Spectrum
Her pop career became soul-destroying. So she torched it and rebuilt it on her own terms
With Burnt Tapes, Eves Karydas shows young female musicians a path beyond sexist industry expectations.
- by Robert Moran
Latest
A darkly funny debut novel and the inner life of teenage girls
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
How Mia Goth became Hollywood’s most gloriously demented scream queen
With MaXXXine, the British actor wraps up a film trilogy for the ages.
- by Robert Moran
For years, Michael Robotham was advised not to set novels in Australia
The celebrated crime writer’s new novel, Storm Child, is the fourth in a series featuring forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven.
- by Susan Turnbull
Country pop has taken over the charts – good god, why?
Genuine musical superstars – exceptional voices, charismatic presences, excellent lyricists – have been dulled and flattened, their voices muted and their lyrics uninspired.
- by Tom W. Clarke
Opinion
Diet
Betting on Ozempic? I’ve heard this one before
The stock market is salivating over the money-making potential in the weight-loss wonder drug. Are we back in the ’70s?
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
Review
Do we care about the Archibald Prize too much?
The best interpretation one may put upon this phenomenon is that it’s a bit of fun, but it is a worrisome trend because the prize becomes the public standard by which art is judged.
- by John McDonald
The gold rush is over. Now podcasters are picking up the pieces
Doom and gloom have been hanging over the podcast world for the last 18 months. Is it the end, or a new beginning?
- by Barry Divola
Bestselling author’s sweet novel explores the human need for love
A safe escape from the world, Alexander McCall Smith’s new novel, like all his works, is grounded in an optimistic world view.
- by Kerryn Goldsworthy
An Australian mystery – the pie with no source
A pastry named after Ned Kelly is just one of the local linguistic enigmas investigated this week.
- by David Astle
Editing secrets of literature’s greatest authors
From Jane Austen’s abandoned novel to the first line of John le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, manuscripts give us fascinating insight into the creative process.
- by Simon Caterson