Read it if you like showbiz anecdotes but be prepared for lots of oral sex and the realisation that the author is only mildly funny but incredibly arrRead it if you like showbiz anecdotes but be prepared for lots of oral sex and the realisation that the author is only mildly funny but incredibly arrogant and immature. Her behaviour when things don鈥檛 go her way is constantly appalling. Her constant references to money and her property purchases suggests she likes calling herself a socialist more than being one. ...more
I鈥檓 a big fan of Alan Bennett鈥檚 Talking Heads but these two latest tales are poor examples. Unfortunately, sexual perversion is a favourite theme of BI鈥檓 a big fan of Alan Bennett鈥檚 Talking Heads but these two latest tales are poor examples. Unfortunately, sexual perversion is a favourite theme of Bennett鈥檚 and this pair of Talking Heads is no exception. With 鈥楢n Ordinary Woman鈥� perversion is the focus of the story but in 鈥楾he Shrine鈥� the perversion is gratuitous and adds little to the plot. These are essentially grubby tales and are not worth reading. Director Nicholas Hytner鈥檚 Introduction will be of interest to those who would like to know more about television production....more
Plot: Near-future government department uses time-travel to bring people from the past. Female handler has the hots for her time-traveller, author thrPlot: Near-future government department uses time-travel to bring people from the past. Female handler has the hots for her time-traveller, author throws in some historic racism and climate change alarmism, messy made-for-telemovie action scene climax.
Bradley had an interesting premise and unsure whether to turn it into an interesting romantic drama, a comedy, or sci-fi adventure, opts for all three and the result is, essentially, an unsatisfying novel.
If you want a book that tells the story of the beginning of modern Australia, and specifically the convict settlement of Sydney, this book is full of If you want a book that tells the story of the beginning of modern Australia, and specifically the convict settlement of Sydney, this book is full of interesting history and anecdotes. Keneally makes a few seemingly uninformed guesses now and then which seem indulgent but his worst crime is subjecting the reader to some of the most tortuous sentences ever published. For example: 鈥淭hough on the day of the spearing one convict amongst the victims of the Second Fleet, a man of 24 named Samuel Allen, former buckle-maker, former gentleman's gentleman, former drummer to an Irish brigade in the French army and now a declared silverware thief, was brought from the morgue at the hospital and buried in Sydney's earth, this decrease by death did nothing in numbers to produce a visible crisis in the camp of the whites鈥︹€� There are hundreds of examples of these almost non-sensical or poorly-composed sentences....more
Very enjoyable and well-written literary-crime novel set in the West End theatre world of the 1930鈥檚. The 2023 Ian McKellen film 鈥楾he Critic鈥� is basedVery enjoyable and well-written literary-crime novel set in the West End theatre world of the 1930鈥檚. The 2023 Ian McKellen film 鈥楾he Critic鈥� is based on this novel, however the plot is very different, and far superior, to that film鈥檚 barely credible screenplay. ...more
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