The current state of the Australian condition is examined in a triple-book review by Bob Beale in this week's Bulletin. He looks at Australian Heartlands by Brendan Gleeson, Time for Change edited by Tim Wright and The Australian Miracle by Thomas Barlow, and saves his best praise for the last of them: "...a thoughtful read about Australian creativity and invention, it also busts some cherished myths. Barlow coolly dissects the perception that Australians are great innovators (good, but nothing special), that we're crap at commercialising our ideas (could do better, but we're OK) and that our best and brightest get poached (what we lose on the swings, we gain on the roundabouts)."
In a later review in the same column, Anne Susskind is a bit disappointed by Karen Spamon's Madonna of the Eucalypts which she finds to be: "...too much story and too linear, without enough pause for crafting the writing." Not sure what she means by that either. Thereby reflecting the problem of mini-reviews.
Tim Flannery's book The Weather Makers, is reviewed by Jim Hansen in the cover article for "The New York Review of Books". It's more of an overview of the subject and a summarisation of this book, plus others, than a straight review.
