of the anthologies. I once read that each person has a story in their past that if they told you, would break your heart. Its hard to imagine that Le's own family experiences reflects the experiences depicted in the two stories.

Le is clearly talented and his stories are well crafted. I really wanted to be awe inspired by his stories, but i'm afraid aside from the two Vietnamese ones, the rest left me cold. Most of them had an ambigous ending as if the story simply folded without reaching a resolution. Maybe that was the aim of Le: to confuse us into not forgetting his stories, or maybe I was just not clever enough to follow the ending the author intended me to conclude. Either way, not having a satisfactory resolution retracted from my overall enjoyment.

The Likeness - Tana French

2009-04-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

The Likeness
Tana French
Hodder

Detective Cassie Maddox is back, this time without Rob (her previous partner from Tana French's first book The Woods).

In this sequal a young woman is found murdered and Cassie's boyfriend Sam is called in to investigate. He arrives to find the victim is the spitting image of Cassie and what's even more strange, the victim's identity card identifies the victim as Lexie Maddox - Cassie's undercover name on an assignment years ago.

The victim shared an old house with four other students from Trinity college. Secretive and insular, the five stuck close to one another at the exclusion of all others. With no suspect or clues as to the murderer, Cassie's boss Frank Mackey convinces her to go under cover again - this time in the place of the murdered girl.

French with only two books, has already established herself as a master story teller. The story unfolds slowly, with each chapter revealing another piece to the overall puzzle surrounding the case. Throughout the story tension is built with great skill through the characters and the seamless changing of an atmospheric backdrop.

This book will stick to you and wont let you go till the very last page. Tana French's future promises to be bright and I for one look forward to read more books from this promising author.

Jasper Jones - Craig Silvey

2009-03-31T20:53:00.001-07:00

Jasper Jones
Craig Silvey

After three disappointing books in a row, my husband finally shoved 'Jasper Jones' in my hands and simply said

'You will love it'. And I did.

In fact I loved it so much I asked for three copies: one for me, one for my mother-in-law and one for my parents so there will be no fights over who will read it next.

Laura Wishart is missing and only two people know where she is: Jasper Jones and Charlie Bucktin. Charlie Bucktin, a bookish, deep thinking thirteen year old is startled one night by a knock on his window. Outside stood Jasper Jones, an outcast of mixed blood who lived with his drunken, often absent father. Charlie is surprised when Jasper tells him he needs his help and against his better judgement follows Jasper to his secret place by the river. There Charlie discovers something that make his stomach slide and sink like a brick.

After a string of disappointing books (some of which I did not bother to finish) 'Jasper Jones' once again restored my faith in the publishing industry. It is a coming of age story set in a small Australian rural mining town during the Vietnam war which starts closing on itself as fear and suspician takes hold. It is a gem of a story that will both break your heart and uplift your spirits. Despite his young age, Silvey has achieved in 'Jasper Jones' an intelligent, witty and insightful meditation on life and our role in it.life and our role in it.

For me, 'Jasper Jones' was a sheer joy to read.

Sepulchre - Kate Mosse

2009-03-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Sepulchre

Kate Mosse

Could someone please tell me why author's with a brilliant first book feel the need to follow it up with an almost identical one? Don't they know intelligent readers are attracted to not only brilliant writing but also to an original theme - that unique element that is the pulse of the story. Personally, if the author fails to deliver something fresh or something that does not make the me feel my loyalty to the author has been rewarded, then that author risks losing a loyal fan forever!

I loved Mosse's first book 'Labrynth' so much I wanted to name my next baby Alais after it's heroine (Alas I have so far been blessed with boys). In Sepulchre, Mosse repeated the themes that had gelled so well in her first book. The setting is once again in two time frames and locations, bound together by an ancient mystery in the form of sepulchre and a deck of Tarot cards. Similarly the antagonists are increadibly attractive with striking eyes and black, manipulating hearts. The heroines - again one lives in the late last century and the other unlocks the clues in the modern day France - are innocent females with a sharp intellect and the ability to rise against all odds in the face of extreme danger.

Yawn

The two books were so ridiculously similar in format and theme, it made me regret not sticking to my 'One book per author' policy.

I abandoned Sepulchre after persevering with it for 200 pages. Hence I will never know if it managed to redeem itself by the last page.

