The Marriage Club by Kate Legge

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Genre - Fiction


“They could be madly in love. You just don’t know. You never do.” Leith Kremmer and her best friend Eva agree that you can never tell what is really going on in other people’s marriages. Even when you are close friends and have shared years of gossip and personal confessions you can still never know. When Leith’s book club meets in her comfortable home to discuss Ted Hughes’ “Birthday Letters”, they enjoy a night of champagne and an elaborate Spanish supper. They laugh hysterically at the sound of her husband George, an eminent family court judge, practicing his golf swing in the upstairs den. No one suspects that Leith has come to a momentous decision and is preparing to leave her marriage and change her life. No one is prepared for her sudden death and the questions that it raises about her marriage and the secrets she has kept from them all. This is an absorbing story about marriage and society that will appeal to women of all ages.

---- Sue, Knox

The slap by Chris Tsiolkas

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Genre - Australian Fiction

Tsiolkas has written a uniquely middle class Australian tale that exposes the domestic life of a group of family and friends in everyday suburbia. He explores the consequences when a man slaps a friend’s child at a family barbeque. The story slips seamlessly between opposing viewpoints and reveals the strain this puts on all the people involved. An intriguing look behind the curtains of our lives with an emphasis on the racial differences simmering in our suburbs. It reminded me of the the social realism of the Melbourne novel "Monkey Grip" by Helen Garner.

--- Reviewed by Sue, Knox

Jane's fame by Claire Harman

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Genre - Non Fiction


This is a witty & informative account of Jane Austen’s reputation since her death in 1817. Although the recent TV & movie adaptations have made Austen one of the most famous authors in the world, her books were out of print for several years after her death. Her reputation was only revived with the publication of the first biography written by her nephew in the 1870s. That was when the cult of dear Aunt Jane, the refined, elegant spinster, began. Austen’s reputation in the 20th century was enhanced by the scholarly editions of the novels published by R W Chapman which was the beginning of the academic critics’ interest in her work. The explosion of popular interest which began with the BBC’s Pride & Prejudice in 1995 has led to hundreds of websites, blogs, movies, sequels & prequels of the novels. Harman explores everything from chick lit & the internet to serious academic works in this exploration of how Jane Austen conquered the world.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

Handle with care by Jodi Picoult

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Genre - Family

From the opening pages we are swiftly involved in the harrowing life of a family with a child born with a brittle bone disease. Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe have coped with their daughter Willow’s numerous bone breaks and hospital visits despite the emotional and financial strain. Her older teenage sister Amelia successfully hides her suffering until Charlotte decides to sue her obstetrician, who is also best friend, for wrongful birth. The opposition to this lawsuit is strong and the pressure tears the family apart. Picoult is excellent at writing about family tragedy and gives an accurate voice to all sides of this ethical dilemma.
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---- Reviewed by Sue, Knox