Book Reviews

Who said that first?

Enjoyment of Max Cryer's detective work on National Radio years ago, as he tracked down the origins of expressions that roll unthinking from our tongues, saw me approach this book with anticipation. In many ways, I was not disappointed.

Handsome and hefty art publication

Angels & Aristocrats: Early European Art in New Zealand Collections, by Mary Kisler. Godwit, RRP $75. Reviewed by Julie Catchpole.

Hauaga – The Art of John Pule

by Nicholas Thomas. University of Otago Press

REVIEWED BY CAROLINE JACKSON - © Fairfax NZ News

The art of John Pule, one of New Zealand's most significant artists, spans many styles. As well as a painter, he is a drawer, printmaker, poet and novelist. Hauaga: The Art of John Pule is a comprehensive guide to his accomplishment in these various art forms.

So Much For That

by Lionel Shriver Harper Collins, 433 pages, $38.99

REVIEWED BY TEDI BUSCH - © Fairfax NZ News

Shep and Jackson are best mates, but opposite in outlook. Shep is steady and reliable: he sold his home handyman business for a good price, continues to work there under the boss from hell and picks up the bills for his extended family.

Island

by Penelope Todd Penguin Books, 299 pages, $30.

REVIEWED BY AUDREY EWAN. - © Fairfax NZ News

Penelope Todd lives in Dunedin, so perhaps this novel about life on a quarantine island in a bleak harbour is based on such an island off the Otago Peninsula.