Heiress on Fire by Kellie McCourt

 

"And yes, I am drinking cheap wine and living in my mother’s pool house, because I am completely devastated that last week—I think it was last week, it might have been the week before, I am not one hundred per cent sure what day it is—I blew up my husband, Dr Richard Bombberg MBBS FRACS."

I'm pretty sure I got this one for free somehow and so had to read it on my iphone. Reading in such a small format doesn't lend itself to a particularly fabulous experience. 

This fizzy read started off well but then I just found the main character way too frivolous.

3 out of 5 - a lazy beach read

Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker by Barry Sonnenfeld

 

"The formula for a successful comedy is to have an absurd situation, or an absurd character, played for reality. If the situation is funny, the scene will be funny, but only if it’s played totally real. If the cinematographer knows it’s a comedy, it will be too bright. If the film lab knows, it will be even brighter. If the wardrobe department knows, it will be colorful. If the composer thinks it’s a comedy, there’ll be slide whistles and triangles. The worst, of course, is if the actors or director decide they’re making a comedy."

After hearing Marc Maron chat with Barry Sonnenfeld on the WTF Pod, I was determined to grab myself a copy of Sonnenfeld’s autobiography. If you feel so inclined, strap yourself in for a wild ride.

I found myself guffawing on the train ride home, particularly around the author’s over-protective mother (can so relate Barry).

The narrative meanders in an entirely affable fashion as we embark on a life’s journey that includes a hilariously graphic career in porn (behind the camera) to director of photography for the Cohen Brothers’ Blood Simple and then helming such hits as Men in Black, not to mention the recent apple tv gold that is Schmigadoon (seriously if you love musicals watch this one now).

 Like most lives lived, you’ll find more than comic gold, including the perplexing story of cousin mike the child molester. I’m reviewing books that I read late last year, so a lot of the detail has skipped my increasingly lax memory ( I blame the pandemic), however the descriptions of the smell of a porn set have polluted my memory indelibly.

My only quibble is that I wanted more in terms of Sonnenfeld’s successful ( and often challenging) career. I guess that means he could pen another chapter, he’s only sixty eight after all. In the meantime, he’s a hilarious podcast guest.

5 out of 5, worst concert experience ever.

No one is talking about this by Patricia Lockwood

 

"Something in the back of her head hurt. It was her new class consciousness."

A debut novel that was shortlisted for last year’s Booker Prize, Lockwood’s No One is Talking About This, is impressive as the accolades sound. The format was initially difficult to contend with and then it hit me. Reading this novel was an exact evocation of the crazy world we find ourselves in at this point in history.

The barrage of noise from apps, the internet, and the feeling that we are all failing miserably at reaching the levels of perfection thrown at us are all captured in a unique voice that feels both crazy and familiar. The novel is unusually crafted in fragmentary paragraphs that recall the character limitations of twitter and resonate with a kind of poetry

 

5 out of 5… a fantastic debut

The Countess from Kirribilli by Joyce Morgan

"She wrote her books in looping cursive, before having them typed. But her typist was about to leave for England."

After having read Vera by Elizabeth von Armin, I was eager to learn more about its Australian author through this recent biography, especially since von Armin grew up in my current post code.

Much like the characters from her books, Elizabeth lived an intriguing life across three continents, married twice, bearing five children, enjoying a hugely successful writing career, and proving to be a fascinating character before her death in 1941.

Joyce Morgan’s brilliantly researched biography transports the reader back in time to an Australia of the 1860s which is difficult to reconcile with my surrounds today. It is fascinating to see central themes of von Armin’s novels played out in her own life story —marrying into royalty, enjoying the French Riviera, experiencing loss and a controlling husband.

Should this biography whet your appetite for more information on von Armin and her works, you’ll find the Elizabeth von Armin Society another interesting resource.

 

4 out of 5… local girl makes good.

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

 

"A sobbing young woman lurched forward as though she'd been resting her forehead on the door and fell straight into Stan's arms, like a daughter."

I was tempted to seek out a copy of Moriarty's latest novel after watching her interview with Annabel Crabb at the Sydney Opera House. It is fantastic to see a local author succeed in such a large way globally and yet I don't think this is her best work.

The story starts out with good pacing and a high degree of suspense that peters out as the plot unwinds. Certain chapters would not have been out of place in a television soapie, with an overdose of cliffhanger at the end of most chapters.

A rather weighty tome that could have benefitted from more editing, if only to keep things a little tighter.

3 out of 5, apples won't keep the doctor away.

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss

 

"Wagadhaany wants to leave and get back to her family, but she has no right to say that, to say anything. She is without a voice in this house."

Don't be intimidated by the title in language, this is a fantastic book that brings history to life in an all-encompassing way.  My reviews have been missing in action for quite some time now. Who could have guessed that a pandemic would mean less free time? So if I'm a little rusty it’s because I have a lot to catch up on and am rather out of practice.

Wagadhaany is a captivating character, and the novel draws you into her world where the connection to her family and the unpredictable Murrumbidgee River is palpable. Heiss so clearly illustrates the ridiculousness of living under laws that in no way relate to your world view and yet keep you from achieving your potential and having agency over your life. The ability to decide on where you live, whether you marry, whether you have children...where those decisions are made by people purely because they have a different skin colour ...it’s a hard pill to swallow.

Listening to the traditional owners knowledge about the river could have significantly changed the events of the novel. Perhaps there's a lesson there for us all.

5 out of 5,  love and nature cannot be tamed.

5 out of 5

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 by John Godey

 

“Being dead is an improvement on a lot of things I can think of. Trying to sell mutual funds, for example.”

This is an old school action thriller that holds your interest. I've never seen either the original film or the recent re-make with Denzel and was interested in reading the book first. I now have two movies to catch up on (somehow lockdown makes me crave high-stakes drama - go figure).

Looking through the lens of today there's quite a lot of language that probably wouldn't fly and yet it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. The characters are gritty criminals and hardened subway users. One of the more memorable characters was the prostitute running late for her gross John. Her inner monologue creates a sense of a real human who is just trying to survive, rather than the usual stereotype.

The premise is compelling. A one million dollar ransom for the hijacking of a subway car in New York City. Mayhem ensues.

4 out of 5 , I'm still recovering from the dark tunnels.