An 85-year-old Autumn Laing is moved to write about her affair with Australian artist Patrick Donlon and the near-catastrophic effects their relationship had on those closest to them in Alex Miller’s Autumn Laing (A&U). Another elderly lady, Lola Quinlan, is the protagonist of Monica McInerney’s latest novel. In Lola’s Secret (Penguin), Quinlan has sent her family away for Christmas and invited a number of mystery guests to stay with her instead. On Shakespeare (A&U) is John Bell’s insight into the world of contemporary Shakespearean acting. In Tasmina Perry’s Private Lives (Headline), Anna Kennedy is the lawyer to the stars, hiding their sins from the hungry media. Heather Brooke’s The Revolution Will Be Digitised: Dispatches from the Information War (Bloomsbury) also gained a spot on the most mentioned chart–Media Extra.
Archive for October, 2011
Most mentioned this week
BOOK REVIEW: Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (Matthew Reilly, Macmillan)
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves reunites readers with US marine captain Shane Schofield, call-sign ‘Scarecrow’. In his latest adventure, Schofield has been assigned to lead a weapons-testing team to the Arctic as his commanders are worried he may not be mentally fit for active duty. After weeks of isolation with just three other marines, four civilians and a robot for company, Schofield receives a call from the White House requesting his help. A mysterious group calling itself the Army of Thieves has taken over an abandoned Soviet base known as Dragon Island and is threatening to unleash a terrible weapon on the world in five hours. With no-one else close enough to get there in time, Schofield must lead his under-equipped team to the fortress-like base and dismantle the weapon before it’s used to destroy the world. The Army of Thieves are Matthew Reilly’s most cruel and violent villains yet, and some of the scenes may be unsuitable for younger readers. However, Reilly has also put more humour and character development into this book than any of his previous ones. Some of the scenes between Schofield and his loyal friend Mother are particularly touching, and long-time fans will enjoy learning more about both Schofield and Mother’s personal lives. Schofield’s ongoing grief, after losing someone close to him in Scarecrow, has also humanised an often superhero-like character.
Emily Smith is a Melbourne-based freelance reviewer.
BOOK REVIEW: Once There was a Boy (Dub Leffler, Magabala Books)
This book is really a vehicle for the illustrations, which, even though the story is set on an island, evoke the vastness of the Australian landscape, the colours, the tropical beaches and the sky, especially the spectacular sunsets. A boy lives alone on an ancient boat on a beach, so the illustrations portray vast landscapes inhabited by just one solitary figure. The sense of aloneness is almost palpable. Until a girl appears. Their first encounter occurs while the boy is picking and eating sapotes, a delicious tropical fruit that tastes like chocolate. What follows is a tender story of the power of love and friendship in the face of temptation, and a subsequent broken heart. The language is beautiful and touching. ‘This is my heart,’ the girl says, ‘and because I broke yours, I’m giving it to you.’ A note from the author states: ‘I wrote Once to show kids that boys have feelings too (just like girls) and that sometimes those feelings can get hurt and that’s okay; especially when you’re willing to let your friends help when you’re feeling sad.’ The sentiment is beautifully achieved. This is an impressive picture book that extends to an amazing 72 pages, which gives the illustrator scope for his wonderful double-page spreads and the sense of place portrayed. It is highly recommended for sensitive readers of all ages.
Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She provides freelance publishing services and runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage. This review first appeared in the September issue of Junior Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
BOOK REVIEW: Autumn Laing (Alex Miller, A&U)
Fans of Alex Miller’s Lovesong will be pleased to find another love story at the heart of Autumn Laing. As the last surviving member of her once-thriving artistic circle, 85-year-old Autumn is moved to write about her affair with Australian artist Patrick Donlon and the near-catastrophic effects their relationship had on those closest to them. The story skips from present to past, each of Autumn’s written reflections interspersed with comments from her cantankerous older self as she struggles with guilt, loss and the debilities of age. It can be hard to maintain tension across such a disjointed narrative, but for the most part Miller handles it well. He tends to foreshadow the emotional impact of events long before describing the events themselves, which renders the final chapters somewhat anticlimactic. However, his characters are masterfully drawn, and his portrayal of the older Autumn in particular is compassionate yet gently amusing. While this novel is principally concerned with the complexities of human relationships, it is also a fascinating evocation of colonial Australia, when the land was still seen as ‘unwritten’ and artists and intellectuals were struggling to articulate an identity separate from Europe. Alex Miller is living proof of their success.
Marion Rankine is a freelance writer and bookseller at Readings. This review first appeared in the September issue of Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
The November issue!
Well, the stylish November issue is in the house. As well as the usual reviews and news, it’s got interviews with author and bookseller A S Patric, whose short story collection The Rattler is published by Spineless Wonders in November, Brian Falkner who has a new YA series kicking off in November with Recon Team Angel: Assault (Walker Books), Frank Moorhouse, whose ‘Edith Trilogy’ wraps up with Cold Light (Random House, November) and, of course, Ray Martin, whose new book Ray Martin’s Favourites (Victory, November) contains the stories behind some of his favourite interviews.
