Theresa Smith's Blog, page 56
April 10, 2021
The Week That Was…
It’s been a fortnight since my last week that was post, but what a fortnight it has been! We are now settled into our home. It’s both exciting and a bit surreal returning to a house you’ve been absent from for nine years. My children were under 10 when we left and are all older teenagers now. But we’re all very glad to be home. Here are a few pics, the night shot is the view from my back deck.
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Joke of the week:
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What I’ve been watching:
Hilarious! I laughed throughout the whole movie.
I ended up watching this after reading Sunflower Sisters, a civil war novel. I love this movie and this would have been my fifth time watching. I also love this novel and am now tempted to read it again after re-watching the film.
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Rediscovering my home town:
It’s nice discovering the little changes around Rockhampton that have occured since I last lived here. I love how the buildings and trees along the river are all lit up with coloured lights at night.
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What I’ve been reading:
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Until next week… 
April 7, 2021
Book Review: Half Life by Jillian Cantor
A brilliant sliding-doors reimagining of the passionate life of the first woman to win a Nobel Prize – and the life Marie Curie might have led if she had chosen love over science.
Poland, 1891. Marie Curie (then Marya Sklodowska) was engaged to a budding mathematician, Kazimierz Zorawski. But when his mother insisted Marya was not good enough, he broke off the engagement. A heartbroken Marya left Poland for Paris to study chemistry and physics at the Sorbonne. Marie would go on to change the course of science forever and become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
But what if Marie had made a different choice?
What if she had stayed in Poland, married Kazimierz, and never attended the Sorbonne or discovered radium? What if Marie had chosen her first love and a life of domesticity, still ravenous for knowledge in Russian Poland where education for women was restricted, instead of studying science in Paris and meeting Pierre Curie?
Seamlessly entwining the lives of Marya and Marie, Half Life is a powerful story of love and friendship, motherhood and sisterhood, fame and anonymity – and a woman destined to change the world.
My Thoughts:This was a surprisingly good book. Surprising because I expected a love versus career type of scenario but that’s not at all what this turned out to be. In this sliding doors like story about Marie Curie, Jillian Cantor shows that who we are, deep down inside, will always rise to the fore no matter the path we choose.
“My whole life I’ve been told no simply because I’m a woman.”
This was an empowering novel, one that emphasised the importance of education for women (it’s set in the late 19th century early 20th century). I really enjoyed it and while science often confounds me and I rarely understood the research any of the characters were working on, I still appreciated the importance of these breakthroughs. I’m in awe of people whose brains work this way (thinking on the real Marie Curie and associated people here) and the author did a magnificent job of conveying this scientific aspect of the story and giving weight to its importance.
“Grief is heavy and overbearing; it tugs me down. It fills my coat pockets with rocks and drags me to the bottom of the cold dark sea, holding me under so I can barely breathe. Days pass, seasons come and go. Time moves forward, but I feel heavier and heavier.”
Grief is a recurring theme throughout this novel. There was an immense amount of loss within Marie Curie’s immediate and extended family. I liked how the author didn’t make one pathway less grief stricken than the other. Structurally, this novel was crafted extremely well. The story was balanced in both pathways and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction as a reader at the novel’s conclusion. Fans of fictional biographies would really enjoy this one that offers a twist on the genre.
Thanks is extended to Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of Half Life for review.
About the Author:Jillian Cantor is the internationally bestselling author of ten novels for adults and teens, including In Another Time, The Hours Count, Margot and The Lost Letter. Her books have been translated into 13 languages and chosen for Amazon Best of the Month, LibraryReads, Indie Next. She lives in Arizona.
Half Life
Published by Simon & Schuster Australia
Released 7th April 2021
April 5, 2021
#SunflowerSistersTour Book Review: Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
Inspired by true accounts, Sunflower Sisters provides a vivid look at the Civil War experience, from the barbaric and inhumane plantations, to a war-torn New York City to the horrors of the battlefield.
From the author of the million-copy global bestseller Lilac Girls, comes a captivating new historical novel, set during the American Civil War.
