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Half of a Yellow Sun
‘…a gripping read…smart and engrossing’ - The Weekend Australian
‘Adichie… is foremost a storyteller…Her sweeping story is both a harrowing history lesson and an engrossing human tale.’ – The Sunday Tasmanian
‘Beautifully written…an involving love story.’ – The Sunday Telegraph
‘Compelling original fiction.’ – The Sydney Morning Herald
Reviews of Bye Bye Baby
‘A dark and insightful thriller.’ - The Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin
Amazing Grace
I found that it was quite an easy read, knocking it over in a little over four hours. I must admit that the first part was hard slog, just a tad weighed down in minute detail (that Sarah smudged two nails really didn't add to the plot!). Once the story moved into action mode, it did get much better for me. A slight disappointment for me was the lack of urgency about the earthquake, but this was more than made up for in descriptions of the aftermath. Each of the character's stories, although distinct and separate, became intertwined and it was nice to see how they complemented each other as the book moved on. Just a personal here - I soooooo wanted to take Janet aside and slap her really hard! Although the plotline of Maggie and Everett was evident almost from the beginning of their involvement, Sarah's outcome was most unexpected. Ms Steel was crafty with this, just when I had it figured out; she twisted it all and made me guess again. I think that I was a little disappointed in the final outcome of Sarah's tale; it felt like there was something more that just wasn't there for me. Melanie's journey was wonderful - I wanted to alternately cheer for her, then take her aside and give her a motherly talking-to. The end of her journey left me with visions of white dresses and children's charity concerts (with Tom and the kids all looking on!). It also made me see that fame and fortune ain't all it's cracked up to be. Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely. The one thing I took away with me from this reading was the knowledge that money doesn't always bring you happiness - the most unexpected strangers can often do that - Laura O'Donnell
‘as fresh and biting as an arctic wind … a superb demonstration of the cliché that nobody is all good or all bad. Shriver is honest, but never judgemental, about her characters’ flaws’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘wonderful … delicious’ Washington Post ‘a testament to Shriver’s ability to make Irina into a thoroughly compelling character, an idiosyncratic yet recognizable heroine about whom it’s impossible not to care’ New York Times ‘Book clubs … should be buying up stacks of Lionel Shriver’s dazzling Rubik’s Cube of a novel’ USA Today ‘a playful, psychologically acute, and luxuriously textured meditation on the nature of love’ The New Yorker ‘utterly compelling … Shriver writes with elegance and a loaded intensity’ Weekend Australian
