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The Nowhere Child – Book Review

The Nowhere Child is a riveting read – a real page-turner. This is the perfect book for the holidays and a great beach read. I was lucky enough to interview Christian White last month and he is as compelling as his novel. Turns out that The Nowhere Child is his first book and his incredible success came as a complete shock. Christian had always wanted to be a writer but by thirty he still hadn’t achieved his ambition. He was writing all the time, and working on screenplays and even planned for The Nowhere Child to be a film. But then the story took hold and he ended up writing it as a novel.

Christian White has enjoyed great success with his debut novel, The Nowhere Child.

When Christian finished writing The Nowhere Child he wasn’t really sure what to do with the manuscript. A friend suggested he enter it to the Victorian Premier’s Awards for an unpublished novel. With only a small secret hope of getting anywhere, Christian sent in the manuscript. Sometime later, when he received an email from the organisers, he read it as a rejection. It took a second reading for him to realise he’d made the short list. In 2017, Christian won the Victorian Premier’s prize and joined Jane Harper (The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man) and Graeme Simsion (The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect ) as a new bestseller. The Nowhere Child has now sold into 15 countries and been optioned for a TV mini series. It’s a dream debut for a feisty, face-paced novel. I’m looking forward to Christian’s next book.

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The Word Wenches

The Word Wenches are a dynamic group of authors who’ve been blogging since 2006. Describing themselves as “Eight authors plotting in the present, writing about the past … and improvising all the rest”, between them they’ve written over two hundred historical novels and delved into periods from 1026 to the present. Every week one of the wenches puts up a fascinating new post. There’s now twelve years worth of great articles on the Word Wenches  website with articles ranging from Regency caroling to Eton College, food, music, eccentric women, historical facts, costume, language and the writer’s craft. With something for everyone at the Word Wenches it’s a great place to visit. You can also find them on Facebook here.

Some Great Books by Great Authors




Buy now on AmazonBuy now on Amazon



Buy now on AmazonBuy now on Amazon



Win a copy of Heyer Society

The Wenches most recent post features a short interview with me and Mary Jo Putney about Heyer Society: the Literary Genius of Georgette Heyer. A reader who posts a comment
here can win a copy of the anthology. So jump onto the link and take a look! Heyer Society is a fascinating read for Georgette Heyer fans with an amazing collection of essays about her bestselling novels.

Buy now on AmazonBuy now on Amazon



Buy now on AmazonBuy now on Amazon

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Heyer Society – a new website

Georgette Heyer in her finest. She always enjoyed social occasions with family and friends. Here she is
 with (L-R) her husband Ronald Rougier, her brother Boris and her son, Richard Rougier.

Heyer Society is a new website dedicated to Georgette Heyer. The amazing Rachel Hyland has created  www.heyersociety.com and it’s a great go-to site for all Heyer fans. It’s a blog and a community, with daily posts and frequent polls, Top 10 lists, and reviews. It also has excerpts from the delicious new Heyer anthology, The Literary Genius of Georgette Heyer. Rachel is an enthusiastic Heyerite and her website is a great place to discover more about the beloved author and her bestselling novels. Rachel loves discussing all things Heyer and looks forward to engaging with like-minded readers and fans.

    A new book about Georgette Heyer

Heyer Society: Essays on the Literary Genius of Georgette Heyer

An anthology of 24 essays by fans, bloggers, scholars and authors. The Literary Genius of Georgette Heyer is a delightful tribute to an enduring bestseller. It will be available in both print and digital forms from
27 November 2018.



A great tribute.

I was delighted to write the Foreword for The Literary Genius of Georgette Heyer. This engaging new collection of essays about Heyer and her novels is a feast for readers. Over the years, it’s been fascinating to witness the decided shift in attitude towards Heyer. Still selling forty-four years after her death, critics and academics are beginning to sit up and take notice. Those who haven’t read her are beginning to listen to those who have. The Literary Genius of Georgette Heyer  is a timely tribute to this remarkable author and her many novels.

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Michael McGirr in Conversation

Visit the Geelong Regional Library website for bookings

Michael McGirr’s inspiring new book is a feast for all readers. A collection of forty essays, Books that Saved my Life is the perfect book for a quick dip or a long immersion. A superb writer, Michael offers brilliant insight into the books that have moved him, entertained him, taught him and saved him. Ranging from Harry Potter to Nelson Mandela, Toni Morrison to Margaret Attwood, Homer to Les Murray, you’ll come  away with a feast of ideas and a list of great books to read.

Michael McGirr is the bestselling author of Snooze, Bypass and Things You Get for Free. He has reviewed almost one thousand books, his short fiction has appeared in publications in Australia and overseas, and he has been publisher of Eureka Street and fiction editor of Meanjin. He is a high-school teacher and lives in Melbourne.

