Literary Brooding

Demon Copperhead  Barbara Kingsolver  546 pages, Paperback, First published October 18, 2022  Demon Copperhead is the story of a young man born to a single mum, orphaned at 11 and trying to eke out an existence against all odds.   I cannot recall the last time I have read a work of fiction that I could have easily mistaken as an autobiography. Damon ‘Demon Copperhead’ Fields is just extraordinary character, so beautifully created and realised on the page. As he retells his life, it is heartbreaking, it is exhilarating, it is depressing, it is hopeful amongst so much despair.    What completely floored me was the writing and attention to detail. Kingsolver has articulated on the page a world that is alien to many but home for too many. The descriptions of trailers living, drug houses, towns, schools are all so real, I feel I know those places intimately. Kingsolver has created an array of characters that are all so well realised.  There is at least ten characters who revolve around Damo

The Work Bri Lee  386 pages, Paperback, First published April 3, 2024  Lally and Patrick are both involved in the art world. Lally owns and operates a gallery in New York and Patrick is trying to establish himself in the Sydney antiquities market. When the two meet at New York's Armory Show the attraction is instant.   Bri Lee is better known for producing works of non-fiction and her memoir Eggshell Skull is one of the most challenging pieces of work to read. Lee's crossover to fiction is undeniably a success.   The story alternates between Lally and Patrick viewpoints and it really opens your understanding of the two characters and their motivations. Lally would seem to have it all, she has money, she has a supportive family, a career and gallery that is on the rise having just landed a major sale. With all that she still has that something is missing, and it is not necessarily a relationship, but you are kicking career goals what is next? Patrick has come from near poverty,

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good  Helene Tursten, Marlaine Delargy (Translator)  178 pages, First published January 1, 2013  Maud is an 88-year-old woman who loves to travel, is happy living alone, can solve problems on her own and is a serial killer.   This is a witty series of stories as we watch Maud ensure that she maintains her independent life style that allows for plenty of travel and giving grief to those who want her out of her spacious apartment.   Just read it, it is fun and breaks the mould on how little old ladies should behave.  

Olive Kitteridge  Elizabeth Strout  320 pages, Paperback First published March 25, 2008  I had no idea what t was about to read. Going by the title I figured it would all about Olive, but I was ever so wrong. Oilive Kitteridge is a series of vignettes, studies of ordinary people who come into her world. At times Olive is the star of the narrative but on other occasions she is in the background either a positive or negative influence.   Olive is a character that leaps off the page and she is far from perfect. There are times when you are cheering Olive's straight up, take no nonsense approach but then there are the moments when she makes absolute howlers. The people who circle in and out of Olive's world are so well crafted. Her husband and son are also flawed and their relationships waiver as time passes.   Look this book won a Pulitzer and for good reason, as Strout has put on the page just a wonderful collection of people and situations who are trying to do the best they can.

Beach Read Emily Henry 400 pages, Paperback, Published May 19, 2020 by Berkley Two authors suffer writer’s block, two authors are living side by side, two authors have a lot of personal hangups and both authors have a history together. So when Gus and January challenge each other to cross into the other’s genre, well, the sparks fly on and off the page. This is my first foray into the Emily Henry world and I kind of knew what to expect. It is a romance, almost an enemies to lover trope and has all the feel goods. Henry has created an entertaining story that rollicks along as the Gus and January work through their emotions. There is some clever banter and exploration of some slightly darker themes.  Look we all know that a happy ending is coming and there will be a few trials and tribulations along the way. The success comes from the chemistry on the page between Gus and January and it was just not there. The tension dissipated too soon and there were sections of the book which did not

