Global Comment’s Book Club: May 2025
In April, the literary world bid farewell to one of its most influential voices: Mario Vargas Llosa, a master of narrative, political insight and human complexity. Vargas Llosa leaves behind a...
Category: Books
Small Boat: this slim, devastating novel about a real migrant shipwreck reminds us of the cruelty of indifference
Fiona Murphy, Dublin City University There’s a particular kind of story that’s rarely executed well – one without heroes, without lessons, without even the cold comfort of a villain you can...
Great Adaptations: Ready Player One on film
Few sci-fi stories feel more relevant today than Ready Player One. Ernest Cline’s nostalgia-drenched novel and Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster adaptation of it offer a vivid vision of a...
“Weighed down by its own sense of importance”: The Narrow Road to the Deep North review
“But this is for the Emperor. It must be done.” As far as WWII horrors go, we don’t hear often enough about what Imperial Japan inflicted on Australian POWs. Richard Flanagan’s novel, The...
Global Comment’s Book Club: April 2025
Spring is here, and with it comes longer days, brighter colors and the inevitable urge to renew our reading. This season, which welcomes rebirth and lightness, becomes the perfect setting for reading...
Great Adaptations: Romeo and Juliet on film
When it comes to legendary love stories, surely Romeo and Juliet reigns supreme - or does it? My husband insists it’s not a love story at all, just a very stylish tragedy. But regardless of how you...
Five children’s books that feature positive male role models – from toddlers to teens
Vincent Straub, University of Oxford; Joanna Nadin, University of Bristol; Michael Joseph Richardson, Newcastle University; Robert Walker, University of Stirling, and Sarah Moore Fitzgerald,...
When books enter the public domain: a guide to free online literary treasures
Sometimes you’re just itching to read a new book, but nothing’s catching your attention. Or, let’s face it, you’re broke and already feel guilty about your TBR pile that’s staring at you...
Global Comment’s Book Club: March 2025
In the history of literature, many women writers used male pseudonyms to be accepted by an industry that underestimated the quality of their work. These pseudonyms gave credibility and served as...
Great Adaptations: Murder on the Orient Express on film and audio
When Murder on the Orient Express was first published in 1934, it caused quite a stir amongst critics. Its ingenious twist ending (no spoilers here!) challenged conventional mystery tropes and...