Theresa Smith's Blog, page 72

#TheClassicsEight: Revisiting Jane Austen’s Emma

‘Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.’

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I first read Emma in my early 20s (I’m now in my early 40s) about the time that the Gwenyth Paltrow adaptation came out. That period in the late 1990s saw quite a few classic adaptations, in particular the novels of Austen, Dickens, and the Bronte sisters. I’ve always been a sucker for a re-jacketed classic, so during these years, I read a lot of classics. I’d read the ones that had been adapted into movies or TV series and then if I’d enjoyed that author, I’d read the rest of their books. I read all of Austen’s novels and enjoyed each of them, some more than others, but all of them enough to consider myself an Austen fan. Over the years since, I haven’t actually re-read any of them, but I’ve watched the various adaptations many times, considering them comfort watches.

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Recently, we decided to have a Jane Austen buddy read over in my Facebook group, but we were split on which one to read. It came down to Emma or Pride and Prejudice. So instead of choosing one, readers were given the option to read one or the other. I went with Emma this time as I seemed to remember enjoying this book the most for its humour value. Only by a sliver though, as Pride and Prejudice offers so much in terms of satire as well. But anyway, Emma it was.

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The biggest thing I’ve realised coming out of this buddy read is that I actually prefer the adaptations now to the actual novel. You can toss me out of the Austenhood for this if you like but reading Emma again was quite tedious! It’s so drawn out and things just take so long! Every thought, every action, every conversation: blah, blah for pages and pages. It’s all very entertaining, yes, and Austen did indeed have an eye for demonstrating so much through these character interactions, but I feel like my reading has evolved into a place where I no longer have any patience for it. And I can’t help but ask the question: did no one ever edit her manuscripts prior to publication? Everyone worships Austen as literary royalty, and I’m happy enough to nod at her genius, yet I can’t deny that she used the maximum words she could in every single sentence. Concise and Austen are not synonymous.

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After finishing the first volume of Emma, I tuned in to watch the most recent movie adaptation. That was a pure delight! Here it was, everything I loved about Emma on display, the conversations, the social interactions, the wit and sarcasm; this was a wonderful adaptation that captured the spirit of Emma so intricately. Of course, it ruined the rest of the novel for me. In comparison, the novel seemed to drag even more, particularly as I could recognise entire conversations that took two minutes in the film but were taking thirty pages in the novel. I’ve come to the conclusion that I love the story and characters of Emma, but I prefer to enjoy them on the screen. I know, it’s a literary betrayal, but there you have it. I have no doubt that I’d likely feel the same about each of her novels if I put in the time to do a comparison – which I have no intention of doing.

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When this latest adaptation of Emma was initially promoted, I saw plenty of people on social media asking if another one was necessary. In light of my experiences here, I’d now firmly say yes, I think new adaptations can constantly be released, again and again from generation to generation, offering a fresh look at the original classic text. In fact, I think they are vital, in order to keep these stories alive. Reading Emma again was a mixture of entertaining and tiresome, yet watching the latest adaptation was utterly delightful. All of the best was there with a great deal of the waffle gone; almost like an edited version of the novel!

I’ve read a few novels this year about Austen herself and this did enhance my reading of Emma. In particular, this quote gave me pause:

‘Never mind, Harriet, I shall not be a poor old maid; and it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable, old maid! the proper sport of boys and girls; but a single woman, of good fortune, is always respectable, and may be as sensible and pleasant as anybody else. And the distinction is not quite so much against the candour and common sense of the world as appears at first; for a very narrow income has a tendency to contract the mind, and sour the temper. Those who can barely live, and who live perforce in a very small, and generally very inferior, society, may well be illiberal and cross.’

