New ‘Books+Publishing’ reviews out now
Books+Publishing’s first Reviews newsletter for 2018 contains 13 reviews of books publishing in February and March.
Tim Winton’s latest novel, The Shepherd’s Hut (Hamish Hamilton, March), received a five-star rating from Lindfield Bookshop owner Scott Whitmont in his review. Whitmont describes the novel’s protagonist Jaxie Clackton as a character ‘destined to be a new Aussie literary hero’ and Winton, ‘a modern-day master’. ‘[Winton] seems to be able to produce gem after gem that remain in the reader’s consciousness long after the last page,’ writes Whitmont.
Sydney writer Suneeta Peres da Costa’s coming-of-age novella Saudade (Giramondo, March) also received five stars. Reviewer Marisa Wikramanayake describes it as ‘a beautifully-written, enlightening read’ that ‘deftly explores racism, colourism, domestic violence, death, propaganda, sexual harassment and exile’.
Two more titles received 4.5 stars, including Ceridwen Dovey’s In the Garden of the Fugitives (Hamish Hamilton, March). Described by Gleebooks owner David Gaunt as a ‘splendid novel’ by ‘one of our best, most original writers’, it explores compulsive love and obsessive relationships. The other title to receive 4.5 stars was The Ruin (Dervla McTiernan, HarperCollins). ‘For a debut, The Ruin is remarkably sure-footed, every scene building to a fine crescendo of tension, ratcheting perfectly for the explosive conclusion,’ writes Potts Point Bookshop’s Simon McDonald.
Also reviewed are:
Fiction:
Apple and Knife (Intan Paramaditha, trans by Stephen J Epstein, Brow Books, March); Trick of the Light (Laura Elvery, UQP, March); What the Light Reveals (Mick McCoy, Transit Lounge, March); and You Belong Here (Laurie Steed, Margaret River Press, February).
Poetry:
False Claims of Colonial Thieves (Charmaine Papertalk Green & John Kinsella, Magabala, March).
Nonfiction:
Deadly Woman Blues (Clinton Walker, NewSouth, February); Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Changed Our World (Andrew Leigh, La Trobe University Press, March); Surviving Your Split: A Guide to Separation, Divorce and Family Law in Australia (Lucy and Rebekah Mannering, MUP, March); and Women of a Certain Age (ed by Jodie Moffat, Maria Scoda & Susan Laura Sullivan, Fremantle Press, March).
This month’s newsletter also features an interview with debut author Laura Elvery.
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Category: Recently published by B+P
