Book Reviews


9781926428154

Book Review: The Chemistry of Tears

Reviewed by Gillian, Berkelouw Books, Mona Vale

Opposite the title page of The Chemistry of Tears there is a list of 17 books under the heading "Also by Peter Carey". I've read 15 of them, usually falling on them greedily on the day of publication. In my opinion Carey writers two types of books - great ones and good ones. Parrot and Olivier in... (continued)
9781742232393

Book Review: 52 Suburbs by Louise Hawson

Reviewed by Gillian, Berkelouw Books, Mona Vale

Louise Hawson is an inspiring person who, in 2009-2010, produced a blog, that grew into an exhibition and finally blossomed into a beautiful book. Her project was to visit a new Sydney suburb every week for a year and to photograph the people, places and objects that interested her. Her particul... (continued)
9780439813785

Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Reviewed by Gillian, Berkelouw Books, Mona Vale

I finally picked up this handsome volume when I realised it was the basis for the new film Hugo, direct by the venerable Martin Scorsese. What a treat was in store! Set in a time between the world wars, the story describes Hugo Cabret's life hidden in the bowels of the Montparnasse railway stati... (continued)
9781742378510

Book Review: Autumn Liang by Alex Miller

Reviewed by Gillian, Berkelouw Books, Mona Vale

It's 1938 and Pat Donlon is filled with the conviction that he can paint in a wholly new and Australian way. He is contemptuous of local art schools, newly married, extremely poor and ready to risk rejection he asks an art patron for money. Humiliated he finds himself in the office of Arthur Lain... (continued)
9781741661262

Book Review: Cold Light by Frank Moorhouse

Reviewed by Gillian, Berkelouw Books Mona Vale

I know of no other character in Australian fiction who has come so completely and plausibly into our lives as Edith Campbell Berry - the heroine of three Moorhouse novels written in the last 25 years. Journalist Annabel Crabb launched the third instalment in Edith's story dressed as Berry. In hi... (continued)
9781742702339

Book Review: Marque: A Culinary Adventure

  It is a long-standing landmark of culinary excellence, and after more than a decade of serving some of Sydney’s most innovative food, Mark Best and Pasi Petanan have finally created a cook book to match their cuisine. Full of beautiful photographs of many of Marque’s signature... (continued)
9780007441280

Book Review: The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides

  It comes weighted with a decade’s worth of anticipation. Yet Jeffrey Eugenides’ third novel comes as light relief, compared to his two earlier works of fiction, ‘Middlesex’ and the ‘Virgin Suicides’. It’s the early 1980’s, and American coll... (continued)
9781864712087

Book Review: Scenes from a Provincial Life by J M Coetzee

Reviewed by Berkelouw Newtown

  “Scenes from a Provincial Life” is a collection of Coetzee’s three earlier works – Boyhood, Youth and Summer time. All are memoirs, though the later has been categorised as ‘fiction’ despite its no-less obvious references to the author himself. It begi... (continued)
9780330513968

Book Review: The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst

Reviewed by Nicole Mansour, Berkelouw Newtown

  English writer Alan Hollinghurst is often classified as two things: the Henry James of his time, and an acute chronicler of gay experience in London. His latest work, “The Stranger’s Child”, is his first since winning the Booker prize for “The Line of Beauty&rdquo... (continued)
9781847083180

Book Review: The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

Reviewed by George, Berkelouw Paddington

One of the better reviews I read about The Sisters Brothers (I think it was on the Guardian website) commented on the difficulty of making readers feel true empathy for the characters of a novel. And when your lead characters are two guns-for-hire - one a merciless psychopath, the other a temp... (continued)
9781863955409

Book Review: How I Became a Famous Novelist

Reviewed by George, Berkelouw Paddington

"Rule 1: Abandon truth.Rule 2: Write a popular book. Do not waste energy making it a good book....Rule 6: Evoke confusing sadness at end.Rule 7: Prose should be 'lyrical'....Rule 15: Must have obscure exotic locations.Rule 16: Include plant names." These are just a few of the 16 rules Pete Tarsl... (continued)
9781864718751

Book Review: The Shadow Girl

Reviewed by Louise, Dee Why

  This is an incredibly hard-hitting young adult fiction novel. It is the story of a girl who lives life as a shadow after her parents are killed and “Uncle Creepo” makes it too risky for her to stay at home.   The Shadow Girl lives life on the streets, tricks her way int... (continued)
9781741668209

Book Review: The Briny Cafe

Reviewed by Louise, Dee Why

If you’ve ever dreamt of making a sea-change, but have never quite had the opportunity or risk-taking nature required to do so, then read The Briny Café. It will transport you into that dreamy life, for a little while at least. This is the first work of fiction by Pittwater’s ... (continued)
9781742752709

Book Review: Dark Palace

Reviewed by Gillian, Berkelouw Books, Mona Vale

Winner of the 2001 Miles Franklin Award this book was published seven years after Grand Days. Dark Palace takes us back to Geneva, pre-World War II where Edith’s marriage to the journalist Robert Dole is slowly unravelling. Edith is despondent that the League’s efforts to bring about ... (continued)
9781742752686

Book Review: Grand Days

Reviewed by Gillian, Berkelouw Books Mona Vale

Edith Campbell Berry heading from Paris to Geneva by train meets Englishman Ambrose Westwood. She is an Australian on her way to take up a position with The League of Nations. Major Ambrose Westwood is a doctor who served in World War I, a former British Foreign Office executive he also works at ... (continued)

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