Georgeanne Woolsey isn’t meant for the world of lavish parties and demure attitudes. So when civil war ignites the nation, she follows her passion for nursing during a time when doctors considered women a bother on the battlefront. She and her sister Eliza venture from New York to Washington, D.C. to Gettysburg, and while involved in the war effort witness firsthand the unparalleled horrors of slavery.
In the South, Jemma is enslaved on the Peeler Plantation, while her sister, Patience, is enslaved on the property next door. Both live in fear of LeBaron, an abusive overseer who tracks their every move. When Jemma is sold by the cruel Anne-May just as the Union Army comes through, she sees a chance to escape – but only by abandoning those she loves.
Anne-May is forced to run the Peeler Plantation when her husband joins the Union Army and her brother enlists with the Confederates. Now in charge, she uses the opportunity to follow her own ambitions and is drawn into a secret Southern network of spies.
Inspired by true accounts, Sunflower Sisters is a sweeping story of women caught in a country on the brink of collapse, in a society grappling with nationalism and unthinkable racial cruelty.
My Thoughts:Sunflower Sisters is the third and final instalment in a series that follows an actual real life family, that of Caroline Woolsey Ferriday, an American philanthropist known for her efforts during WWII and the period after. The series moves back through generations, each book set during a different war (WWII, WWI, and now, the American Civil War). I haven’t read the first two novels, Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, but I didn’t find this impeded my enjoyment in any way, many other reviews indicating that all three books can be read as a standalone.
‘Just when we thought we’d witnessed the very worst, a new dear man would arrive on a stretcher, half his face shot away or his bowels exposed, trying his best to be stoic and not cry out. Chronic dysentery and diarrhoea were the meanest killers, taking the most men by far.’
Sunflower Sisters is an American Civil War novel. It’s expansive and immersive, told from three distinctly strong female perspectives: a war nurse, a plantation slave, and a slave owner. The novel is largely based on fact and much of the story is drawn from letters written by the real Woolsey family throughout the civil war. It was a pleasure to read such a meticulously researched novel, one that was so embedded with actual history.
‘It’s hard not to love the Woolsey women, strong and determined. As Jane Stuart Woolsey wrote in her book, Hospital Days, Reminiscence of a Civil War Nurse, “When members of the Woolsey family gave up toys, they took up politics. Brought up by a mother who hated slavery, although her ancestors for generations had been Virginia slave-holders, they walked with her in the straight path of abolitionism.”’ – Author’s note.
Sunflower Sisters is less Gone With the Wind and more Cold Mountain. There is an honesty and brutality to it that does its subject matter justice. Some scenes were shocking, as was their intent, but never seemed exaggerated or gratuitous, rather, a representation of events as they would have unfolded, sans the sugar coating. I highly recommend reading the author note at the end which details just how extensive the research process behind writing this book was. I was left with the impression that it was a labour of love.
‘Turns out the mobs did more than burn the orphans’ home to the ground, they sacked the whole city. They cast paving stones through shop windows, cut telegraph lines, killed the horses that pulled streetcars, and ruined the cars. Georgeanna read me the papers that said the ruffians hunted coloured people on the streets and viciously beat and murdered them. They burned the mayor’s home, hotels, and newspaper offices, and when the rioters approached the offices of The New York Times, the staff turned Gatling guns on the mob, dispersing them. They kept at it for days, until over one hundred coloured folks died, eleven of them murdered by hanging.’
Sunflower Sisters is quite a long novel and the narrative at times is minutely detailed but it’s definitely worth the investment of reading time. It’s incredibly atmospheric and the characterisation is brilliantly realised, with authenticity and impact. If you have read the first two books in the series, then you’ve no doubt been highly anticipating this final instalment, which will not disappoint. I fully intend on reading the other novels now after immensely enjoying this introduction to the work of Martha Hall Kelly.
Thanks is extended to Penguin Random House for providing me with a copy of Sunflower Sisters for review.
Follow #SunflowerSistersTour by visiting the blogs listed here.
Martha Hall Kelly is the author of Lilac Girls, the runaway bestseller that spent over a year on the New York Times paperback chart. She lives in Connecticut, where she spends her days filling legal pads with stories and reading World War II books. Lost Roses, her second novel, was released in April 2019 and her third, Sunflower Sisters, will publish in early 2021.
