Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts

Friday, 5 October 2012

The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller: Guest review Isolde Martyn


Part of this year's challenge has been to rediscover good books by Australian women which may have been overlooked. Rita Award-winning historical fiction author Isolde Martyn has chosen to review a fantasy novel from 2005: The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller, the first in the "Kingmaker, Kingbreaker" series. Martyn writes:

It is always a delight to review a book you cannot put down, especially when it is written by a local author, too.

The central character is Asher, a young Olken fisherman who journeys to the biggest city in the land and becomes first a stable hand and then aide and advisor to Prince Gar, the King’s son. Of course, this is just not accidental, for there are other deeper forces at work.

Gradually Asher changes from a rough-spoken country lad into an accomplished administrator. The reader mentally applauds as he deals skillfully both with the snobbery that surrounds him and the distrust between the Doranen, who run the country, and the Olken, the land’s original inhabitants.

Gar, the scholarly prince, faces challenges, too. He is perceived as crippled by the Doranen because he lacks the magic skills that the rest of the royal family possess and this is an affliction for him since it is the duty of the king and his heir to use their magic to protect the boundaries of the kingdom. As evil forces conspire against the royal family and the sense of disaster begins to build and build, can the friendship between Asher and the prince survive? And so much more is at stake.

The dialogue in this novel is rich with gorgeous humour and I especially loved the male banter that underscores the growth of trust between Asher and Gar. Some authors are either afraid or inept when it comes to using humour but Karen Miller manages it so skillfully. This is a book is a ‘keeper’, one that will forever stay on my bookshelf and be read again and again.
~
Isolde Martyn writes historical novels set in turbulent times. Her debut novel The Maiden and the Unicorn (published in Australia as The Lady and the Unicorn) won top awards in America and Australia and is shortly to be reissued as an e-book. Her latest novel, Mistress Shore, about King Edward IV’s most famous mistress, will be available in Australian bookshops in February 2013.

Note: This post has been cross-posted to the new draft AWW website on WordPress where a group of bookbloggers will host the Australian Women Writers Challenge for 2013. The Blogger site will be closing down and the challenge will be moving before the end of the year.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, 18 August 2012

WTF is ‘women’s fiction’?!


Today's guest author contributor is Paddy O'Reilly. Paddy’s debut novel, The Factory, was listed among the best books of the year in 2007 in the Australian Book Review and the Sydney Morning Herald, and performed as the Radio National Book Reading in 2009. Her latest novel, The Fine Colour of Rust , was released earlier this year in Australia and the UK, and comes out in the USA on September 4. She'll be talking about various kinds of fiction at the Melbourne Writers Festival from August 25.

Paddy writes:

When Elizabeth Lhuede asked me to write about why I wouldn’t want my book classified as ‘women’s fiction,’ my first thought was that I don’t actually know what the classification ‘women’s fiction’ means. I know the publishing and bookselling industries use it for marketing. And yet having my work categorised that way would make me very uncomfortable indeed. It feels dismissive. It feels like being shunted off into the section of the bookshop set aside for trivialities. It feels, in fact, like a throwback term, something that would have been used in the time when a woman’s place was supposed to be in the kitchen, reading her lovely unthreatening ‘women’s fiction’ once the house had been made all spick and span and the scones were rising in the oven.

What is ‘women’s fiction’ anyway? Unlike crime or romance or SF, it isn’t a genre with identifiable characteristics and conventions.

           Is it writing for women?

           Is it writing about women?

           Is it writing by women?

