The Godfather: Peter Corris on not counting sheep
Lying wakeful, I began a new routine to help me get to sleep. Nothing radical, like some of the proposals I’ve had since I wrote a column about insomnia, just a matter of making lists and counting. I started by attempting to name and thereby count all the players in...DOUGLAS KENNEDY Five Days. Reviewed by Paula Grunseit
The author of The Pursuit of Happiness delivers a sweeping American saga laced with philosophy. Set in Maine and Boston, Douglas Kennedy’s 11th novel is narrated by Laura, a middle-aged radiographic technician with a husband and two children. Married for 21 years to...JO CASE Boomer & Me: A Memoir of Motherhood, and Asperger’s. Reviewed by James Tierney
One moment after another: Jo Case’s well-crafted memoir is a graceful tale of living with difference. Asperger’s Syndrome describes someone of high intelligence and strong focus, whose social skills are learnt rather than intuitive. Although Asperger’s has been...The Godfather: Peter Corris on grandparenting
Recently I emailed a friend to explain that a visit he proposed wasn’t convenient because I’d be minding my seven-year-old grandson and wasn’t sure where I’d be. I’d previously sent him and his wife a photograph of me with my five grandsons. He replied understandingly...ROBIN HOBB Blood of Dragons: Book Four of the Rain Wild Chronicles. Reviewed by Jean Bedford
Inscrutable dragons and a mysterious city: the final volume of Robin Hobb’s latest series ties up the loose ends and reveals a few surprises. Blood of Dragons is the fourth and final book in The Rain Wild Chronicles and follows seamlessly from City of Dragons,...The Godfather: Peter Corris on being a grumpy old man
When the Editors of the NRB invited me to write a column I asked them what they wanted me to write about. ‘Anything,’ I was told; I could be a grumpy old man and complain about things if I wanted to. I haven’t done much complaining so far, other than about poor...KAREN FOXLEE The Midnight Dress. Reviewed by Folly Gleeson
A lyrical gem from the award-winning author of The Anatomy of Wings This is a story of friendship set in a Queensland town, not far from Cairns, between two young women: Rose, 15 going on 16, whose father is an itinerant artist; and Pearl, an endearing, vibrant girl...Crime Scene: JUDITH RODRIGUEZ The Hanging of Minnie Thwaites. Reviewed by Paula Grunseit
The real-life hanging of a 19th-century baby-farmer inspired award-winning poet Judith Rodriguez to tell the story in a variety of literary forms. I am Minnie Thwaites. I am under Melbourne. Wherever lime goes, where it seeps, where the sour juices of the city are...The Godfather: Peter Corris on Flashy
By now there are probably about 200 book-length pastiches of Sherlock Holmes in print. One of the earliest, and to my mind one of the best, was Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1974). It captured the flavour of the original and was a best-seller,...AMITY GAIGE Schroder. Reviewed by Rose Powell
A cleverly constructed identity disintegrates in the face of the bond between father and daughter. Schroder is the quiet and brave third novel by Amity Gaige. It explores the long shadows of lies, the short work lies can make of everything you hold dear, and the...KATE ATKINSON Life After Life. Reviewed by Jean Bedford
A fascinating evocation of multiple lifetimes from this innovative and accomplished novelist. Kate Atkinson is known for her playfulness and writerly experimentation. In previous novels she has played with point of view (‘head-hopping’) with such confident...
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