Sunflower Sisters
Published by Penguin Random House Australia
Released 30th March 2021
March 28, 2021
Book Review: The Emporium of Imagination by Tabitha Bird
A captivating novel of magical realism about a fantastical shop that brings comfort, peace and hope to those in need. You won’t want to miss the opening of this shop!
From the author of A Lifetime of Impossible Days (winner of the Courier-Mail People’s Choice QLD Book of the Year Award) comes this beautiful and uplifting story, that will make you laugh and make you cry.
Welcome to The Emporium of Imagination, a most unusual shop that travels the world offering vintage gifts to repair broken dreams and extraordinary phones to contact lost loved ones.
But, on arrival in the tiny township of Boonah, the store’s long-time custodian, Earlatidge Hubert Umbray, makes a shocking realisation. He is dying . . .
The clock is now ticking to find his replacement, because the people of Boonah are clearly in need of some restorative magic.
Like Enoch Rayne – a heartbroken ten-year-old boy mourning the loss of his father, while nurturing a guilty secret.
Like Ann Harlow, who has come to the town to be close to her dying grandmother. Though it’s Enoch’s father who dominates her thoughts – and regrets . . .
Even Earlatidge in his final days will experience the store as never before – and have the chance to face up to his own tragedy . . .
My Thoughts:If you think of Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, add a dash of Mary Poppins and a shake of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, you might have an inkling on what to expect with The Emporium of Imagination. Well, sort of. At least, that’s what I felt like whilst reading this remarkably unique and truly inventive story.
Tabitha Bird is a highly imaginative writer whose creativity is akin to sunbursts and showers of stardust – magical, fragile, beautiful, incredible. This is a novel about grief: death, missed opportunities, failed moments, lost relationships, guilt over the things we wish we could change. It’s beautiful and devastating all at once.
‘And here is the stillness I was dreading. Here is the ordinary, extraordinary moment. The one when all my world changes, and everything that was, now isn’t.’
The Emporium of Imagination is a novel to linger over, to reflect on and take your time with. It is magical realism with emphasis on the magical. But at the heart of the story is an essential message: we need to grieve in order to live. Whatever the loss: a person, an opportunity, a relationship, a pet, an object of great importance. In order to heal, we must first allow ourselves to break.
‘Sometimes the hardest part of being sisters is that you share many of the same wounds from childhood. You share a darkness and it doesn’t always bring you together.’
Structurally interesting with a brilliant cast and a magical storyline, The Emporium of Imagination is the type of novel that offers each reader a unique experience. I don’t feel as though any two readers will read this story the same way. Just as the Emporium offers each person what they need at this point in time, so too does this story. It’s a remarkable achievement with a deeply personal attention to detail that has me filled with admiration.
Thanks is extended to the author for providing me with a copy of The Emporium of Imagination for review.
Tabitha Bird is a writer and poet who lives and works in the rural township of Boonah, Queensland. By day Tabitha may be found painting, working on her next book or with her husband, three beautiful boys and Chihuahua.
The Emporium of Imagination
Published by Penguin Random House Australia
Released 30th March 2021
March 27, 2021
The Week That Was…
Moving day is just around the corner! We’re all ready and we’re all excited!
In other exciting news, I wrapped up 10 years with Education on Friday. The time is right for me to embark on a career change which includes studying a Bachelor of Speech Pathology. It’s a pathway I wish I’d always taken so after ‘career advising’ high school students for so long, I sat down and career advised myself. This will be my third degree and I’m looking forward to returning to study – I’ve always loved learning.
Just wanted to share this picture taken by a friend of mine here, Christine, of our beautiful river. Looking at this makes me feel fortunate to live in such a beautiful region of Queensland.
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Joke of the week:
Me. I am this week’s joke with my livestream blooper from my son’s football game last Sunday. And by livestream I mean actually into the football Facebook group where other parents were watching. 
Thanks to my son who kindly clipped this blooper so that he and his brother could watch it anytime they liked!
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Another green room, but I like the green shelves. Makes me think of other colours shelves could be and what a versatile piece of decor they are. Of course, these are built ins, but you could do it with free-standing ones too.
