Literary Brooding

Too much work, plenty of reading to relax and not enough time to catch up on the blog. So here is the big catch up. Room - Emma Donoghue Paperback, 321 pages, Published May 18th 2011 by Back Bay Books There has been a lot written about this book and there is not much I can add. Donoghue has crafted an interesting story using a five year old as the point of view character. You see the world through his eyes and that is what makes this story really work. It is clever and works. It is easy to see why this novel has been so popular. A good read. The Watch Tower - Elizabeth Harrower Paperback, 240 pages, Published 2012 by Text Publishing  (first published 1966)  Laura and Clare are sisters who when we first meet them are attending boarding school with their entire lives planned out before them. Laura is a brilliant student with designs on becoming a Doctor and Clare is beginning to find her way at school. The death of their father sees the world of the two girls tur...

Spells of Blood and Kin – Claire Humphrey Hardcover, 320 pages, Expected publication: June 14th 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books A lot of books classed under the paranormal genre tend to be about a romance between a human and an otherworldly beast. There is nothing wrong with that and displays at the local bookstore indicate there is a continual appetite. In Claire Humphrey’s ‘Spells of Blood and Kin’ she has tried to break the shackles of the genre and endeavoured to present something darker and deeper. The story centres around Lissa of Russian heritage who is dealing with the death of her Grandmother who is a witch. Lissa having been schooled by her Grandmother reluctantly takes over the duties required of helping women who want to become pregnant or fall in love. It is all mundane magic until Maksim arrives at her door seeking a magic that comes a high cost. Humphreys has created a world that is believable and are well constructed. The characters are detailed and with ...

I have been reading and thus not updating and so it is time to catch up. The reviews are short as I kept wanting to go back to the reading.  Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman  Paperback, 238 pages, Published March 29th 2005 by Ballantine Books For 200 years Blackbird House has stood and watched as people have passed through it's doors.  Each family has it's own tale to tell and you are moved through time. The first family that resides there suffers an awful tragedy at sea. As the waves overtake him a young boy releases his pet blackbird and the bird returns back to the house. Rather than being seen as a sign of hope the blackbird becomes the harbinger of bad news.  Each of the stories are short, compelling and have you wanting to know more about these families.  The linkages between families and time is deftly handled. You are seamlessly moved along and never wondering how did I get here. Hoffman has beautiful lyrical style and you are carri...

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...

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 a...

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...

My Life on the Road Gloria Steinem Hardcover, 304 pages Published October 27th 2015 by Random House I knew of Gloria Steinem but not about her and this book is my introduction to the woman and her work.  My Life on the Road is a highly quotable memoir full of observations, anecdotes and pearls of wisdom. Steinem starts with the simple question of what makes me want to keep on the road travelling from place to place and for Steinem it starts with her Father.  As it was her Father that pack the family in the car to go travelling with no end date to the journey. I loved the descriptions that evoke life on the road ‘we see an acre of motorcycles around each isolated diner and motel’ and ‘stopping to cool off in shallow streams or find shade in groves where chai and steamed rice cakes called idlis were sold from palm-roofed shelters.’ Her years as a journalist have given her a wonderful skill to simply and quickly catch the beauty and the ugliness of situations. The sectio...