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5th out of 5 books
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1 voter
The Fine Colour of Rust
Single mother and dreamer Loretta Boskovic lives in Gunapan, a town lost in the scrubby Australian bush. She has fantasies about dumping her two kids in the orphanage and riding off on a Harley with her dream lover. Her best pal is a crusty old junk man called Norm. She needs a lawnmower; he gives her two goats called Terror and Panic.
Loretta’s a self-dubbed ‘old scrag’, b...more
Loretta’s a self-dubbed ‘old scrag’, b...more
Paperback, 247 pages
Published
February 1st 2012
by HarperCollins Australia
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Loretta Boskovic was a single mother, having been deserted by her husband Tony, with promises of money and contact with the kids, Melissa and Jake…so far none of THAT had happened! Loretta lived in Gunapan, a very small country town in Victoria, Australia. It had the usual small town problems, with drought and a lack of water being only a part of it: there was only one school, one small supermarket and several other struggling businesses. The nearest large town was a couple of hours away.
Norm St...more
Norm St...more
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Feb 03, 2013
Nancy McKibben
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
readers who like foreign settings and chick lit lite
The Fine Color of Rust
By P. A. O’Reilly
This book has many of the ingredients of chick lit, especially its feisty, independent heroine whose feckless husband abandoned her and her two children three years before the story opens. But it transcends its genre and becomes simply a good read.
First, the setting, which is a small, battered town in the Australian outback. The author does an admirable job of transporting the reader to Australia. Who knew that it sometimes gets so hot there that the birds...more
By P. A. O’Reilly
This book has many of the ingredients of chick lit, especially its feisty, independent heroine whose feckless husband abandoned her and her two children three years before the story opens. But it transcends its genre and becomes simply a good read.
First, the setting, which is a small, battered town in the Australian outback. The author does an admirable job of transporting the reader to Australia. Who knew that it sometimes gets so hot there that the birds...more
Set in the heart of a small rural town in Australia called Gunapan we meet local woman Loretta Boskovic , she moved to the town with her husband Tony and two kids Melissa and Jake . Loretta lived the countrytown dream until one day her husband just disappeared from their lives. Now three years later, Loretta lives in the state between reality - a mother with two children and her dreamworld - of meeting a handsome man who whisks her off to another world , but not until she has dropped her two kid...more
I started reading PA (Paddy) O'Reilly's wonderful novel The Fine Colour of Rust in Swan Hall in Victoria's Mallee region. I was staying with a friend who, like the novel's main character Loretta Boskovic, runs the local Neighbourhood House. She also loves a good read and although it nearly killed me, I simply had to leave the book with her. A week later, I managed to get myself a new copy, picked up where I left off and finished it within 24 hours.
There is so much to like in this book, from the...more
There is so much to like in this book, from the...more
‘The Fine Colour of Rust’ is a departure from literary fiction for Paddy O’Reilly, who has previously written a novel and a short story collection. Hence she is writing as P.A., rather than Paddy.
The book is the story of Loretta Boskovic, who lives in Gunapan, a dusty town in north-west Victoria. Loretta describes herself as an ‘old scrag standing with her hands on her hips, pursing her thin lips, squinting into the sun. You could make a statue of that. It would look like half the women in thi...more
The book is the story of Loretta Boskovic, who lives in Gunapan, a dusty town in north-west Victoria. Loretta describes herself as an ‘old scrag standing with her hands on her hips, pursing her thin lips, squinting into the sun. You could make a statue of that. It would look like half the women in thi...more
This is a review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge.
The genre? I'll call it contemporary fiction with humour - truckloads of it.
When we first meet Loretta Boscovic she's daydreaming about dumping her kids in an orphanage and riding off into the sunset with her dream lover - on a Harley no less. A single mum, she lives with her two children in dusty town called Gunapan.
