Writing | Editing | Research
This review is part of the No Man’s Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. It's rare that a collection of short stories makes the New York Times bestseller list. Lorrie Moore … Continue reading Book Review — Birds of America (1998) by Lorrie Moore
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. Lucy is a migrant story, and in 1990, when Lucy was first published, there were fewer novels like it … Continue reading Book Review — Lucy (1990) by Jamaica Kincaid
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. Not everyone has had close contact with a story like this, but even for those of us … Continue reading Book Review — Floundering (2012) by Romy Ash
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. What a thing is Elena Ferrante. Not since the publication of the last Harry Potter novel have I … Continue reading Book Review — My Brilliant Friend (2012) by Elena Ferrante
This review is part of the No Man’s Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. A lesson imparted to me during my time in street press is that there's no point publishing a … Continue reading Book Review — The Chimes (2015) by Anna Smaill
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. A few weeks ago in a review of Anne Enright's short story collection The Portable Virgin I made this … Continue reading Book Review — Learning by Heart (1986) by Margot Livesey
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. I wonder how many nations' readers are familiar with the sensation of picking up a work of … Continue reading Book Review — The Secret River (2006) by Kate Grenville
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. Anne Enright has come a long way since this collection of short stories put her on the … Continue reading Book Review — The Portable Virgin (1991) by Anne Enright
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. I will probably realise this generalisation to be false not long after making it, but for now it's … Continue reading Book Review — The Poisonwood Bible (1998) by Barbara Kingsolver
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. Reviews of Kendrick's debut album, contemplations of Lana Del Ray, treatises on the state of Coachella, dispassionate … Continue reading Book Review — The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic (2015) by Jessica Hopper
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. The sub-heading of this book is "A hundred-year novel". This is no lie: the sum of the … Continue reading Book Review — Lovers’ Knots (1992) by Marion Halligan
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. I have mixed feelings about autobiography passed off as fiction, works whose entire chronologies can be linked … Continue reading Book Review — Monkey Grip (1977) by Helen Garner
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. You know when you finish a book and spend the immediately proceeding half-hour sitting completely still, staring at … Continue reading Book Review — We Need New Names (2013) by NoViolet Bulawayo
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. There are some rare books that people seem almost universally to agree are excellent. Because of just such … Continue reading Book Review — The Shipping News (1993) by Annie Proulx
This review is part of the No Man's Land Reading Project, an attempt to right a gendered imbalance in my reading and a general imbalance in the availability of reviews (by men, especially) of works by female authors. A couple of months ago my boss went to see James Patterson talk at Sydney Town Hall. He came … Continue reading Book Review — The Slow Natives (1965) by Thea Astley
