Book Reviews
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Book ReviewsThe Vampyre Family by Andrew McConnell Stott
Halfway through the book, there's a quote from Samuel Johnson: ‘The best advice to authors would be, that they should keep out of the way of one anothe... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsThe Eidolon by Libby McGugan
“You’re asking me to sabotage one of the greatest experiments in scientific history?” asks The Eidolon’s narrator, theoretical physic... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsThe Girl on The Ferryboat by Angus Peter Campbell
This is a novel evidently written by a poet – the descriptions of life on the Scottish islands are both vivid and beautifully crafted. The anecdotes Ca... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsDouble Negative by Ivan Vladislavić
From a hilltop overlooking Johannesburg, Neville Lister and his photographer companion pick three rooftops at random and decide to pay the occupants a visit.... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsPersonae by Sergio De La Pava
Postmodern to the core, Sergio De La Pava's Personae starts out telling the story of Detective Helen Tame – musical prodigy/polymathic essayist e... Read more »| 18 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsHalf the Kingdom by Lore Segal
In 1985, The New York Times declared that Lore Segal was "closer than anyone to writing the Great American Novel." Not only is this bewildering, it's harmful... Read more »| 04 Oct 2013
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Book ReviewsBurial Rites by Hannah Kent
Comparisons to Margaret Atwood come as high praise and raise expectations, but it would be almost impossible to read Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites without... Read more »| 01 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsBrand New Ancients by Kate Tempest
The transition from rapper and performance poet to page poet is not an easy one, but Kate Tempest has managed it with graceful ease. Brand New Ancients is th... Read more »| 30 Sep 2013 -
Book ReviewsBook of the Month: A Naked Singularity by Sergio De La Pava
This is a defiant, digressive debut. De La Pava released it online in 2008, after years of rejection at the hands of publishers. And as the glowing online re... Read more »| 23 Sep 2013 -
Book ReviewsFashion Beast by Alan Moore, Malcolm McLaren, Antony Johnston, Facundo Percio
During his career Alan Moore has displayed many writerly talents, not least luck in being paired with equally talented collaborators. Though Moore’s au... Read more »| 23 Sep 2013 -
Book ReviewsThe Son by Philipp Meyer
Rumours of Philipp Meyer's method approach to research have swirled around his second novel, The Son. At August's Edinburgh International Book Festival ... Read more »| 23 Sep 2013 -
Book ReviewsMaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
MaddAddam is the last instalment in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian trilogy that began with Oryx and Crake and continued with The Y... Read more »| 23 Sep 2013 -
Book ReviewsThe Human Part by Kari Hotakainen
In its opening paragraph, The Human Part’s octogenarian protagonist Salme dismisses the world of fiction in its entirety. Fiction means lies, lies are ... Read more »| 02 Sep 2013 -
Book ReviewsThe Sorrow of Angels by Jón Kalman Stefánsson
Longlisted for the European Prize for Literature, The Sorrow of Angels is the second book in the tragi-comic trilogy from Icelandic author Jón Ka... Read more »| 02 Sep 2013 -
Book ReviewsThe Guts by Roddy Doyle
Since we first encountered Jimmy Rabbitte, the godfather of The Commitments has acquired a wife, four kids, a dog called Messi and bowel cancer. Characterist... Read more »| 02 Sep 2013