Reviews
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Read our independent reviews of the latest books from Aotearoa.
Pānuihia ā mātou arotakenga tūhake o ngā pukapuka hou nō Aotearoa.
ReviewTaranaki author Jacqueline Bublitz racked up accolades at home and internationally with her sublime debut Before You Knew My Name. Now she’s back with another fascinating feminist ...
Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
7 November 2024
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ReviewRacism against Māori is all around us, systemic and from individuals. David Veart considers the perspectives of Pākehā who are confronting this racism in this new Potton & Burton b...
Reviewed by David Veart
6 November 2024
ReviewDamien Wilkins's 14th novel mulls over the contradictions and privilege of ageing in a smart and sensitive way, writes Clare Travaglia.
Reviewed by Clare Travaglia
4 November 2024
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Review'Tapiata is upfront in sharing that these stories are the versions she knows. She has been deliberate in sharing a generalised version that does not rely on iwi and hapū-specific m...
Reviewed by Jade Kake
3 November 2024
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ReviewLianza reviewer Bernadette Cassidy takes a journey through high-country hills with Carly Thomas in her new book, THE LAST MUSTER, on the role of horses in mustering in Aotearoa.
Reviewed by Bernadette Cassidy
29 October 2024
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Review'I predict that this time around Kāwai will win at the Ockhams. It is essential reading for those in our increasingly multicultural nation...'
Reviewed by Vaughan Rapatahana
28 October 2024
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Review'In her professional life, Bree’s job has been to select and edit the anecdotes that will entertain, amuse and connect with her audience. The writing it down part is new, but a lif...
Reviewed by Anna Scaife
22 October 2024
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Review'...Kai Feast tells a very intimate family story. In large part, it’s a heartfelt homage to Lowe’s grandad Don Beadle, 'the hangi pit master who always had a good feed on the go', ...
Reviewed by Lucy Corry
20 October 2024
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ReviewPRETTY UGLY, Kirsty Gunn's new collection of short stories, published by Otago University Press, goes out of its way not to be forgettable or ordinary. Nat Baker reviews it and is ...
Reviewed by Nat Baker
16 October 2024
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Review'Kane’s memoir reflects a life lived large, whether she’s spooning All Blacks’ Ritchie McCaw atop a mountain, shimmying to Tina Turner in the final round of Dancing with the Stars,...
Reviewed by Becs Tetley
16 October 2024
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Review...'a gripping, page-turning memoir, both due to Ferguson’s incredible career, but also due to her grasp of what makes a compelling story: drama, a touch of humour, and a theme to ...
Reviewed by Claire Williamson
15 October 2024
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ReviewReviewed by Sarah Scott
14 October 2024
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ReviewSavannah Patterson delves into the world of POORHARA, Michelle Rahurahu's debut novel, which won the Modern Letters Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Michael Gifkins Prize....
Reviewed by Savannah Patterson
13 October 2024
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Review'If nothing else, the book provides periodic dopamine hits of pure sporting pleasure, as you bathe in the glory of some brilliant sporting memories once more....'
Reviewed by Chris Long
9 October 2024
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ReviewKelly Ana Morey considers Kataraina, Becky Manawatu's much anticipated second novel, sequel to Auē, and is struck by the beauty of Manawatu's writing and her captivating characters...
Reviewed by Kelly Ana Morey
7 October 2024
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Review...'the book is for anyone who doesn’t have it all together but keeps putting one foot in front of the other. Hireme-Smiler reveals her troubled childhood and candidly describes th...
Reviewed by Angela Walker
6 October 2024
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ReviewRose Carlyle is back with her second novel, a new twisty thriller packed with secrets, lies, and boats, set in a remote part of Tasmania. Greg Fleming shares his thoughts in this r...
Reviewed by Greg Fleming
6 October 2024
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Review'This book will go a long way towards restoring the Waikato War to its rightful place in our history, and to stimulate discussion about how we can best remember and honour it...'
Reviewed by Sarah Ell
1 October 2024
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Review'Julia Waite, from Auckland Art Gallery, should be commended for the breadth and depth of the research which lies behind both exhibition and publication, and for her interesting se...
Reviewed by Peter Simpson
29 September 2024
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Review'He's most impressive when he's most vulnerable: his own tribulations; his Mum's death; his involvement with Al Noor Mosque survivors and families; his work on behalf of cystic fib...
Reviewed by David Hill
24 September 2024
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ReviewKerikeri author Catherine Lea has crafted a terrific heroine in Detective Inspector Nyree Bradshaw and, in a second outing for what deserves to be a long series, spins a page-whirr...
Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
24 September 2024