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alisonb13's reviews
146 reviews
All That I Remember About Dean Cola by Tania Chandler
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Strong characters, thought-provoking and at times confronting examination of perceptions and meaning of words and sensitive portrayal of living with mental health issues. Tense and gripping.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sabriel by Garth Nix
4.0
My 8-year-old got this out of library as had enjoyed Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series. Didn't feel this suitable for him due to pretty malevolent nature of the dead that come after Sabriel, fact she is 18 and references to relationships fairly clear if not confronting. But found it quite gripping. Liked the characterization, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Moggett, the strong female roles. A good read.
My Mother, My Father: On Losing a Parent by Susan Wyndham
5.0
Poignant series of essays on our never simple relationships with our parents, so often unresolved at their death. Struck by how many of these writers had fraught memories/relationships. Editor Susan Wyndham's piece one of the few that spoke of a close relationship. Some beautiful and thought-provoking writing from well known authors including Helen Garner, Thomas Keneally and David Marr.
Truly moving collection which I will dip back into.
Truly moving collection which I will dip back into.
The Puppet Boy Of Warsaw by Eva Weaver
3.0
Some lovely ideas and writing here. Sense of hidden histories in the pocket-coat wonderful. First part a beautifully-evoked account through a child's eyes of the horrific inside of the Warsaw ghetto and I found Mika's evolution into puppet boy and the brief happiness he brought people very poignant. Found concept of the juxtaposition of Nazis as brutes and (in second part) as victims, arresting and original, although slightly uncomfortable with implicit line that 'we got hurt too'. Max's characterisation and journey less convincing, and Mara's bringing together of two stories never felt more than a contrived tying off of story lines. A good, at times great, read.