The Kindness of Birds is an anthology of stories of kindness across cultures and generations. Stories of resilience and kinship amongst women in multiThe Kindness of Birds is an anthology of stories of kindness across cultures and generations. Stories of resilience and kinship amongst women in multicultural Australia.
The stories have an element of disconnection. Migrants finding there place in a new country, a new culture. The right reader will find these stories deeply moving and heartfelt. However, they are written in a literary prose and I found it hard to connect with some of the stories. ...more
The Weekend has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I don’t know why it seemed to get pushed to the bottom of the pile, it is an extraordinary rThe Weekend has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I don’t know why it seemed to get pushed to the bottom of the pile, it is an extraordinary read.
Four older women with a lifelong friendship. Each of them very different from each other but something drew them together all those years ago. But when one of the group dies the remaining three are left to face their failing bodies and their own mortality. Sylvie was the one to hold the group together. Can they survive without her?
The Weekend is a sharply observed look at friendship and ageing. Charlotte Wood’s nuanced characters and lyrical prose combine to deliver a heart-felt story that explores the changing dynamics of a decades long friendship group when one of the group passes away.
As the story develops the women’s thoughts were mainly on each other, their likes and dislikes but it soon changes to musings on their own lives, lost opportunities, lost loves and regrets.
The Weekend is a thought provoking read, confronting and clever, primarily highlighting the bond of friendship. Thank you to the publisher for my copy to read...more
SM Spencer focuses on two romances; one is a couple of teens and a sweet first romance, the second is an age-gap romance which I found was well portrayed and believable. I really liked that this was a clean romance story and a HEA was assured.
I enjoyed the friendship between Debra and Megan and the fact Megan had someone older she could talk to about her feelings for Porter. I think I would have connected better with the characters if I’d read the previous books first as characters from the other books in the series do pop in and out of the story.
If you are after something sweet and light and you don’t mind your romance peppered with angst I recommend A Chance For Snow for a nice quick beach read....more
https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... I'm a huge fan of Fleur McDonald however I came into her books over halfway through her writing career. So I thttps://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp... I'm a huge fan of Fleur McDonald however I came into her books over halfway through her writing career. So I thought it was way beyond time I started on Fleur's back list.
Red Dust is her debut novel and although not as polished as her later novels it was still a great read. I found some of the conversations a bit stilted and the point of view was all over the place however I was drawn straight into the story from the opening chapter with a dying man's ominous last words.
McDonald has written a riveting rural crime novel centred around cattle stealing but also featuring the difficulties faced by woman farmers and the isolation of farm life.
After her husband's tragic death Gemma is left with a farm to run and a mountain of rising debts. As she goes through the farm accounts and the town gossip heats up, Gemma starts to wonder if she really knew her husband at all.
I always laugh and comment that Fleur isn't adverse to killing off a much loved character and after reading Red Dust I can say even from her debut novel Fleur liked to kill off characters that I've warmed to. ...more
Well that's a day I'll never get back again! Unbelievable and boring, I waited for the twist, that never came, right up until the last few pages.Well that's a day I'll never get back again! Unbelievable and boring, I waited for the twist, that never came, right up until the last few pages....more
Absolutely heartbreaking! I read this book in a day. Tony Maguire writes Marianne's story with candour. A young, lonely little girl manipulated and abusAbsolutely heartbreaking! I read this book in a day. Tony Maguire writes Marianne's story with candour. A young, lonely little girl manipulated and abused by a trusted neighbour. It's impossible to imagine that nobody stopped him, nobody cared for this child.
Narrated in two time-lines; Marianne as a young child and then in middle-age, married with her own grown children. One thing I noticed in this book is Marianne doesn't delve on her mental state, which I would presume was bad, just a few mentions of self harm. This story is not about garnering sympathy, it's a cleansing, a coming to terms with her past.
My deepest regret is the perpetrator doesn't appear to have been punished. It's hard not to wonder if other victims followed. A highly recommended read....more
Veronica ⭐️
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Books:
2022
(106)
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