Pulishers take note. You are selling your audience short.There are far too many great gems waiting for their chance to impress to waist time on a repeat of an already explored theme. As a devoted book reader, I'd rather see author's take their time and come up with something original and fresh rather than feel duped into buying something that has been rushed through to cash in on the author's last brilliant work.

Could someone please tell me why author's with a brilliant book feel the need to follow it up with an almost identical one? Don't they know intelligent readers are attracted to not only to brilliant writing but also to an original theme - that unique element that is the pulse of the story. If the author fails to deliver something fresh or something that does not make the reader feel their loyalty to the author has been rewarded, then that author risks losing a loyal fan forever!

I loved Mosse's first book 'Labrynth' so much I wanted to name my next baby Alais after it's heroine (Alas I have so far only been blessed with boys). In Sepulchre, Mosse repeated the themes that had gelled so well in her first book. The setting is once again in two time frames and locations, bound together by an ancient mystery in the form of sepulchre and a deck of Tarot cards. Similarly the antagonists are increadibly attractive with stricking eyes and black, manipulating hearts. The heroines - again one lives in the late last century and the other unlocks the clues in the modern day France - are innocent females with sharp intellect and the ability to rise against all odds and in the face of extreme danger.

Yawn

The two books were so ridiculously similar in format, it made me regret not sticking to my 'One book per author' policy. I abandoned Sepulchre after persevering with it for 200 pages. Hence I will never know if it managed to redeem itself by the last page.

Pulishers take note. You are selling your audience short.

There are far too many great gems waiting for their chance to impress to waist time on a repeat of an already explored theme.

As a devoted book reader, I'd rather author's took their time and come up with something original and fresh rather than feel duped into buying something that has been rushed through to cash in on the author's last brilliant work.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Jordan Belfort

2009-03-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Wolf of Wall Street
Jordan Belfort

The day Jordan Belfort entered the surreal prism of Wall Street his life did a wild u-turn. From that day Belfort lived his life like a fast train set on a high speed collision course. In his own words
'I lived like a king and partied like a rockstar.'

Three chapters in to 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and I was in no doubt why so many 'Kings' and 'Rockstars' end up in rehab.

Written in a sharp, coarse language (enough to make any Granny turn crimson to the tips of their ears), Belfort describes his destructive life as he rose in the ranks of stockbrokers to ultimately own his own stock broking firm, Stratton Oakmont. In Belfort's world Money was the only God. He popped uppers, downers and pain relief tablets like lollies, provided prostitutes as perks to his young employees and manipulated the market right under the nose of the regulators.

'The Wolf of Wall Street' is a testostrone charged tale of an over sexed, pill popping, manipulating stock broker who made it to the top only to realise (on those rare occasions when he was sober) that he did not really like the view! Reading this book I couldn't help thinking that Belfort wrote this book not as a penance but instead to massage his ego with a brag story.

The Secret Speech - Tom Rob Smith

2009-02-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

The Secret Speech
Tom Rob Smith
Simon & Schuster

Former MGB officer Leo Demidov returns in this fast paced action packed novel. Three years after Child 44, the Soviet Union is undergoing dramatic change. Stalin is dead and his successor Khrushchev pledges an end to the violent regime via a secret speech. A speech that once known to the general public, will reveal the extent of the cruelty and torture inflicted on the Soviet people.

In the midst of such potential upheavel, Leo finds himself yet on another impossible mission, fighting to save his family and himself from the ghosts of his past. He travels from the Siberian Gulags, to the belly of the Soviet underworld and finally the Hungarian revolution.

Throughout the book Smith raises some interesting questions. At times of great cruelty and injustice, who are the people that are really to blame: The system that allows and even encourages such behaviour; the perpetrators that actively take part in it; or those who stand by and do nothing. All dictators manage to reign through fear and the reluctance of masses to do anything. One cannot exist without the other, hence when serving out punshment, how wide should the net be spread?

Another issue which I found interesting was the effect of long term anger and bitterness on the individual's heart. Freara's (Leo's antagonist) single minded revenge on losing her child had blackened her heart to the point that she seemed void of any other human emotion with devastating result.

After reading Child 44 I had high expectations from this book which unfortunately for me Smith did not meet. He did not offer the reader anything new, just more of the same as Child 44. The Secret Speech is still a thoroughly enjoyable read delivered at a fast and furious pace in short punchy chapters.

For me, it was good but not great, enjoyable but not special.

