Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Precipice

3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 · rating details · 42 ratings · 19 reviews

A psychological literary thriller from the author of The Biographer, where one woman's suspicions threaten to tear a family apart

Thea Farmer, 77, a reclusive and difficult retired school principal, lives in isolation with her dog in the Blue Mountains. Her distinguished career ended under a cloud over a decade earlier, following an unspecified scandal involving a much youn...more

Paperback, 292 pages

Published July 1st 2011 by Random House Australia (first published May 7th 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Miles Franklin Longlist 2012

7th out of 13 books — 6 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 106)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 04, 2013 Steve lovell rated it 4 of 5 stars

A recovering alcoholic, pregnant and with her hubby recently diagnosed with cancer, her life was spiraling out of control. Then she discovered blogging, and this saved her, gave her an alternate focus and now she has gone on to become one of Australia’s best, according to her interviewer, and making money from it to boot. Her name, I have no idea of, as I awoke temporarily from my slumbers to hear her rhapsodise on the pluses of a blog – it is my habit to have the radio on during the night hours...more A recovering alcoholic, pregnant and with her hubby recently diagnosed with cancer, her life was spiraling out of control. Then she discovered blogging, and this saved her, gave her an alternate focus and now she has gone on to become one of Australia’s best, according to her interviewer, and making money from it to boot. Her name, I have no idea of, as I awoke temporarily from my slumbers to hear her rhapsodise on the pluses of a blog – it is my habit to have the radio on during the night hours, a result of the many years that, for the most part, I lived alone. I have none of those issues in my life that the interviewee nominated, but having a blog certainly has enhanced my world, and its all down to my BTD – my Beautiful Talented Daughter. Firstly she introduced me to Goodreads, where this will shortly appear, and I found I could write reviews of sorts for the books I devoured. Then, in a labour of love for which I am immensely grateful, she set me up with a blog that will also host this piece. In that I expanded to relate happenings in my life, past and present – never of great moment, but I found I could spin a yarn around them that at least entertained me. Lately I’ve tried my hand at a sort of fiction too. My scribblings will never amount to much, but it is the satisfaction the process gives me that I so enjoy. I’ll never make a razoo from it as does the interviewee, nor do I remotely have the gift my BTD has in the ability to extend a yarn into a cogent work of fiction that publishers and readers over this great country have warmed to. BTD also has a blog relating the daily adventures of raising the Tiger, my adored granddaughter. I love my own blog and, as a newly minted retiree, it has made the transition from limited to unlimited time a doddle. So heartfelt thanks to you, BTD!

And what has all this to do with the book in question? Well the main character is also a similarly retired teacher and she has discovered ‘writing’ as well. Thea, immensely let down by the GFC, had to give up her dreams of living out her life in style in a grand rural abode of her own design, returning by necessity to her original digs, what she calls a hovel, on the same block of Blue Mountains forest-shrouded real estate. Her dream house was sold to a young city couple, with a child on the cusp of teenagerhood in tow. Her writing is in the form of exercises invented by her intriguing windbag of a creative writing facilitator, Oscar. Being somewhat of a Luddite (as was I till BTD stepped in), Thea also keeps a journal, rather than a blog. Her writing could easily have become an obsession as she is that way inclined, but instead Thea starts obsessing over the neighbouring child, Kim – a young lady of exotic heritage and one not entirely innocent. The last time Thea was so captivated by someone ended in tears, and to prevent this reoccurring she needs to take drastic action. We know something sinister is going to happen, the back cover blurb tells us so. From about half way through the tome it would become clear to any reasonably savvy reader the form this terrible climax will take, but the ‘The Precipice’ isn’t any the less for that. It is a wonderfully wrought piece of fiction as Duigan heaps the pressure on Thea until she explodes into well conceived action.

This novel places the values of one generation against those of another with interesting results. And in the middle of this is Kim, a very articulate but nonetheless unworldly child – or is she. Kim responds to Thea in a way that only one other had done so in the past, and although the first fixation takes up little of the story’s space, it is essential to an understanding of Thea’s motivations.

There are lovely moments abounding in this book, many centred on Thea’s true love in the real sense of the word, her hound Ted – and his transition from canine to ‘lover’ is one of the delights of ‘The Precipice’. Kim herself is also an excellent writerly creation.

