Bec Kavanagh Bec Kavanagh i(A127507 works by)
Born: Established: Whyalla, Whyalla area, Northern Eyre Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, ;
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 Rapture by Emily Maguire Review – Tale of Medieval Female Pope Feels Fresh and Intimate Bec Kavanagh , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 25 October 2024;

— Review of Rapture Emily Maguire , 2024 single work novel

'This sensual account of a woman seeking knowledge and God in a man’s world brings us close to matters of faith and the body'

1 Shadows of Winter Robins by Louise Wolhuter Review – A Masterful Mystery That Keeps You Guessing Bec Kavanagh , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 5 July 2024;

— Review of Shadows of Winter Robins Louise Wolhuter , 2024 single work novel

'This writer’s tantalising second novel is packed with marvellous characters, whose unfurling stories examine generational secrets'

1 Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran Review – a Damning Indictment of Australia’s Refugee Policy Bec Kavanagh , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 10 May 2024;

— Review of Safe Haven Shankari Chandran , 2024 single work novel

'The Miles Franklin winner has somehow created a novel that feels warm and generous even when provoking feelings of discomfort and shame' 

1 ‘Poetic’, ‘Fearless’, ‘A Creative Triumph’: The Best Australian Books Out in February Sian Cain , Steph Harmon , Bec Kavanagh , Jack Callil , Yvonne C Lam , Lucy Clark , Imogen Dewey , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 4 February 2024;

— Review of My Brilliant Sister Amy Brown , 2024 single work novel ; We All Lived in Bondi Then Georgia Blain , 2024 selected work short story ; Politica Yumna Kassab , 2024 single work novel ; The Great Undoing Sharlene Allsopp , 2024 single work novel ; Monument Bonny Cassidy , 2024 selected work poetry prose ; The Pulling Adele Dumont , 2024 selected work autobiography essay ; All the Words We Know Bruce Nash , 2024 single work novel ; The Next Big Thing James Colley , 2024 single work novel
1 Green Dot by Madeleine Gray Review – A Sassy Love Story with a Bleak Worldview Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 27 October 2023;

— Review of Green Dot Madeleine Gray , 2023 single work novel

'Debut novel is carried by the self-aware snark of the besotted protagonist – an endearingly messy twentysomething ensnared by insecurities'

1 Body Friend by Katherine Brabon Review – Poetic Reflections on Living with Chronic Pain Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 22 September 2023;

— Review of Body Friend Katherine Brabon , 2023 single work novel

'Three women inhabit the space between illness and recovery in a novel that moves with a syrupy slowness, refusing our thirst for plot' (Introduction)

1 The Hummingbird Effect by Kate Mildenhall Review – a Genre-defying Epic Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 11 August 2023;

— Review of The Hummingbird Effect Kate Mildenhall , 2023 single work novel

'Spanning 1933 to 2181, this ambitious novel explores the future of humanity through the lives of a few women, zeroing in on capitalism, AI and violence'

1 Fat Girl Dancing by Kris Kneen Review – The Intimacies and Indignities of Living in a Fat Body Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 5 May 2023;

— Review of Fat Girl Dancing Krissy Kneen , 2023 single work autobiography
1 ‘Candid’, ‘Gripping’, ‘Compulsory Reading’ : the Best Australian Books Out in May Steph Harmon , Sian Cain , Bec Kavanagh , Susan Chenery , Lucy Clark , Joseph Cummins , Celina Ribeiro , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 10 May 2023;

— Review of Everything and Nothing Heather Mitchell , 2023 single work autobiography ; Obsession Nicole Madigan , 2023 single work autobiography ; Anam André Dao , 2023 single work novel ; She Is the Earth Ali Cobby Eckermann , 2023 single work novella ; Search History Amy Taylor , 2023 single work novel ; Fat Girl Dancing Krissy Kneen , 2023 single work autobiography ; The Albatross Nina Wan , 2023 single work novel ; Home Before Night Joshua Pomare , 2022 single work novel ; Reckless Marele Day , 2023 single work autobiography
1 Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas Review – a Melancholic Novel about Lives Not Lived Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 14 April 2023;

