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the complete review - non-fiction

Book Self

by
C.K.Stead

[an overview of the reviews and critical reactions]

general information | review summaries | links | about the author

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Why we haven't reviewed it yet:
Haven't gotten our hands on a copy


Chances that we will review it:
Good

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  Review Consensus:

  Worthwhile

  From the Reviews:

• "This is a real treasure trove of work, where one can dip in and out at will. While some critics and writers have, at times, railed against Stead's frank appraisal of their writing (and that of their colleagues), one cannot fault him on his sharp and perceptive insights into the books he reviews (.....) Those who are passionate about our stories, and their place within the ever-shrinking global village, will find this volume accessible, highly entertaining and authoritative -- it's a must-read." - Steve Scott, New Zealand Herald
  
  
• "In a series of essays, journalistic articles, travel pieces and diary notes, he sometimes takes himself as subject matter, sometimes some person or object outside himself, and frequently both. The result is entertaining, sometimes illuminating, but also uneven." - Nelson Wattie, New Zealand Listener
  
  
• "The poetry criticism is first rate, a series of perceptive, rigorous analyses written in lucid, personable and occasionally shimmering prose." - Jaya Savige, Sydney Morning Herald

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.

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Links:

• New Zealand Herald
• Otago Daily Times
• Sunday Star Times
• Sydney Morning Herald

• C.K.Stead at the New Zealand Book Council

• The Death of the Body
• The End of the Century at the End of the World
• [My Name was Judas]
• The Necessary Angel
• Risk
• The Secret History of Modernism
• Sister Hollywood
• Talking about O'Dwyer

• See Index of Australian and New Zealand literature under review

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About the Author:

       New Zealand writer Christian Karlson Stead was born in 1932. He taught at the University of Auckland and has written many works of fiction, poetry, and criticism.

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