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The Marriage Plot – Jeffrey Eugenides
Published on 2011-11-11 13:11:56
It always gives me a thrill to see a new book by a favourite author, especially one who takes his sweet time about producing them, so I was delighted to spot this on the shelves of Eason’s last week. I adored Eugenides’ Middlesex, a truly outstanding, original book; I still haven’t read his The Virgin [...] > read more
The Senator’s Wife – Sue Miller
Published on 2011-06-24 15:17:20
After an embarrassingly long hiatus, some more reviews. I’ve been reading some great books over the past while. To wit… I’m a huge fan of Sue Miller, and her effortless prose, and The Senator’s Wife is my favourite of her book > read more
So Much For That – Lionel Shriver
Published on 2011-06-19 17:56:42
I always feel a bit guilty before I post a negative review (as if world-famous authors spend their nights off searching the blogosphere for posts that tag them – yes, I know). But this book left me feeling so frustrated that I’m compelled > read more
Room – Emma Donoghue
Published on 2010-11-06 09:49:59
I had reservations about reading Room. I first picked it up in a bookshop, not having heard any of the hype, and when I realised the subject matter I was afraid it would turn out to be another example of what is now referred to as Misery Lit – > read more
The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas
Published on 2010-07-28 13:24:06
It’s a very simple premise. A group of adults and children gather at a barbecue in a Melbourne suburb. They are young to middle-aged, mostly middle-class, multi-racial. One of the children persistently misbehaves, and in exasperation a man R > read more
84 Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
Published on 2010-04-06 16:47:12
Ah, they just don’t make epistolary novels like they used to. So I had to go all the way back to 1970 for this one. But then, of course, this isn’t a novel at all, but rather a collection of the actual correspondence between the author, a > read more
The Little Stranger – Sarah Waters
Published on 2010-03-25 15:56:42
First things first – there are no lesbians in The Little Stranger. I’m not sure why this should be noteworthy, but the other reviews of the book I’ve read mention this, so I didn’t want to be left out. To date, most (if not > read more
Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger
Published on 2010-03-21 17:01:20
A first novel as enormously popular as The Time Traveller’s Wife was always going to be a hard act to follow. Her Fearful Symmetry again tackles a supernatural theme, but with more mixed results this time. The story tells of identical twins Jul > read more
The Hour I First Believed – Wally Lamb
Published on 2010-02-19 14:44:14
First, a confession – I actually read this book months ago. But when I thought of it yesterday I couldn’t let the opportunity to rave about it pass. So I’m breaking the rules. Reader, I loved this book. Loved loved loved it. I hold > read more
The Accidental Tourist – Anne Tyler
Published on 2010-02-06 09:22:59
This is not one of Tyler’s recent novels – it was first published in 1985 – but it is one I had never read (nor have I seen the film adaptation). It’s a simple story, of a man trying to adapt to the changes in his life which f > read more
Juliet, Naked – Nick Hornby
Published on 2010-02-04 16:26:58
A new Nick Hornby is always worth reading, and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s the story of an English woman who strikes up an unlikely relationship with an aging American rock star (With Hilarious Results!!); it has an appropriately Ho > read more