I asked a few fellow writers for their thoughts about the term ‘women’s fiction’. Here’s what they said.
  • My understanding is that men don’t read fiction much these days, but women still do. (Is that right?) In which case nearly all fiction is women’s fiction.
  • If there’s any such thing, it’s fiction about a female protagonist, written by a woman, that women want to read (and possibly men, too). Apart from that, it could be any genre, any style and about anything at all. 
  • ‘Writing by women’ is nice, ‘women’s fiction’ not - it has an unhelpful air of relegation in terms of readers or subject matter or level. 
  • On reflection I think women’s fiction is an irritating term. We have fiction about women. We have fiction by women. These are just statements of fact (and fiction about women is not necessarily by women, and vice versa.) But women’s fiction... that’s not fact, that’s someone’s judgement call. (It will suit women, it’s about women’s issues - relationships, parenting, etc, as if men don’t take part in those parts of life.) And it’s way too broad. I hate books about shopping and dating. I love books that examine relationships and family. And both those types of books are called women’s fiction. More ghettoising. 
  • Women readers do seek out ‘women’s fiction’, whatever that means to them. It doesn’t mean it has to be confined to any particular type of writing, though. (And women also seek out other things to read.) But others (critics, prize judges, lit editors, possibly even booksellers) think it means commercial fiction about domestic life or about relationships with men and family members – like that’s a bad thing. So it’s really not a very helpful term in any way. 
  • If I think of women’s fiction at all it would be as an offshoot of popular fiction and would include Mills and Boon, superficial romances and novels involving much shopping for products with trendy names. I recall a genre called ‘sex and shopping’, definitely women only stuff. I imagine it’s a useful category for marketing and shelving books. Readers of literary fiction might use the term derisively to show how intelligent they are. 
  • There is no such category as ‘Men’s Fiction’ that I know of in the mainstream, so that would indicate that ‘Women’s Fiction’ is used to corral, marginalise and fence off the work by women from the mainstream. Do women writers themselves refer to their colleagues’ work as ‘Women’s Fiction’ – I seriously doubt it – so the question remains who uses this term and for what purpose? In the same way good writing has no gender, it is just good writing, only the author has a gender, which should not reflect on the quality of the work. 
  • I’d be asking someone who uses it what she means by ‘women’s fiction’ – it’s usually only used in a demeaning way in my opinion
Meg Wolitzer, an American writer, also has a few thoughts on the topic.

‘...any lumping together of disparate writers by gender or perceived female subject matter separates the women from the men. And it subtly keeps female writers from finding a coed audience, not to mention from entering the larger, more influential playing field. It’s done all the time, and not just by strangers at parties or by various booksellers that have no trouble calling interesting, complex novels by women “Women’s Fiction,” as if men should have nothing to do with them. A writer’s own publisher can be part of a process of effective segregation and vague if unintentional put-down. Look at some of the jackets of novels by women. Laundry hanging on a line. A little girl in a field of wildflowers. A pair of shoes on a beach. An empty swing on the porch of an old yellow house.

'Compare these with the typeface-only jacket of Chad Harbach’s novel, “The Art of Fielding,” or the jumbo lettering on “The Corrections.” Such covers, according to a book publicist I spoke to, tell the readers, “This book is an event.”’ (You can read Wolitzer’s entire article here)

How tempting it is to write a book and give it the title ‘Women’s Fiction’. Then, to introduce a little cognitive dissonance, the cover must have large imposing lettering, and no pictures.

Why does it seem like that book would be ironic?





Posted by at 26 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, 22 July 2012

Contemporary, Popular, Mainstream, Women's Fiction: 2102 Tally

When the call went out last November for recommendations of "popular" novels by Australian Women Writers, book bloggers recommended far fewer books in this category than for "literary", Speculative Fiction/Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Crime and Romance. Yet recent mainstream contemporary fiction has generated the greatest number of reviews for the challenge so far.

Because of the sheer number of books, the broad category of "contemporary" a temptation has been to break down this category into subgenres.

But which books should go where?

In attempting to answer this question I found myself grappling with several more questions.

What's the best way to recognise "contemporary women's fiction"? Is this type of fiction "popular", easy reads, whereas literary fiction is more demanding? Or should a "contemporary" list include literary novels? What about lighter books, commonly known as "Chick Lit"? Should these be counted as a separate sub-genre?

Most contentiously of all, what about novels that focus on the domestic relationship between two people? If it ends happily, or happily for now, should it be considered "romance", while relationships with a less obvious sense of closure be regarded either as literary or mainstream?

Behind all these questions looms an even larger one. If we let book publishers' and sellers' marketing decisions dictate how we categorise books, do we run the risk of making books of literary merit that are "generic" or "popular" in nature less visible to those compiling long lists for literary awards? Equally, do we risk marginalising the "literary"?

In consultation with writers and reviewers on Twitter, I've decided to include here novels labelled by reviewers as "chick lit", as well as books marketed as "rural fiction", even though some of these novels may include a courtship (which arguably makes them "romance" or books with "romantic elements"). New releases which obviously fall into a generic category such as Fantasy/Speculative Fiction/Sci-Fi, Crime and Romance (where the focus is on the courtship to the virtual exclusion of all other story), as well as books with a historical setting* and those marketed as "literary", have been tallied elsewhere.

Arguably, though, all are "contemporary" fiction.

Disclaimer: I've only read a fraction of these books and only skimmed many of the reviews. Putting the reviews into a format that helps readers looking for recent titles by Australian women - rather than having them try to decipher the Mr Linky boxes of reviews posted on the AWW challenge page - has taken a great deal of time and effort. If some authors object to having their books categorised as "popular" or "women's fiction", instead of "literary", my apologies. Same goes for authors listed previously as "literary" who believe their books also belong here. Any mistakes will gladly be rectified. EL

Tally: 37 books, 90 reviews, 40 reviewers, 12 publishers.

Publishers: Allen & Unwin (9 books, 20 reviews); Random House (9 books, 25 reviews);Hachette (2 books, 5 reviews); Pan Macmillan (2 books, 5 reviews); HarperCollins (3 books, 10 reviews); Penguin (7 books, 16 reviews); Harlequin (3 book, 10 reviews); Simon & Schuster (1 book, 1 review); Indigo Dreams* (1 book, 2 reviews); Joshua Books* (1 book, 1 review); Even Before Publishing* (1 book.1 review).

NB: It's unclear whether the publishers marked * are independent small presses or vehicles for self-publication.
 
* Shelleyrae of Book'd Out suggests both M L Stedman's The Light Between Oceans and Nicole Trope's  The Boy Under the Table should also be included in the tally of "historical fiction", but as that wasn't obvious to me from my cursory glance at the reviews, they were included here.

Post modified: title and summary paragraph deleted (22/7/12).

Are there any other authors who would prefer not to have their books on this list?

Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Romance 2012: What's being reviewed?

Romances are reputedly the most widely read novels, but are they the most reviewed?

How do you define a "romance"?

One way is to say the story is predominantly about courtship: the tale of a relationship between two beings which either ends "happily ever after" or "happily for now". The sex of the beings isn't important: they may be male/female, female/female, male/male, non-binary gender (or any other variation you can think of - fans of Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness will know what I mean). Their nature isn't important either - human, alien, angel, demon, vampire or werewolf. The world and time they inhabit may be equally fluid: contemporary, past or imaginary. Books which have courtship as a subplot, however, are perhaps better described as having "romantic elements".

If books with "romantic elements" are included among the tally of romances, the number of 2012 releases reviewed for the AWW challenge during January to June is marginally more than for other genres tallied so far. If the popular genre of "rural fiction" - or "chook lit" as Twitter wags have dubbed it - is included, the number swells even further.

When canvassed on Twitter, some authors of "rural fiction" objected to having their books labelled as romance, preferring instead to be included among a broader category of "popular", "contemporary" or "women's fiction". With that in mind, only rural fiction books which appear to solely focus on courtship, or were identified by the reviewer(s) as being a romance, have been tallied here.

Otherwise, both straight - or "category" - romances and cross-genre books with "romantic elements", including historical romances, have been listed. (If mistakes have been made - and books have been included which shouldn't have been, or haven't been included and should - please let me know.)

What of Young Adult (YA) and Speculative Fiction titles? Are any of those also courtship stories or books with romantic elements? Should erotica - like Lexxie Couper's Love's Rhythm - be included?*

Have there been romances - or novels with romantic elements - of literary merit published in 2012 that are not listed here?

Tally: 23 books, 16 reviewers, 44 reviews

2012 Romance: Contemporary, Historical, Erotica, Crime, Fantasy, Romantic Comedy
* As Kylie Scott points out in the comments below, Love's Rhythm is more Erotic Romance than Erotica. Are there other 2012 releases in this genre that have yet to be reviewed for the challenge?
Posted by at 289 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, 20 July 2012

Speculative Fiction, Fantasy, SciFi, Horror: tally 2012

Of the 70 books categorised by AWW reviewers during January to June as either Speculative Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror or Paranormal, 17 are 2012 releases.* These include a self-published novel, as well as several novels from small presses. Because the distinction between Young Adult (YA) and "adult" Speculative Fiction books is not always mentioned by reviewers, and both categories are equally likely to attract awards, both have been tallied here.

Should any of the following books have been included in the list of literary works posted previously? Are there other recent titles in this genre that have not yet been reviewed for the challenge? 

* Disclaimer: some books may be reprints of earlier editions. If that's the case for any of the following, please let me know.

Tally: 17 books, 16 authors, 44 reviews, 29 reviewers, 11 publishers.

Publishers: HarperCollins: 6 books; Allen & Unwin: 2; Pan Macmillan: 1; Penguin 1; Random House: 1; Text: 1; Twelfth Planet Press: 1; ClanDestine Press: 1; Orbit: 1; Walker Books: 1; self-published: 1.

Links to reviews appear on the line(s) after the title.

2012 releases
~ ~ ~
What do you think about self-published books like Doll House by Anya Allyn being reviewed alongside books by award-winning writers like Margo Lanagan?

Not reviewed for the challenge during this period:
More titles (suggested by Shelleyrae of Book'd Out blog):
Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, 5 March 2012

Beautifully written and astounding: AWW Short Stories via Paddy O'Reilly.


Short stories are perfect for the age of short attention spans, according to some. But not according to P.A. O'Reilly. O'Reilly, whose novel The Fine Colour of Rust was released on March 1, finds short story collections by Australian women both "beautifully written" and "astounding." She provided AWW with her "starter list".

O'Reilly writes:
The idea of the Australian Women Writers 2012 Challenge is brilliant – not only bringing into focus the gender imbalance in coverage of books, but actually doing something about it. And the reviews are evidence that readers are thrilled to be discovering new books and authors. Now I hope you’ll allow me to add another flavour to the challenge: short stories.
I’ve read plenty of comments about short stories being perfect for the contemporary world because, well, they’re short. Short attention span of the digital age, people having less free time, perfect length to read in a commuter ride and so on and so forth.

I think that’s rubbish. The less free time idea seems to presume that most people in ye olde reading days used to sit down for a ten or twenty (or, in the case of some doorstoppers, fifty) hour stretch to read. I imagine the butler brought meals and visitors were turned away at the door, ‘I’m sorry, but madam cannot be disturbed - she is Reading a Novel.’ The majority of readers have always picked up a book when they had a couple of free hours or at bedtime or on that commuter ride, and read a chapter or two.

And the short attention span? Tell that to someone who spends three solid hours struggling with a  computer that’s eaten a document or minuting a meeting at work or looking after a two-year-old.
So here’s my proposition. Don’t try reading reading short stories because they fit into a busy lifestyle or you catch the tram to work or you can only concentrate for twenty minutes (!). Try reading short stories because beautifully written ones are astounding. A short story is designed to be read in a sitting and I urge you to get up after that reading and leave the story inside you to do its work. When you read a collection of stories, try to resist the urge to read one straight after another. Think of how you feel after gorging on a whole box of chocolates.

You may think you don’t like short stories much, but chances are you still remember a few. Man turns into a bug, village has a lottery, something about an overcoat. Yet it’s not the plot that makes a short story memorable. A short story works in a different way. It travels through you, into your hidden places. There is a single essence to a short story but it flavours everything you know. A short story has what in cooking we call umami. And in a short story, the extraordinary power of words is there, pulsing in front of you, each word essential, each word working with all its possibilities.

Try reading some short stories by Australian women. You probably know the names of our world famous short story writers Cate Kennedy and Margo Lanagan. If you haven’t yet, read them. But in recent years there have also been quite a few collections by other women writers published in Australia. Here’s a starter list of contemporary Australian women short story authors who’ve published recently - so many straight off the top of my head that I had to sort them alphabetically. I think you’ll love them.
  • Julie Chevalier - Permission to Lie
  • Amanda Curtin - Inherited
  • Irma Gold - Two Steps Forward
  • Catherine Harris - Like Being a Wife
  • Karen Hitchcock - Little White Slips
  • Tiggy Johnson - Svetlana or Otherwise
    Jennifer Mills - The Rest is Weight (forthcoming)     
  • Josephine Rowe - How a Moth Becomes a Boat 
  • Gretchen Schirm - Having Cried Wolf
  • Leah Swann - Bearings 
  • Tara June Winch - Swallow The Air
No doubt I’ve left out many wonderful writers, so please add o the list in the comments section. Also, I’m woefully uninformed about speculative fiction, horror and SF collections - do give us some recommendations.
Paddy O′Reilly is from Melbourne. Her work has been published and broadcast widely both in Australia and internationally. Her short story collection THE END OF THE WORLD garnered much review coverage in Australia and was shortlisted for several awards. Her debut novel, THE FACTORY, was broadcast in fifteen episodes as the ABC Radio National Book Reading in 2009. She has also written screenplays. Paddy has spent several years living in Japan, working as a copywriter and translator.
 
Paddy's new book The Fine Colour of Rust is currently on sale as an ebook via the following bookstores participating in the challenge (careful of the price differences).
ReadCloud bookshops participating in the AWW challenge include:
Australian Online Bookshop
Shearers Bookshop, Leichhardt, NSW
Pages and Pages Booksellers, Mosman, NSW.
The Book Shuttle
Better Read Than Dead Newtown, NSW
Booki.sh shops participating in the challenge include:
Avid Reader, Brisbane
Readings
If you are an Aussie bookshop participating in the challenge and you're not represented here, please let AWW know.
 Do you know any other recent outstanding collections of short stories by Australian women that could be included here?
Posted by at 9 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)