Book reviews

Blurred boundaries in an imagined life

Novelists, unlike nature, adore a vacuum. The gaping hole of the unknown has an attractive force beyond compulsion. If there are uncertainties in stories or some small discrepancy in evidence,… Read more

Blainey takes stock of Cook's east coast voyage

Several elements of Geoffrey Blainey’s new book are tugged about as though worried by mischievous gusts of wind. Three propositions are canvassed: the extraordinary coincidence that placed James Cook’s Endeavour,… Read more

A saga of shipwreck, murder, slavery and courage

His name still appears on the cover slightly smaller than the book’s title but if it were not for the stellar sales of his previous books, it would be surprising… Read more