Reviews

Review

Review: Dummies & Doppelgängers, by Felicity Milburn

'From the start it is pleasing to both the eyes and fingers with a woven textile hard cover and shiny contrasting inlaid title. Flick randomly through the pages and you’ll find an ...

Reviewed by Sam Dollimore

21 November 2024

Review

Review: The Mess of Our Lives, by Mary-Anne Scott

Fleur, 13, takes a look at Mary-Anne Scott's latest young adult novel, pronouncing it 'deep' and 'poignant', and recommending it for fans of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

Reviewed by Fleur

20 November 2024

Review

Review: Wild Wellington Ngā Taonga Taiao, by Michael Szabo

World famous for creating Aotearoa's 'Bird of the Year' competition, Michael Szabo here turns his hand to a guidebook of flora and fauna found in the Wellington region. Rebekah Str...

Reviewed by Rebekah Stretton

17 November 2024

Review

Review: New Stories, by Owen Marshall

David Hill considers the masterful writing and predominantly male protagonists in Owen Marshall's latest book, the laconically-named NEW STORIES.

Reviewed by David Hill

12 November 2024

Review

Review: The Chthonic Cycle, by Una Cruickshank

'Each of the essays has their own story to tell, about an extraordinary wide range of subjects - from a religious sect in the late-18th/ early-19th century in rural New York State,...

Reviewed by Kelly Ana Morey

10 November 2024

Review

Review: Leave the Girls Behind, by Jacqueline Bublitz

Taranaki 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

Review

Review: Leave Your Big Boots At The Door, by Lorraine McLeod

Racism 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

Review

Review: Delirious, by Damien Wilkins

Damien 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

Review

Review: Atua Wāhine, by Hana Tapiata

'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

Review

Review: The Last Muster, by Carly Thomas

Lianza 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

Review

Review: Kāwai - Tree of Nourishment

'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

Review

Review: Unapologetically Me, by Bree Tomasel

'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

Review

Review: Kai Feast, by Christall Lowe

'...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

Review

Review: Pretty Ugly, by Kirsty Gunn

PRETTY 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

Review

Review: Woman Uninterrupted, by Brodie Kane

'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

Review

Review: Bloody Minded, by Susie Ferguson

...'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

Review

Review: Faces and Flowers, by Dinah Hawken

Reviewed by Sarah Scott

14 October 2024

Review

Review: Poorhara, by Michelle Rahurahu

Savannah 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

Review

Review: The Alternative Commentary Collective Almanack

'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

Review

Review: Kataraina, by Becky Manawatu

Kelly 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

Review

Review: Honey, by Honey Hireme-Smiler

...'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