Whistleblowing: Athol Williams "in conversation with" Janet van Eeden
2021-11-22Janet van Eeden: "I tried to interview Athol Williams about his new book of poetry called Whistleblowing, but the timing was never quite right, as he was fearing for his safety. Therefore, I put together comments of my own and quoted from poems from his above publication to create a commentary, and also cited an earlier interview I did with Williams in 2012."
Inter-review with Fiona Snyckers, author of The school gates – light with a bite
2021-11-05"I wanted to make the point that competitive parenting has become a worldwide phenomenon."
Seen elsewhere: Goodwill and compassion are stronger than the forces of destruction
2021-07-16"This is what we must hold on to. Goodwill and compassion are stronger than the forces of destruction, whatever the agenda of the agitators is."
Death and the after-parties by Joanne Hichens: an inter-review
2021-05-12"I didn’t set out to be so honest, particularly about my childhood. I was going to write a short grief memoir, but the more I wrote, the more I understood that one’s childhood plays a role in how we grieve, that how we deal with loss as adults is connected to how we face loss as children, and so I went down that road, open to exploring my childhood."
Walking in the shadow by Carmen Radtke: an inter-review
2021-03-11"The story of Jimmy Kokupe is an unlikely subject for a historical drama, but his character is based on one of a number of men who were sent to the island by the British colony to live out their days in isolation during the early 1900s."
Okay, okay, okay by Finuala Dowling: a book review
2021-02-09"The paragraph above sums up for me the life of a woman writer who has to work while being the mainstay of a family. Even Jane Austen mentioned in her diaries how she wrote her novels in short bursts, hiding her work under a book when others came into the room, trying to find continuity between family interruptions."
Inter-review with Colleen Higgs about her memoir, My mother, my madness
2020-11-13"I think my mother’s death released me; I felt the burden of responsibility lift from me."
Inter-review with Helen Moffett about her novel Charlotte
2020-07-13"Please could Helen Moffett write the ending to my life story? Listening to Helen’s delightful Charlotte as an audiobook had me weeping in delight as I learned how things turned out in the end for the unobtrusive Charlotte Lucas, one of Elizabeth Bennet’s closest friends in Pride and prejudice."
Inter-review with Lauri Kubuitsile about her book, But deliver us from evil
2020-04-24"This novel is full of the spirit of adventure and the desire for justice, which make for great storytelling."
An interview with Fiona Snyckers
2019-11-15"Most of my books deal with issues that affect women, and it’s hard to rank these in terms of importance."
Inter-review: Tracey Farren in conversation with Janet van Eeden about The book of Malachi
2019-10-10"The writing is visual and visceral, the world created is tangible, and the character of Malachi has expressed his voice with utmost clarity."
Colour me yellow by Thuli Nhlapo: book review
2018-03-23"This is a powerful book that has you spellbound, especially as the secrets are revealed towards the end. It reminds you, once again, that knowing your ancestry is all-important for healthy self-actualisation."
A gap in the hedge by Johan Vlok Louw: book review
2018-02-07"The characters and the surroundings are drawn with the accuracy of a master painter, as the author’s descriptions evoke the hopelessness echoed in the area and in the lives of its inhabitants."