General fiction - Books By George

■ REVIEW: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Life has moved on, not Bridget

I loved the Bridget that Helen Fielding created in her newspaper column in 1995 which was quickly novelised in 1996. And while I could’ve lived without reading the second book, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie adaption of the first novel. After getting over the casting of American actress Renee Zewelleger, I realised she epitomised Bridget, […]

■ REVIEW: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Life has moved on, not Bridget Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Bittersweet
Epic sequel not so epic

General fiction

It’s been 36 years since Colleen McCullough’s epic The Thorn Birds was first published, 30 years since it was made into that massive miniseries starring such luminaries as Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Stanwyck and Christopher Plummer. I remember both the book and the miniseries as being dramatic and just a little bit awesome. Given that, I was looking

■ REVIEW: Bittersweet
Epic sequel not so epic Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Frederick's Coat
Violence and redemption in recommended read

General fiction, NZ books

Alan Duff has produced another powerful novel in Frederick’s Coat, a story of crime, violence and family. Duff is know for his compelling and gritty writing, and this book is as moving as the critically acclaimed Once Were Warriors. On his release from prison, Johno Ryan vows that he will never go back there again

■ REVIEW: Frederick's Coat
Violence and redemption in recommended read Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Mystery of Mercy Close
Keyes’ chronicles continue

General fiction

If you have read any of Marian Keyes’ earlier stories featuring the delightfully dysfunctional Walsh family, this will be the one you’ve been waiting for. The Walsh family first popped up in Watermelon, back in 1995. That novel topped bestseller lists everywhere and gave the world a taste of the brilliant writing style of Keyes

■ REVIEW: Mystery of Mercy Close
Keyes’ chronicles continue Read Post »

■ REVIEWS: Children of War trilogy
Dramatic family saga re-released

General fiction

Deborah Challinor’s best-selling Children of War trilogy has been re-released with new covers to appeal to a new generation of readers. The dramatic family saga has all the ingredients that will appeal to those who love the sweeping drama novels that combine powerful characters with powerful history. The first book in the trilogy tells the

■ REVIEWS: Children of War trilogy
Dramatic family saga re-released Read Post »

■ REVIEW: 22 Britannia Road
Perfect mix of drama and warmth

General fiction

This story starts, as so many do, with a young couple meeting and falling in love. However, in 1937 Poland no love story could be straight forward. As war approaches, Janusz enlists, leaving his wife Silvana and young son Aurek back in Warsaw. As the story moves on we follow the lives of both Janusz

■ REVIEW: 22 Britannia Road
Perfect mix of drama and warmth Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Spanish Helmet
Alternative history delivers

General fiction, Mysteries & thrillers

New Zealand author Greg Scowen has come up with an interesting concept for his conspiracy thriller The Spanish Helmet: what if the officially accepted history of New Zealand is wrong? A mysterious Spanish helmet sitting in our national museum, a large pohutukawa tree in La Coruna, Spain, and a 16th-century Spanish expedition are the basis

■ REVIEW: The Spanish Helmet
Alternative history delivers Read Post »

■ REVIEWS: Hand Me Down | The Moment
Chick lit … but I enjoyed them

General fiction

Waikato author Michelle Holman’s latest book features bad girl April Ritchie, who returns home to Pisa after a nine-year absence. April was a bit of a spoilt brat who never made a lot of friends in the town and her speedy departure from Pisa on her 17th birthday left plenty of unanswered questions. The locals

■ REVIEWS: Hand Me Down | The Moment
Chick lit … but I enjoyed them Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Girl in the Yellow Vest
A recommended light read

General fiction

Perth based romance novelist Loretta Hill has degrees in Civil Engineering and in Commerce. She has also worked in the Australian outback on engineering projects. This is her third major novel based on her experiences as an engineer in out of the way places. The setting is a huge wharf project near the Great Barrier Reef.

■ REVIEW: The Girl in the Yellow Vest
A recommended light read Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Possession of Mr Cave
Sibling rivalry from beyond the grave

General fiction

Terence Cave is a man who has had more than his share of tragedies: his mother’s suicide when he was a young child, his wife’s death during a bungled burglary of their antiques shop and now the death of his son Reuben in an awful accident. It is this final death that proves to be

■ REVIEW: The Possession of Mr Cave
Sibling rivalry from beyond the grave Read Post »