Towelhead - Alicia Erian

2009-02-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

Towelhead
Alicia Erian
Headline Review

Jasira, a 13 year old Arab-American girl has been sent by her mother to live with the Lebanese father she barely knows. Jasira is not happy living with her father; he alienates her with his strict rules, harsh punishments and lack of affection. Alone and confused about her rapidly changing body she looks to people around her to fill the void. She meets her neighbour Melina who becomes Jasira’s confidant and protector, taking on the parental responsibilities neglected by Jasira’s parents. She also meets Mr. Vuoso, an Army reservist whose inappropriate attentions escalate to abuse.

Towelhead challenges the reader by not shying away from often uncomfortable and evocative subjects. The title was a little misleading as I had wrongly assumed it was about the difficulties of growing up Muslim in America during the first Gulf War- something similar to ‘Does my head look too big in this.’

Jasira’s character is surprisingly unsophisticated and ignorant towards her changing body. After all what 13 year old American girl does not know about tampons? Aside from the media advertising and programs, schools spend a lot of time educating the kids about their changing bodies and appropriate and inappropriate touching.

Towelhead now a Hollywood movie staring Toni Collett, makes for a confronting but not always believable read.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski

2009-02-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
David Wroblewski
4th Estate

The Sawtelle’s live on a remote farm where they train dogs and then when old enough place them into homes. Gar and Trudy after many attempts finally have a son. Edgar, a smart and otherwise healthy child has never had the power of speech. When his father dies under suspicious circumstances, Edgar initially blames himself till on a stormy night he is visited by the ghost of his father.

Wroblewski’s first novel is lucky enough to have the stamp most authors can only dream about – Oprah Book Club. For me however it was the write up at the back of the book by Stephen King that peaked my curiosity. He wrote‘I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories…I wont read one this good for a long time.’ I too had felt the same ache many times before, a deep regret equal to parting with a close friend. Such expectations probably added to my deep disappointment when I read this highly praised novel. Long passages, though beautifully crafted and executed in lyrical perfection, dragged on to the extent that made me wish for more assertive editing. Equally I found endless scenes and explanations on dog breeding and training, tedious and arduous read. If I was not on holiday and my readily supply of books, I would have moved on to a different book within the first 100 pages.

Fortunately the pace and the narrative of the book lifted in the second half of the book when Edgar escapes home with three of his dogs. For the first time I slowed down my reading, not so impatient to finish it. Incredibly unlike the slow pace throughout the book, the ending was rushed, leaving me bewildered by how the story folded into itself.

When my husband asked me to describe my feelings towards the book, I compared The Story of Edgar Sawtelle to Prince’s greatest hits double album – It would have made a great single album!

What is America - Ronald Wright

2009-02-07T23:39:00.000-08:00

What is America: A Short History of the New World Order
Ronald Wright
Text

How did America, transform from a frontier country to the lone super power in just over two centuries? How do America’s claims to be the most modern and democratic country in the world, stand up to scrutiny whilst Middle America – The Backwoods America – remains the stronghold for the religious right?

In ‘What is America’, Wright traces the origins of America back to its original Indigenous Americans – the great Aztec and Incas civilizations. Wright explains that these empires were not conquered by the Spaniards until the small pox. In future years, the small pox and other white man’s diseases were deliberately reintroduced whenever they were faced with strong indigenous opposition.In one generation, the American Indian’s population was reduced to just a tenth of its size, mainly through white man’s diseases.

In the first century of their settlement, the white leaders made 370 treaties with the Indians and proceeded to break them all. Aside from breaking all their promises, the white settlers continued to enslave, massacre and drive the indigenous population off their lands. The settlers justified their actions by demonizing the Indians, calling them savages and condemning their beliefs as devil worshipping. It’s interesting to note, echoes of such tactics are still evident in the current US “War on Terror”. Sadly, as Wright notes, such methods give “all repressive regimes of both right and left an excuse for their own atrocities.”What is America is a captivating read about the colonial culture of America and its influence on how America is perceived in the eyes of the world. My one criticism is that I found the book far too brief (There are only 9 chapters and the last third of the book is taken up with notes). I would have liked to have read a more in depth commentary on the state of America during the past century – and its influence on the rest of the world- than what Wright offered.

An enjoyable read but unfortunately the length of the book left me unsatisfied.

