‘You cannot dismiss us’: A review of Booker winner Girl, Woman, Other

Himali McInnes looks past the fact that the first black woman to win the Booker had to bloody share it and focuses on the book –  in itself a treasure.  Girl, Woman, Other is the smart, urbane eighth novel by Bernadine Evaristo. Born in London of Nigerian, German and Irish descent, Evaristo is the first … Read more

An awkward, expensive, perplexing night with Margaret Atwood and Kim Hill

Holly Walker shelled out big bucks to see The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood being interviewed by Kim Hill in Wellington on Monday. After a prickly 90 minutes of questioning, she left wondering what Atwood gets out of her seemingly endless live appearances. We filled the lobby of the Michael Fowler Centre. We wore jumpsuits. … Read more

Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 29

The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1  Family Instructions Upon Release by Elizabeth Kirby-McLeod (The Cuba Press, $25) “Elizabeth’s father took his own life in 2012. Unable … Read more

Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 20

The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.   AUCKLAND 1  The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (Chatto & Windus, $48) Obvs. (Read our review by Pip Adam here) 2  Three … Read more

The Testaments: Pip Adam reviews the ultra-hyped new Margaret Atwood

One of our country’s finest writers gorges herself on Gilead – and finds herself wishing for more osmosis between the Booker-shortlisted new novel and the horror-story politics playing out around us.  Over the past five days I’ve re-read Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, caught myself up with the MGM/Hulu TV series of the … Read more

Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 13

The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1  Native Son: The Writer’s Memoir by Witi Ihimaera (Penguin Random House, $40) Stand by for a review from Essa Ranapiri! … Read more

Summer reissue: Is The Handmaid’s Tale… a documentary?

Alex Casey delves into the endless relevance of The Handmaid’s Tale, available exclusively on Lightbox.  This story was originally published on June 8, 2017 I first encountered The Handmaid’s Tale during high school English. They were simpler times, when you could buy three full size (!) Moro bars for $2 at the tuck shop, and the world didn’t … Read more

Reading The Handmaid’s Tale changed my life. Here’s what I think of the TV show

Sophie Smith, a superfan of Atwood’s dystopian novel, reviews the first episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. I first read Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale in one evening when I was working the night shift at a mine (the processing plant was down and out – and on that particular shift it actually wasn’t my fault). … Read more

Is The Handmaid’s Tale… a documentary?

Alex Casey delves into the endless relevance of The Handmaid’s Tale, arriving exclusively on Lightbox today.  I first encountered The Handmaid’s Tale during high school English. They were simpler times, when you could buy three full size (!) Moro bars for $2 at the tuck shop, and the world didn’t feel like it was absolutely, 100% … Read more

Huge and true: The Handmaid’s Tale is coming exclusively to Lightbox

The Handmaid’s Tale is already the most talked-about new shows of 2017, and it’s coming to our shores exclusively on Lightbox from June 8. Alex Casey tells you why you should be psyched.  Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s terrifying dystopia first imagined in her 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is a too-real vision of the future. … Read more