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The Stella Prize Shortlist:
I’m so pleased that I’ve read half the shortlist long before the titles were even listed. I’ve read Fathoms, Stone Sky Gold Mountain, and The Bass Rock. I enjoyed all three but I have my secret hopes on The Bass Rock. For many reasons, this remains a favourite book of mine and it tells an important story in a clever way.
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The birds in my backyard:
It’s cockatoo central station at my place each afternoon but since the rain stopped they’ve stepped it up, so many flocking each afternoon. I love them, despite their noise, they really are such lively characters.
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What I’ve been reading:
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Until next week… 
March 24, 2021
Book Review: The Last Reunion by Kayte Nunn
Five women come together at a New Year’s Eve party after decades apart, in this thrilling story of desire, revenge and courage, based on a brave group of Australian and British WWII servicewomen.
Burma, 1945. Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy: in search of adventure, attached to the Fourteenth Army, fighting a forgotten war in the jungle. Assigned to run a mobile canteen, navigating treacherous roads and dodging hostile gunfire, they become embroiled in life-threatening battles of their own.
Oxford, 1976. A woman slips into a museum and steals several rare Japanese netsuke, including the famed fox-girl. Despite the offer of a considerable reward, these tiny, exquisitely detailed carvings are never seen again.
London and Galway, 1999. On the eve of the new millennium, Olivia, assistant to an art dealer, meets Beatrix, an elderly widow who wishes to sell her late husband’s collection of Japanese art. Olivia travels with Beatrix to a New Year’s Eve party, deep in the Irish countryside, where friendships will be tested as secrets kept for more than fifty years are spilled.
Inspired by the heroic women who served in the ‘forgotten war’ in Burma, The Last Reunion is a heartbreaking love story and mystery by the international bestselling author of The Botanist’s Daughter and The Silk House.
My Thoughts:Kayte Nunn’s novels are always highly anticipated for me and each one is a delight to read. The Last Reunion is inspired by the women who served in Burma during WWII, running canteens near the frontlines. I have read quite widely on WWII, both fiction and non-fiction, yet I hadn’t heard of these service women at all prior to reading this novel. I honestly didn’t even know there were canteens in operation during the war either, much less that they travelled from battle to battle, entirely run by women who had volunteered for the service. I really love what Kayte says in her author note about writing fiction that is inspired by real events:
‘Fiction is about what is possible, not what is actual; my imagining of the events is exactly that – an imagining and not based on an actual event.’ – Author note.
In keeping with this, I think she does a splendid job of paying homage to these service women. Kayte recreates the type of work the servicewomen would have been undertaking, all of it playing out against a backdrop of the war in Burma, an overlooked war that has been dubbed “the forgotten war”. Not for those who served, I’d wager. As always, Kayte’s research into the world she has chosen to immerse us in was second to none. I valued the way in which Kayte used visual journals created by Bea within the narrative as a means of conveying to Olivia (and the reader) what life was like during the Burma campaign.
Along with providing a new fictional perspective on WWII, The Last Reunion is also a novel about friendship, as well as art, specifically, Japanese Netsuke. A quick google brings up some glorious images of these miniature carvings, they are so detailed and incredibly clever. It was surprising to read about the sale value of this type of art – and this was in 1999, as well, so no doubt it would be more nowadays. Normally with dual timelines I gravitate towards the historical timeline more but in this case, I really enjoyed the 1999 (contemporary) timeline immensely. The spark between Olivia and a much older Bea was really enjoyable to read and I liked revisiting that moment in history where we all thought the world was going to go haywire because of Y2K. It’s funny how books can bring little things like that back for you.
I do really love stories about female friendship that also celebrate strength of character and the ties that bind. I also love stories that are structurally interesting and The Last Reunion reveals its story in a captivating back and forth unfolding that built the tension nicely as well as ensuring that both timelines were knitted together cohesively. Kayte has woven important themes into this story about violence against women that raise questions about how much has changed across the decades, or not changed, in terms of speaking out and seeking justice. I really appreciated the way in which she used both timelines – WWII and 1999 – to demonstrate this. There is a third timeline at the opening of the novel, but I’m not going to say too much on that except that it was a cracking good way to start the story off and it hooked me immediately.
