the literary lounge
First review of 2020 and we start with a bang and not a whimper with Rose Black’s highly readable The Unforgetting. Set in Victorian England, the book pays more than a nod to classic Gothic literature. At its centre is protagonist Lily Bell who dreams of a sparkling career on the London stage. When … Continue readings
Tags : ghosts, Gothic, historical fiction, Rose Black, The Unforgetting, Victorian London, women's literature
There are certain times of year that lend themselves more to poetry, that inspire and evoke feelings of joy, happiness, kindness, loss, despair, the whole gamut of human emotion really. In her latest book, author Orna Ross has written twelve poems for deep mid-winter. ‘The hibernal solstice, the darkest day of the year, has … Continue readings
Tags : Christmas, Font, Hindu, Irish, Jewish, Orna Ross, poetry, poetry collections, women writers
In Deathly Affair, Leigh Russell’s latest procedural, protagonist Geraldine Steel takes her thirteenth bow, but it’s a Geraldine who, while somewhat shaken, is stirred enough to fight the good fight. A demotion from DI to DS and a move to York see Geraldine working with DI Ian Peterson again. Her change in circumstances doesn’t … Continue readings
Tags : anne cater, Geraldine Steele, Leigh Russell, No Exit Press, police procedurals
There are a lot of very good New Zealand writers around, particularly in crime fiction, and Nathan Blackwell is one of the newest kids on the block. The Sound of her Voice, published in paperback by Orion this month, is a very good, albeit dark read. No surprises then that it was shortlisted for … Continue readings
Tags : Auckland, crime fiction, Nathan Blackwell, New Zealand, Ngaio Marsh, Orion
ghoster noun A person who ends a relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication.” This is a year of original fiction and it’s a huge pleasure to review yet another novel that fits into this category, Jason Arnopp’s Ghoster. Funny, engaging, creepy, twisted, I could throw all … Continue readings
We do not converse with one another. We don’t have to do that. Our purpose is to stand on the edge and ask ourselves one question. Pretend we have some kind of choice. We are the message. The spectacle. This is the theatre of cruelty.” There’s an exactness to Will Carver’s writing that … Continue readings
Tags : Orenda Books, suicide, Will Carver
Shalini Boland’s latest offering, The Other Daughter, focuses on every parent’s worst nightmare, the abduction of their child. But what do you do if you come face to face with that child years later as someone else’s daughter? From the opening pages, Boland’s plot is fast-paced. We’re thrown into the action, immersed in mother … Continue readings
Tags : Bookouture, psychological thrillers
John Simmons’ Leaves is a very beautiful and considered novel. Lyrical at times, it focuses on North London’s Ophelia Street, a ‘no-through road, a huddle of houses, obscured from sight’ in 1970. Over five parts, which follow the seasons and end with the new year, we see and experience the characters who inhabit the … Continue readings
‘I cannot remember when an East Indian actress has been signed in Hollywood. But Anna Kashi, after an impressive colour test, was nabbed by MGM. … She has been called “the Grace Kelly of India” because of her beauty and charm.’” – Louella O. Parsons Marlon Brando is one of those figures who … Continue readings
Tags : biography, Brando's Bride, Hollywood, India, postwar, Sarah Broughton
Keith Carter’s The Umbrella Man is an insightful and often amusing view of the global economy and financial crisis of the late noughties and the repercussions that seemingly unrelated decisions can have on our lives. Central character Peter Mount is CEO of Rareterre, a small mining company based in London. When a group of … Continue readings
Tags : financial crisis, graphic illustrators, Keith Carter, literary fiction, Magritte, Neem Press, The Umbrella Men
Foxfire, Wolfskin and Other Stories of Shapeshifting Women is a beautifully produced book, showcasing Sharon Blackie’s rather terrific tales. Drawing on global female folklore and mythology – from the familiar Snow Queen, immortalised by Hans Christian Andersen, to Croatia’s ‘she wolf’, with its similarities to the Celtic selkies, Slavic Baba Yaga, the creator-goddess turned … Continue readings
We love Tom Cox. He’s rapidly become a favourite author, his writing poignant, funny, entertaining. Like many, we first encountered him via his musings on the much missed The Bear and his other fabulous felines. His subject matter is wide-ranging, from music to witches, toads to his shouty dad. His latest book, Ring the … Continue readings
Tags : leaping hares, Meet Tom Cox, Ralph, Ring the Hill, Robert Macfarlane, Shipley, The Bear, Tom Cox, Unbound, Underland
Icon n. – person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration.” ‘ICON’ IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST OVER-USED WORDS in the English language. We apply it with little thought or reason. Yet there are a handful of truly iconic figures – the legend that is … Continue readings
Tags : A–Z of crushes, all about my mother, icon, icons, Judy Garland, music, Susie Boyt, Virago
Become a private investigator. One day taster course for anyone considering a career change but who doesn’t know what being a private investigator might entail. Why not find out if you have what it takes.” As Death by Indulgence opens, AB Morgan’s protagonist, Ella, is struggling, juggling jobs that seem to be going … Continue readings
Tags : AB Morgan, crime fiction, death by ihdulgence, Ella Fitzwilliam, fat chance, Second Chance Investigations, Second Chances Investigations Book 1
James Essinger’s Writing Fiction is a user-friendly guide to, well, doing what it says on the tin. In twenty-four concise chapters, the author shepherds his readers through the writing process, breaking it down into easy, bite-size chunks. Posing the initial question ‘what is fiction?’, Essinger moves on to comment on important areas of writing … Continue readings
Tags : Conrad Press, Frederick Forsyth, James Essinger, writing fiction