I was captivated from the opening pages. With sparse words, P.A. O'Reilly skilfully crafts a strong image of a strugglin...more
The genre? I'll call it contemporary fiction with humour - truckloads of it.
When we first meet Loretta Boscovic she's daydreaming about dumping her kids in an orphanage and riding off into the sunset with her dream lover - on a Harley no less. A single mum, she lives with her two children in dusty town called Gunapan.
I was captivated from the opening pages. With sparse words, P.A. O'Reilly skilfully crafts a strong image of a strugglin...more
This is going to have to be a rather skimpy review: The Fine Colour of Rust by P.A. (Paddy) O’Reilly is so popular that the library would only let me have it for a short time and so I had to scamper through it without taking my usual copious notes.
It’s easy to see why it’s so popular: it’s funny, it’s heart-warming and it’s quintessentially Australian. It’s the story of single-mum Loretta Boskovic who introduces herself like this:
‘Well, I’d better pick up the kids,’ I say. I don’t want to pick...more
It’s easy to see why it’s so popular: it’s funny, it’s heart-warming and it’s quintessentially Australian. It’s the story of single-mum Loretta Boskovic who introduces herself like this:
‘Well, I’d better pick up the kids,’ I say. I don’t want to pick...more
It's always a good feeling when a book you've been looking forward to reading meets your expectations. Everything about The Fine Colour of Rust worked for me: the familiar country town landscape, the eccentric characters, the small town political intrigue and the ups and downs of family relationships (particularly the all too typical self-absorbed deadbeat dad who is keen to leave his former family behind). There are some scenes that are absolute gems: the minister's tour of the butcher's abatto...more
Aaaaand the next one I picked up was a quitter, too. I don't blame this book as much as I did the last one. I mean, it wasn't great, but it didn't actually claim to BE great, either. It was an impulse library grab off the New Reads shelf. The title is somewhat eloquent and it has the feel of those literary grown-up books that I feel like I'm SUPPOSED to be reading since I left college and became an "adult." Reading and ENJOYING, I suppose, is what I feel like someone somewhere is expecting of me...more
This was a really fun book to read, I laughed out loud several time while reading it. What I liked the most about the book were the characters. Every single character was quirky and interesting and I loved reading about the whole crazy lot of them. The main character is Loretta, a single mom trying to make it on her own. She was far from perfect but tries her best and I loved her for it. She gets herself into some sticky situations that will have you either laughing or crying right along with he...more
Loretta Boskovic dreams of lantern-jawed man with rough stubble, spurs on his boots and a purring Harley-Davidson. In reality Loretta wears creaking $2 bras and underwear on its last elastane legs, she has an overgrown lawn, clunking car and two kids to raise on her lonesome after her no-good husband bolted three years ago. And the cherry on top of Loretta’s life is Gunapan – the rusted old town situated somewhere in the forgotten Australian bush; so far out of mind that the local council want t...more
4.5 out of 5 stars. I loved everything about this book, beginning with its intriguing title. So many of us can relate to Loretta, who desperately loves her children but has wonderful fantasies about the man, various versions of him, whom she is going to meet after she drops the kids off at the orphanage.
Caught up in her small Aussie town's (well, mostly her) attempt to save the local school, she petitions, makes signs, organizes, and becomes someone to generally avoid, even in a town where peopl...more
Caught up in her small Aussie town's (well, mostly her) attempt to save the local school, she petitions, makes signs, organizes, and becomes someone to generally avoid, even in a town where peopl...more
I loved P. A. O'Reilly's The Fine Color of Rust. The atmosphere is rich with imagery, offering the reader a detailed vicarious visit to rural Australia. Expecting Chic Lit - I found a somewhat literary novel and delighted in the realistic, beautifully drawn characters and setting. The dialogue rings as true as the plot. Never for one moment did I feel I was wasting my time, as when I read bona fide chik lit. I especially appreciate that O'Reilly doesn't insult readers with a dirty little tryst...more
Set in the small Australian town of Gunapan, The Fine Colour Of Rust showcases universal themes of life, motherhood, community, friendship and social injustice with distinct Aussie flavour.