The Last Reunion is everything readers have come to love about Kayte Nunn’s novels: a unique story with memorable characters and deeply moving moments. It was thoroughly enjoyable and beautifully written.
Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing me with a copy of The Last Reunion for review.
About the Author:Kayte Nunn is a former book and magazine editor, and the author of five previous novels, including the international bestselling The Botanist’s Daughter, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant and The Silk House. The Botanist’s Daughter was the 2020 winner of the Winston Graham Historical Fiction Prize. The Last Reunion is based on the experiences of the Women’s Auxiliary Service (Burma) during the Second World War. Kayte lives in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. You can find Kayte at kaytenunn.com
The Last Reunion
Published by Hachette Australia
Released 31st March 2021
March 22, 2021
Book Review: The Codebreakers by Alli Sinclair
A compelling story about tenacity and friendship, inspired by the real codebreaking women of Australia’s top-secret Central Bureau in WWII.
1943, Brisbane: The war continues to devastate and the battle for the Pacific threatens Australian shores. For Ellie O’Sullivan, helping the war effort means utilising her engineering skills for Qantas as they evacuate civilians and deliver supplies to armed forces overseas. Her exceptional logic and integrity attract the attention of Central Bureau – an intelligence organisation working with England’s Bletchley Park codebreakers. But joining Central Bureau means signing a lifetime secrecy contract. Breaking it is treason.
With her country’s freedom at risk, Ellie works with a group of elite women who enter a world of volatile secrets; deciphering enemy communications to change the course of the war. Working under immense pressure, they form a close bond – yet there could be a traitor in their midst. Can the women uncover the culprit before it’s too late?
As Ellie struggles with the magnitude of the promise she’s made to her country, a wedge grows between her and those she holds dear. When the man she loves asks questions she’s forbidden to answer, how will she prevent the double life she’s leading from unravelling?
My Thoughts:There is a wealth of themes explored in Alli Sinclair’s latest release, The Codebreakers, a novel inspired by the women who served in secret within the Australian Central Intelligence Bureau during WWII. It’s always interesting to me, to read about the war on our own shores and when that history features the bravery and sacrifice of women and the work they dedicated themselves to, then I am all the more interested.
The Codebreakers specifically chronicles the work of the “Garage Girls”, a small team of women who were ensconced in a suburban Brisbane garage cracking codes for the war in the Pacific. It has been said that their work in intelligence took at least two years off the war, saving countless lives. The research that has gone into this novel, specifically the parts about the intelligence work and codebreaking, is entirely impressive. For me, this is where the strength of the novel lay. I was less enamoured of the characters and their melodrama, to be honest, and I’m not a big fan of war time romance either, and this novel has quite a bit of romance going on, some of which tended to dilute the more important historical aspects of the story.
I admired how Alli spotlighted the many ways in which women, who were frankly doing extremely important work across all fields, were subjected to sexism and harassment on a daily basis. On the other hand, I also liked the way she demonstrated the appreciation many men had for the skills and service women were undertaking, thanking them for their service and trying to alleviate the actions of their counterparts who were less gracious and quite often, overtly sexist. The burden of keeping the secrets of war is an area of interest, so I enjoyed the examination of this, particularly at the end of the war, when the women were moving on and going back to lives that were entirely removed from the way they had been living for several years. Ellie’s inability to adapt to civilian life seemed to me to be quite realistic, likewise, the way in which the garage girls drifted away from each other was understandable; there would come a point in every person’s life where concealment would wear you down and you would seek an end to it, even if it meant losing once vital relationships.
All in all, The Codebreakers is an interesting read that pays homage to an important part of Australia’s wartime history. It has renewed my sense of admiration for the generation of women who kept Australia ticking over and safe throughout WWII and I am pleased that for many of them, their efforts are continuing to be honoured.
Thanks is extended to HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a copy of The Codebreakers for review.
