The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree has been attracting my attention for several months now, however it took its recent longlisting for this year's Stella Prize to finally make me pick it up. I'm nothing but a Stella groupie!The cover alone might have been enticement enough (a collage of three of Azar's art works), but … Continue reading The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
I seriously hope there are some Wally Lamb fans out there who can tell me what all the fuss is about or at least that I'll Take You There is simply not an example of his best work.I acknowledge that I am jet-lagged after our big trip away and now a yucky summer head cold … Continue reading I’ll Take You There by Wally Lamb
This slim, stylish short story has got under my skin.I wasn't really expecting it to - before, during or immediately after reading it. But somehow, two days later, Springtime has subtly tiptoed into my imagination and opened up a whole host of possibilities.The power of de Krestser's story is in her descriptions and in the … Continue reading Springtime: A Ghost Story by Michelle de Kretser
The Frangipani Hotel is a collection of contemporary short stories predominantly set in Vietnam - which made for the perfect holiday read whilst travelling through said Vietnam.The stories featured Saigon, Hanoi, the Mekong, the USA and a convent. The cast of characters included refugees, nuns, siblings, ex-pats, soldiers and ghosts.Plenty of ghosts in fact, as … Continue reading The Frangipani Hotel by Violet Kupersmith
It is to be expected that a children's book from Roddy Doyle would be funny, poignant and very, very Irish. A Greyhound of a Girl doesn't disappoint on any of these points. It is beautifully written with characters that charm you from the start. This is a four generational story of mothers and daughters; a ghost … Continue reading A Greyhound of a Girl | Roddy Doyle
Time for a classic children's story. The Children of Green Knowe was first published in 1954. Lucy M Boston published this series of delightful stories about her old family home. I say delightful and mean it in an Enid Blyton, ye-olde-worlde charm kind of way. A story full of imagination, simple pleasures and family history. … Continue reading The Children of Green Knowe | Lucy M. Boston
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