CHRIS JOHNSTON and ROSIE JONES The Family. Reviewed by Lou Mentor
The Family is a chilling account of how a cult arose that would leave a legacy of damage in its wake. What is true? What is false? In the quest for enlightenment what does it take to convince regular – often well-educated – members of society to abandon the norms of...
FAY WELDON Death of a She Devil. Reviewed by Carmel Bird
Very very sharp and very very funny: Fay Weldon is on form as she follows up her 1980s hit The Life and Loves of a She Devil. Nearly 60 years ago, in a Hobart pub called The Man at the Wheel, I had a conversation with the novelist Christopher Koch on the subject of...
Random Thoughts: On gardening. By Jean Bedford
Peter Corris is taking a break to heal a break and we hope he will be back at his keyboard soon. In the meantime, in lieu of Godfathers we will be publishing random thoughts from the NRB editors. Here is the first, from Jean. When we moved to our unit in Earlwood 10...
BILL HOSKING QC with JOHN SUTER LINTON Justice Denied. Reviewed by Tom Kelly
True stories from the courts of the 1970s and 1980s: police verbals, complacent judges, and a rich cast of characters. The word ‘legend’ is grossly overused thanks to sporting commentators, but not in respect of Bill Hosking QC — at least not among criminal lawyers,...
ASHLEY HAY A Hundred Small Lessons. Reviewed by Jeannette Delamoir
Ashley Hay’s new novel gives us warm, affectionate portraits of people and place in a story that shifts between past and present. Longlisted for the 2014 Miles Franklin Award, Ashley Hay’s previous novel, The Railwayman’s Wife, was a love letter to Thirroul. A...
The Godfather: Peter Corris on Sydney Town
I’ve spent a good part of my life in Sydney, perhaps 20 years or more, and seem always to have returned here after sojourns away. Although I am devoted to Sydney, you might say I’ve philandered to other places. I’ve owned houses here, rented others, been employed, and...
CLAIRE CORBETT Watch Over Me. Reviewed by Sally Nimon
This is a powerful portrayal of what can happen in war and in the skilful hands of Claire Corbett the message is clear: there but for the grace of God … The world is at war. It always has been. Our sense of security is an illusion. At any moment, on any day, in...
NRB Editors remember literary agent and friend Rose Creswell
Trailblazing literary agent Rosemary Creswell died on 19 April 2017 after a long illness. Jean and Linda each pay tribute. Linda Funnell: Eulogy given at Rose’s funeral on 28 April 2017 Dear Rose, how lucky I was to know you. How lucky we all were to...
The Godfather: Peter Corris on lawn bowls
I’ve never played lawn bowls. I’ve tended to think of it as a game for mature people who could no longer play golf for one reason or another. When I could no longer play golf I had such poor vision I wouldn’t have been able to see from one end of the green to another....
Crime Scene: CAROLINE OVERINGTON The Lucky One. Reviewed by Robin Elizabeth
In Caroline Overington’s new thriller, the Aldens don’t just have a skeleton in their closet, they have a whole castle full. Caroline Overington’s 11th book, The Lucky One, is a dysfunctional-family crime-farce and she has spared nothing in her depictions. It...
JOHN KINSELLA Old Growth. Reviewed by Carmel Bird
John Kinsella’s short stories reveal flashes of beauty amid the bleakness. ‘They were close enough to the dregs of the river to have a water rat dead on their dead lawn.’ So far, so ugly – the opening line of the 18th story in this collection of 27. By number 18...
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