A Long Petal of the Sea

The Guardian, Hephzibah Anderson

Lanky Victor is in many ways the opposite of his brother, Guillem, a handsome militiaman. When his parents take in one of his father’s best piano students, Roser Bruguera, it’s Guillem that she falls in love with. Yet by the time the war is over, Roser is heavily pregnant and alone, and it will be a slower, infinitely more pragmatic – and more interesting – love that the novel ultimately celebrates.

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Mr. Nobody

The Washington Post, Carol Memmott

“Mr. Nobody” is equally fit for the big screen. The novel’s cinematic opening begins with a half-frozen man floundering on an English beach in winter, his memory gone. The story line draws from a real-life event: In 2005, a man dressed in sopping wet formal wear was found wandering on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, England, claiming that he had no idea who he was.

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American Dirt

Vulture, Rebecca Alter

Winfrey also posted a video of her endorsement to the Oprah’s Book Club Twitter account, saying, “I was opened, I was shook up, it woke me up, and I feel that everybody who reads this book is actually going to be immersed in the experience of what it means to be a migrant on the run for freedom.

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The Deep State

The New York Times, Peter Baker

More axes are sure to fall. A senior Pentagon official appears in danger of losing her nomination to a top Defense Department post after questioning the president’s suspension of aid to Ukraine. Likewise, a prosecutor involved in Mr. Stone’s case has lost a nomination to a senior Treasury Department position.

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Your House Will Pay

Herald Scotland, Alastair Mabbott

A Korean-American crime writer from Los Angeles, Steph Cha is well-placed to examine the racial tensions of her home city, and she’s surpassed expectations with Your House Will Pay. Basing her story on a fictionalised version of the shooting of a 15-year-old African-American girl by a Korean convenience store owner in 1991, she probes its long-term effects on the families of victim and perpetrator.

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Watson’s BMW among Bosasa assets to be auctioned off

The Citizen, Daniel Friedman

The auction, including properties, vehicles and equipment, is the final nail in the coffin of a company believed to have received roughly R12 billion from government tenders. Park Village Auctions will be auctioning off the assets of African Global Operations, formerly known as Bosasa, on December 4 and 5. An advertisement has been circulating for the auction, which will see items including late Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson’s metallic blue BMW X5 offered up.

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An interview with Jeremy Daniel

LitNet, Naomi Meyer

I think he is a figure of reconciliation already. What he's achieved, where he came from, how he lives his life is all part of his story. He's not a flashy player, so many people underestimate his impact on the field. He's doing the hard work at the bottom of the ruck, putting in the grind while others get credit. I think any sport that showcases us as a winning nation can contribute to nation-building.

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Inside Gavin Watson’s state capture cult

TimesLive, Adriaan Basson

It’s easy to imagine that state capture began with Jacob Zuma and the Guptas. But you’d be wrong. Born out of the ANC Women’s League 20 years ago, Bosasa has come to be described as the ANC’s “Heart of Darkness”. At its helm, until his untimely death on August 26 this year, was Gavin Watson, a struggle-rugby-player-turned-tenderpreneur.

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A House Divided

media24, Book Extract

It was April 2017, and 150 DA councillors were crammed into a committee room on the spacious mayoral floor of the civic centre. There was a temporary pause in the acrimonious shouting, and the DA's councillors looked shocked, unsure whether to believe this was happening. Usually, disagreements in the caucus were resolved through debate and consensus; sometimes, decisions went to a vote.

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Robey Leibbrandt

Maroela Media

In die vroeë 1940’s is die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek aangegryp deur die uitdagende optrede van die Olimpiese bokser en swaargewigkampioen Robey Leibbrandt. Hy was dodelik gekant teen Suid-Afrika se deelname aan die oorlog. Sy ekstremisme, opvlieënd-heid en onverdraagsaamheid was tipies van ’n politieke fanatikus.

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