Breath - Tim Winton

2009-02-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

Breath
Tim Winton
PenguinBruce

Pike (Pikelet) is a paramedic who knows only too well what it’s like to be young, arrogant and addicted to extreme sports. As a teenager, he and his best friend Looney grew up in the small sawmill town of Sawyer. They sought escape from the ‘ordinariness’ of the town’s life by flirting with death, daring one another to surf in conditions which pushed the boundaries and placed their lives in danger. As young boys Pikelet and Looney took their lead from legendary surfer and mentor, Sando. By taking them to breaks other locals find too dangerous to surf, Sando fuels the boys’ curiosity for adventure and risk. His American wife Eva, also once shared Sando’s passion for extreme sports. She was a free style ski jumper till an accident ended her career and left her bitter and lame. No longer being able to ‘fool with death’ she turned to darker habits, involving Pikelet in her dangerous games.

At once rhythmic and tender, Breath is more than just a meditation on surfing. It’s about human frailty, the blurring of escaping the ordinariness of life and taking unnecessary risks.

Breath is possible not the author's best work but the simple clarity of Winton's story telling makes for a very enjoyable read.

Dreams of My Father - Barack Obama

2009-02-07T23:29:00.001-08:00

Dreams of My Father
Barack Obama
Text Publishing

Barack Obama’s lyrical memoir was written in 1991 after he had become the first African-American president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. The election attracted some media attention and an invitation by a New York publisher to publish his memoir.The book opens with the young Barack receiving a call from a distant aunt in Kenya with the news of his father’s death. The son of a white shy mid-western girl and a black African father, his parents divorce when Barack was very young. His mother remarried an Indonesian man Lolo, and the family moved to Indonesia. Barack attends the local school and fondly recalls running barefoot with the local kids.Concerned about Barack’s education, his mother moved him back to Hawaii. He found himself in a unique situation of being a black child raised by white mother and grandparents. He did not have the usual hang-ups of other black kids who were descendents of African slaves. Yet in his teens, Barack became acutely aware of the ‘shackles of his skin colour’. Existing in the periphery of both black and white cultures and yet not belonging to either lead to anger and confusion in him. His father remained an enigma, existing only in the stories told to him ‘each one seamless, burnished smooth from repeated use’ by his mother, grandparents and later still by his half siblings.Before being accepted into Harvard, Barack worked as a community organiser in one of Chicago’s poorest black neighbourhoods. He writes eloquently and with refreshing honesty about the frustrations of trying to galvanize the community to bring better schooling, housing and health care to the neighbourhood.
The last part of the book describes his trip to Kenya where he meets his extended family and learns the bitter truths about his father and ultimately attains a sense of belonging.This is a candid, unflinching memoir. An honest portrayal of a man of mixed parentage who struggles to find his place in the world. Whether his message of hope and change comes to fruition is yet to be seen. As the US president, Obama may be able to lead the US towards a path that could bring about positive change, open dialogue, and hope to those whose dreams of a more equitable world had gone muted and unheard.

The Good Thief - Hannah Tinti

2009-02-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

The Good Thief
Hannah Tinti
Headline Review

Set in New England in the 19th century, ‘The Good Thief’ is the story of a twelve year old, one-handed orphan, Ren.Ren has been an orphan at the Saint Anthony’s Monastery as long as he remembers. His parentage and his missing hand had always remained a mystery which Ren struggled to solve. He dreamt of a day that he would one day be part of a loving family.Ren’s dreams appeared to have come truewith the arrival of a stranger, Benjamin Nab who claims to be his older brother but turns out to be a silver-tongued con man and a thief. Together with his partner Tom, they force Ren in to their life of crime, using his disability to gain the trust of their victims.
‘The Good Thief’ is a wondrous tale of love, adventure, friendship and a child’s need for belonging.
Tinti’s frolicking tale of adventure with its quirky cast of outcasts has echoes of Dickensian yarns. Throughout the book I felt there were strong similarities to Oliver Twist with both books exploring the moral paradox of good people having to live and survive in the underworld.

The Household Guide to Dying - Debra Adelaide

2009-02-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

The Household Guide to Dying
Debra Adelaide
Picador

Author of 'How to do' books & domestic columnist Delia Bennett is dying of cancer. Before she dies, Delia wants to put her household together by compiling a guide book on it – her last one.

Before she can complete her list, Delia needs to go back to the small country town in the Queensland where she followed her boyfriend as a pregnant teenager and fled from 8 years later after a tragic accident.This story partly blends facts and fiction. Adelaide's own son suffered from Leukemia while she wrote this book. She has drawn from those experiences in her description of Delia's illness and the grief of helplessly watching your loved one's last grips to life.

