Welcome to June’s #RivetingReviews – our literary Euros.
This isn’t a competition, of course, but if it were, Italy comes out on top this month, with three reviews. Our very own Anna Blasiak returns to her beloved Venice with the latest in Comma’s Reading the City series. Paul Burke returns to review Caterina Bonvicini’s latest, and I read my first Natalia Ginzburg – and find a new obsession.
France is next in the rankings – with two reviews this month. We welcome back Lizzy Siddal, who reviews the second part of Pierre Lemaitre’s historical suspense trilogy. And Dymphna Flynn takes on more historical fiction, but this time of the alternative stripe, in the form of Lauren Binet’s Civilisations.
Also with two reviews, so equal second in the rankings, is Norway. Rosie Eyre tackles Marie Aubert’s Grown Ups, while old hand Barry Forshaw gets yet another cap with his review of Kjell Ola Dahl’s The Assistant.
The Iberians gets a look-in in Group B (do we have groups?) – with Spain represented by Elvira Navarro’s short stories, reviewed by our own Alice Banks. Portugal’s offering is Dulce Maria Cardoso’s powerful and experimental Violeta among the Stars, reviewed by the captain of the ELNet team, Rosie Goldsmith.
Finally, at the bottom of the board, is Iceland, with Rosie G back on the pitch to take on one of the greats of the game: Sjón, and his new work, Red Milk.
Also this month, I’d like to welcome to the #RivetingReviews team Rosie Eyre, as deputy manager – sorry, editor. With her help we expect to expand these reviews further, taking up the ever-growing book-review slack offered us by the newspapers.
Enjoy our reviews, enjoy the football, and do remember to help us promote these great reads, and European writing generally, by sharing these reviews as widely as you can.
—West Camel
If you’d like to review for us, please read our guidelines – https://www.eurolitnetwork.com/rivetingreviews-rules/ – and then contact us on our NEW email address: reviews@eurolitnetwork.com.
June 2021 #RivetingReviews titles are available to buy from bookshop.org.