— Review of Thirst for Salt Madelaine Lucas , 2023 single work novel
'The Australian author’s quiet debut follows an unnamed narrator who falls for a charming man the same age as her mother, with both older adults competing for her attention'
1 Infidelity and Other Affairs by Kate Legge Review : A Journalist Strives to Understand Why Her Husband Cheated Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 17 March 2023;

— Review of Infidelity and Other Affairs Kate Legge , 2023 single work autobiography
1 How to Be Remembered by Michael Thompson Review – a Proudly Earnest First Novel Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 24 February 2023;

— Review of How to Be Remembered Michael Thompson , 2023 single work novel

'The story of Tommy, a boy who is forgotten on the same day each year by everyone who knows him'  (Introduction)

1 Shirley by Ronnie Scott Review – Finally, a Male Author Who Brilliantly Writes Women Bec Kavanagh , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 17 February 2023;

— Review of Shirley Ronnie Scott , 2023 single work novel

'The author’s second novel is impressively constructed, following a young woman who was raised by a group of men beholden to her celebrity mother' (Introduction) 

1 Salonika Burning by Gail Jones Review – Wartime Novel Feels Miraculously Fresh Bec Kavanagh , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 18 November 2022;

— Review of Salonika Burning Gail Jones , 2022 single work novel
'Jones takes four famous figures who served in Thessaloniki during the first world war and imagines how their stories could have overlapped' 
1 Moon Sugar by Angela Meyer Review – Blending the Wonder of Fantasy with the Thrill of Crime Fiction Bec Kavanagh , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 28 October 2022;

— Review of Moon Sugar : A Novel Angela Meyer , 2022 single work novel
'Reminiscent of David Mitchell, this life-affirming, magical novel sees two people travel to Berlin to piece together the final days of a mysteriously missing friend.'
1 Wildflowers by Peggy Frew Review – A Profound Portrait of Addiction, Family and Sisterhood Bec Kavanagh , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 9 September 2022;

— Review of Wildflowers Peggy Frew , 2022 single work novel
1 Keep Her Sweet by Helen Fitzgerald Review – a Thriller Packed with Monsters and Misery Bec Kavanagh , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 8 July 2022;

— Review of Keep Her Sweet Helen FitzGerald , 2022 single work novel
'This compelling page-turner follows a therapist who delights in her clients’ crises – but the tension breaks when plausibility is stretched too far.'
1 Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor Review – Outback Noir That Lives up to the Hype Bec Kavanagh , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 3 June 2022;

— Review of Dirt Town Hayley Scrivenor , 2022 single work novel

'Set in a remote town where a schoolgirl disappears, this debut arrives with high praise from other crime novelists – and it’s truly excellent'

1 ‘Propulsive’, ‘Evocative’, ‘Brilliant’ : The Best Australian Books Out in June Steph Harmon , Bec Kavanagh , Sophie Black , Michael Sun , Sian Cain , Beejay Silcox , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 1 June 2022;

— Review of Horse : A Novel Geraldine Brooks , 2022 single work novel ; Our Members Be Unlimited Sam Wallman , 2022 single work graphic novel non-fiction ; Basin Scott McCulloch , 2022 single work novel ; An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life Paul Dalla Rosa , 2022 selected work short story ; Talking About a Revolution Yassmin Abdel-Magied , 2022 selected work essay ; Pomegranate and Fig Zaheda Ghani , 2022 single work novel ; Dirt Town Hayley Scrivenor , 2022 single work novel ; The Eulogy Jackie Bailey , 2022 single work novel
1 Mothertongues by Ceridwen Dovey and Eliza Bell Review – A Bold Experiment in Form Bec Kavanagh , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 22 April 2022;

— Review of Mothertongues Eliza Bell , Ceridwen Dovey , 2022 single work prose

'In their abstract weaving of genres, the writers attempt to relay the chaos, wonder and grief of motherhood. It doesn’t always work – but when it does, it’s a triumph'

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