Set on the crazier fringes of 1950s literary London, Muriel Spark’s A Far Cry from Kensington is a delight, hilariously portraying love, fraud, death, evil, and transformation. A Far Cry From Kensington Synopsis Mrs. Hawkins, the majestic narrator of A Far Cry…
The White Tiger Synopsis Meet Balram Halwai, the ‘White Tiger’: servant, philosopher, entrepreneur and murderer. Balram, the White Tiger, was born in a backwater village on the River Ganges, the son of a rickshaw-puller. He works in a teashop, crushing…
Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog is one of the most intelligent and enjoyable audiobooks I have ever listened to. Read on for our full review.
Juliet Naked Synopsis Annie and Duncan are a mid-30s couple who have reached a fork in the road, realising their shared interest in the reclusive musician Tucker Crowe (in Duncan’s case, an obsession as well as an academic career) is…
Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden is a captivating and atmospheric story of secrets, family and memory that I highly recommend in audiobook. The Forgotten Garden Synopsis Thirty-eight-year-old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much-loved grandmother, Nell, has just died…
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester is a true story that reads like fiction. Read on for our full review. The Professor and the Madman…
Robert Wilson’s The Ignorance of Blood is a gritty, high octane crime thriller with a labyrinthine plot.
I really enjoyed Australian author Toni Jordan’s debut novel Addition because of its quirkiness and refreshing approach to chick lit (read my review), and so I eagerly awaited the publication of her second novel.
In Fall Girl Toni Jordan has created an interesting premise and quirky characters for the reader to be engaged and surprised by.
In The Broken Shore Peter Temple has created characters that display the darker side of humanity that is all too present in society, whether we choose to admit it or not.
There is a relentless and very personal message contained in The Broken Shore, a continual surging towards the delivery of justice in an imperfect world by imperfect people – symbolic of waves crashing into a shore. This is no pollyanna story – some readers may find the subject matter confronting (over and above the use of language I’ve already mentioned).
Heartwarming, charming and funny – a beautiful love story for all ages.
Helen Simonson’s debut novel Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is one of the most uplifting and rewarding romance novels I’ve read in years.
There is so much packed into this novel that I won’t even try to explain the plot line because I wouldn’t do it justice. Suffice to say this darkly satirical novel was a pleasure to listen to. Narrator Paul Bhattacharjee’s delivery finds just the right balance – playing up the deadpan and ironic humour to great effect while reserving a poignance for elements intended as deeper social commentary.
Rebecca (a Novel) by Daphne du Maurier is the iconic story of a young woman consumed by love and struggling to find her identity, spawning several movie/TV adaptations.
One Day by David Nicholls oozes humour, depth and compassion. Why I recommend the audiobook, consider the movie a poor substitute but love the TV series also.
Has a novel ever made you laugh and want to cry at the same time? One Day did that to me.
Nicholls forces us to fall in love with his lead characters, Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew, as we check in with them each year on the anniversary of their first liaison. How can one not feel a connection to these characters when they think the same things we have all thought? How can one not feel empathy for these hapless individuals when we have all made similar mistakes in our own lives?
The Life of Pi novel, Yann Martel’s debut, truly deserves the accolades it has received. I was thoroughly engaged and entertained by this tale. Read my full review including some memorable book quotes below and we answer your burning question – was Life of Pi based on a true story?
Toni Jordan’s Addition was… Winner, Indie Awards, Best Debut Fiction, 2008 Longlisted, Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2009 Shortlisted, Australian Book Industry Awards, Best General Fiction Book, 2008 Addition Synopsis Grace Lisa Vandenburg counts. The letters in her name (19). The steps she…
