Book Review: Southsightedness by Gregory Day

I read Southsightedness straight through, however that's not the idea of a poetry anthology. It is meant to be read slowly, picked up and put down. Words to stop and ponder over.

 

Day's poems are a powerful mix of soothing, haunting and provocative themes set in the world of a 21st century small country town where family, sport and tourism mix with the area's local history.

 

Loss, grief and pain feature heavily in Southsightedness however so does beauty, love and belonging.

 

Southsightedness celebrates the wonder of the earth and sea; the animals, the environment, the weather and the seasons.

 

Many of Day's poems are about nature and being one with nature. He wants his readers to not only see, but feel, the world around them.

 

Southsightedness is a book that will be enjoyed by poetry lovers and those who want something to open their eyes to the wonder all around us.

 

Being a reader of poetry that is more of the story-telling type I would have liked a short explanation on some of the poems. Or does that defeat the purpose? 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Publication date: 1st April 2025

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 160

RRP: AU$32.99 (hardcover)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media

 

 

Book Review: The Prospect by Fleur McDonald

I'm a great fan of Fleur McDonald's writing and I've read many of her books. She's an auto-buy author for me.

This being said, I was a little disappointed with The Prospect. I feel the editing let it down.

 

The Prospect is the first book in a new series featuring Journalist Zara Ellison and her partner, police officer Jack Higgins. This couple have appeared in previous novels but there is no need to have read them as The Prospect is a whole new start in Kalgoorlie for Zara and Jack.

Whilst I found the information on gold mines, prospectors and gold stealing all extremely interesting I felt The Prospect lacked the danger and suspense of McDonald's previous novels. 

 

I really enjoyed the character of Ted, the old prospector, but I found Jack very wishy-washy and I've never warmed to Zara even when she was featured in previous novels. Jack and Zara's relationship didn't feel solid.

 

Despite my grievances, and there are a few, McDonald's writing is always beautifully descriptive and she brings out the true essence of the Australian outback.

The Prospect ends on a massive cliff-hanger and yes, I will be buying the next book. 

 

I will end on a few things that interrupted my reading pleasure.

 * page 38 'Well, I came out here when I was twenty-one and I was born in 1975.' Zara did a quick calculation. 'You bought this land in 1986? (the year of birth should be 1965)

 

* page 150 'What's Austrac?' Jack asked. Surely a detective would know what Austrac is and what it does! Then on page 151 'He had certainly heard about the regulator.'  

* page 219 'Forearmed was forewarned and knowledge bore no weight.' I know this is meant to be a twist on an old saying but it still makes no sense to me.

 

* page 238 '.. and I want to rule out what consistencies there are.'  I would think you would rule out inconsistencies and check on consistencies. (I may be wrong).

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication date: 2nd April 2025

Genre: Crime

Pages: 368

Source: Own copy

 

Other books I've read by Fleur McDonald

Broad River Station

Deception Creek 

Into the Night

Out in Nowhere 

Red Dirt Country

Red Dust 

Rising Dust

The Shearer's Wife 

Shock Waves

Something to Hide 

Voices in the Dark 

Without a Doubt 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Buried Life by Andrea Goldsmith

I'm finding The Buried Life hard to review. I'm trying to do this outstanding novel justice. But where to start? I haven't stopped thinking about the characters since I finished the book a few days ago.

 

Three people of vastly different age groups form an unlikely friendship.

Kezi 28, rejected by her parents is living a life of regret, caught between her strict religious upbringing and living a life as her true self. 

 "..knowing that between God and the church and your family everything was taken care of, she would never experience any of that again. And the comfort, the belonging, the protection, the certainty, the love, the sanctuary: she missed it and she resented missing it, and she fought its enduring claims." - page 23

 

Adrian 43, is a scholar, an expert on death. His studies have stalled and his long-term relationship has ended. Adrian feels adrift, it's only his friendship with the vibrant and energetic Kezi that keeps him afloat. 

 

"Weary of Irene, weary of the journey, and most especially weary of himself...... The surrounding countryside wore that tousled appearance of autumn, an in-between fatigue that lacked the energy to tidy itself up, and entirely in keeping with his own mood." - page 39

 

Laura 57, a successful town planner meets Adrian by chance in a cheese shop. Their easy banter and long conversations have Laura questioning where she stands in her marriage but can't imagine a life without her husband.

