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Showing posts from February, 2016

A taut thriller

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Different Class Joanne Harris Hardcover, 416 pages Expected publication: April 21st 2016 by Doubleday  (first published April 7th 2016) What a corker of a novel, quite simply an absolute corker. Latin master Roy Straitley has been teaching at St Oswald’s Grammar school for over thirty years and he has survived not just the boys but the changes in administration. Experience has taught Straitley that each year you have troublemakers, favourites, and then there is the odd boy who just cannot be pigeonholed. St Oswald’s is going through another upheaval this time brought on by scandal and the need to modernise. While there are all this new beginnings on offer Roy Straitley finds himself confronted with the past and a sense of foreboding. This is a taut psychological thriller that goes back and forth through time. The main point of view is Straitley who brings together all the pieces of the story. The voice that is most engaging is the unidentified person who writes to Mousey and

A lost classic finally given recognition

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The Salzburg Tales by Christina Stead Paperback,  Published January 1st 2016 by Miegunyah Press (first published 1934) Christina Stead is finally and thankfully going through a revival as new readers are introduced to her works. Australia seems to have a habit of not celebrating its female authors and it is wonderful to see this renewed focus. Stead in my humble opinion is one of Australia’s greatest authors and having read this novel just seals the deal for me. A group of strangers have a chance meeting at the Salzburg Festival and over seven days they tell stories. The tales involve tragedy, humour, fantasy and myth.  The characters are beautifully realised It is an extraordinary collection of stories and I was moved, engaged and transported into these diverse lives. The way that Stead captures the elements of a character in her personages’ introduction is just divine ‘her arms were thin, muscular and rough skinned as a shark’s fin with too much exercise.’ There are so man

Short but plenty of impact

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The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby Paperback, 139 pages, Published 2004 by Harper Perennial A man trapped in a body that no longer functions but with a brain brimming with memories, creativity and stories.  Communicating by blinking only with one eye he dictates a remarkable memoir filled with humour, insights and tinged with sadness.  I don't think anyone could imagine being locked into their body. The thought of spending hours, weeks, months lying in a bed with nothing but your thoughts is unfathomable. Yet Bauby was able to demonstrate a deep love for humanity and place focus on the simple pleasures we take for granted. Just the simple act of being able to ruffle his son's hair is heartbreaking. A poignant memoir. Blood Acre by Peter Landesman Paperback, 272 pages,  Published January 1st 2000 by Penguin Books Nathan Stein was once a successful lawyer has quickly slid down into the depths of corruption and now f