Margaret Atwood’s sequel to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ begins fifteen years after Offred makes her final appearance in the original novel. I share my thoughts on this highly anticipated dystopian tale.
Literary Fiction
THOUGHTS ON: The Abbess of Crewe
A razor sharp, wickedly humorous and surreal satire of a real life political scandal – reimagined within the claustrophobic walls of an English convent.
BOOK REVIEW: The Museum of Modern Love
The first title read from my 10 Books of Summer list, Heather Rose’s extraordinary novel is set against the backdrop of one of the greatest art events in modern history.
MARM 2018: Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
We look back at the 1981 political thriller ‘Bodily Harm’ for Margaret Atwood Reading Month.
THE CLASSICS CLUB: Alias Grace
Based on the true story of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the 1840s, Margaret Atwood has created an extraordinarily potent tale of sexuality, cruelty and mystery.
BOOK REVIEW: Home is Nearby
Magdalena McGuire’s debut novel is a vivid and intimate exploration of a young woman’s struggle to find her place in the world.
BOOK REVIEW: Meet Me at the Museum
Meet Me at the Museum is an epistolary story of love and selflessness. It put a smile on this reader’s face.
BOOK REVIEW: Asymmetry
Asymmetry is a story in which nothing and nobody is equal. It is inventive, compelling and altogether unforgettable. We should expect to hear a great deal more of its promising author over the coming months.
BOOK REVIEW: The Reservoir Tapes
Set in a rural village in England’s Peak District – an upland area at the southern end of the Pennines – The Reservoir Tapes was first aired on BBC Radio 4 as a specially commissioned short fiction series.
BOOK REVIEW: Stories: The Collected Short Fiction
There are no weak parts to Helen Garner’s collection – it is simply that some stories are more brilliant than others.
THOUGHTS ON: Ru
At 162 pages, Ru is a short but intense potpourri of vignettes – powerful, superbly realized and well worth reading.
BOOK REVIEW: Love
Love is an intelligent, compassionate, if melancholy tale, which demonstrates what can happen if we become too internalised and fail to be mindful of those we love most.
THOUGHTS ON: Life After Life
It is difficult to know how to define Life After Life, Kate Atkinson’s 2013 Costa Book Award winning novel.
THOUGHTS ON: Zennor in Darkness
The British poet, novelist and children’s writer, Helen Dunmore died of cancer at the age of 64 on 5th June 2017.
THOUGHTS ON: Cat’s Eye
I reflect on Atwood’s 1988 Booker-nominated novel about a controversial artist grappling with the tangled knots of her life.
THOUGHTS ON: The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian is concerned with obsession, desire, fear, disintegration of family and madness.