Category Archives: 101greatreads

A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry (Faber)

Posted on April 20, 2020 by drewsmith28

“I am Winona. In early times I was Ojinjintka, which means rose.” SO we are back with those McNulty’s again are we, Sebastian? Another tome in the family history? More about naughty uncle Thomas in Tennessee? Barry’s prose can read … Continue reading →

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Posted on March 25, 2020 by drewsmith28

Ireland’s Green Larder by Margaret Hickey (Unbound) “The island of Ireland is so small you can drive across it in a few hours…yet it became the cradle of literature, music and dance, of politicians and soldiers, of philosophers and saints, … Continue reading →

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In Love with George Eliot by Kathy O’Shaughnessy (Scribe)

Posted on March 3, 2020 by drewsmith28

“The train had shuddered to a halt. Clatter of doors-opening and shutting, noise echoing in the huge vault of Euston station, a smell of oil-flavoured steam and soot. A last door opens…”  THERE might be a warning on this: do … Continue reading →

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Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin (Daunt)

Posted on February 17, 2020 by drewsmith28

“He arrived muffled up in a woollen coat.” ELISA Shua Dusapin is Korean, Swiss and French all of which infuse this short would-be love story, told in staccato English, as if the grammar were Korean hieroglyphics. Out of season, the … Continue reading →

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Scrublands by Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin)

Posted on February 13, 2020 by drewsmith28

“The day is still. The heat, having eased during the night, is building again; the sky is cloudless and unforgiving, the sun punishing.”   THE journalist as detective sleuth is obvious, if largely uncharted. Maybe there is a mental barrier … Continue reading →

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Long Bright River by Liz Moore (Penguin)

Posted on February 4, 2020 by drewsmith28

“There is a body on the Gurney Street tracks.” THE come-on cover copy and graphics suggest this is another crimo-detecto: Move over Michael Connelly. Step aside James Lee Burke. There is a new girl in town. A new town in … Continue reading →

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The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James (dead ink)

Posted on January 16, 2020 by drewsmith28

“This book is dangerous” Brash, original, smart… star reporter Daniel James chases down the elusive recluse that is Ezra Maas, cult artist, vanished megastar…this is the kind of book destined, I hope, to find a cult following of its own, … Continue reading →

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Agent Running in the Field by John Le Carre (Viking)

Posted on December 14, 2019 by drewsmith28

“Our meeting was not contrived.” I AM on page 278 of 281 and I am still no wiser as to where this whodunwhat of a plot is going. There have been twists and turns and upshots and cross checks so … Continue reading →

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Love by Toni Morrison (Vintage)

Posted on November 28, 2019 by drewsmith28

“The women’s legs are spread wide open, so I hum.” I Am surprised no one has tried to film of this excellent book such is the lure of the dancing and parties at the hotel, the scenic beach side setting … Continue reading →

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Strange weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (Portobello)

Posted on October 26, 2019 by drewsmith28

“His full name was Mr Harutsuna Matsumoto, but I called him Sensei. Not Mr or Sir, but Sensei” THE original title of this off-beat romance was The Briefcase which as I read it is titillating bait. Which way does this … Continue reading →

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