Nothing is simple, and as Blain herself says, Names for Nothingness raises more questions than it solves. Caitlin’s life is sad, but she finds a kind of peace, even if the reader disapproves of her choice, which seems little more…
Category: Book Reviews
Book Reviews
A review of Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
This book will make the pedant, or “stickler” feel good about themselves. The rest of us will probably agree with most of what Truss writes, enjoy this book for its good natured, light hearted banter, and often hysterical examples, and…
A review of The Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney
The difference is startling but the poetry is unmistakable and convincing in its authenticity. But may it be the authenticity of Heaney rather than of Sophocles? Reviewed by Bob Williams The Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney Faber and Faber…
A review of Mouse or Rat by Umberto Eco
Serious enough to engage its target audience of translation students, but entertaining and broadly focused enough to also interest the serious reader, this is a book which belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who is interested in the creation of…
A review of Still Life in Motion by Sean Brijbasi
The arrangement of the many stories in Still Life is an adventure in itself. The groupings have titles and the succession is ‘stories about something,’ ‘stories about nothing,’ ‘stories about things that might have happened,’ ‘true stories,’ stories about things…
A review of The Best Australian Stories 2003
Creating a short story is a serious and compelling skill, and when it is done correctly, creates a powerful moment for the reader, full of the kind of intensity which can change the way we look at the world. Despite…
A review of The Gods of Winter by Dana Gioia
Poetry is not popular, perhaps because unlike fiction it demands a reader capable of giving all of his or her attention to the text. Dana Gioia’s own book (Can Poetry Matter?) is the best examination of the problems that poets…
A review of Death of a River Guide by Richard Flanagan
“In an age where everything can mean anything, perhaps it is only possible to exist as a cipher, as a thin, fragile outline of a hope etched across an infinity of madness.” (309) Flanagan provides his answer – in the…
A review of The Timeless Art of Italian Cuisine by Anna Maria Volpi
This is no ordinary cookbook, although it has as many recipes and will certainly accompany you into the kitchen while you cook. Volpi’s book is also a history, sociology, and geography book, which covers the major regions of Italy, the…
A review of Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a writer of such greatness that his autobiography has an intrinsic interest on the score both of his greatness and the skill with which he tells his own story. Living to Tell the Tale is the…