 

"..she had absorbed his beliefs, she had willingly embraced all that comprised Tony Sheldrick's world, and she was wanting, still, to excuse him, wanting the man and the only life she knew not to collapse. What was wrong with her? What flaws in her could allow this to happen?" - page 232

I loved how Goldsmith gives each character their own distinct voice. Adrian and Kezi, neighbours, have a lighthearted and supportive friendship. Kezi was Adrian's closest friend despite their age gap. He loved her authenticity.

Laura and Adrian's friendship starts when they are both at a low point. Laura is realising her perfect marriage is riddled with cracks.

 

Goldsmith's prose are lyrical and mesmerizing, rich in poetry and music. The Buried Life is a story of life and death, how life's circumstances affect us deeply and true friendships help to awaken and heal buried hurts. 

 

Viscerally described scenes, polished prose and the power of music to both heighten and soothe emotions play an important role in this powerful novel of awakening.  

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Transit Lounge Publishing

Publication date: 1st March 2025

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 328

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media

 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Wedding Vow by Dandy Smith

The Wedding Vow is a twisty tale of marriage, infidelity and murder.

 

Verity and Linden have the perfect marriage with a picture-perfect home but when Linden is brutally murdered Verity's world is shattered. She is determined to find out what went wrong in her ideal life to cause her husband's murder. 

 

The Wedding Vow is narrated through alternating chapters of 'The Wife' and 'The Other Woman'. The wife is narrated by Verity, a year on from Linden's murder and the other woman is a mystery mistress of Linden's told while Linden is still alive.

As Verity digs further into Linden's life she starts to suspect everyone around her; the neighbour, the accountant, an employee, even her cousin Addison becomes a suspect of Linden's infidelity.

 

The Wedding Vow had me hooked and I couldn't put it down. Dandy Smith builds empathy for her characters as the reader gets the point of view of the wife and also the mistress.

 

Along with Verity I suspected everyone as having an affair with Linden. I kept chopping and changing my mind about who the unnamed mistress was and who the murderer was.

Dandy Smith leaves little clues, and a few red herrings, sprinkled throughout the story and many times I thought I had worked it out.

 

Short chapters with cliffhanger endings kept me eagerly turning those pages.

 

The Wedding Vow is addictive, suspenseful reading at its best. Once I'd finished my mind was reeling and I was compelled to read the whole book again. 

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 4th March 2025

Genre: Crime / Mystery

Pages: 336

RRP: AU$22.99 (B format paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

 

Book Review: The View from the Balcony by Janette Paul

I loved Janette Paul's The Summer Place so I was really looking forward to another story with relatable themes, burgeoning friendships and character growth and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. The View from the Balcony had all this and more.

 

The story is narrated by three women, Coral, Andie and Mara, who are visitors to patients of Hepburn House Rehabilitation Hospital. The turning point in the story is the balcony that connects the three rooms and overlooks a beautiful beach and is used by visitors and patients as a place to have a coffee and air their frustrations.

Coral is at the pinnacle of her career, looking forward to a conference in New York which will also allow her some much needed me time. Whilst working full time Coral also cooks meals for her elderly mum, drops in and cleans her house, helps out her pregnant daughter with a toddler and organises inspections for her son's apartment. I was exhausted just reading Coral's schedule. 

She is now visiting her mother in rehab after a fall.

 

Andie is visiting a stranger in rehab. Ben had pushed her out of the way of an out of control car, and possibly saved her life. She feels the least she can do is give him some company.

 

Mara is assigned to work closely with her boss Estelle, who is in rehab after a fall down some stairs. Estelle is bitter and critical of Mara but Mara is determined this hostile woman won't get the better of her.

 

The View from the Balcony is a wonderful story of friendship and family, of strangers becoming friends in unlikely circumstances. It's about looking after yourself, burnout, PTSD, grief and standing up for yourself. Janette Paul includes these themes and many more without the story ever feeling contrived. This shows a plot that is expertly executed.

 

Although the three visitors, Coral, Andie and Mara, are the main characters and we see the most growth in their lives the three patients, Ben, Estelle and Val also feature heavily as they are thrown together with strangers and with time to talk and get to know each other they find themselves opening up and having their lives changed as well.

 

A lovely intergenerational friendship evolves from the three women supporting each other inside the hospital and later outside that enclosed world.

 

If you are after a story that is heartwarming and touching The View from the Balcony will not disappoint.   

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 25th March 2025

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Pages: 391

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 My review of The Summer Place by Janette Paul

Book Review: Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell

Nesting is the heartrending literary debut by Irish author Roisin O'Donnell. 

I've read a few books featuring down-trodden women with overbearing, gaslighting husbands and I feel that Roisin O'Donnell has the emotion and uncertainty just right.

