2014 was a big year for memoirs for me. One of the first I read and enjoyed very much was The Mistress's Daughter, by A M Homes. I totally agree with Zadie Smith's blurb. 'Furiously' is a good word to use because the author is furious quite a bit throughout this book - and for good reason. I saw A M Homes talk at The Wheeler Centre (great … [Read more...] about Books 2014 (2) Mostly Memoirs
Archives for 2014
Books 2014 (1)
So here are the novels I've read this year and enjoyed. Best was the first volume of A Transylvanian Trilogy, named They Were Counted by Miklos Banffy. I came across this via The New York Review of Books. A foreword by Patrick Leigh Fermor notes that the characters described here are the forebears of the people he encountered on his great … [Read more...] about Books 2014 (1)
Gough: The Memorial
I went and watched the memorial for Gough at Federation Square. Not many there; either they didn't know about it (there were no notices in the paper or on social media) or were happy to watch it on their computers (such is our modern age) or they just didn't care! Either way, I was pleased to be there, with friends, watching it on the big screen in … [Read more...] about Gough: The Memorial
Thoughts on Gough
I was surprised at how sad I was on hearing of Gough's death. As though someone I knew personally had died. I only knew him from afar. As Prime Minister breathing life into our national system of government and moribund institutions. The American poet Mayo Angelou said "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people … [Read more...] about Thoughts on Gough
Karen Joy Fowler
Saw Karen Joy Fowler at the Wheeler Centre last night and she was terrific. I love these author talks at the Centre. It's such a wonderful resource to have here in Melbourne. Amazing to have Karen here in Melbourne on the night she's been included on the Booker Prize short list. I loved the first novel of hers that I read - The Jane Austen Book … [Read more...] about Karen Joy Fowler
MIFF Day Seventeen
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Her / Him 4 stars. Two full length films exploring the impact of a single tragedy from a wife's perspective (her) and from a husband's (him). Nice idea. I enjoyed both very much. It will be interesting to see them cut down to one feature film which is the director's intention. Both good people, surrounded by other … [Read more...] about MIFF Day Seventeen