Berkelouw Eumundi - Book Reviews

Killing For Country by David Marr

Reviewed by Vivienne Wynter

Killing For Country by reknowned Australian author David Marr is published by Black Inc Books who describe it as a richly detailed saga of politics and power in the colonial world - of land seized, fortunes made and lost and the violence let loose as squatters and their allies fought for poses... (continued)

Royals by Tegan Bennett Daylight

Reviewed by Poppy Solomon

~ Stuck in an eerie shopping centre outside of time and space, with everything they could ever want at their fingertips, six teens become like family ~   This isn't an apocalyptic sci-fi story about kids who turn into heroes; the teens form close bonds with each other, drink b... (continued)

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

Reviewed by Poppy Solomon

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman – 5/5 stars   A unique, disturbing and witty new historical fiction.   ~High society regency era spinsters begin saving women in trouble – but the conspiracies they get themselves into are dea... (continued)

This Is Gonna End In Tears by Liza Klaussmann

Reviewed by Hayley Saunders

It was perfect – until it all fell apart.  Miller, Ash and Olly were always the best of friends, growing up in the idyllically named Wonderland, a Quaker town in middle America. When they finish school in the early 1980’s the three of them travel across country to LA, esta... (continued)

One of Us is Lying

Reviewed by Zac Warne

I read the teen fiction novel, One of Us is Lying, a little over a year ago, yet it still left a mark on my mind. The style of writting was incredible to read as it was very different, changing between the main characters. The mystery of movies and book is something I have always enjoyed, and ... (continued)

The Mother Fault

Reviewed by Peta Miller

Set in an Australia of the near-future, climate crisis has irrevocably altered the landscape: meat is a luxury few can afford, farmlands are contaminated and every movement is monitored by the Department. When Mim's FIFO husband is reported missing she is left with little comfort and no as... (continued)

Elephants With Headlights by Bem Le Hunte

Reviewed by Monika Sheridan

Elephants With Headlights is a gripping book with good pace.  It brings two cultures together showing the good and bad of both.  The author Bem Le Hunte uses the most beautiful expressive language.  It was a joy to read. (continued)

A Painted Landscape by Amber Creswell

Reviewed by Kylie

A comprehensive collection of current Australian artists as diverse as the landscape itself.  Each artist offers a unique insight and understanding into their deep connection to place, and how it inspires them and stirs their creativity.  Nature is the perfect subject matter to study... (continued)

The Arsonist

Reviewed by Rebecca Milne

  The Arsonist is a fascinating and incredibly compelling account of the Churchill Fire, one of 400 in Victoria on Black Saturday in 2009, and the subsequent investigation and arrest and trial of Brendan Sokaluk. The horrifying descriptions of the heat and ferocity of the fire... (continued)

Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee

Reviewed by Claudia Ashton

Through her compelling transcript of her observations as Judges associate, Bri Lee candidly reveals the ineffectual and bias treatment of women in our legal system. What she’s relaying is unbearable and unthinkable. And what is remarkable is that she has the courage and conviction to do ... (continued)

The Wonderling

Reviewed by Harley Crebert (aged 9)

Arthur, the one eared fox ("Wonderling") and Trinket (a small wingless bird) are the unlikely heroes who embark on heroic adventures and daring escapades through the fantastical world of Lumentown, Gloomintown and The Home (for wayward and misbegotten creatures). On a quest ... (continued)

Dork Diaries: Frenemies Forever

Reviewed by Olivia

A young customer of ours has kindly reviewed one of our new young fictions! (continued)

The Turners by Mick Elliott

Reviewed by 10 year old Zac Martin

My Book Review (on Turners) The book Turners was VERY good in my opinion. The description was amazing along with the details of everything that was happening.  Excitement was something else that hooked me into Turners. He turned into a KOMODO DRAGON!!!AT SCHOOL!!!!!!Just heaps of... (continued)

All the Light We Cannot See

Reviewed by Jade Brown-Zwar

'All the light we cannot see'  is a beautiful and enchanting novel which presents a different perspective to the highly sensitive and horrific time of World War II. Following the live of a German boy and a blind French girl, Anthony Doerr not only siezes the power of language to p... (continued)

Death of the Artist

Reviewed by Reuben Roache-Dubois

On the 13th of August, graphic novelist Karrie Fansman invited four old friends from university to an isolated cottage on the misty moors of the Peak District to join her for a week of hedonism and creativitiy.  Like Shelley and Byron before them, they would use the retreat to tell storie... (continued)

All the Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven

Reviewed by Reuben Roache-Dubois

Sweepingly beautiful and unflinchingly honest, All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is the most eloquent YA book of this generation. When two characters come together in a narrative it can seem forced and shallow, yet both Finch and Violet are so much more than words on a page. These charac... (continued)

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Reviewed by Reuben Roache-Dubois

The first book in a trilogy, Divergent is a heart breaking tale of extraordinary adversity and breaking the rules.  Set in a dystopian future, we follow a young girl about to face one of the most important decisions of her life.  Headstrong and independent, Tris defies the expec... (continued)