Don't be fooled by the grim title. This is a heartfelt warm tale of love and loss and will best suite those who have enjoyed 'The Memory keeper’s daughter' and 'My sister's keeper'.

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein

2009-02-07T23:20:00.000-08:00

The Art of Racing in the Rain
Garth Stein
Harper Collins

If dogs could talk, how would they tell their stories? Stein takes a fresh approach to the popular genre of dogs and their owners. Instead of yet another story of an owner droning over how their dog changed their life, we are told the story straight from Enzo – a smart cross who thinks dogs, not monkeys are humans closest relative.

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: he enjoys watching documentaries and video tapes of car races – a passion he has acquired from his master Denny, an up and coming race car driver. The two share everything including the racing philosophy that ‘the car goes where the eyes go’, a philosophy they use in their day to day life.

Denny soon meets and falls in love with Eve despite her parents’ disapproval of him. A year later when they marry and have Zoe, life seems ideal. Until the day Enzo smells the illness that was growing inside Eve’s brain yet feels powerless to warn them of it.

The chain of events that follows Eve’s illness unravels their happiness and lead to circumstances that threaten all that is dear to Denny and Enzo.I was a little disappointed with the predictable ending to the book. However this tale of love, families and determination is so well told, one could easily forgive the author for his indulgence.

All the Shah's men - Stephen Kinzer

2009-02-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

All The Shah's Men
Stephen Kinzer
Wiley

An important and timely book that gives an insight to Iran's struggle for democracy and the deep distrust of her people towards the Western Governments.

In 1953 Iran's democratically elected prime minister was ousted in a coup lead by the British secret Service and the CIA and replaced by the last Shah of Pahlavi. The effects of those events left in the Iranian Psyche the belief that the west, particulalrly USA has a stranglehold on Iran's politics and natural resources.

This is a great book in understanding why so many Iranians from different socio economic background rose in support of the revolution in 1978.' All the Shah's men' also provides a deeper understanding of why so many Iranians, despite their deep hatred towards their government, support Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The Outcast - Sadie Jones

2009-02-07T23:13:00.000-08:00

The Outcast
Sadie Jones
Chatto & Windus

This is a story about life, love, grief and the consequences of a child denied the love and assurance of a father. 1957 and 19 year old Lewis is going back to his home in South England after 2 years in jail. He is returning to a community of 50's middle-class England whose church-going, stiff mannered appearance hides darker secretly abusive lives. 10 years earlier Lewis’s mother had died in an accident while on a picnic with Lewis. Grief stricken Lewis looked to his father for support and assurance. When denied, Lewis’s grief turns into a rage with terrible consequences.

Jones is a fresh and evocative new literary voice. She deals with very dark topics with great insight and sensitivity. I found myself thinking and worrying about the characters long after I had finished the last page. This book is well deserving of the Orange Prize.

Broken - Daniel Clay

2009-02-07T23:10:00.000-08:00

Broken
Daniel Clay
Harper Collins

Skunk is 11 and in a coma. From her hospital bed she guides the reader through the events in her neighbourhood. Across the street to Skunk, live the Buckleys, a mild mannered couple with their awkward son Rick. In the same square live the Oswalds, a family of foul-mouth bullies.

Saksia Oswald, out of a bet with her older sister, went for a drive with Rick Buckley, seduced him and then proceeded to humiliate him throughout the neighborhood. Later in the day, Saksia's younger sister was caught with the contraceptive pills she had stolen from her teacher. To save herself from a brutal punishment, she lied to her father.Skunk was playing outside when Bob Oswald strode across the square and brutally assaulted Rick, accusing him of raping his daughter.

After that Rick was never the same... he had become 'Broken'. He spent his days locked inside his bedroom for the fear he may be attacked again. As Broken's paranoia and madness grows, events around the neighbourhood slowly spiral out of control to a devastating conclusion.
This is a gripping tale and one that I had great difficulty putting down.

Cafe Scheherazade - Arnold Zable

2009-02-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

Café Scheherazade
Arnold Zable
Text

Welcome to Café Scheherazade where our narrator, Martin sits in the backroom and listens to the proprietors Avram and Masha, and their regular clientele relive the Jewish Holocaust through their personal stories.