About the Author:Alli Sinclair, an adventurer at heart, has won multiple awards for her writing. She is Australian and has lived in Argentina, Peru and Canada, and has climbed some of the world’s highest mountains, worked as a tour guide in South and Central America and has travelled the globe. She enjoys immersing herself in exotic destinations, cultures and languages but Australia has always been close to Alli’s heart. Alli hosts retreats for writers and presents writing workshops around Australia, as well as working in film on international projects. She’s a volunteer role model with Books in Homes and is an ambassador for the Fiji Book Drive. Alli’s books explore history, culture, love and grief, and relationships between family, friends and lovers. She captures the romance and thrill of discovering old and new worlds, and loves taking readers on a journey of discovery.
Alli’s website is www.allisinclair.com
The Codebreakers
Published by Mira AU
Released 3rd March 2021
March 20, 2021
The Week That Was…
We’re getting to that stage in the packing where you’d better not put anything down and walk away or it will end up in a box. One week and two days to go!
This time in March is always busy for us as my sons celebrate their birthdays within days of each other with my daughter’s to come on the 30th. This week we had 15 on Tuesday and 17 on Thursday.
And so you all don’t think I can’t look last green decor, I’m quite partial to a cosy blue room as well.
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Joke of the week:
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What I’ve been watching:
Loved both of these historical dramas.
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What I’ve been reading:
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Until next week…
March 17, 2021
Book Review: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
Cornwall, 1972. Three lighthouse keepers vanish from a remote rock, miles from the shore. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm, but the skies have been clear all week.
What happened to those three men, out on the tower? The heavy sea whispers their names. Black rocks roll beneath the swell, drowning ghosts. Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?
Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. Now, they have a chance to tell their side of the story. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface . . .
Inspired by real events, The Lamplighters is an intoxicating, suspenseful and deeply moving mystery, and an unforgettable story of love, grief and obsession.
My Thoughts:‘The sea will turn on you if you’re not paying attention; it changes its mind in the snap of a finger and it doesn’t care who you are.’
The rating I give a book is almost always decided at the end. Once I’ve finished and the story is complete and all the pieces have fallen into place. But every now and again I will reach a point within a book and know that it is a five-star read. It doesn’t matter what comes after or what came before, you just know, in that moment, that the book you are reading is next level good. That’s what happened in this one for me, I hit a particular chapter late in the book (chapter forty-one) and that was it. Everything fell into place and the prism shifted, all that had been out of focus became crystal clear. And it made me cry, the devastation and the way in which a moment in time can take so much, destroy a love, change the direction of your life, and wound irreparably.
‘In all my years I’ve realised there are two kinds of people. The ones who hear a creak in a dark, lonely house, and shut the windows because it must have been the wind. And the ones who hear a creak in a dark, lonely house, light a candle, and go to take a look.’
Isn’t this a great quote? I am definitely the one who lights a candle and goes to take a look. I feel like that’s what I was doing with reading this novel too, the idea of three people disappearing from a lighthouse without a trace the creak in the dark, enough for me to light my candle and take a good long look. This is a brilliant novel. Inspired by a real-life mystery, the author has taken the bare bones of this historic case and given shape to it in a different time and space. The novel is grippingly atmospheric – a lighthouse tower in the turbulent Cornish sea, the ultimate place that you cannot escape singlehandedly. The narrative moves back and forth, between the two eras; between the incident and the reflection. The structure of the novel makes for an interesting read, the story interspersed with interviews, letters, and news articles with a mix of perspectives and points of view, all of which works to keep you engaged and gripped, particularly as you get closer to the point where the keepers disappear.
I found the daily ins and outs of life on a lighthouse fascinating to ponder. I have enjoyed lighthouse stories in the past but this was the first one I have read that was about a tower actually in the sea. The isolation, the alternate way of life; not just for the keepers but for their wives as well. It was a hard life, both physically and emotionally. The author dug deep into this with all of the characters, examining the type of people they were and the effects the lighthouse life had on each of them. When you think of cabin fever, this scenario puts a whole new meaning to it. But it wasn’t only tough on the keepers, their wives were living in close quarters as well, separate from others but close to each other, forced into each other’s pockets so to speak. I don’t think I would have done all too well with that, to be honest. I’m very much a casual wave as you go by neighbour, not an in each other’s kitchen sort of neighbour. Then there were the long periods without a husband, adjusting to that and then getting him back for a block of time, having to readjust to each other only to then be separated again. All of this was shaken up and brought out into the light and I really enjoyed the way this was expanded on and woven into the story.
