by Maria Roden | Dec 14, 2024 | Book review, Fiction
“There were no women in Nam.” This is the phrase that I remember most and one that is repeated several times throughout this fictional but thoroughly researched historical novel by Kristin Hannah. The book highlights the vital role women played during the war in...
by Maria Roden | Dec 1, 2024 | Book review, Fiction
It took me a while to decide to read this book. It seemed to be about video games and while I loved Zevin’s earlier book, The Storied Life of A J Fikry, I didn’t think I was interested in the world of gaming. I knew nothing about it apart from trying to limit my sons...
by Maria Roden | Nov 15, 2024 | Book review, Fiction
This is the fifth book by Domenico Starnone to be translated into English and I have loved them all. They are always memorable and written with such sharp, witty prose and wonderful observations. This novel introduces us to the narrator Mimí, a writer, who looks back...
by Maria Roden | Nov 1, 2024 | Book review, Fiction
If you have read any of Elizabeth Strout’s books you will probably be familiar with the names Olive Kitteridge or Lucy Barton, the narrators or protagonists of several previous works. In this latest book the two characters actually meet and the world’s of all...
by Maria Roden | Sep 30, 2024 | Book review, Fiction
Another wonderful novel by multi award-winning Irish writer Sebastian Barry. Tom Kettle, a retired policeman, alone and living in a converted corner of an old castle overlooking the Irish Sea, has a visit from two younger colleagues who are re-investigating an old...
by Maria Roden | Sep 30, 2024 | Book review, Fiction
The Axeman’s Carnival is such an original, dark and funny novel by New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey. The narrator is Tama, a talking magpie who lives with sheep farmers Marnie and Rob struggling to make ends meet during a prolonged drought. When Tama is rescued by...