Avram, stooped over his cup of coffee or a bowl of Borscht, recalls his days living in the Ghettos set up by the occupying German army, the mass graves and his last haunting image of his family as they disappeared into the smoldering city. Masha and her family trudged through the Siberian snow in the hope of reaching safety. They met and fell in love after the war as displaced refugees looking for a place in the world which embodied their hopes.

Café Scheherazade, is deeply moving and written in poetic rich language. Zable is a master at using the ancient art of story telling to transport the reader to wartime Europe. Through these stories, Zable creates a portal through which we are witness to the horrors of war and the triumph of the human spirit.

Child 44- Tom Rob Smith

2009-02-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Child 44
Tom Rob Smith
Simon & Schuster

Once in a while a book comes along and digs its claws into you. Child 44 is such a book. A surprise pick for the Man Booker long list, Child 44 is the type of gripping tale that keeps the reader glued to its pages. The story is set against the backdrop of Stalinist Russia where the presumption of guilt comes before innocence. In this police state created after the revolution, the Russians live in a state of paranoia, fearful of being denounced over the most innocent offhand remarks. They are told crime does not exist in their society, that it is the creation of the capitalist West. That is why when a family reports the murder of their son, Officer Leo Domidov from the Ministry of State Security is sent to convince them that his death was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.

Young, good looking and a war hero, Leo Domidov is dedicated to his job and the protection of the revolution. He does not question the methods enforced by the Ministry. He simply regards it as a necessary step for the good of the country and the revolution. However, when the Ministry’s attention turns on Leo and his wife after he raises questions regarding a series of murders, he finds himself the enemy of the state and a man wanted by the same organization he was once a part of.

Child 44 with its enthralling and fast moving plotline, has enough twists and turns to keep the reader immersed. On many occasions I found myself still reading late in to the night, unable to put it down. This is a story that does not disappoint.

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz

2009-02-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Diaz
Faber

Meet Oscar Wao, a rare breed amongst the Dominican male-itude: a virginal sci-fi loving ‘ghetto-nerd’ living in New Jersey and fantasizing about all the girls he will never have. Oscar has two passions in life: to write a best selling epic Tolkien-esk fantasy novel and to fall in love. Alas, he seems to be luck-less in both fields. He blames his lack of sucess on Fuku – a curse which has brought devastation to his family for generations. Yet even Fuku cannot dampen Oscar’s enthusiasm. He falls hopelessly in love on a daily basis, with the intensity of ‘a dwarf mother-fucking star’ and he continues to write page after page of his epic tales. The book takes us on a journey, edgy and sharp, following Oscar, his mother Beli who once lead a rebellious youth in the Dominican Republic, and his punk-rocker, track-star, beautiful sister Lola. Surprisingly, the most interesting narrative voice comes from Yunior, who emerges half way through the book as Lola’s two-timing boyfriend and Oscar’s college roommate.

Although The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a work of fiction, Diaz draws heavily from his homeland’s history under the dictator Rafael Trujillo. Diaz cleverly weaves Oscar and his family’s tragic history with the escalating violence of Trujillo’s reign.Diaz writes with energy, wit and insight, although at times his footnotes do get a bit tiresome. The ending was a little far fetched and possibly the only weak part of the book. Even so, once I reached the book’s conclusion, I was satisfied that I had finished something wonderfully original.

The Given Day - Dennis Lehane

2009-01-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

The Given Day
Dennis Lehane

The Given Day is in that class of books my husband affectionately refers to as ‘widow makers’. Once I started reading this book, I was quickly immersed in the story and the rest of the world simply dissolved. The Given Day documents a time of violence and struggle for workers rights which saw the birth of the union movement. Against this historical and political landscape, Lehane writes a powerful and moving family epic with sharp and well researched narrative and surprising cameo use of historical figures such as Babe Ruth and J Edgar Hoover as pivotal character points.

Set in Boston in 1919, The Given Day follows the turmoil of events following the return of the WWI war veterans. During this time, the Spanish Influenza, escalating terrorism and the talk of prohibition plagued America. Danny Coughlin, a police officer and the eldest son of one of Boston’s legendary police captains, empathizes with the people’s grievances. Living and working in the predominantly Italian neighbourhoods of the North End, he is faced with the daily assault of the political dissent. He sees first hand the effect of poor working conditions have on those around him. In his own profession, Danny’s pay is below the poverty line and despite long shifts and often dangerous conditions; there is no compensation for his colleagues in the event of injury or disability. When he joins the union, he finds fierce opposition from his father who considers those who join unions as ‘Bolshevik’s and anarchists’ and the stage is set for a showdown between the two.

