Book Review: The Persians
July 1, 2025
Mahloudji brings something vivid and fresh to the contemporary novel form here. The more I read, the more I wanted to read.
Claudia likes to have a few books on the go at once, and one of them is usually a poetry collection. Her areas of special interest include classical antiquity, contemporary poetry, literary fiction, the ecology of Aotearoa, feminism, crafts, the occult and vegetarian cooking. Though always on the hunt for information, a book with a bit of humour is her ideal read. She loves reading about imperfect people, animals, the psychology of interpersonal relationships, the land of Aotearoa and our relationship with it. Some of her favourite authors are Wendy Cope, Anne Carson, Tusiata Avia, Elena Ferrante, Donna Tartt, Robert Macfarlane and Virginia Woolf.
Mahloudji brings something vivid and fresh to the contemporary novel form here. The more I read, the more I wanted to read.
Tested to death in the Moosewood Restaurant and drawn by the chef herself, this book is a loyal companion and a cult classic.
I find this recipe book easy to follow, straightforward to shop for and accurate in its estimations. Delicious and doable!
Don’t let the emphasis on women’s sexuality in the blurb throw you off, this is an informative read for all genders.
This book is both a manual for how to spot corruption, a recipe for its undoing and a shining example of why journalism is so important.
This is a novel about familial tensions, the desperation caused by poverty and how to be yourself when so much is expected of you.
Neale’s writing is like those decadent liquor-filled chocolates that proliferate around the festival season.
Readers, prepare for the intrusion of the narrator. Knowing exactly why the action is happening is overrated.
Realistic and disgusting details of life are the showstoppers, as is the contrasting glory of the American wilderness.
Intermezzo can be described as the next episode in Sally Rooney’s series of novels about young adults and adult-adults figuring out what to say to each other.
Gay expertly walks the tightrope of light and shade, dispensing wit at appropriate times while not shying away from the sombre and harrowing.
Though long dead, Catullus is an accessible poet for the modern reader because he wrote candidly about love, jealousy, hate and politics.
Realistic and disgusting details of life are the showstoppers, as is the contrasting glory of the American wilderness.
Sections of the book are punctuated by poems and photographs, one of which confirms that, yes, in 1969 Professor Ricketts was very cool.