General fiction - Books By George

■ REVIEW: Everybody's Fool
Sequel full of grit and quirkiness

A decade after Nobody’s Fool, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo’s returns to the same characters for a new novel: Everybody’s Fool. Set in the not-so-salubrious American town of North Bath and taking place over a weekend, this new novel has all the heart, grittiness and quirkiness of the first book. The good-hearted but stroppy and […]

■ REVIEW: Everybody's Fool
Sequel full of grit and quirkiness Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Word Ghost
Teen angst meets mild Gothic horror

General fiction

Rebecca Budde is nearly 16, the middle of three daughters belonging to a C of E vicar, John, and his wife, Ruth. Rebecca’s life is turned upside down when her father transfers parishes to a small, hidden away country village. She takes it the hardest, having to leave her home town, her friends and, more

■ REVIEW: Word Ghost
Teen angst meets mild Gothic horror Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Enon
Bleak, but an excellent read

General fiction

This was the second novel for Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Harding, and was published near the end of 2104. His debut novel is called Tinkers and, if this story is anything to go by, it is not surprising that it’s an award-winner. The praise for it includes such words as wonderful, remarkable, captivating, hypnotic . .

■ REVIEW: Enon
Bleak, but an excellent read Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Coal Creek
Idiosyncratic voice draws you in

General fiction

Write about what you know about is a long held maxim – and so Australian author Alex Miller has. As a younger man he spent time in the Queensland highlands working as a stockman. He conjures up a time and place and brings it to life: hard, hot and dry, low scrub and a story

■ REVIEW: Coal Creek
Idiosyncratic voice draws you in Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Maestra
A positive? It’s better than 50 Shades

General fiction

Judith Raleigh leads something of a double life, working as an auction house assistant in London during the day, and as a hostess in a somewhat unsavoury bar by night. She knows how to play the game: she knows how to act and interact with me to get what she wants, in both her worlds.

■ REVIEW: Maestra
A positive? It’s better than 50 Shades Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Dorothy Must Die
Brutality enjoyed in Oz re-imagining

General fiction

The Dorothy that landed in Oz and met the Scarecrow, The Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion must be killed. But why would anyone want to kill Dorothy? She’s good right? Well, no, she’s not. At least not in the world that Danielle Paige has created. Turning what we know as Oz on its head,

■ REVIEW: Dorothy Must Die
Brutality enjoyed in Oz re-imagining Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Molly and the Cat Cafe
Fresh feline perspective

General fiction

Cutsie animal stories are nothing new, but this little tale of love, loss and new beginnings is told from the point of view of the cutsie animal concerned, giving it a fresh take and and an unusual angle. Molly the cat has a pretty happy life – eating, sleeping, attacking Christmas decorations and generally living

■ REVIEW: Molly and the Cat Cafe
Fresh feline perspective Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Wake
Post tale a stylish debut

General fiction

This incredible debut novel from author Anna Hope weaves together the tales of three extraordinary women, Hettie, Evelyn and Ada. Hettie spends her nights at Hammersmith Palais, dancing for a nickel with gentlemen, Evelyn works at the pensions office, helping soldiers who are struggling since the World War I ended and Ada is a housewife,

■ REVIEW: Wake
Post tale a stylish debut Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Road Between Us
Harrowing and heartbreaking

General fiction

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 for homosexuality. Charles is discharged from the RAF, and Anselm is sent to a labour camp in France. In 2012, Edward, a diplomat who has been

■ REVIEW: The Road Between Us
Harrowing and heartbreaking Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Terms and Conditions
Quirky debut mixes drama, mystery to good effect

General fiction

I’m not usually a fan of the books that insist on footnotes. I avoid them or make a slow decision about whether they are actually needed and what they could possibly add to the book. Why not just include those moments in the main text of the story? However, for New Zealand author Robert Glancy

■ REVIEW: Terms and Conditions
Quirky debut mixes drama, mystery to good effect Read Post »