‘Occasionally it strikes me how much time I spend with men I’d otherwise have nothing to do with. At home, I don’t make friends easily. I don’t have the knack. People come and go; there’s no time; I can’t find a way in. Here, it isn’t a choice. We learn to live together in a narrow column with no way out. Men become friends and friends become brothers.’
There is always more than one side to every story and everyone has their own story buried within. That’s the truth at the beating heart of this novel. This was a surprising story in the sense that I went into it prepared for a mystery and came out of it deeply moved and emotionally charged. It is a novel of immense grief, of the kind that is almost too painful to touch. The Lamplighters is a devastatingly beautiful novel, one that I want to press into the hands of every person who loves literary historical fiction. And lighthouses. You definitely want to read this one if you love lighthouses.
Thanks is extended to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a copy of The Lamplighters for review.
About the Author:Emma Stonex was born in 1983 and grew up in Northamptonshire. After working in publishing for several years, she quit to pursue her dream of writing fiction. The Lamplighters left harbour after a lifelong passion for lighthouses and everything to do with the sea. She lives in the Southwest with her family.
The Lamplighters
Published by Pan Macmillan Australia
Released on 9th March 2021
March 15, 2021
Book Review: Repentance by Alison Gibbs
It’s the summer of 1976, and the winds of change are blowing through the small town of Repentance on the edge of the Great Dividing Range. The old families farmed cattle and cut timber, but the new settlers, the hippies, have a different perspective on the natural order and humankind’s place in the scheme of things. Soon everything will be disturbed. Either the old growth is coming down or the loggers have to be stopped. And although not everyone agrees on tactics, no one will escape being drawn into the coming confrontation.
A tale of a country town and its rhythms, Repentance is also the story of modern Australia at one of its flashpoints, told tenderly and beautifully through the eyes of characters you won’t forget.
My Thoughts:“There was no moving upstream, no going back and unknowing the things that you now knew.”
Eco-literature has become one of my favourite sub-genres over the last year and this novel was just sublime. It ebbed and flowed like a gentle stream and even when it was at its most dramatic, there was a stillness to it that allowed you to really sink in and appreciate Alison’s beautiful writing and superb characterisation. I absolutely loved this novel.
Set in a small country town whose primary industries are logging, dairy and beef production, the story spans months across 1976 and pivots around a protest against logging that arises from new residents (hippies) mounting a campaign to ‘save the forest’. Inevitably, the majority of locals find themselves pitted against the hippies but this is not just an ‘us against them’ sort of story. Alison writes from quite a few different perspectives, even incorporating an omniscient rainforest/nature viewpoint inserted every so often between chapters. The holistic style of this novel allows the reader to be fully informed of all sides and fully invested in the lives of all affected. I found it impossible to take sides and I also gained a lot of insight, particularly from the logging perspective, that surprised me. And that’s what I loved so much about this novel, the characterisation, the way the characters drove the narrative and stayed the course. This is a fine example of accessible and engaging literary fiction.
There was such a ‘slice of life’ aspect to this novel that enhanced my appreciation for it. Australia in the 1970s was perfectly captured and that essence of familiarity was evident all the way through. In many ways this is a quiet novel, although there were certainly spikes in drama, but it wasn’t given to moments of melodrama, it’s scenes of high action all the more impactful because of this. As I mentioned above, I am drawn to eco-literature right now and if you are finding yourself interested in reading more of it also, I can highly recommend you add Repentance to your reading list. It is, in my opinion, a brilliant read.
Thanks is extended to Scribe Publications for providing me with a copy of Repentance for review.
About the Author:Alison Gibbs was born in Kyogle in 1963 and spent her childhood in the towns and villages of northern New South Wales. She now lives in Sydney, where she runs her own writing consultancy producing copy for United Nations agencies and the not-for-profit sector. Her short stories and essays have been published and broadcast in Australia and the United Kingdom and have received numerous short-listings and awards. Repentance is her first novel.
Repentance
Published by Scribe Publications
Released 5th January 2021
