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Kate Macdonald

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Category: noir

Penguin New Writing 34: Life in 1948

We’re well past the Labour victory in the post-war general election now, heading towards a Conservative revival in 1951. Notable Conservative novelist Angela Thirkell wrote about this period of British history with loathing and resentment. John Lehmann writes about it in his Foreword to this issue in terms of a strong desire to earn a … Continue reading Penguin New Writing 34: Life in 1948 →

Kate 20thC, Angus McBean, Anthony Thorne, art, biography, Christopher Isherwood, fine art, history, J F Powers, John Atkins, John Lehmann, Julia Strachey, literary history, middlebrow studies, noir, outdoor adventure, passion and secrets, Paul Klee, poetry, political / social commentary, Renato Guttuso, short stories, the life of the times, Walter Allen, wartime Leave a comment July 31, 2017November 14, 2017

Nicola Griffith’s dances with martial art: the Aud Torvingen novels

I’m writing about Nicola Griffith’s Hild for a conference, and realise that I haven’t read her three Aud Torvingen lesbian crime-fighter noir novels, which have only been published in the USA. (WHY, British publishers?) I happily begin reading the first one to arrive from Abebooks  – Always (2007) - devouring its muscular prose as if … Continue reading Nicola Griffith’s dances with martial art: the Aud Torvingen novels →

Kate 20thC, 21stC, bildungsroman, detective, drinking, nature, Nicola Griffith, noir, outdoor adventure, political / social commentary, technology, the life of the times, the world of work, thriller 2 Comments February 26, 2016

No tentacles in Squid’s Grief, by D K Mok

Squid’s Grief is D K Mok’s third novel (The Other Tree is reviewed here, The Hunt for Valamon is reviewed here). Her defining characteristic so far is that she uses the same plot in different genres, and she has an affinity for fantasy fiction that speaks with a knowing wink. She’s a very good writer, … Continue reading No tentacles in Squid’s Grief, by D K Mok →

Kate 21stC, D K Mok, detective, dystopia, noir, outdoor adventure, passion and secrets, Philip K Dick, political / social commentary, science fiction, the life of the times, thriller, William Gibson Leave a comment February 10, 2016
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Top Posts & Pages

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