Blog Archives
Distance and familiarity, Lucy Prestidge
To the Is-Land Janet Frame Random House, $30.00, ISBN 9781869411305 The first volume of Janet Frame’s autobiography was initially a bit daunting to me. Not only because it’s the work of one of New Zealand’s most celebrated writers, but because…
Tagged with: Autumn 2016, Issue 113, Janet Frame, Lucy Prestidge, Random House
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, YA Reviewers, Young adults
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, YA Reviewers, Young adults
Letters – Issue 113
Critical attention Good to see in your issue 112 (NZB Summer 2015) Vincent O’Sullivan’s obituary on W H Oliver who was married to my mother’s half-sister Dorothy. I remember discussing poetry with Dorothy and Bill 65 years ago. More to…
“thethrillingalchemy”, Emma Martin
From the Cutting Room of Barney Kettle Kate De Goldi Longacre, $30.00, ISBN 9781775535768 Kate De Goldi’s writing for children and young adults has been acclaimed for its vibrancy and verisimilitude. De Goldi often takes the reader into psychologically complex…
Tagged with: Autumn 2016, Emma Martin, Issue 113, Kate De Goldi, Longacre
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, Young adults
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, Young adults
Tourism and real life, Abby Loader and Abby Simpson
Bugs Whiti Hereaka Huia, $25.00, ISBN 9781775501336 Bugs, by Whiti Hereaka, is an honest narrative that confronts the reader with the everyday life of Bugs, “as in bunny”. Sixteen-year-old Bugs is struggling to hold onto childhood pal Jez, as he…
Tagged with: Abby Loader, Abby Simpson, Autumn 2016, Huia, Issue 113, Whiti Hereaka
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, YA Reviewers, Young adults
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, YA Reviewers, Young adults
Poem – Tim Upperton
The Bare Hook Don’t ask what this is all about. At the end of the row, you start over. The way in is the way out. From Toulouse, France, you wrote what you say to hush each new lover: Don’t…
Get the picture? David Hill
The Heading Dog Who Split in Half: Legends and Tall Tales from New Zealand Michael Brown and Mat Tait Potton and Burton, $40.00, ISBN 9781927213575 One of my reservations about graphic novels has been that they limit readers’ imaginative options.…
Tagged with: Autumn 2016, David Hill, Issue 113, Mat Tait, Michael Brown, Potton and Burton
Posted in Graphic novel, Literature, Review
Posted in Graphic novel, Literature, Review
Editorial – Issue 113
A new generation of reviewers These are interesting, transformative times for reviewing, and for the notion of the expert or informed opinion more generally. The democratisation of social media allows anyone and everyone to express and disseminate their opinion. On…
Echoes of the real, Sarah Ross
Starlight Peninsula Charlotte Grimshaw Vintage, $38.00, ISBN 9781775538226 “A collar in the studio!” enthuses John Campbell to his co-host, as he takes over his new afternoon slot on National Radio: I have to share this with the listeners, because…
Tagged with: Autumn 2016, Charlotte Grimshaw, Issue 113, Sarah Ross, Vintage
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review
Haunted by the 1970s, Tina Shaw
The Predictions Bianca Zander Blackfriars, $30.00, ISBN 9780349134369 The Party Line Sue Orr Vintage, $38.00, ISBN 9781775537557 These two novels consider two very different communities back in the 1970s and 80s. Much of it will be familiar territory. They…
Tagged with: Autumn 2016, Bianca Zander, Blackfriars, Issue 113, Sue Orr, Tina Shaw, Vintage
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review