RaveThe Sydney Morning Herald (AUS)One of the highlights of The Yield is the way Winch conjures the specific texture of home, the expectation that it will always remain the same, and the feeling when it doesn’t. There is an exactness to her phrasing as she writes that being home means being seen, having a witness, and bearing witness ... Throughout The Yield, the poetic eloquence is more polished than the writing in Swallow the Air, unmistakably the work of a more mature writer. The descriptions are consistently inspired ... The humorous undercurrent to some of Winch’s short stories has no place here, and this is a more serious work than her previous books – but while she may have developed a more sophisticated style, her work is no less vivid, and this is an astonishingly elegant and powerful second novel.
Christian White
PositiveThe Sydney Morning HeraldWith such a bold premise, it would be disappointing if the answer were straightforward, but The Nowhere Child is anything but, with chilling facts that continue to destabilise the narrative right until the end ... Some of the dramatic moments could have benefited from a little understatement and too often the language resorts to cliche, but sometimes [White} manages a description that illustrates his talent ... The tale itself is farfetched, but White manages it expertly, with some sophisticated plotting. Crucially, too, his characters have depth and complexity, and they run the gamut of age, personality type and background – they are as varied as they are interesting ... Kim\'s story is compelling because there\'s a possibility that it could be true.
Heather Rose
RaveThe Sydney Morning HeraldMore than just that rare treat, a book that requires something of the reader – it is a book that painstakingly prepares you for its own requirements ... bold ... a novel with artistic sensibility at its core ... Abramovic polarises people, but even if you\'re not a fan or are unfamiliar with her work, the observations on life and art that come about in The Museum of Modern Love, as a result of reflecting on her work, are profound.
Chris Womersley
RaveThe Sydney Morning Herald[Womersley\'s] an exciting writer, with the ability to bend and flex his talent in different directions. He does that again in City of Crows, which is based on real characters and is original both in ambition and execution ... The way Womersley develops plot is persistently intriguing and intricate without being confusing ... Womersley is an eloquent and technically skilled writer. He chooses words carefully, each sentence a shorthand covering place, atmosphere, time and character. Descriptions are sharp and evocative. And he can be playful with language ... The level of historical detail feels authentic and makes the reading all the more engrossing. These characters are largely the product of their conditions, emboldening readers to contemplate what they might have been in a different era ... The climax of the novel is a ferocious reminder of how potent and widespread the lure of magic once was.
