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Tag Archives: relationships
A book that argues the indispensable value of spinsters: Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym is about capable spinsters – truly excellent women capable of dealing with any sort of drama – observant, helpful, available and overlooked. Mildred, the protagonist, is just one of these women, pondering her life and … Continue reading
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion follows on where The Rosie Project left off. Don and Rosie are now married and living and working in New York. They’ve adjusted to many of the challenges of married life and abandoned the … Continue reading
Posted in Australian, Comedy, Contemporary, General adult audience, Romance
Tagged 21st Century, Australian, autism, comedy of errors, disability, Don and Rosie book, fiction, friendship, Graeme Simsion, having children, humour, lighthearted read, marriage, New York, non-neurotypical, pregnancy, relationships, romance, romantic comedy, social skills
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A Victorian novel about decision paralysis: Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope has a name that is a bit off-putting. It suggests an obnoxious main character who will be hard to sympathise with. I didn’t find this to be the case. The main character, Alice … Continue reading
Posted in Classic, General adult audience, Novel, Novel of Manners, Romance, Social Novel, Victorian
Tagged 100/500/100, 19th Century, Anthony Trollope, authors with day jobs, British, character-driven, classic, decision making, decision paralysis, drama, exam period friendly, fiction, historical, humour, marriage, Palliser Novel, politics, relationships, society, Victorian Era
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Hooray! A Christian book on singleness that I can recommend without caveats: Single-Minded by Kate Wharton
Single-Minded by Kate Wharton is a biblical, readable and well-rounded book on singleness. As a general book on singleness, it is definitely my top recommendation, replacing Al Hsu’s The Single Issue, which is excellent but has become quite dated. It … Continue reading
The best book I’ve read on the church and singleness: The Plausibility Problem by Ed Shaw
The Plausibility Problem: The Church and Same-Sex Attraction by Ed Shaw answers the uncertainty and embarrassment Christians can feel about the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality. In our sex- and relationship-obsessed world it can seem unreasonable to expect Christians with same-sex … Continue reading
A book on marriage that’s helpful for singles too: Married for God by Christopher Ash
Married for God by Christopher Ash is a book on marriage from a Christian perspective that is essential to read whether you are married or single. Rather than focussing on how to improve marriage or what marriage actually is, this … Continue reading
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion features an unusual hero on a mission to find a wife. To increase the efficiency of the process, Don Tillman develops a lengthy questionnaire that will allow him to quickly eliminate women who would … Continue reading
A Country Gentleman and His Family by Margaret Oliphant
A Country Gentleman and His Family by Margaret Oliphant is surprisingly well written. Mrs Oliphant was a Victorian authoress who wrote novels to support herself and several dependents so was prolific but variable in quality. This book had skillful characterisation … Continue reading
Posted in British, Classic, Family Drama, General adult audience, Novel of Manners, Pastoral novel, Romance, Social Novel, Victorian
Tagged 100/500/100, 19th Century, British, character-driven, classic, domestic realism, drama, exam period friendly, fiction, marriage, relationships, remarriage, siblings, society, talent, widowhood, women
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Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky
Before I read Crime and Punishment all that I had heard about Feodor Dostoevsky was that he was a Russian author and, whereas Tolstoy understood legalism, Dostoevsky understood grace. I’ve since found out that he is also considered one of the greatest … Continue reading
Posted in 18th Century, Classic, Crime fiction, General adult audience, Realism, Russian, Social Novel
Tagged character-driven, classic, drama, ethics, exam period friendly, fiction, grace, Murder, philosophy, poverty, psychological, relationships, Russian, society, St Petersburg, worldview
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Is it possible to have a high powered job and a functioning family? It’s a lot easier if you have a ‘Wife’, according to discussion-provoking book, The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb
The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb is an intriguing look at work, home, family balance and gender in modern Australia. Why do men, on average, work an extra four hours a week after the birth of their first child? Why … Continue reading →