Books that Saved my Life inspired me to read Hagseed – which I loved. And to re-read Frankenstein – which is such an amazing novel. Michael McGirr has reviewed over a thousand books, but Books that Saved my Life is more than just a collection of book reviews. This is food for thought – rich, sustaining, nutritious food for the mind and heart. It’s a book to read and re-read and a book to give away. As MIchael McGirr says so beautifully: “Great literature is thrilling. It will feed your hungry mind and take your heart on a journey. It will help you on the wonderful path to one of life’s most elusive and hard-won freedoms, freedom from the ego.” This book’s a keeper and I’m looking forward to chatting with its author.

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Christian White In Conversation

From the very first, Christian White’s The Nowhere Child grabs you by the shirtfront and doesn’t let go until the last page is turned. Face-paced, suspenseful and compelling it’s an impressive debut which has already won praise from bestselling writer Jeffrey Deaver. In a dream run for any author, Christian’s first novel won the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Prize for an unpublished manuscript and been an instant bestseller in Australia.

The Nowhere Child has been sold into 15 countries and will be published in the USA in January and the UK in March 2019.  Screen rights have also been sold to US company production Anonymous Content (13 Reasons Why, The Revenant, Babel, True Detective) in partnership with Australia’s Carver Films (Snowtown,  Sunshine).  From making his rent by selling tee shirts to scoring a six-figure publishing deal, Christian has an intriguing story to tell and I can’t wait to hear. Hope to see you at the High Ground Wurdi Youang Tuesday 27 November 2018. 

Visit the Geelong Regional Libraries website for bookings

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A Special Tribute to Georgette Heyer from Lady Rougier

A Beloved Son

Georgette Heyer only had one child, a son she named Richard. It was a favourite name which she had used in several of her early novels and short stories. He was born in 1932 and she adored him. By the time he went to Cambridge Richard was tall and devastatingly handsome, witty, charming and had a reputation as a raconteur. He would sometimes bring his girlfriends home to meet his parents – apparently a nerve-wracking ordeal as Georgette could be rather intimidating until you got to know her. Richard was in his early thirties when he met Susanna Flint, a beautiful divorcee with two young sons.

 

Richard was a popular student at Cambridge

 

 

An Adored Daughter-in-Law

At first Georgette and Ronald were inclined to look askance at their son’s new girlfriend, but it did not take Susie long to win them over. When Richard married Susie in 1962 it marked the beginning of a new kind of relationship for Georgette. She had long thought she did not want a daughter and had clung to her maxim that ‘Boys tell their mothers, and Girls tell their fathers’. But her perception was based on her own experience of having ‘been a daughter’; the advent of ‘Our dear Susie’ into her life soon convinced her she was wrong. Susie proved to be a stimulating companion, bright, funny and energetic, and she quickly found her place in the family. Georgette was especially pleased to discover that her new daughter-in-law ‘has our own type of humour. This makes life very easy, for one doesn’t have to edit one’s conversation. She’s quick-witted too, & dearly loves a joke.’

Georgette adored Susie who brought a new dimension to family life.

 

The Best of Friends

Within six months of the wedding Georgette told her friend Isabella Banton that ‘I made a lot of Good Resolutions, when Richard married, about Never Intruding on them, or Making Demands, but Susie smashed the lot – so that I find myself wondering if all is well at 56 Cornwall Gardens, if I don’t get a telephone call from her.’ Unlike Richard, Susie talked to her new ‘mama’ regularly, exchanging news and gossip and keeping her up to date with family events. In 1964 Georgette paid special tribute to her beloved daughter-in-law by dedicating False Colours to her.

Georgette dedicated her 1964 novel, False Colours, to Susie.

A Moving Tribute from Lady Rougier

As this video reveals, Susie and Georgette became great friends. It was a wonderful thing to have Susie, Lady Rougier, speak at the Blue Plaque unveiling. She brings Georgette Heyer to life for us and reminds us of the woman behind the books.

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Memories of Aunt Georgette – All things Georgette

I first met Georgette Heyer’s nephew, Major-General Jeremy Rougier in 2003. His father, Leslie Rougier, was Ronald’s  (Georgette’s husband’s) elder brother and a lieutenant-colonel in the Lancashire Fusiliers. Jeremy was only seven when, in May 1940, his father was killed in Belgium. Despite his father’s tragic death, Jeremy chose a military  career and attended Sandhurst. He was first an officer cadet, then an instructor and finally a company commander and had a distinguished career. In 1983 he became Director of Army Training and in 1985 he was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of the British Army.

Major-General Jeremy Rougier has fond memories of his Aunt Georgette.

JEREMY REMEMBERS

Jeremy is charming, with a great sense of humour and many vivid memories of Georgette, his aunt-by-marriage. He remembers dinners at Albany, energetic bridge games and delicious Fortnums hampers at Christmas. One especially vivid memory was of a trip to Waterloo. In 1964 he was military assistant to a member of the Army Board and they were paying an official visit to Belgium. one afternoon Jeremy suggested asking the Professor of Military Studies at the Belgium Military Academy to give them a tour of Waterloo. It was fascinating. The professor knew the position of every regiment at any time on both sides. “At about 3 pm Napoleon was standing here – no, here,” he’d say then move to record the precise spot.

Georgette’s novel of Waterloo, An Infamous Army, this is the US first edition.

AN INFAMOUS ARMY

At the end Jeremy presented the professor with a copy of his Aunt Georgette’s book, An Infamous Army. Their guide was as near to speechlessness as a professor of military history could be. “This” he said, holding up the book, “is the nearest to reality that one will ever come without having been there.” It was a remarkable tribute to a novel written by a woman with little formal education and only her instincts to guide her research. Though not her personal favourite, Heyer always felt An Infamous Army, to be her finest achievement and she was especially proud of the Waterloo chapters.

A LITERARY LEGACY

In June 2015, Jeremy spoke at the unveiling of Blue Plaque which English Heritage had awarded to Georgette for her literary legacy. His speech is a rare recording of a family member’s memories of her and it offers Heyer readers an intimate picture of the woman behind the books.

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Mrs Harris Goes to Paris – Book Review

When Christmas Day is over and all the relatives have gone home it’s finally time to relax. For me that means curling up with a good book. Several good books. This time of year there’s plenty of food in the fridge and all the jobs are done so I can put my feet up with a clear conscience. With luck there’ll be a week of warm weather and we can head to the beach. A book, a comfy beach chair, surf, sand and sunshine. That’s my idea of heaven. This year my holiday reading will start with an old favourite – Flowers for Mrs Harris by Paul Gallico. First published in 1957 it’s a book that’s stood the test of time.

A fun cover for this delightful novel. Perfect holiday reading.

MRS HARRIS GOES TO PARIS

It’s a heartwarming story of a London char-lady named Ada Harris who dreams of owning a Dior dress. She’s a Cockney and Gallico captures her and her London clientele perfectly. But it’s in Paris that her adventures really begin. She needs courage to enter the elegant salons of the House of Dior, but Mrs Harris is determined to win her heart’s desire. And from the first moment she meets a cast of characters who are so brilliantly drawn that I still think of them as friends. All different, each very French, they share their lives with the London char and she repays them in her own inimitable way. And then there are the Dior dresses …

Mrs Harris, a Cockney cleaning lady, dreams of owning a Dior gown.

You can almost see and feel the Dior gowns in Paul Gallico’s novel, also called Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. Photos: Delwyn Jenkins from the NGV Dior exhibit.

DREAMING OF DIOR

For the longest time, I’d re-read Flowers for Mrs Harris but there was always one chapter near the end that I’d skip. As I’ve grown older, I find myself appreciating that chapter more and more. I no longer skip it but read it with gritted teeth because I now recognise its importance in the story. There’s a lot more to this book than meets the eye. A romantic, clever gift of a story with just the right twist. I’ve loved it for years, I retold it to my husband over dinner on our first ever trip to Paris and it undoubtedly inspired my own first novel, The Cinderella Moment. Thank you Mr Gallico. Highly recommended.

It’s worth watching this TV movie just for the recreation of the House of Dior and the 1950s fashion.

 

 

 

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We have walls! – My Garden Odyssey

So, after some rain and other delays, we finally have walls. At least, we’ve got the walls you won’t see. Chris has built the brick retaining walls with the wires in them that will allow him to attach the sandstone. He’s left room for the corner pier and we’ve ordered the special angled plinth bricks from the supplier. It’s fascinating to watch Chris work. He’s quick and his skill with a brickie’s trowel is extraordinary. You can see how much he loves working with stone and he has big ideas for our lovely old sandstone blocks. It’s going to be gorgeous when it’s finished.

We have walls! Brick retaining walls waiting to faced with sandstone.



AN UNEXPECTED DELAY

That turns out to be some time away as the brick yard has just called to say that our plinth bricks are not available. Damn. I’ve been waiting on promised supply for several weeks so this is a blow. Luckily, Chris is undaunted.

“No worries, I’ll just cut them by hand.”
“Wow. Can you do that?” I’m a bit doubtful.
‘Sure, why not.” He seems confident so I’m willing to give him a chance.

The first brick pier is begun with hand-cut plinth bricks.



AN EYE FOR DESIGN

And before you know it, we have plinth bricks. They’ll be part of the brick piers at each end of the wall, in the corner and at the top of the steps. They’ll be a feature so they’ll need to look good. I’m confident that Chris will pull off something amazing. His hand-cut bricks already look great and I’m beginning to realise that Chris has an exceptional eye for design. From what he’s achieved so far, I’m really eager to hear about his vision for terrace. It was his idea to copy elements of the house design in this corner of the garden and so far it seems to be working. In fact, I think by the time it’s all done it’s going to look great. All I need is patience.

Our beautiful 150 year-old sandstone blocks which will be cut by hand to cover the brick retaining walls.

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