 

Ciara is contemplating leaving her husband. He has made her leave her job, cut off all her friendships and criticizes her family to the extent she rarely sees them. 

Some readers may feel Ciara is pathetic. Why doesn't she just leave Ryan? Why does she keep returning to him? This is where O'Donnell adeptly shows the hold these men have on their partners. Ciara loves him, he promises to do better, he loves her and can't live without her, he's wonderful with the children and they love him. 

These are the thoughts, and manipulations by Ryan, that possess Ciara when she keeps returning to her marriage.

 

There is a continuous foreboding feel all through the novel which kept me glued to the pages.

O'Donnell's writing is beautiful and evocative. I could feel Ciara's fear, indecision and hopelessness. I was rooting for her to stay strong and survive through even the worst times of homelessness and hunger.

 

O'Donnell shows how a controlling male can slowly take over your life until you don't know who you are anymore, there is no beyond being his wife.

 

Nesting highlights the need for more social housing and refuges for women. It's not all gloom though there are unexpected friendships made and women banding together and helping each other.

 

Nesting is a beautiful story of motherhood and resilience. It's a hard read but so rewarding in its depth of characters and emotion.

 

Content: Coercive control 

               Emotional abuse

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Imprint: Scribner Australia

Publication date: 29th January 2025

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 400

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

 

Book Review: The Promise by Arnold Dix

How an Everyday Hero Made the Impossible Possible 

Arnold Dix usually worked with no fuss and no fanfare until 2023 when a single catastrophe, on the other side of the world, changed his life forever.

 

Dix, a unique blend of geologist, barrister, scientist, farmer, engineer and truck driver, captured the world's attention for his role in the rescue of forty-one men trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the Himalayas. 

The Promise is more a memoir of Dix's life than simply a story of the tunnel rescue. We learn what makes Arnold Dix the person he is and the life that led up to him orchestrating the tunnel rescue.

 

Dix writes with compassion and enthusiasm for everything he has undertaken in life. He comes across as intelligent, down-to-earth and unpretentious. His confidence, passion and charm draw people to him. He believes in uplifting his fellow man and treats everyone with respect and reverence. Arnold's compassion led him to assist thousands of migrant workers in Qatar, putting his own life in danger.

 

"We should lift each other up instead of tearing each other down. We should individually play our part to bring a little joy, a little kindness, to our surroundings. Collectively, those small acts of kindness will combine to leave a lasting mark." - Arnold Dix (The Promise)

 

Arnold Dix shares precious family photos and scenes from the rescue through colour plate inserts.

 

I would have liked more information on the women that came forward to clear an access road, by hand, on the mountain.

 

The Promise is an unforgettable story of a life lived to the fullest through selfless acts of kindness and bravery. This outstanding memoir will restore your faith in humankind. There are some truly selfless people in our world.

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 29th January 2025 

Genre: Non Fiction / Memoir

Pages: 303

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

Book Review: After the Great Storm by Ann Dombroski

In After the Great Storm Ann Dombroski has created a dark apocalyptic world with violent storms that lash Sydney's CBD. 

Alice's husband Daniel is in prison charged with causing a derailment on the city's transport system resulting in lives lost. Anna believes Daniel is innocent and is gathering information to prove his innocence. 

I was immersed in a world where Alice is not only battling the catastrophic weather she is also trying to manage the mounting bills alone whilst contacting lawyers and gathering information about the faulty transport system. I could feel her desperation as she came up against corruption everywhere she looked for help. The number of people Alice could trust was shrinking fast.

 

When a woman arrives on her doorstep on the brink of death Alice can not turn her away and finds herself embroiled in the murky world of human experimentation. 

 

Set in 2075, After the Great Storm is a speculative fiction novel with an environmental lean. It is never explained why the violent storms are destroying the city and it appears that country areas were not affected. I would have liked more information on why this was happening.

 

I found the different plot-lines didn't feel cohesive although they did eventually come together.

 

The world of After the Great Storm has many areas of moral ambiguity as Alice chides a doctor for accepting bribes then offers him a bribe to perform her IVF procedure whilst her husband is in prison. 

With themes of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, human experimentation, biomimetic material for organ transplants, self drive pods and companion robots, it is a future world that is not unbelievable.

 

The beautifully described scenes and foreboding suspense kept me reading, eager to see how Alice would get her life back on track. 

After the Great Storm is the perfect read for fans of science fiction and apocalyptic novels.

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Publication date: 2nd February 2025

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 304

RRP: AU$32.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher