Review
Think you know John and Yoko? Not like this guy
Decades after the bizarre friendship began, unassuming radio DJ Elliott Mintz still doesn’t know why one of the world’s most famous couples chose him as their confidante.
- by Michael Dwyer
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Loose, ghostly threads weave together in Rodney Hall’s new novel
The author’s 14th novel is perhaps his most ambitious yet.
- by Reuben Mackey
A space odyssey, evolutionary secrets, and other new books
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Life on other planets is ‘highly likely’ – just don’t expect to meet them
The search for intelligent life in other worlds has taken astrobiologist Nathalie A. Cabrol to extreme places, discovering life thriving in conditions that would kill us in seconds.
- by Pat Sheil
Two new works of poetry, one universal theme: the human condition
These two new works of poetry are written by writers whose only common trait is having been alive for a long time, seen a lot, and thought a lot about it.
- by Peter Kenneally
Ali Smith creates a dystopian near-future that is alarmingly familiar
In her new novel Gliff, Smith’s new normal is a dictatorial world where everyone is surveilled. Sound familiar?
- by Gregory Day
Alexei Navalny’s memoir is a reminder of literature’s true purpose
The posthumous memoir is a bittersweet portrait of Russia’s most prominent opposition figure.
- by Kurt Johnson
Sceptical about Taylor Swift? This book might just change that
Rolling Stone veteran Rob Sheffield’s deep dive examines the musical and cultural impact of the world’s biggest pop star.
- by Nathan Smith
John le Carré’s son resurrects his late father’s favourite spy, Smiley
In his new novel, Nick Harkaway fills in the blanks of the years between his late father’s novels, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold and Smiley’s People.
- by Peter Craven
A celebration of Steven Spielberg’s storytelling and his ‘human touch’
This handsome coffee-table book about the “iconic” director is well-written and accessible, if not entirely substantial.
- by Tom Ryan
Eight new books on the winds of war, romance and the wisdom of animals
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/book-reviews-1q4