FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTube

book review

Kate’s review – A Universe of Sufficient Size

2020-09-28T16:32:34+10:00Categories: Episodes|Tags: , , , , , |

Kate's review
We hope all our followers are faring well during Covid-19 and that perhaps books are proving a great comfort to those in isolation. Kate reviews Miriam Sved's latest novel, A Universe of Sufficient Size. Kate reads many books but felt this one really deserved a review. It follows the fortunes of five mathematicians as the Holocaust presses in.

The Land Before Avocado – Richard Glover

2020-02-24T20:56:16+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Sarah's review
Richard Glover really knows how to pick his topics and The Land Before Avocado, set in the 1970s, is no exception. Despite being the land of plenty, Australians endured a myriad of deprivations, which Richard investigates with excruciating humour. The cars, the food, the fashion - they all left something to be desired. Yet the clumsiness of the period is reminiscent of any pubescent teenager, and The Land Before Avocado reminds us that the 1970s was a tipping point for Australia, the decade in which it graduated from small pants to big pants. A wonderful read.

The Juliet Code – by Christine Wells

2019-06-30T16:48:07+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Kate's review
Australian author Christine Wells has been making a name for herself writing intelligent, suspenseful historical novels. Her latest offering, The Juliet Code, begins in 1947 when a young woman named Juliet Barnard is being interrogated about her role as an undercover wireless operator for the Allies in Nazi-occupied France during the war. She is wracked with guilt and remorse over the disappearance of a friend and colleague of hers, and so agrees to help her friend’s brother track down what happened to her. Her bravery, resolution, and quick wits prove to be more valuable than strength and ruthlessness.

The Desert Nurse – Pamela Hart

2019-04-15T16:29:59+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Kate's review
I’m a big fan of Pamela Hart’s vivid and intelligent historical romances. They give me everything I want in a book – drama, heartache, struggle, triumph, and an enthralling glimpse into the past that teaches me something I did not know. The Desert Nurse is set mainly in Egypt during the World War 1, and tells the story of a young woman named Evelyn Northey who is determined to become a doctor, despite all the obstacles in her way.

One Enchanted Evening – Charlotte Smith

2019-02-09T23:09:29+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Kate's review
In 2004, Charlotte Smith inherited more than 3,000 vintage couture gowns from her Quaker godmother, Doris Darnell, who had spent a lifetime gathering her collection, which spanned 250 years of fashion. Every single piece had been given to her, by friends who knew of her passion and by strangers who wanted their old and precious clothes to be properly cared for. Doris Darnell also bequeathed her god-daughter her notebooks, which detailed the history of each item. She described these histories as "fascinating stories, sometimes full of joy, other times grief, sometimes bitterness, other times heartache."

Three Gold Coins – Josephine Moon

2018-11-16T17:18:04+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Kate's review
A warm-hearted contemporary tale set in Australia and Italy, Three Gold Coins is the first book written by Josephine Moon that I have read but it won’t be the last. I just loved the skilful twisting together of romance and suspense, chick-lit and family drama. This is a novel which celebrates family ties, food and the importance of kindness, all things which I passionately believe in.

 Josephine Moon sensitively explores themes of depression and mental illness, psychological abuse and violence, which give her story extra gravitas to balance the charm.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart – Holly Ringland

2018-09-22T14:17:39+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , |

Kate's review
An astonishingly assured debut, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story of love, loss, betrayal and the redemptive power of storytelling. It is both heart-breaking and life-affirming. A coming-of-age story with a vividly evocative Australian setting, this novel follows the story of Alice Hart who must learn to escape the shadows of an abusive father in order to build a life for herself. The Australian landscape, and its strange and beautiful flora, has a potent presence in the novel.

The Lace Weaver – Lauren Chater

2018-08-27T17:23:52+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Kate's review
A heart-wrenching novel of love, war and resistance set in Estonia in the 1940s, The Lace Weaver tells the story of two very different young women and their struggle to survive in a country caught between two of the greatest evils of the 20th century: Stalin’s Red Army and Hitler’s Third Reich. This is a novel of love and war, heartbreak and hope, and the bonds between women, delicate as lace and yet as unbreakable as steel.

The Beast’s Heart – Leife Shallcross

2018-08-27T17:17:05+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , |

Kate's review
The Beast's Heart by debut Australian author Leife Shallcross is a retelling of the classic French fairy-tale ‘La Belle et la Bête’, told from the perspective of the Beast. Like many lovers of fairy-tales, it is one of my own personal favourites and I have drawn upon its symbols and structures in my own novel, The Beast’s Garden, which is set in Nazi Germany.

King of Ashes – Raymond E. Feist

2018-08-13T22:08:05+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Sarah's review
Fantasy fans have been awaiting Raymond E. Feist’s ‘King of Ashes’ the first novel of his new trilogy, The Firemane Saga, with keen interest. It is the first book Feist has written outside the universe of The Riftwar Cycle in more than 30 years, and few knew what to expect. The fantasy master wanted to break with tradition, and he has. In Garn, magic takes a back seat to politics and the social context, while human passions - the lust for power, love and revenge - take centre stage.