Book Review – THE BAT by Jo Nesbo
The Bat Synopsis Harry is out of his depth. Detective Harry Hole is meant to keep out of trouble. A young Norwegian girl taking a gap year in Sydney has been murdered, and Harry has been sent to Australia to assist…
Translations
THE SCREAM by Laurent Graff, Book Review
The Scream Synopsis The apparently simple story of a toll-collector who works in a booth on the motorway, watching people come and go, while his life remains static. But then an invisable force begins taking over, its only tell-tale sign, a…
Book Review – COMEDY IN A MINOR KEY by Hans Keilson
Comedy In A Minor Key Synopsis A penetrating study of ordinary people resisting the Nazi occupation — and, true to its title, a dark comedy of wartime manners — Comedy in a Minor Key tells the story of Wim and Marie, a Dutch…
Book Review – LAMBERTO LAMBERTO LAMBERTO by Gianni Rodari
Lamberto Lamberto Lamberto Synopsis : A modern fable for children and adults: a story of one man’s quest for eternal life and how finds it in the most extraordinary of ways—in the grand tradition of Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince. When we…
ALL OUR WORLDLY GOODS by Irene Nemirovsky, Book Review
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.
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…
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson, Book Review
Gripping. The second instalment of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire, is not just a worthy successor to the first, it is even better!
Why is it better? This novel is where the reader is properly introduced to the feisty heroine Lisbeth Salander.
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
Book Review – THE COURILOF AFFAIR by Irene Nemirovsky
BOOK RATING: The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 5 / 5 BOOK REVIEW: Powerful. Don’t let the lack of words used (only 168 pages) fool you – Nemirovsky delivers a powerful message through the telling of this story….
SUITE FRANCAISE by Irene Nemirovsky, Book Review
Suite Francaise Synopsis In 1941, Irene Nemirovsky sat down to write a book that would convey the magnitude of what she was living through by evoking the domestic lives and personal trials of the ordinary citizens of France. Nemirovsky’s death…