In the same issue, Eloise Keating looks at changes to sales repping and Andrea Hanke investigates the finer details of digital rights. We report on the Melbourne and Brisbane writers’ festivals, Reuben Crossman reflects on the international book design awards and Kate Cuthbert interviews two digital advocates working in romance publishing.
Bestsellers this week
After a woman is found gruesomely murdered in a small town situated near a large military base, Major Jack Reacher is sent in undercover to find the killer. The Affair (Lee Child, Bantam), a prequel in the Jack Reacher series, is top of the bestsellers chart this week followed by James Patterson’s 18th book in the Alex Cross series, Kill Alex Cross (Arrow). Lola’s Secret (Michael Joseph), Monica McInerney’s latest novel about love, friendship and family, is third on the bestsellers chart and first on the highest new entries chart. Kill Alex Cross also appears at the top of the fastest movers chart followed by Christos Tsiolkas’ award winning novel, The Slap (A&U), now adapted into an eight-part television series–Weekly Book Newsletter.
BOOK REVIEW: The Cook (Wayne Macauley, Text)
Zac is a teenager from the wrong side of the tracks sent along with a dozen others to Cook School, run on a country property by the famous Head Chef and his strict assistant Fabian. While most of the no-hopers drop out, Zac and his pal Hunter catch on to Head Chef ’s drive for foodie perfection, and farm manager Terry imparts his skills in raising and butchering fresh meat. Some readers may be challenged by the unpunctuated stream-of-consciousness narrative, but by sticking with it for a few chapters, you really get into Zac’s head. On the surface this novel plays on our obsession with reality TV, fame and in particular cooking shows such as MasterChef. But as you read on it becomes apparent that questions of class, aspiration and success are at the heart of this complex, nuanced book. Zac takes the individualistic, ultra-capitalist approach of Head Chef and his backer the Master to a darker, stranger place with his ruminations on ‘service’ and his obsessions with perfection in food. As the dreams of everyone involved begin to crumble in the inevitable boom/bust cycle, Zac’s final meal will be a Pyrrhic triumph. This is a black parable on contemporary society.
Tim Coronel is publisher of Bookseller+Publisher. This review first appeared in the September issue of Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
BOOK REVIEW: Goliath: Leviathan Book 3 (Scott Westerfeld, illus by Keith Thompson, Viking)
Alexandar, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, returns to the airship Leviathan, exemplar of Darwinist technology, a living craft 300 metres long. He leaves behind him the Ottoman revolution, but brings with him the perspicacious Loris Bovril, whose English seems to be improving. Alek feels his destiny is to bring peace to the world, and Leviathan’s new mission will introduce him to a potential ally—but can the ultimate weapon really bring peace? Meanwhile, his friend and crewmate Deryn’s secret life seems more precarious than ever: is it only a matter of time until she is found out as a girl, and what will become of her when she is? Mad scientists, media moguls and revolutionaries all enter the mix in this climactic story of a world war in a very different world. This is the final volume of Scott Westerfeld’s steampunk/biopunk alternate-history action-adventure trilogy, and it maintains the breakneck pace and wild inventiveness of Leviathan and Behemoth. Alek and Deryn are engaging leads, and Westerfeld’s world is a fascinating one, enriched by Keith Thompson’s illustrations. This is a ripping yarn—highly recommended, and compulsory reading for fans of the earlier volumes.
Heath Graham is an educator currently working at the State Library of Victoria. This review first appeared in the September issue of Junior Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
Most mentioned this week
Charlotte Wood’s Animal People (A&U), an urban love story set over 24 hours, and Alex Miller’s Autumn Laing (A&U), a novel about love, loyalty and creativity, made it to the top of the most mentioned chart this week with the same number of mentions. Stephen Greenblatt’s The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began (Vintage) is about one man’s discovery of an old manuscript in the 15th century, which fuelled the Renaissance and changed the world. A Private Life (A&U) is Michael Kirby’s collection of reminiscences that reveal his private side. Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot (Fourth Estate) is a novel about Madeleine Hanna, who falls in love with Leonard Morten, a charismatic loner and college Darwinist–Media Extra.
BOOK REWIEW: Crow Country (Kate Constable, A&U)
Written in the time-slip tradition that worked well for Playing Beattie Bow, Crow Country is a YA novel that readers will dive straight into and devour. Protagonist Sadie has moved begrudgingly to the country with her mother. Here she discovers that she can communicate with the town’s crows, which allude cryptically to sinister undertakings both past and present. While finding her feet and making friends, Sadie is also forced to grapple with her family’s history in the town and the ethics of their actions. At various stages throughout the tale, she is catapulted back to a time just after WWI when a murder is committed and then covered up. Caught up in the story and with her own life possibly at stake, Sadie’s task is to prevent history from repeating. This latest book from accomplished writer Kate Constable, who also employed time-slip for her previous book, Cicada Summer, is a good read. The characters are authentic, the tale interesting and well-paced, and the imagery of the crows (traditionally ominous in many cultures, but good luck in Indigenous Australian culture) makes you rethink your superstitions. This book will prompt discussions into history, racism and respect for cultures and the land. It is aimed at young adults aged 10 to 14.
Fiona Crawford is a freelance writer, editor, blogger and proofreader. This review first appeared in the August issue of Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
