Rhubarb is one of the most original novels I have read in some time. As with many debut novels, it is evident this story had percolated in Craig Silvey’s mind for some time before putting pen to paper. It is very ambitious.
In Dreams of Speaking Gail Jones casts a spell of introspection, unbridled honesty and intelligence.
I found myself mesmerised not only by the story of Alice and Mr Sakamoto, but by Gail Jones’ mastery of language. It is not simply that the prose is a treasure trove for word lovers, it is the gloriously descriptive and refreshing, thought-provoking observations that I was continually impressed by. Jones sets a scene and a mood in a way that kept me wanting more.
In Room, Emma Donoghue has captured the uncompromising honesty and optimistic curiosity that exists only in the mind of a child.
On a broader level, this is a story about having clarity of purpose and the things people can endure when they have that. To that end, this book has the power to shape thinking.
Annabelle is tired of being the lone failure in a family of overachievers. She’s endured dead-end jobs and a broken engagement. But that’s going to change now that she’s taken over her late grandmother’s matchmaking business. All Annabelle has to do is land the Windy City’s hottest bachelor as her client, and she’ll be the most sought-after matchmaker in town.
Connie Willis’s short novel Bellwether is a wonderfully intelligent romantic comedy.
Researchers Dr Sandra Foster and Dr Bennett O’Reilly, with specialties in fad/trend analysis and chaos theory respectively find themselves thrown together in the chaotic and fad driven HiTek Corporation. They are your classic fish out of water. Add to this melting pot an infuriating admin assistant (sorry, interdepartmental communications liaison), a 60+ page simplified grant funding application form and a flock of sheep and you have ample fodder for comedic moments.
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?
Irene Nemirovsky’s novel All Our Worldly Goods reminds us that even in the darkest of times, where this is a will there is a way.
There is a very appealing undertone of revolutionary zeal in Nemirovsky’s All Our Worldly Goods.
We follow the characters on their life journey in a tug-of-war between hope and obligation, through shocking loss and moments of joy. This novel explores love in its many forms, and ultimately the inspiration and steely determination that emotion can provide.
Paul Auster’s Music of Chance is a story of both absurdity and intensity that will keep you guessing.
Add together two screw-ups, Nashe and Pozzi, chancing their luck at a game of poker with two eccentric millionaires, Flower and Stone, who just happen to want to build a stone wall in a field on their estate and you have the basic plot of Auster’s Music of Chance. Although this is the first title of Auster’s I have read, I think it is probably safe for me to say that Auster’s bizarre plots are merely vehicles through which much deeper stories are told.
Jess Walter’s novel The Financial Lives of the Poets is a refreshingly real and humourous look at the financial crisis and the trouble we thinking beings can get ourselves into.
Well, I’ve finally done it – here’s a link to my first ever guest post!
It’s my musings on what Leo Tolstoy, the person, was like based on my reading of his great work Anna Karenina – using a lot of poetic licence. Check it out – you’ll see what I mean. :)
A huge thank you to Amanda at Desert Book Chick for allowing me to be part of her Classics Month.
The Return (2008) is Victoria Hislop’s second novel. Her debut novel, The Island (2005) was included in The Times ‘100 Books That Defined the Noughties’. The Return Synopsis A captivating new novel of family, love, and betrayal set against a…
Let the Great World Spin Synopsis In the dawning light of a late-summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers. It is August 1974, and a mysterious tightrope walker is running,…
When my reviews outstanding hit four I have decided I just have to stop procrastinating on the perfect way to describe my feelings about the books and post my thoughts quickly otherwise I will never keep up with my reading pile! So…
BOOK RATING: The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 4 / 5 BOOK DETAILS: Shiva’s Arms (Amazon), Shiva’s Arms (The Book Depository) BOOK SYNOPSIS: Is there a happy medium between Hindu tradition and American style, or does the battle of wills between a…
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…
BOOK REVIEW Evocative. Wanting by Richard Flanagan is a story that will move even the most hardened of souls. Flanagan dares to ask the question, what is the difference between a savage and one that is civilized? This is a…