Another central character in the book is Luther Laurence, a coloured talented baseball player, on the run over a nightclub shooting in Oklahoma. Leaving his wife and unborn child, Luther flees to Boston where he finds employment in the Coughlin household. There he befriends Danny and the Coughlin Irish maid Nora. His troubles however are not far behind as he finds himself once again having to settle scores with old and new enemies.

Lehane’s style is impressive by the way the words leap out of the page with great energy and passion, bringing history alive in their punchy deliverance. I found myself savoring this book, not wanting it to end, and feeling a sharp edge of regret once the end finally came.

The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas

2009-01-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Slap
Christos Tsiolkas
Allen & Unwin
A group of people are gathered at a suburban Barbecue. During the afternoon an incident between one of the guests and a four year old result in consequences that directly, or indirectly, affect all who are present.

Told almost as collection of short stories through the perspective of eight characters, all with different background, age, ethnicity and value systems, The Slap is a provocative, unflinching novel that explores our inner most beliefs and the conflicting issues we face.

I enjoyed having a different portal in which the same situation had been explored. Hearing the different points of view shows there is no black or white situation - that our beliefs are a sum of all our life's experiences.

The Slap is hands down my clear favourite amongst this year's Australian fiction and if there is any justice in the world, the judges of The Booker & The Miles Franklin Award will agree.

A Fraction Of the Whole - Steve Toltz

2009-01-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

A Fraction Of The Whole
Steve Toltz
Viking

Short Listed for the Man Booker prize in 2008, 'A Fraction of the Whole' was originally rejected by agents and publishers in Australia. It was only through a chance contact that the book was brought to the attention of Random House America and like a real-life fairytale went on to receive worldwide release and a nod from the most prestigeous literary prize.

Set in Australia, the book follows the Deans Family as retold by Martin Dean.

'The fact is, the whole of Australia despises my father more than any other man, just as they adore my uncle more than any other man. I might as well set the story straight about both of them.'

And so begins the first part of the book where we are taken on a rollicking rollercoaster of a family yarn. Witty and side-splittingly funny, it is delightfully original and satisfying. Unfortunately that's where the fun ends. From there, Toltz takes the reader on a different tangent. We learn about his parents through his father's diaries upon which, the book loses all its adventurous flare and instead settles into a steady tedium that overshadowes it's original momentum. There are still occasional flashes of its brilliant start but they became increasingly rare as the book draggs on.

A Fraction of The Whole starts with a great deal of promise and probably could have kept it, had it been culled back by a few 100 pages to maintain its momentum.

Wanting - Richard Flanigan

2009-01-06T15:33:00.001-08:00

Wanting
Richard Flanagan
Knopf

I heard Richard interviewed on the radio and was intrigued by the story. I love books that use historical characters and weave a fictional story around them - a reason why I enjoy Geraldine Brooks' titles.

The book opens in 1839 in an Aboriginal community at Flinders Island that is ravaged by consumption. Seven year old Mathinna, daughter of a chief king, has lost both her parents but still possesses a quality that charms all that come into contact with her. On a visit to the island, the new Tasmanian Governor Sir John Franklin and his wife Lady Jane become captivated by the girl. The childless couple decide to adopt the girl as an experiment to prove that the savage can be civilised.

Eighteen years later in Manchester, author Charles Dickens is enlisted and befriended by Lady Jane to defend canabalising rumours circulating around the Sir John's failed expedition to find the North West Passage. Dickens gallantly defends Sir John in a piece in his journal 'Household Words'. The piece inspires The Frozen Deep, a play in which Dickens, stars, produces and directs. He meets Ellen Ternan, a girl many years his junior who fills the void of his loveless marriage.

It was Mathinna rather than Dicken's story that kept me reading. After she was cruelly abandoned by the Franklins, her life spiralled into days fuelled by alcohol, sex and violence. Her upbringing in the Franklin household ensured she would never feel at home amongst the Aborigines and yet the colour of her skin ensured she would never be accepted by the whites. Wanting is a tragic meditation on desire and it's denial. Although I fell in love with the concept, I found most of the book a difficult task to read. Up to the point Mathinna was put into an orphanage by the Franklins I had trouble empathizing with any of the characters.

Wanting is the type of book which will surely be winning awards but have trouble finding readership outside die-hard literary circles. Personally I'd rather read something that has me glued to it's pages.