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Welcome to the personal website of Michael Gorey. I'm a Bundaberg-based communications professional interested in photography, reading, history, politics and travel.
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- Books (8 articles)
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- History (1 article)
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Blog / Category - Books
Books
The Treasure of Montsegur
Several years ago I read a biography of Eleanor of
Aquitaine.
Eleanor was a remarkable woman and probably would have been great in any era. She was married to the King of France, but they obtained (purchased) a divorce on the grounds of being cousins despite already having a daughter.
Eleanor was a prize catch, commanding in her own right the affluent Duchy of Aquitaine. She (...)
The Book of Fame
Lloyd Jones has immortalised himself in New Zealand
literature through his outstanding novel "The Book of Fame".
It traces the story of the famous 1905 All Blacks, known as "The Originals", on their pioneer tour of Britain, France and the United States.
The story is written as a collective diary in concise prose that's almost poetic. The use of language is something I've never (...)
Lunch with Mussolini
Lunch with Mussolini by Derek Hansen is a fascinating
book that's full of suspense and intrigue.
Hansen is an Australian author, who according to his blurb, left the advertising industry to "fulfil a lifelong ambition" to write novels.
Putting aside my suspicion of advertising people, and resisting the temptation to say they are all experts in fiction, I'm happy to praise Hansen (...)
Pillars of the Earth
If you can possibly imagine a cross between Thomas
Hardy and Wilbur Smith you might begin to conceive the grandeur of
Ken Follett's epic work "The Pillars of the Earth".
There are hints of Jude and Tess in the tragic elements of Pillars, and the rural landscape also reminds of Hardy. The chronology of families through generations, and the gripping narrative, will be familiar to readers (...)
Cloudstreet
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton is the best Australian novel
I've read in several years. I preface that by saying I don't read
many Australian novels, having been disappointed in the past and
wishing to "travel" through my reading.
That said, Winton's Western Australian setting is unique enough for me to enjoy the experience and his writing is simply superb.
The book traces the (...)
Gone for Good
Gone for Good by Harlan Coben is a gripping crime
mystery thriller that left me enthralled from start to finish.
Set in New Jersey, and written through the eyes of Jewish youth worker Will Klein, it revolves around the disappearance of Will’s brother Ken.
Accused of murder, falsely according to his family, Ken vanished to escape prosecution and retribution. Assumed dead, he (...)
Tomorrow the World by John Biggins
This book would actually be a good starting point for
anyone who stumbles across the Prohaska series by John Biggins, as
I did.
It is chronologically first, tracing the career and life of Otto Prohaska from small-town Bohemia to the Imperial and Royal Navy of Austria-Hungary.
Young Otto studies at the Naval Academy, learning 19th century sailing skills that will be largely (...)
Havoc in its Third Year
Havoc in its Third Year is a powerful, moving novel set
in the religious turmoil of 1630s England.
Written by Ronan Bennett, it traces the story of John Brigge, a decent, hard-working farmer and landowner. He also happens to be a governor on the local town council, the district coroner, and, quietly given the times, a Catholic.
He’s called to hear the case of a murdered (...)