Given what we know of Austen herself, in that, she never married and lived out her life ‘by the pen’, even though this required a lot of charity from her brothers and other family members, this passage from Emma on remaining single struck me. Now, she wrote this early on in her career, given that Emma was her second novel. My impressions of this is that Jane was possibly testing the waters, throwing an idea out there about a woman choosing to remain single. She had the power to leave Emma single but instead married her off, conforming to society’s expectations of a woman’s role and means to a happy ending. Much in the way Louisa May Alcott did with Jo in Little Women. But this speech from Emma hints that Jane at least thought about it, but perhaps felt in the end that society was not yet ready for that sort of happy ending. Would it have been so very terrible for Emma and Knightley to have remained as friends and neighbours only? Maybe Jane thought that nobody would buy any more of her novels if she did that. Or maybe she truly believed that the true path the happiness always ended in matrimony. I’d prefer to believe the former.

One of my favourite series of scenes within Emma is the one where the entire party visit Box Hill and Emma openly mocks Miss Bates, leading to a serious dressing down from Knightley later on. It’s such a terrific part of the novel for several reasons. Emma is forced into a self awareness that sees her shocked at her own behaviour, along with the reckoning of Knightley’s consternation and the place of this within her own sense of self as his favourite. This entire scene, from the arrival at Box Hill through to departure, has always played out so well, not just on the page but in every adaptation thereafter.

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‘While waiting for the carriage, she found Mr. Knightley by her side. He looked around, as if to see that no one were near, and then said, “Emma, I must once more speak to you as I have been used to do: a privilege rather endured than allowed, perhaps, but I must still use it. I cannot see you acting wrong, without a remonstrance. How could you be so unfeeling to Miss Bates? How could you be so insolent in your wit to a woman of her character, age, and situation?—Emma, I had not thought it possible.” Emma recollected, blushed, was sorry, but tried to laugh it off.

“Nay, how could I help saying what I did?—Nobody could have helped it. It was not so very bad. I dare say she did not understand me.” “I assure you she did. She felt your full meaning. She has talked of it since. I wish you could have heard how she talked of it—with what candour and generosity. I wish you could have heard her honouring your forbearance, in being able to pay her such attentions, as she was for ever receiving from yourself and your father, when her society must be so irksome.” “Oh!” cried Emma, “I know there is not a better creature in the world: but you must allow, that what is good and what is ridiculous are most unfortunately blended in her.” “They are blended,” said he, “I acknowledge; and, were she prosperous, I could allow much for the occasional prevalence of the ridiculous over the good. Were she a woman of fortune, I would leave every harmless absurdity to take its chance, I would not quarrel with you for any liberties of manner. Were she your equal in situation—but, Emma, consider how far this is from being the case. She is poor; she has sunk from the comforts she was born to; and, if she live to old age, must probably sink more. Her situation should secure your compassion. It was badly done indeed!—You, whom she had known from an infant, whom she had seen grow up from a period when her notice was an honour, to have you now, in thoughtless spirits, and the pride of the moment, laugh at her, humble her—and before her niece, too—and before others, many of whom (certainly some ,) would be entirely guided by your treatment of her.—This is not pleasant to you, Emma—and it is very far from pleasant to me; but I must, I will,—I will tell you truths while I can, satisfied with proving myself your friend by very faithful counsel, and trusting that you will some time or other do me greater justice than you can do now.” While they talked, they were advancing towards the carriage; it was ready; and, before she could speak again, he had handed her in. He had misinterpreted the feelings which had kept her face averted, and her tongue motionless. They were combined only of anger against herself, mortification, and deep concern. She had not been able to speak; and, on entering the carriage, sunk back for a moment overcome—then reproaching herself for having taken no leave, making no acknowledgement, parting in apparent sullenness, she looked out with voice and hand eager to show a difference; but it was just too late.

