Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

An engrossing, twisty piece of campus-lit that explores issues of power (actually, isn’t this all campus-lit…?).

Reid leans heavily on the #MeToo movement for perspective, and the fact that the students at the centre of the story study philosophy, which gives plenty of opportunity for opinion and inflated banter. There were a few layers to Reid’s plot that lifted the novel above my initial expectations, although the ending didn’t quite convince… I’m probably nit-picking because I’m confident anyone who picks up this book (especially fans of campus-lit) will enjoy.

3.5/5

The Harpy by Megan Hunter

Well that wasn’t what I expected! Make a note of The Harpy for Novella November (Madame Bibi alerted me)- it’s a ripping story which draws you in from the outset.  Somehow, Hunter has bridged the gap between the modern, familiar world and the fairy-tale – motifs of poisonous apples and a spindle prick are given a 21st century overhaul, and I was kept guessing.

Note that there’s an element of magic realism – I know, I know, not my favourite thing, but it’s toward the end (not in an ‘I woke up and it was all a dream’ way, but incorporated as a legitimate and well thought-out part of the narrative).

3.5/5

The Jane Austen Remedy by Ruth Wilson

This is an elegant, if perhaps overly academic, memoir. Wilson decided to reread all of Austen’s works as an ‘antidote’ in her nineties. She uses each book as a reference point for reflecting on various stages of her life, and for comparison to other works of literature (and she covers everything from Tara June Winch and Graham Swift to Kate Grenville and Hilary Mantel).

I enjoyed the ‘reading autobiography’ element – I’ve addressed that on occasion for myself (for example, here and here) – and helpfully I’d read many of the books she referred to. However, if you were not familiar with those books, or indeed Austen’s work, I’m not sure what The Jane Austen Remedy would offer.

3/5