APRIL 2011

HaPpy aPriL fOOls DaY

Between The Assassinations ~ Aravind Adiga

* LIKE *

OHHH! India!
Like watching a train wreck!

I seem to have a morbid fascination with the sub-continent.
What a complex, chaotic, yukky place!

This is a “story” composed of vignettes that are loosely (very loosely) tied together as snapshots of people in a fictional Indian city.

There is a range of voice : rich and poor, different religions, different castes, different ages groups. But is it still India ... with such a different moral outlook.

Cutting For Stone ~ Abraham Verghese

** RECOMMEND **

A coming of age story set mostly in Ethiopia
Wide ranging read that pulls you along.

The story follows twin brothers from their birth under strange circumstances. The medical background of the narrative provides interesting insights into Ethiopian history, the revolution and the cruelty of life.

The main character moves to New York but his fate is still hunted by the albatross of his long-held love ... and it doesn’t matter how much you shout at the book, his is so blinded by lost love that he screws his life.

Rocks In The Belly ~ Jon Bauer

** RECOMMEND **

Bellingen Writers Festival
An engaging read!

I really, really enjoyed this!

It employs great use of voice. The characters are so unlikable because they are so well written. The slow evolution of the plot keeps you engaged. There was great use of vocab and language. Many times it was like trying to take your eyes away from a car wreck but you had to keep with it, enticed by many funny turns of phrase and humorous episodes.

The narrative is told in two voices - the central character as a child and as an adult.

Bereft ~ Chris Womersley

** RECOMMEND **

Bellingen Writers Festival
Many well deserved accolades and nominations

An enjoyable read ... but a tragic story

This is a good historical piece set in rural New South Wales after the end of World War 1 and during the flu epidemic. It captures the hardships of the era, reflection on the inhumanity of the WW1 battlefields and the damage to those who returned. Landscapes are well written - this is a very visual story.

The Brass Verdict ~ Michael Connelly

* LIKE *

#2 in Mickey Haller series (and also has a touch of Harry Bosch)
Good crime writing

Again, this shows a clean, polished style.

Mickey is a defense lawyer therefore disliked by the police and the public prosecutors office. But, as with the last book, he isn’t really on the side of the baddies ... he just wants the justice system to do the right thing by his clients.

True Grit ~ Charles Portis

** RECOMMEND **

Outstanding dialogue in the vernacular
A wonderful heroine.

There was a re release of the movie so we read the book first. Maybe this was a bad move because we loved the authenticity of the book and the richness of the characters and we missed this in the movie.

This was a lovely read! And who can argue with that introduction by Donna Tartt.

There was great dialogue and feisty characters. The heroine is Mattie who is out to get revenge for her father’s murder. SHE is the one with “True Grit”. he language is delightfully fusty and forthright. She calls it as she sees it and she sees all with one-eyed determination. It is both comic and savage.

Alphie says that Mattie reminds him of his mum - a feisty, no-nonsense southerner.