From female revenge, a romcom and a new illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in fiction, to a wry look at parenting and an eye-opening history of peasants in non-fiction, there’s something for all kinds of readers this week.
Fiction The End of the Vodka by Oscar De Muriel (Extraordinary Books, $35)
In 1938, socialite, arts enthusiast, and former actress Dorothy Hale falls to her death from a Manhattan skyscraper, becoming, “the most delicious fodder for gossip”. Her best friend, Clare Boothe Luce, a writer with influential connections, commissions a memorial portrait of Dorothy from Frida Kahlo, which is duly delivered. Luce is horrified by Kahlo’s stark depiction of the subject matter. Such details are true and in the public record, but aside from these facts, Oscar De Muriel’s book braids imagination with reality. Hale’s death was officially deemed a suicide, but there are rumbles of suspicion that suggest otherwise. With great ambition and literary flair, The End of the Vodka – the title is apparently Hale’s last words – moves from New York to Mexico, to a Europe hurtling into war as it explores a world of wealth, power, and intrigue. Though towards the end, De Muriel’s tale incorporates global espionage, stretching credulity, the novel is excellent at portraying the heady, artistic, and political environs of the time. There are invented conversations between Luce and Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, but it’s Kahlo’s strident and idiosyncratic voice that’s the most compelling.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K.Rowling, illustrated by Levi Pinfold (Bloomsbury, $75)
The Harry Potter juggernaut continues apace with the imminent December release of the HBO TV series, and now there’s also a handsome, heavyweight hardback edition of the sixth book. It’s the latest in the Illustration Edition series. While the last five were illustrated by Jim Kay, this book has been taken over by multi-award-winning Australian artist Levi Pinfold. There’s a decidedly darker tone in his drawings, with colour used sparingly and strategically. Pinfold’s pictures are fine-line drawings, with characters often lurking in shadowy corners. The overall effect is that of a story shrouded in mystery and gloom, far removed from the confectionery hues of the books’ original cover palette. There’s nothing cutesy here, which
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