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Good Reading : November 2012
Contents
San Miguel T C Boyle Set on a weather- beaten island off the California coast, San Miguel is the work of a master craftsman. Three separate but interlaced tales recreate the harsh and heartbreaking lives of three women confined by fate to the bleak and isolated island. In 1888, Captain Will Waters lands on San Miguel with his consumptive wife, Marantha, and her daughter, Edith, anticipating a better life. Inevitably, however, the damp and primitive conditions, bitter climate and crushing workload exacerbate Marantha’s ill health and frustrate Will’s ambitions. Teenage Edith has a brief respite, but is forced back to the island to keep house for her bitter stepfather, before taking desperate measures to attempt an escape. In 1930, newlyweds Elise and Herbie Lester arrive on San Miguel buoyed by love. Despite hardship and deprivation, the couple and their daughters lead an almost idyllic existence – until the effects of war in the Pacific are felt. Boyle’s superior storytelling elicits a powerful empathy for these women. My chest tightened with Marantha’s excruciating bouts of coughing; I recognised the despair behind Edith’s hatred for her insensitive stepfather; and I shared Elise’s joy in her family – and her sense of foreboding on Herbie’s blue days. San Miguel is a compelling character study that will leave you wanting more. RG Bloomsbury $29.99 Reviewed by Maureen Eppen Buddhaland Brooklyn Richard C Morais Readers who enjoyed Morais’s The Hundred-Foot Journey won’t be disappointed with this follow-up, a delightful fish-out-of-water tale which asks: what is enlightenment and would you recognise it when it occurred? Oda is a painfully shy 40-year-old Buddhist priest whose life is upended when he’s sent from his remote Japanese temple to live in the wilds of New York, overseeing the building of a new Manhattan shrine. Relying on the Buddha for guidance in facing such an ordeal, Oda’s worst fears about America are realised the moment he lands. Finding the local followers to be shallow, materialistic and undisciplined, Oda grumbles and nitpicks through their grating prayer sessions with both eyes on the quickest exit home. Such uptight, irksome behaviour would make for an unbearable protagonist. Happily, however, the story is told by an older and wiser Oda. Richly observed comic moments follow as he recalls his many blunders on the path towards humility and redemption, and our loveable curmudgeon adapts to America and its people – flaws and all. The message is that spirituality has many guises; to be truly relevant and meaningful it must come from the heart. But that’s about as deep as it gets in this lighthearted and entertaining take on finding second chances in life, along with the keys to the Buddhaland, wherever you happen to be. Allen and Unwin $29.99 Reviewed by Meredith Lewin The Burial Courtney Collins The Burial begins with a bang and maintains a cracking pace until the very end. Jessie is on the run, wanted dead or alive for the disappearance of her abusive husband and the theft of 100 cattle. She is pursued by the law, her lover and a band of hungry men who are eager to claim for themselves the exorbitant price that has been set upon her head. Barely alive, and with nothing but her horse and the clothes on her back, Jessie flees toward the highest mountain in the valley. Set in 1921, The Burial was inspired by the real life of Elizabeth Jessie Hickman, an Australian female bushranger. The story begins on the fateful night of her husband’s murder and moves backwards and forwards between the past and the present. The suspense builds through the shifting narrative perspective. Readers learn about Jessie’s child who awaits her and also hear from Sergeant Andrew Barlow, the new valley policeman and Jack Brown, Jessie’s lover, who are both hot on her trail. The Burial is an exhilarating and nailbiting ride set against a harsh Australian landscape. It explores violence, love and the fighting spirit needed for survival. Jessie may be a murderer, convict and a cattle and horse rustler, but readers will find themselves cheering her on and willing her to live. RG Allen & Unwin $27.99 Reviewed by Kristen Donath wordofMouth Disappointing Worth a read A good read Highly recommended Outstanding RG Recommended for reading groups Read an online extract Watch a video Download a recipe Download teachers’ notes Download book club notes Here are some of the books available this month, reviewed by passionate readers, just like you. You can write your own reviews of any of the books in this section on our website and share your opinions with other gr readers. Don’t forget to check out our website for book discussion notes, teachers’ notes, first chapters and other book-related resources. Visit us at www.goodreadingmagazine.com. online extRas RatinGs November 2012 main WWW.gOODReADingMAgAzine.COM Good ReadinG nOVeMBeR 2012 26 26_WOM_c.indd 26 4/10/12 11:12:05 PM
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