A curmudgeon writes.
I’m not going to deny it: this is a pretty good tally for the first month of the year.
(I’ve read more than this, and I’m AWARE that the first post of the year about books is breaking my rule of reviewing five at a time, but it’s currently an extra day off work so I’m going with it.)
Continue reading “Book reviews: 2026 first ten”
The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This isn’t really a book I can say I enjoyed. It’s masterfully written, yes, and lives up to the forgotten treasure billing Harrower’s works have been given – but Jesus, it’s a difficult thing to get through.
Set in ’40s Sydney, it’s a story of constriction. Two sisters are marooned by their couldn’t-give-a-shit mother. An arranged marriage with an older man seals their fates, robbing them of educational opportunities and forcing them into servitude in the suburbs. Add in some on-again, off-again alcoholism and some domestic violence and misogyny and you’ve all the making of a Real Fun Time. Not. Continue reading “Book review: The Watch Tower”
Yeah nah. 