To my shame, this is the first of Evaristo’s novels that I’ve read. It won’t be the last, however. I’m sometimes cautious about Booker winners – I fear that they’ll be a bit worthy (and this is coming from someone who tries to read the shortlist every year). I think I’ve been scarred by one … Continue reading Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo
Month: June 2020
Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet
This is the second novel on this year's Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist I've read (read my review of The Mirror and the Light here) - it is clearly an excellent year for women writers. As has been said elsewhere, I think this is O’Farrell’s best book so far – it’s certainly the first confirmed … Continue reading Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet
Re-reading Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
I’m about to start teaching this novel to an A Level set, and so I’m re-reading it for the first time in about ten years. I loved it when I first read it in the late nineties, and I love it now. There isn’t a notebook big enough for all the ideas it generates. Since … Continue reading Re-reading Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
An Interview with … Claire ‘Fluff’ Llewellyn
Today I'm chatting to Claire 'Fluff' Llewellyn about her new collection, word play, and poetic inspiration. Hi Claire. Thanks for 'dropping in', so to speak! Tell us something about your new book. My new publication, RHYME & REASON: Facets of a Life, is a collection of both non-fiction and fiction poems in metered rhyme. The … Continue reading An Interview with … Claire ‘Fluff’ Llewellyn
An Interview with … Camilla Downs
Good morning! Today I'm talking to author Camilla Downs about her poetry and her creative inspirations. Hi Camilla. Let's start at the beginning. Where does a new poem begin for you? Do you have an idea you wish to explore, or do they stem from an image? Or is it something completely different? In the … Continue reading An Interview with … Camilla Downs
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
I suspect that I’ll be a tad unpopular after this, and so I’ll get straight to the point. I liked this novel – I didn’t love it. Hear me out… I do see all the things that people have raved about, and it is clear that this is a much-loved novel for lot of readers. … Continue reading Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
An Interview With … Marjorie Mallon
Today I'm joined by the very creative Marjorie Mallon to talk about her writing, her photography, and where all the ideas come from. Hi Marjorie - first off then, tell us a bit about the thinking behind Mr Sagittarius. What’s it about? Mr. Sagittarius is a collection of poetry, prose and photographic images inspired by … Continue reading An Interview With … Marjorie Mallon
Ali Smith’s volatile Spring
I’ll be honest – I am so intimidated by the idea of reviewing this book that I have put it off for six months. I love Ali Smith’s frenetic voice in parts of Spring so much that I feel myself beginning to hyperventilate as I read. I don’t think, and I recognise that this is … Continue reading Ali Smith’s volatile Spring
An Interview With … T. G. Campbell
Good morning! Today, I'm talking to T. G. Campbell, author of the Bow Street Society novels about Victorian London, multiple narrators, and commemorative mugs. Tell us a little bit about the Bow Street Society. Where did the idea originally come from? The Bow Street Society is a fictional group of amateur detectives operating in Victorian … Continue reading An Interview With … T. G. Campbell