After a 'meh' start ... not sure what was going on there, maybe just my mood, O'Reilly's wry observations and dry humour won me over and I quickly became immersed in the heat and dust of Gunapan, charmed by the town's population.
My grandparents lived in rural NSW in a small town very similar to Gunapan. Readi...more
After a 'meh' start ... not sure what was going on there, maybe just my mood, O'Reilly's wry observations and dry humour won me over and I quickly became immersed in the heat and dust of Gunapan, charmed by the town's population.
My grandparents lived in rural NSW in a small town very similar to Gunapan. Readi...more
I picked this book up at the library on the new arrival shelf. I liked it! There was a bit of colorful language and one message of explicit adult theme, but that was the only thing in there that I would have rather remained out. The story was endearing and the main character was lovely in her quest to save her kids' school and herself. I also love how loyal and protective she is of her kids but also how she she reacts when she finds out they've done something wrong. I could relate to this woman,...more
Ok, this was not great, it did not grab me by the shoulders and shake me up or anything like that, BUT, it is a good, solid read. Nothing earth shattering, but a good, solid story about a single mom, her two children, living in a hard scrabble town in Australia. Her good-for-nothing ex is out of the picture, mostly. She involves herself with issues in town, the local school, in particular, and organizes meetings to help save the school, etc. She has her struggles but just charges head on into th...more
I didn't mean to read this in one sitting but I kept leaving other things to sneak a peek at just one more chapter. Usually I go more for genre fiction but I couldn't resist the wry humour and dignity of the people in this not-quite-hopeless small town and the feisty single mum who channels her anger at life into leading the fight to protect it from exploitation. The homemade cocktail recipe (liquor of suspect vintage with an icy pole dumped upside-down in it) is alone worth the purchase price....more
Loretta, the story’s heroine and narrator, is brilliantly conveyed in her humour, failings and courage. Her small town home is portrayed with an awareness of its shortcomings and yet, celebrates a sense of community.
I’m not sure how to phrase my response to this novel — reviewing is a tough gig!
The thing is, the theme of The Fine Colour of Rust seems to me to be desperation -- you know, the rust breaking through. But if I say that, you’ll think the book is depressing, and it’s not. The book is f...more
I’m not sure how to phrase my response to this novel — reviewing is a tough gig!
The thing is, the theme of The Fine Colour of Rust seems to me to be desperation -- you know, the rust breaking through. But if I say that, you’ll think the book is depressing, and it’s not. The book is f...more
I found it was an easy laid back read written in a very relaxed concise style. You can't help but feel for single Mum Loretta and all that happens to her. How easily we all defend our own children when we don't always see the bigger picture and Loretta was a prime example of this. I'm not knocking her for that as I'm guilty of having that trait too.
This was a very gentle story that ambled along at a steady pace all the way through. With some very likeable characters this is a story that draws yo...more
This was a very gentle story that ambled along at a steady pace all the way through. With some very likeable characters this is a story that draws yo...more
O'Reilly really gets across to the reader the searing heat of the Australian summer in this light,but enjoyable tale. Set in a tiny outback town, it covers several issues that are encountered within the community, Save Our School being one of them. In places laugh out loud funny, deserted Mum of 2, Loretta fights for this and other services within Gunapan. She describes herself as an 'old scrag', although only 30, but imagines herself as being transformed into a beauty and being swept away by 'a...more
Left behind in Gunapan by her lousy husband with her two children, Loretta Boskovic drives the dusty road from her house to town, staring out at the scrubby bushland dreaming of rescue by a handsome lover and a car radio that gets something other than racing commentary. In this unique, wryly observed novel, Paddy O'Reilly captures the essence of a lonely Australian bush town and it's ordinary residents with humour and heart.
