(translated from Italian by Katherine Gregor) About the Book: A story of three generations of women, their courage and search for independence in the face of superstition and prejudice, in the spirit of Natalia Ginzburg and Elena Ferrante. In this striking debut, based on a true story, Valeria Usala bears witness to an age-old story … Continue reading Book Review: A Woman in Sardinia by Valeria Usala
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Book Review: All the Beautiful Things You Love by Jonathan Seidler
About the Book: Elly and Enzo love each other.Elly and Enzo are breaking up.Now, everything must go. When Enzo suddenly walks out on Elly after ten years together, she finds herself marooned in an expensive East London flat, surrounded by all their belongings. She is shell-shocked. Inconsolable. She can't bear to look at the objects … Continue reading Book Review: All the Beautiful Things You Love by Jonathan Seidler
Book Review: Long Island by Colm Tóibín
About the Book: A novel of enormous wit and profound emotional resonance from one of the world's finest writers. Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighbouring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with their wives and children … Continue reading Book Review: Long Island by Colm Tóibín
Book Review: The Lost Letters of Rose Carey by Julie Bennett
About the Book: A stirring tale of mystery and romance, inspired by the life of 1920s Australian film icon and ‘million-dollar mermaid’ Annette Kellerman. BLUE MOUNTAINS, 2024: Working on a documentary at the historic Carrington Hotel, videographer Emma Quinn discovers a box of handwritten letters belonging to Rose Carey, water dancer and golden girl of the … Continue reading Book Review: The Lost Letters of Rose Carey by Julie Bennett
Book Review: The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
About the Book: Henry dreams of silence. A world without the clattering of carriages through cobbled streets, the distant cries of drunken brawls, the relentless ticking of the clock. Then he meets a fascinating, mysterious gentleman who sells just that. Precious silk that can drown out the clamour of the world – and everything Henry … Continue reading Book Review: The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
Book Review: Cool Water by Myfanwy Jones
About the Book: Frank Herbert's family has gathered at Tinaroo Dam for his daughter Lily's wedding - the first time he's been back since the death of his father, Joe, a year earlier. Like Frank, the dam is at an all-time low and as the water recedes, objects begin to emerge - abstract and disquieting. … Continue reading Book Review: Cool Water by Myfanwy Jones
Book Review: Appreciation by Liam Pieper
About the Book: A wild romp through Australian celebrity culture that's as bold and scathing as it is hilarious. Oli Darling is a queer artist from the country – it says so right at the top of every press release. His art has brought him fame, money, fashionable substance abuse issues and only a little … Continue reading Book Review: Appreciation by Liam Pieper
Book Review: Seven Summers by Paige Toon
About the Book: Two epic love stories. One impossible choice. The stunning new novel from Paige Toon. Six summers ago... Liv and Finn meet working in a bar on the rugged Cornish coastline, their futures full of promise. When a night of passion ends in devastating tragedy they are bound together inextricably. But Finn's life … Continue reading Book Review: Seven Summers by Paige Toon
Book Review: The Beauties by Lauren Chater
About the Book: An incomparable beauty. A promise to a king. A portrait that can never be completed. When Emilia Lennox loses everything after her husband’s lands and title are confiscated, her beauty is her best bargaining chip with the only man who can restore their fortunes: King Charles II himself. But the king’s favour … Continue reading Book Review: The Beauties by Lauren Chater
Book Review: My Brilliant Sister by Amy Brown #AYearofNZLit
About the Book: While Stella Miles Franklin took on the world, her beloved sister Linda led a short, domestic life as a wife, mother and sister. In a remarkable, genre-bending debut novel Amy Brown thrillingly reimagines those two lives – and her own – to explore and explode the contradictions embedded in brilliant careers and … Continue reading Book Review: My Brilliant Sister by Amy Brown #AYearofNZLit
Theresa Smith Writes 