bailedWhile I quite enjoyed Spargo-Ryan‘s debut, The Paper House, I couldn‘t get into this one, narrated by a decidedly inarticulate teenage girl. I missed the gorgeous sentences and insights peppering the first novel. Bailed a third of the way in.
This lovely package from @Marchpane in Australia arrived the other day – a book trade in which I think I got the best end of the deal! I read and very much enjoyed Spargo-Ryan's debut novel last year, and I am very curious about this, her second. The Maxine Beneba Clarke novel looks super interesting as well! Thank you so much, Maggie! 😻😘😻😘
pick"... uniquely Spargo-Ryan, filled with what one hopes will become her signature touches – vibrant characters, beautifully crafted prose, and imagery so strong you want to reach out and touch it."
My full review of The Gulf is up now on The AU Review - check it out at bit.ly/Gulf-review
Good morning!
Awww. This is too cute.
To me, this is not a YA book. But it is a story about, and from the POV of, a 16 year old girl, so it's probably inevitable that it feels a bit YA-ish in places (like the passage above).
Anyway this book got me thinking about "what makes a book YA (or not)". I *think* it boils down to a certain tone that comes across in the writing when a book is intentionally aimed at teens. This book didn't have that tone for me.
A little mini haul - these beauties are the result of hitting the #australianauthors section of the bookshop today 🇦🇺📚♥️
@shawnmooney - I couldn't come home with just one!
Surprise ARC! Completely forgot that The AU Review would be sending me this one!
If it's half as good as The Paper House, I'll be dead set 👌
I really liked her debut last year, The Paper House, and so I'm looking forward to this next one, out (in Australia at least) in June!
http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760554026/
The Gulf | 
