My impression of Sir Laurence Olivier is a sort of vague one of him playing Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, or declaiming Shakespeare effortlessly. Either that or I associate him with Vivien Leigh, to whom he was married for several years.…
Author: Maree Field
A bit saggy but still a good read
Innocence, by Dean Koontz (HarperCollins, RRP $35): Addison Goodheart lives below the city, out of sight of people whose first impulse if they see his face is to try to commit violence. Addison reads, and lives quietly, and goes up…
Harrowing and heartbreaking
The Road Between Us, by Nigel Farndale (Random House, RRP $38): In 1939, two young men in a Picadilly Circus hotel are unaware that their lives are about to change in drastic and unforseen ways. Charles and Anselm are arrested…
There’s so much to like about Billy
Still Foolin ‘Em, by Billy Crystal (Macmillan, RRP $40): Billy Crystal is one of those actors that everyone knows of. His career is wide-ranging and various, and it feels like he’s done a little bit of everything. Still Foolin ‘Em…
Close but no cigar, old bean …
Jeeves and the Wedding Bells, by Sebastian Faulks (Hutchinson, RRP $35): I’m a big P G Wodehouse fan. I’ve been reading his novels and short stories on and off since high school, when friends of mine put me on to…
■ REVIEW
Snake Bite
Not-so-gentle coming-of-age story: Jez is 17, bored in a downtrodden Canberra suburb, and coming to realise she’s in love with her best friend, Lukey. It’s summertime and Jez has little to do but hang out, get high and argue with…
Quirky thriller is a little off-balance
Dog Will Have His Day, by Fred Vargas (Harvill Secker, RRP $37): Former special investigator Louis Kehlweiler has to find new ways to fill in his days now that he no longer works for the Parisian police force. Kehlweiler gathers…
Good pace in author’s first novel
A Necklace of Souls, by R L Stedman (HarperCollins, RRP $25): Dana is a princess in the hidden Kingdom of the Rose, a sheltered, magical land that allows no war or disease to penetrate its borders. Protected by the Guardian…
This fairytale’s not for children
The Mijo Tree, by Janet Frame (Penguin, RRP $25): This is an odd little tale. Published posthumously, the manuscript gathered dust in the Hocken Library archive for many years. Illustrated to great – and somewhat dark effect – The Mijo…
Author brews up a good read
The Tea Chest, by Josephine Moon (Allen & Unwin, RRP $37) Kate Fullerton is the co-owner of The Tea Chest in Brisbane – a boutique tea store that focuses on creating perfect blends. When an opportunity comes up for Kate to…