The book is also homage to the Australian bush – its grandeur, its possibility of enveloping life and its protectiveness of the old people, the First Australians. Reading this was a terrific way of starting off a new year’s worth of the worlds books transport us to. Looking out my window this morning, on a day promising temperatures in the high thirties and extreme fire danger, I observe the surrounding bush covered hills and cogitate on what secrets they may hold – secrets my BTD also wrote very ably of in her two very fine works for young adults, ‘Thyla’ and ‘Vulpi’.
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Apr 21, 2012 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: australia, 21st-century, crime-mystery-psych-thriller

The Precipice, longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award is a psychological thriller, a genre with which I am not very familiar. I’ve read very few of them, enough to know that I don’t usually like the drip-feed of clues which are supposed to build tension and keep the reader enthralled to the dénouement. For reasons best known to the publisher, the dénouementin this novel is (unless the reader is remarkably dim) as-good-as given away by the cover image, the title and the blurb on the bac...more

like 1 like · see review

Aug 24, 2011 Dee-Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian-authors, humour, goodreads-giveaway

I was teetering between 4 and 5 stars. I really liked this book, I could relate to the way the character talked, the language ... even though at times I needed a dictionary ... as I have an older friend who talks the same way, has the same sardonic view on life, people etc. I was great to see it written down, but it caught me in the beginning, as I had not really read the back cover, and did not realise that it was the ramblings of an educated oldish woman. I got a real sense of location though,...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 05, 2011 Mish rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Kim Marie

Shelves: australian-authors, library-friends-books, fiction, humour, thriller, 2011

This book was wonderful. It started of at a slow pace but then slowly builds up to a very dramatic ending. Thea's once calm and quiet life in the Blue Mountains is disrupted by her new neighbours Frank & Ellice. Somehow they seem to force their way into Thea's life and I could feel she was rather uncomfortable about the situation and a little anxious at the start.

Thea developed a lovely friendship with their 12 year old niece Kim. They seem to have many things in common. Their love of anima...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 01, 2011 Nikki Hepburn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I chose this to read following on from 'Flock' by Lyn Hughes, as it too is set in the Blue Mountains of which I'm fond. Being a person over a 'certain age' I appreciated the lead character's point of view, although not in agreement with all her views. Duigan describes the landscape of the Blue Mountains as an invaded space now lost to the original inhabitants, an 'acknowledgement of country', but somehow skirts over the olfactory fact so distinctive of the Australian bush. The tension between th...more

like · see review

Mar 28, 2012 D_relay added it

Very poor read. The mish-mash of themes ( home/house/architecture, Australian bush, being a writer ...) don't gel. The dialogue is very unconvincing thus the characters are entirely unrealistic. This is especially true for each of her neighbours, but also all of the rest, (except for the narrator and perhaps Oscar). The denouement is brief, unexpected and unsatisfying.
One pleasing aspect was the frequent cogent analyses of language, both in conversation and personal reflection. However, this do...more

like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, 2013, favourite

Thea Farmer, a seventy-seven year old retired principal, has lost all her money after her investments tanked, and is now faced with the heart-wrenching reality of selling the house she just finished building in the Blue Mountains, her dream house, and living the remainder of her days in "the hovel", the old Federation-era cottage on the original property, with her beloved dog and companion, Teddy. She sells the house to a couple who seem enthusiastic and to really care about the place. Frank Cam...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 08, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian, crime, review-books

I suppose finding some sort of "pattern" in what you're reading, when you read a lot of books, is inevitable, but it always intrigues when I find that sort of co-incidence showing up. At the moment it's well-written unsympathetic, often off-putting characterisations. THE PRECIPICE has more than one of those in spades.

Thea Farmer's voice is very realistic, the retired school principal, reclusive, difficult, with a small circle of carefully chosen people she interacts with; her only soft edges co...more I suppose finding some sort of "pattern" in what you're reading, when you read a lot of books, is inevitable, but it always intrigues when I find that sort of co-incidence showing up. At the moment it's well-written unsympathetic, often off-putting characterisations. THE PRECIPICE has more than one of those in spades.

Thea Farmer's voice is very realistic, the retired school principal, reclusive, difficult, with a small circle of carefully chosen people she interacts with; her only soft edges come from her relationship with her beloved, and rapidly aging, dog. Resentful and hostile, she's prickly, acerbic, standoffish and seemingly unable to find anyway to reconcile herself to the loss of her dream home and the invasion of her privacy that this new couple, and the child with them, inflict on her controlled and private world.

This is most definitely not a book for readers who like events declared right up front, and investigations and resolutions with everything neat, tidy and answered at the end. It's not even a book that declares a "crime" or a problem blatantly, although I suppose it might be possible to take an educated guess at where we could be heading, if you have the time, or the inclination to want to try to double guess the author. But it's really not that sort of a book. THE PRECIPICE is very much a psychological thriller, moving seamlessly from the resentful mutterings of a grumpy old woman, through the development of a cessation of hostilities rather than friendship with the young girl, to a minefield of responsibility and dilemma. There's the odd stutter and stumble along the way - they could be plot vagaries, they could equally be the vagaries of a tricky narrator.

The book is undoubtedly one of those slow burn, sleeper type thrillers. The plot's very slow to reveal, which makes the reader really have to concentrate on Thea's life - her main obsessions as well. She's definitely terse, she's judgemental and more than a bit snobby at points, all of which seem perfectly in character, it's probably a tendency towards whinging that really stood out as a character flaw - somehow that just didn't fit with the rest of the woman's persona. Having said that, there was something "not quite right" about the new neighbours as well... overly "nice", too contrasted to Thea to be true.

