“What connects Damascus to my other books is a search for what makes a good life.” Read more

Tom Keneally – Shame and the Captives John Purcell’s Review One of the drawbacks of living in a society obsessed with the new is that we fail to recognise the simple fact that many things get better with time. There is just no story in ‘Author Gains Wisdom by Living a Long Interesting Life: Talking, Travelling, Reading and Writing’. But there should be. Someone gaining w... Read more

Writing a follow up to The Slap was never going to be easy for Christos Tsiolkas. John Purcell casts an eye over his latest, Barracuda. This is a difficult book to write about. It has a personality rather than a plot. It is built upon emotion rather than reason. It is all shouts and whispers and nothing in between. As a boy Danny Kelly wants only one thing – to be the greatest swimmer of ... Read more

How would you like to give everyone you love a book for Christmas… without you having to pay a cent? To help us celebrate Booktoberfest our friends at Allen & Unwin are giving you the chance to win all of the books in their Booktoberfest Showcase. Order any of the books in the Allen & Unwin Booktoberfest Showcase to go into the draw to win a collection of 20 gorgeous books, includ... Read more