Reviewed: The Sundays of Eternity by Gerard Smyth Gerard Smyth works quiet miracles in the numinous, tender poems abounding in his tenth collection, poems which celebrate his Dublin heartland, venturing out too to … Poetry • 26 Feb 20
Reviewed: Capital and Ideology by Thomas Piketty French economist Thomas Piketty's 2013 book Capital in the Twenty First Century became an unlikely bestseller. Now he returns to the table of popular but … Books • 25 Feb 20
Reviewed: This is How We Dance by David Diebold A whirlwind of emotions based on life, love and loss, evoked in 52 personal stories affords a wonderful insight into unforgettable moments in the author's … Books • 24 Feb 20
Reviewed: Apeirogon by Colum McCann Apeirogon is a beautifully written novel set in the West Bank, in the heat of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and explores the poignant impact … Books • 25 Feb 20
Reviewed: Terry Brankin Has a Gun by Malachi O'Doherty In his debut novel Malachi O'Doherty seeks to make a broader point here about legacy (Northern) Troubles issues - whatever happens to Brankin and his … Books • 18 Feb 20
Reviewed: Elsewhere by Rosita Boland Vividly written, wryly humorous and most of all honest, Elsewhere is a tonic of a travel book from journalist Rosita Boland, now out in paperback. Books • 24 Feb 20
Reviewed: Actress by Anne Enright Actress is the tale of the complex relationship shared between the protagonist Norah and her Hollywood actress mother Katherine O'Dell in post war 1940s Hollywood. Books • 15 Feb 20
Reviewed: A Radical Romance by Alison Light Alison Light's revealing memoir details in its last third the sense of acute desolation the writer and critic felt following the death of her husband, … Books • 17 Feb 20
Book review: Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride Strange Hotel explores loss, love and the nature of home through the intimate rendering of a woman's mind laid bare in a series of hotel … Culture • 13 Feb 20
Reviewed: Miss Austen by Gill Hornby They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but let's face it, most of us do at some stage, and by that … Books • 05 Feb 20
Reviewed: Grown Ups by Marian Keyes The Caseys don't really have perfect lives, and Marian Keyes' latest novel explores just what happens when the air kissing ends and stuff hits the … Books • 04 Feb 20
Reviewed: The Island Girl by Molly Aitken Oona gets away from the island physically but escaping the psychic, spiritual effect of her homeplace, bound up as it is with dark secrets, is … Books • 30 Jan 20
Reviewed: Parisian Lives by Deirdre Bair American academic Deirdre Bair won global acclaim for her biographies of the writers Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) and Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986). In this memoir she … Books • 31 Jan 20
Reviewed: The Humours of Nothingness by Gerry Murphy In his latest collection, Cork poet Gerry Murphy is moving in surreal regalia through the fair of poetry, sardonic and mischievous, colourful and catch-all in … Books • 01 Feb 20
Reviewed: Threshold by Rob Doyle Béibhinn Breathnach recommends Rob Doyle's latest work, Threshold, as an ideal read for anyone who has ever felt they were not living, but merely floating … Books • 24 Jan 20
Reviewed: Motherwell - A Girlhood by Deborah Orr Deborah Orr's posthumously published memoir is an illumination picture of a Scottish childhood Books • 11 Mar 20
Reviewed: A Good Man by Ani Katz Ellen McGrath was not impressed by Ani Katz's debut novel in which the unlikable, vain protagonist is surrounded by characters that are mere shadows in … Books • 22 Jan 20
Reviewed: Shalamov's Sketches of the Criminal World "Shalamov's experience in the camps was longer and more bitter than my own, " declared Aleksander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) of his compatriot, Varlam Shalamov (1907-1982) who … Books • 22 Jan 20
Book review: The Hungry Road by Marita Conlon-McKenna Eileen Dunne welcomes Marita Conlon-McKenna 's new novel, The Hungry Road which opens in June 1843, as crowds gather for the Monster Repeal Meeting in … Books • 21 Jan 20
Review: The Boatman & Other Stories - Billy O'Callaghan Billy O'Callaghan's twelve enchanting stories take in two continents, ranging from the fields of Ireland to exotic Taipei. Books • 14 Jan 20
Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming by László Krasznahorkai Bayern Munich and the rearguard tactics of the Brazilian player Dante Bonfim Costa Santos are just part of the rich tapestry that the Hungarian novelist … Books • 13 Jan 20
Book review: The Personals by Brian O'Connell The creative and imaginative approach which Brian O'Connell takes in his investigations into the back-story of seemingly mundane small ads makes reading The Personals a … Books • 06 Jan 20
Reviewed: Travels With A Writing Brush This fascinating compendium gathers 1,000 years of Japanese travel writing, involving perilous treks over mountains and along dangerous shores, with intense poetic epiphanies guaranteed. Books • 20 Dec 19
Reviewed: Dominion by Tom Holland Tom Holland's study of the development of Christendom proves an accessible, pleasurable read as befits a natural communicator and presenter of highly-regarded TV series on … Books • 19 Dec 19
Reviewed: The Jewel by Neil Hegarty 'Incredibly good. Incredibly vivid: the colours shine like they're on fire'. Neil Hegarty's description of the paintings of his artist Emily Sandborne equally applies in … Books • 17 Dec 19