So far, it sounds like there's not a lot going for THE PRECIPICE, and I can't begin to tell you how surprised I was to find that it had gone from a book to be slogged through, to something unable to be put down. But it did, and that was quite a while before the "point" of the drama was clearly revealed, before the crime was declared, and some reason for everyone being assembled on the pages was constructed. Where that happened, when the why or the what or the how became less important and the doing, the build up, the slow reveal really started to work, is still a bit of a mystery to this reader. But work it did.
(less)

like · see review

May 08, 2012 Teena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some books take the reader on a journey, sometimes to places which intrigue and frighten us. This was such a book. From the beginning there is a sense of doom, as gradually the layers are peeled off and more is revealed. I loved the characters, the setting and the storyline. The darker the plot got, the more I had to keep reading until the book stopped with a shudder. It's great to read an Australian book that is so intriguing and I want to read more by this author.

like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Alison Petchell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Picked this up on the new releases shelf at the library. Loved it! A female twist on the boy meets mentor theme. Great characters - the cynical ex-principal is very amusing and I love the relationship that develops between her and the girl who moves in across the road. Loved the setting - Blue Mountains. Loved the ending. A compelling read

like · see review

Jan 10, 2012 Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars

I missed that this was a "thriller" and because I read it on a Kindle I didn't notice the spooky cover. Until very late in the book, I was still expecting the story to resolve much differently than it does. I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the character of Thea very much, although she did take a while to warm up to. Great read.

like · see review

Sep 14, 2011 Sue Warner added it

This is written by a friend of mine. This is her 3rd book and it's interesting to make connections to her life through her characters. So far I'm enjoying it. Love my kindle.

I hurtled through this book at a runner's pace, thoroughly enjoying it and the ending is perfect. The build up sucked me in and I was thrown out the other end like a huge wave. Well done, can't wait for the next one.

like · see review

Dec 27, 2011 Sandra Greenwood rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really like the way this book was written and could identify with the grumpy old lady who was the main character! Set in the Blue Mountains - a good read.

like 1 like · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars

A lyrical slow build and then a shocking end that left me still trying to sort out all the moral implications

like · see review

Sep 17, 2012 Aileen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: abandoned

A bit rambling and to be honest I have other things I would rather read. I am afraid it was abandoned.

like · see review

Aug 11, 2011 Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book could have been good. Retired school principal, (and we all know how weird they can be)loses everything in the stockmarket crash, has to sell dream home in Blue Mountains and live in a crumbling cottage opposite. Becomes obsessed with the new neighbours and their niece, thinks the girl's uncle is a bit dodgy..takes him for a walk in the bush...and whoops! Unfortunately, Virginia Duigan made it incredibly long winded and verbose and stream of consciousness boring.

like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 Sophie Shanahan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Compelling story but badly written. Had to give up after 50 pages.

like · see review

Apr 17, 2013 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Slow to start but eventually reaches a climax which has been hinted at so many times it is neither shocking as it should be nor convincing. A pity as the descriptions of the scenery in the Blue Mountains are beautiful.

like · see review

Sep 07, 2011 Raylea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pleasant read. The writer withheld information until so late in the book (the last 3 pages) so that the end was very abrupt. Good read throughout though.

like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Kyle Ferris marked it as to-read

Apr 02, 2013 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 10, 2013 Farah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feb 28, 2013 Rosalie marked it as to-read

Feb 26, 2013 Susan marked it as to-read

Feb 24, 2013 Chai1965 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 20, 2013 Julie is currently reading it

Feb 17, 2013 Jen marked it as to-read

Feb 13, 2013 Caitlin marked it as to-read

Feb 11, 2013 Marina marked it as to-read

Feb 09, 2013 Marie marked it as wishlist

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Humor

2 users

Mystery > Crime

2 users

See top shelves...

About Virginia Duigan

Attended 8 schools in the UK, Malaya and Australia.
BA (hons) Melbourne University

Lived and worked in England, Australia and USA

Journalism

UK: Journalist on World’s Press News, Campaign; freelanced for The Observer, The Times.

Australia: freelance feature writer on for The National Times, The Bulletin, The Age, The Australian, The Bulletin, Cinema Papers, Cleo. Variously theatre, film, restaurant &...more

More about Virginia Duigan...

Books by Virginia Duigan

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Precipice

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Precipice
avg rating	preview: The Precipice Goodreads rating: 3.57 (42 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12062096-the-precipice?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328733857l/12062096.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12062096-the-precipice?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Precipice by Virginia Duigan[/url]

The Precipice

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (3)

Genres

About Virginia Duigan

Books by Virginia Duigan

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Precipice

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)