Page 5 of our reviews
Richard Strauss by Louise Alder and Joseph Middleton
Recently, while perusing the shelves at Readings, I was thrilled to discover young British soprano Louise Alder’s debut Strauss recording. My excitement was twofold: I recognised her as an acquaintan…
Rain Birds by Harriet McKnight
Pina and Alan have lived in Boney Point, a town in rural East Gippsland, for decades. When Alan develops early-onset dementia, the fiercely independent Pina struggles to give up her life to care for …
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Sometimes, it’s a single character that makes a novel unforgettable; sometimes an intense plot puts you in a book’s grip; other times still, it’s the writer’s craft that draws you in and keeps you th…
The Last Days of Jeanne d'Arc by Ali Alizadeh
Ali Alizadeh blends historical research and poetic sensibilities to imagine Jeanne d’Arc’s life, moving between her imprisonment and execution at the hands of the English, her heroic exploits and her…
The Burning Girl by Claire Messud
Claire Messud is the accomplished author of acclaimed novels The Woman Upstairs and The Emperor’s Children. The Burning Girl, is a mesmerising history of the friendship between two teenage girls. Jul…
The City Always Wins by Omar Robert Hamilton
The City Always Wins captures, in form and content, the frenzied optimism and the violent, reactionary turn of the Arab Spring as it unfolded in Tahrir Square, Cairo. We witness the action through th…
Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros by Meg McKinlay & Leila Rudge
There are those who are happy with their place in the world and how they are in it, and there are others who yearn for more. Small rhinoceros pines for the beyond – unlike her fellow rhinos. Watching…
The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson
Matthew hasn’t left the house for quite some time. Instead he sits in his bedroom (very clean and disinfected) or the study (within the acceptable limits of cleanliness, if he’s careful about what he…
They Came from Planet Zabalooloo! by Sean Taylor & Kate Hindley
I adore They Came From Planet Zabalooloo. This is probably one of my favourite books ever. It follows three very giggly, dancey and excited aliens – Zoron, Bazoo and Zob – on an important mission to …
The Salesman
With The Salesman, acclaimed writer-director Asghar Farhadi offers up another analytical yet deeply empathetic film about modern Iranian society under a repressive regime. Here, as with his previous …
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