About the Book: When the Great War breaks out in 1914 Thomas Mann, like so many of his fellow countrymen, is fired up with patriotism. He imagines the Germany of great literature and music, which had drawn him away from the stifling, conservative town of his childhood, might be a source of pride once again. … Continue reading Book Review: The Magician by Colm Tóibín
WWI
Book Review: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
The Pull of the Stars... About the Book: In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city centre, where expectant mothers who have come down with an unfamiliar Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia's regimented world step two outsiders: Doctor Kathleen Lynn, on the … Continue reading Book Review: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Book Review: Walking by Kim Kelly
Walking... About the Book: Sydney, 1948. Brilliant German surgeon, Hugo Winter, is dead, and his protégé, Lucy Brynne, is tasked with sorting his papers. Among them, Lucy finds glimpses of Hugo’s past that paint a disturbing picture of war and prejudice – a portrait of Australia she can barely recognise. That same week, an intriguing … Continue reading Book Review: Walking by Kim Kelly
Book Review: The Electric Hotel by Dominic Smith
The Electric Hotel... About the Book: From the award-winning author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Last Painting of Sara de Vos comes a luminous novel tracing the intertwined fates of a silent-film director and his muse. Dominic Smith's The Electric Hotel winds through the nascent days of cinema in Paris and Fort … Continue reading Book Review: The Electric Hotel by Dominic Smith
New Release Book Review: The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
The Victory Garden… About the Book: From the bestselling author of The Tuscan Child comes a beautiful and heart-rending novel of a woman’s love and sacrifice during the First World War. As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. She is convinced … Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
Release Day for Sunshine by Kim Kelly
Sunshine... About the Book: A tale of longing, loss and growing love under the bright Australian sun. It's 1921 and the Great War has left in its wake untold tragedy, not only in lives lost, but in the guilt of survivors, the deep-set scars of old wounds and the sting of redoubled bigotries. In the … Continue reading Release Day for Sunshine by Kim Kelly
New Release Book Review: The Last Days Of The Romanov Dancers by Kerri Turner
The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers... About the Book: Petrograd, 1914. A country on a knife edge. The story of two people caught in the middle – with everything to lose… A stunning debut from a talented new Australian voice in historical fiction. Valentina Yershova's position in the Romanovs' Imperial Russian Ballet is the … Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Last Days Of The Romanov Dancers by Kerri Turner
Pre-Release Book Review: Sunshine by Kim Kelly
Sunshine... About the Book: A tale of longing, loss and growing love under the bright Australian sun. It's 1921 and the Great War has left in its wake untold tragedy, not only in lives lost, but in the guilt of survivors, the deep-set scars of old wounds and the sting of redoubled bigotries. In the … Continue reading Pre-Release Book Review: Sunshine by Kim Kelly
Bingo! The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart
It’s bingo Saturday once again – that rolled around fast! The square I’ve filled for this entry is: A book written by an Australian woman Not quite as easy to come up with a title for this category as you might have thought, which is why I've left it for so long. I have so … Continue reading Bingo! The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart
New Release Book Review: The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart
The Desert Nurse... About the Book: Amid the Australian Army hospitals of World War I Egypt, two deeply determined individuals find the resilience of their love tested to its limits. It's 1911, and 21-year-old Evelyn Northey desperately wants to become a doctor. Her father forbids it, withholding the inheritance that would allow her to attend … Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart
Theresa Smith Writes 