The author's protagonist is a woman you will find in any small town, sh...more
The author's protagonist is a woman you will find in any small town, sh...more
Loretta Boskovic is a single parent of two kids in a small country town in Australia. Her neighbor Norm owns a scrap yard and discovers that a new development is secretly being planned for the area. Loretta is already involved in a save-our-school project. She tries to be a good mother and help out the community but things and people get in the way. You can't help but like her outlook on life and her daydreaming about meeting the perfect man. This story is funny and sometimes sad but a enjoyable...more
The Fine Color of Rust focuses on Loretta Boskovic, single mother living in the fictional Australian bush town of Gunapan. Recently abandoned by her husband, Loretta spends her time trying to make ends meet while providing for her two young children, Melissa and Jake. Looking for a way to help her community, Loretta is deeply invested in the town’s committee to stop the local school from being closed and forcing the children to be bused to school and hour away.
While reading this book, I realized...more
While reading this book, I realized...more
Funny and even a little poignant in places. The resoultion spoiled it all a bit for me - after a fairly well constructed escalation, there was no real denouement, just a couple of brief chapters written after everything had been sorted out - I felt a little cheated.
Characters were also a bit flat, and apart from Loretta and Norm, the other characters were one-dimensional, displaying only the traits essential to the narrative.
Characters were also a bit flat, and apart from Loretta and Norm, the other characters were one-dimensional, displaying only the traits essential to the narrative.
Loretta is a single mother with two kids in a small Australian town. She has good friends who help her out, especially the local junk man, who is like a father to her. She's campaigning to save the local school, driving a run-down car, and dreaming about a lover on a Harley and getting a break from her kids. Loretta is a fun character, and this is a great story about the importance of friendship and community.
I was fortunate enough to get a free copy of this book and was eager to read it because of its Australian setting. Reading it was kind of like talking to a friend -- complaining about your kids and what's happening with them at school. In Loretta, O'Reilly has created a realistic character whom I'd like to know better. Get a copy and enjoy a shot of the Land Down Under.
Excellent slice of life, set in an Australian country town. A single Mum with two kids (one a stroppy teenage girl) who - in her own words - is a "bit of a scrag". Some extremely funny and pointed observations on life from the single mums position. Plus an interesting plot, centred around an environmental concern. And a VERY odd love story.
I generally give books about 100 pages before giving up - this one was 113. I had read good reviews, but this was just dragging. Loretta is a single mom(still married, but her husband ran off) of 2 kids. The setting is a rural area in Australia. Loretta is fighting to save the local school that is. Set to be shut down. The story might be going somewhere, but it seems amused by it's own characters and wit. I was not.
I loved this book. Having moved to a small rural town in Victoria 6 years ago, I could relate to the idea of being part of a small community. This book is filled with very funny characters, and I laughed out loud so many times whilst reading it. I highly recommend it, as a light and refreshing story.
I can't do as much justice to this book as the gorgeous Charlotte Wood, who summed it up beautifully in 140 characters on twitter thus:
"The Fine Colour of Rust updates rural archetypes with a bitingly accurate wit & sharp eye, yet never loses its tender heart. Fabulous book."
Yes.
"The Fine Colour of Rust updates rural archetypes with a bitingly accurate wit & sharp eye, yet never loses its tender heart. Fabulous book."
Yes.
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Paddy O'Reilly is a writer from Victoria, Australia. Her work has been published and broadcast widely both in Australia and internationally.
Paddy's short story collection, The End of the World (University of Queensland Press) was released to critical acclaim in April, 2007. The stories in the collection have won a number of national and international story awards including 'The Age', the 'Judah Wa...more
More about Paddy O'Reilly...
Paddy's short story collection, The End of the World (University of Queensland Press) was released to critical acclaim in April, 2007. The stories in the collection have won a number of national and international story awards including 'The Age', the 'Judah Wa...more
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