The novel follows the life of Roland Baines, and the novel swaps between Roland’s formative years at an all boys boarding school in the U.K. and his adult life as a single father to his son Lawrence, after his wife disappears one day. Continue reading
Category Archives: historical
Socktober and 5 Spooky Audiobooks to Listen to While You Knit Socks
I love October as a month completely dedicated to all things spooky. I love to read scary books, I love to watch scary movies and T.V. shows, and it also coincides with Socktober – knitting as many socks as you can. With still a few days to go before Socktober ends, I am currently sitting on 3 pairs of socks with a fourth pair on the way. I have loved the challenge, but am also very ready to go back to my neglected knitting and crochet projects. Continue reading
Lizzie the grateful servant in “The Dictionary of Lost Words”: why do authors keep getting class horribly wrong?
On the surface, this all seems good and well. Although, I want to take a closer look at the relationship Esme has with her servant, Lizzie. Esme is motherless, and Lizzie acts in many ways like an older sister and motherly figure all in one. This plot device of women who have lost their mothers and their fathers aren’t great at raising them is a bit tiring and overused for me. Although, I might just read too many books… Continue reading
“The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafak: Intergenerational trauma and healing through writing
Shafak’s novel has a simple premise, love. And it might seem like a cliche, but it just works for this beautiful story. Defne, a Turkish woman, and Kostas, a Greek man, fall in love at the peak of the conflict in Cyrpus in 1974. Their love is helped along by a beautiful mixed Turkish and Greek couple Yusuf and Yiorgos and a little tavern called “The Happy Fig”. Continue reading
Exploring Australia’s Colonial History: A review of “Devotion” by Hannah Kent
Devotion is an Australian colonial saga. It chronicles the Prussian and German immigrants who travelled to Australia, specifically to South Australia, in the 1800s. It is about love, loss, religious persecution, and the Australian landscape. Continue reading
Book Review of Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Rodham”: When Fiction and Fact Meet in a Novel
It was a difficult read for me for many reasons. Firstly, I could not help but despair and wonder if a female president of the United States of America can only exist in fiction. Continue reading
Four Shakespearean-Era Tributes Hidden in Maggie O’Farrell’s Award Winning “Hamnet”
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. Maggie O’Farrell won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020 for Hamnet and if you have read her novel, it is easy to see why. It is not easy to take on … Continue reading
"Paris Savages" Review: how do we write about uncomfortable history?
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. I picked up a copy of Paris Savages when I was in Hobart, Tasmania this February. Thinking about how easy it was to fly there and how care-free we were is a … Continue reading
Review of “Crises of Democracy”: Can we predict the fall of democratic institutions?
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. Crises of Democracy written by Professor of Politics, Adam Przeworski could not have been written at a more critical moment in our contemporary political climate. All around the world, it seems that … Continue reading
“The Crofter and the Laird”: an insight to Scottish Island life
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. The Crofter and the Laird is a different kind of travel memoir. John McPhee travels to the Scottish island of Colonsay with his family to get closer to his own family’s Scottish … Continue reading
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