The Weekend  Charlotte Wood  259 pages, Paperback Published October 15, 2019 by Allen & Unwin Three women all aged in their 70's and a geriatric dog arrive at their deceased friend Sylvie's beach house to prepare the house for sale.   That is the basis of this novel in a nutshell. What evolves on the page is a story of depth, understanding, despair, longing, loneliness, love, misunderstanding, betrayal and grief. None of these things are handled with a sledgehammer by Wood. It would be easy to lecture the reader on the fragility of age but Wood weave these complex intricacies into the story. So that you find yourself unknowingly completely and utterly engulfed. As you learn about each woman, their history, their current situation and their uncertain futures.   Wendy is an academic, a noted thinker and worried about cognitive decline. She diligently tries to keep her dog, Finn alive, even though he is deaf, blind and incontinent. Jude was a famous restaurant owner and has be

In Darkness Visible  Tony Jones  468 pages, Paperback Published November 5, 2019 by Allen & Unwin Anna Rosen is a freelance journalist based in Australia who is not afraid to tackle the big stories. In Darkness Visible Rosen finds her past coming to play in her own future, when a man she loved and thought dead is currently in the Hague for suspected war crimes. Marin Katich is under an assumed name but that is not the real complication for Anna, he is the father of her daughter and no one knows that truth.   All the characters come with an inordinate amount of personal baggage, no one is unscathed from their past.  Rosen is a woman who is driven to discover the truth behind the story no matter the cost and it has resulted in a strained relationship with her daughter. Marin is a man who no longer knows who or what he stands for. He has been manipulated all his life by family and political influences. His only happiness was when he was with Anna in their early 20's.   Jones has w

Queen Macbeth Val McDermid 122 pages, Kindle Edition, Published May 2, 2024 It is not an easy thing to undertake to re-imagine a narrative about a woman that has been extensively investigated through one of Shakespeare's most famous plays.  In Val McDermid's short novella, Queen MacBeth, the re-telling has been achieved with the most lyrical prose and provides a wonderful and captivating insight into the character.    Gruoch (Queen MacBeth) and her lifelong friends Eithne, Aife and LIgath, find themselves four years after the death of King MacBeth hiding in a monastery.  Their lives are in danger, as King Malcolm's loyal supporters are drawing close, for even without a husband, Gruoch ability to scheme means she is still a threat.   It is hard to explain how easy it is to be immersed into the words and the storytelling. I felt like I was reading a personal letter or candid memoir as Gruoch reminisces about her life. How while married she meets the red headed warrior and dis

Hell Bent (Alex Stern Book 2) Leigh Bardugo 481 pages, Paperback, Published January 10, 2023 I had read Ninth House some time ago, enjoyed it and thought the premise held a lot of promise. I came to Hell Bent looking forward to where Alex Stern and her group of friends are faced with next.  Hell Bent, still has Alex as a mess, still trying to understand who and what she is and doing this without her mentor Darlington, who has been thrown into hell. Trying to retrieve him is proving difficult as she is hindered by a series of unexplained deaths, a gangster from her past and navigating her way around the politics of the Houses of the Veil.  The story arc for this book centres on Alex realising just who and what she is. This comes about through a series of trials and tests that Alex overcomes to be able to knowingly tap into the power that has remain hidden within her. These trials and tests are not formal, she is not always a success, but it is Alex running headfirst into each situation

Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus 386 pages, Paperback, first published March 31, 2022 Elizabeth Zott is quite black and white when it comes to what is right and wrong but the only trouble is the rest of the world does not see things the same way as she does. Trying to forge a path as a female scientist in 1960's America where sexism and misogyny are the norms, Elizabeth would appear to have little chance of success. Then she is offered an opportunity to host a cooking show, a show that becomes more about simply putting meals on the table.  Garmus has brought to the page, some diverse and really interesting characters. They are quirky, fallible, irrational, gullible, hopeful and alive.  Elizabeth is a tour de force, a woman who says everything you have ever wanted to say. She is forthright and sassy. There are times when the vulnerability shines through and you empathise as she struggles. While Elizabeth is the centre of the story, she is upstaged slightly by her daughter Mad and