Literature

AN IMAGINARY LIFE by David Malouf, Book Review: Haunting

In An Imaginary Life author David Malouf tells a very big story in very few words.
The story is set in the time of the Roman Empire with the protagonist and narrating character the Roman poet Ovid. Ovid had lived a life of mischief and excess prior to his exile in a backwater called Tomis. He does not understand their language, nor do they understand his – he considers the people he lives with ‘natives’ and the tribes that attack the town of Tomis ‘savages’.

Life of Pi, Book Review: Yann Martel’s life-affirming gem

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?

My first ever guest post – Tolstoy!

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.

LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN by Colum McCann, Book Review

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,…

Four Fast Reviews – Peters, Marquez, Unger and Fluke

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…

SHIVA’S ARMS by Cheryl Snell, Book Review + Author Interview

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…

Book Review – WANTING by Richard Flanagan

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…

The Alchemist, Book Review: Paulo Coelho’s beguiling novel

Santiago’s search for hidden treasure is presented as a metaphor for life.
Coelho introduces the concept of one’s Personal Legend, or destiny. Appealingly though, this destiny is not presented as something that will simply fall into one’s lap, but something one needs to strive for. Too often in this inspirational genre readers are given the impression that if we simply wish for something long enough with the purest of intentions, then that wish will come into being. This simple tale reminds us that anything worth having must be worked for and that one does not gain in life without first risking loss. We are also reminded that treasures can come in the form of both material objects and experiences.

Book Review – DAVID GOLDER by Irene Nemirovsky

BOOK RATING: The Story 4 / 5; The Writing 5 / 5 BOOK DETAILS: David Golder (The Book Depository), David Golder (Amazon) BOOK REVIEW: Absorbing. David Golder, published in France in 1929 was Irene Nemirovsky’s break out novel. In it…

A HOUSE TO LET by Dickens, Collins, Gaskell & Proctor, Book Review

What’s not to love about an inquisitive elderly lady playing Miss Marple? A House To Let, a collaboration between some of the greatest classic British authors Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Proctor, is your quintessential cosy mystery. It comes from a time where deception and intrigue were enough to underpin a compelling story – no blood or murder were necessary.

La’s Orchestra Saves The World by Alexander McCall Smith, Review

Charming. Can any of us make a difference to the great events which determine our fate? That is the question Alexander McCall Smith explores in La’s Orchestra Saves the World. The story is set in Britain and told through the eyes of a young woman named Lavender (all her friends call her La).

Book Review – HAMLET by John Marsden

Disappointing. I try to start each of my reviews with one word that sums up my feelings about the book, and unfortunately in this case that word is not a positive one. If Marsden’s goal was simply to retell the original Hamlet in language more accessible to young adults, he has achieved that. However in my opinion Marsden did not deviate far enough from the original Hamlet to make this retelling that worthwhile.

THE HOUSEKEEPER + THE PROFESSOR by Yoko Ogawa, Review

BOOK REVIEW: Exquisite minimalism. I’ve always been a believer that good things come in small packages and this novel by Ogawa is a perfect example. The characters, a mathematics professor with special needs, his housekeeper and her son, are developed in an understated manner, through their actions. The mathematical concepts are explained with artful simplicity and woven into the telling of the story to great effect. I found Ogawa’s writing style refreshing – words are not squandered but chosen carefully to extract maximum value