Tag: book review

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A Dog, a Human Hand and the Survivor: “The Vanishing Season” by Joanna Schaffhausen Joanna Schaffhausen’s debut is undeniably gripping but at times predictable because of its two-dimensional characters.

●●●○○ The Vanishing Season is Joanna Schaffhausen’s debut novel, published December 5th, by HarperCollins. The novel recounts the story of Ellery Hathaway, a police officer in a sleepy town that is jolted to life. For the past three years, peculiarly … Continue reading A Dog, a Human Hand and the Survivor: “The Vanishing Season” by Joanna Schaffhausen Joanna Schaffhausen’s debut is undeniably gripping but at times predictable because of its two-dimensional characters.

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Fairytales with a haunting twist: “The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night” Jen Campbell swaps the horse and carriage for broken hearts and murder in her new collection of short stories.

●●●●● The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night, a collection of short stories by Jen Campbell, has recently been published by Two Road Books. This collection focuses on the conventions of the fairytale and turns it … Continue reading Fairytales with a haunting twist: “The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night” Jen Campbell swaps the horse and carriage for broken hearts and murder in her new collection of short stories.

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Dust, Daemons and Dark Materials: Philip Pullman’s “The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage” Pullman’s long awaited return to the universe of "His Dark Materials" makes a worthy addition to this reader’s bookshelf.

●●●●○ It has been 22 years since Philip Pullman set pen to paper and created the first novel in his seminal trilogy His Dark Materials. In that space of time, we have had a movie adaptation with Daniel Craig and … Continue reading Dust, Daemons and Dark Materials: Philip Pullman’s “The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage” Pullman’s long awaited return to the universe of “His Dark Materials” makes a worthy addition to this reader’s bookshelf.

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True novel or veiled autobiography? “First Person” by Richard Flanagan Flanagan’s new book is undoubtedly clever, but nevertheless leaves the reader with more questions than certainties.

  ●●●○○   Its first pages seem to announce a novel of formation: Kif, a youthful and destitute father of one and wannabe-writer begins to ghostwrite the memoir of Australia’s most-wanted swindler, in order to pay back his mortgage and … Continue reading True novel or veiled autobiography? “First Person” by Richard Flanagan Flanagan’s new book is undoubtedly clever, but nevertheless leaves the reader with more questions than certainties.

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“It Only Happens in the Movies” – review The novel is Bourne’s most obvious feminist critique yet, though it lacks some of the humour and warm friendships that made the 'Spinster Club' series bearable.

●●●○○ Holly Bourne has come a long way from her semi-supernatural debut Soulmates, which presupposed the existence of its titular phenomenon and had a secret international organisation apparently prepared to expend resources and time keeping two teenagers apart simply because … Continue reading “It Only Happens in the Movies” – review The novel is Bourne’s most obvious feminist critique yet, though it lacks some of the humour and warm friendships that made the ‘Spinster Club’ series bearable.

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Stephen King – Sleeping Beauties Review Sleeping Beauties sends us straight to sleep.

‘Sleeping Beauties’ (Hodder & Stoughton, 2017) is not a typical Stephen King novel. For one, King shares a writing credit on this project with his son, Owen King. The book is also firmly rooted in a modern political landscape. The … Continue reading Stephen King – Sleeping Beauties Review Sleeping Beauties sends us straight to sleep.

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Alternative Fairytales: “The Language Of Thorns” Sorcha May Judge delves into the newest YA offering from Leigh Bardugo.

●●●●○ The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (2017) is a collection of tales set in the Grishaverse, the fantasy world of Leigh Bardugo’s novels. The fairytales are charmingly intertwined with Sara Kipin’s intricate illustrations, which makes the … Continue reading Alternative Fairytales: “The Language Of Thorns” Sorcha May Judge delves into the newest YA offering from Leigh Bardugo.

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“Origin”: the Sequel Dan Brown's mystery-solving professor, Robert Langdon, is back with a crowd-pleasing bang.

●●●○○ Let me begin this review with an important disclaimer: I love Dan Brown. Always have, always will. When it comes to authors and series I like, I am loyal to a fault, so if there is any bias in … Continue reading “Origin”: the Sequel Dan Brown’s mystery-solving professor, Robert Langdon, is back with a crowd-pleasing bang.

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Reality Itself is Unstable in “Forest Dark” Krauss tilts narrative on its side as she dismisses the comforting reassurance a structured tale can provide.

●●●●○ Where does a story begin and end? This question provides the basis for Nicole Krauss’ metaphysical ruminations in her extraordinary novel, Forest Dark. Krauss tilts narrative on its side as she dismisses the comforting reassurance a structured tale can … Continue reading Reality Itself is Unstable in “Forest Dark” Krauss tilts narrative on its side as she dismisses the comforting reassurance a structured tale can provide.

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Roddy Doyle’s “Smile” “The memory. It’s like dropping bits of yourself as you go along, isn’t it?”

●●●○○ Roddy Doyle’s highly anticipated novel Smile hit bookshelves at the beginning of this month to mixed reviews. It tells the story of Victor Forde, a middle-aged, failed music journalist who moves back to his hometown following the breakdown of … Continue reading Roddy Doyle’s “Smile” “The memory. It’s like dropping bits of yourself as you go along, isn’t it?”

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“​Tangleweed​ ​&​ ​Brine”​ ​​by​ ​Deirdre​ ​Sullivan Review Female Gothic takes center stage

It is rare that the aesthetic of a volume counts towards its overall merit, but in the case of Deirdre Sullivan’s book of feminist fairytales Tangleweed & Brine (2017), an exploration of its carefully organised pages and beautiful illustrations by … Continue reading “​Tangleweed​ ​&​ ​Brine”​ ​​by​ ​Deirdre​ ​Sullivan Review Female Gothic takes center stage

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Tn2’s Man Booker Picks: Days Without End by Sebastian Barry The war novel that focuses on the individual over the sweeping cause

Sebastian Barry delivers an incredible novel with Days Without End. Winner of the 2016 Costa Book of the Year, Barry’s ninth novel is now in the running for the 2017 Man Booker Prize. This will be the author’s third time … Continue reading Tn2’s Man Booker Picks: Days Without End by Sebastian Barry The war novel that focuses on the individual over the sweeping cause