Never had she felt so agitated, mortified, grieved, at any circumstance in her life. She was most forcibly struck. The truth of his representation there was no denying. She felt it at her heart. How could she have been so brutal, so cruel to Miss Bates!—How could she have exposed herself to such ill opinion in any one she valued! And how suffer him to leave her without saying one word of gratitude, of concurrence, of common kindness! Time did not compose her. As she reflected more, she seemed but to feel it more. She never had been so depressed. Happily it was not necessary to speak. There was only Harriet, who seemed not in spirits herself, fagged, and very willing to be silent; and Emma felt the tears running down her cheeks almost all the way home, without being at any trouble to check them, extraordinary as they were.’

I’ll leave it here with the sharing of some other stand out quotes. In conclusion though, I’d rate Emma at four stars today rather than my five stars of twenty years ago. The film though? Well it gets the extra star!

“Emma has been meaning to read more ever since she was twelve years old. I have seen a great many lists of her drawing up at various times of books that she meant to read regularly through—and very good lists they were—very well chosen, and very neatly arranged—sometimes alphabetically, and sometimes by some other rule. The list she drew up when only fourteen—I remember thinking it did her judgment so much credit, that I preserved it some time; and I dare say she may have made out a very good list now. But I have done with expecting any course of steady reading from Emma. She will never submit to any thing requiring industry and patience, and a subjection of the fancy to the understanding. Where Miss Taylor failed to stimulate, I may safely affirm that Harriet Smith will do nothing.—You never could persuade her to read half so much as you wished.—You know you could not.”

~~~

‘Emma is spoiled by being the cleverest of her family. At ten years old, she had the misfortune of being able to answer questions which puzzled her sister at seventeen. She was always quick and assured: Isabella slow and diffident. And ever since she was twelve, Emma has been mistress of the house and of you all. In her mother she lost the only person able to cope with her. She inherits her mother’s talents, and must have been under subjection to her.’

~~~

‘I think her all you describe. I love to look at her; and I will add this praise, that I do not think her personally vain. Considering how very handsome she is, she appears to be little occupied with it; her vanity lies another way.’

~~~

‘That is the case with us all, papa. One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.’

~~~

‘The first error and the worst lay at her door. It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together. It was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious, a trick of what ought to be simple. She was quite concerned and ashamed, and resolved to do such things no more.’

~~~

‘Till now that she was threatened with its loss, Emma had never known how much of her happiness depended on being first with Mr. Knightley, first in interest and affection.—Satisfied that it was so, and feeling it her due, she had enjoyed it without reflection; and only in the dread of being supplanted, found how inexpressibly important it had been.’

The Week That Was…

The first week of my winter school holidays break is almost done and three of those days were spent with another migraine. You’d think that after thirty years of having them that I’d be used to it. For the most part, I am, but this year has been particularly viscous in terms of frequency. I’ve had times where I barely get them, maybe one in six months, and then there’s been times where they hound me continuously – like this year. It’s gotten to the point where I have to do a quick internal poll before committing to anything: will this lead to a migraine? Yes? Then pass. No? Okay, see you there. A bit over it right now!

So, in honour of this, not much reading again, just some TV watching and sleeping it off.

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What I’ve been watching:

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This was terrific! So much more than I was expecting and definitely not the romcom that it’s being promoted as – it’s much deeper than that.

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Now I’m on to this which has three seasons, I’ve almost finished the first. It’s been a while since I got into a crime/thriller TV series. A great one to break the drought with! Advice I can pass on from watching this:

If you are going to marry a widower, ask around beforehand just to make sure that his wife’s coffin actually contained a body. You’ll save yourself a lot of angst later on.

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Joke of the week:

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Book of the week:

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What I’m reading right now:

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Until next week…

A Month of Reading: June

#BookBingo2020: 0

#2020ReadNonFic: 1

#aww2020: 6

#TheClassicsEight: 1

Total books read for June: 12

Back to my regular monthly total! 12 books a month seems to be my set pattern, regardless of book size. There’s comfort in predictability, I suppose!

Book Review: Croc Country by Kerry McGinnis

Croc Country…
About the Book:

The new outback mystery from the bestselling author of The Roadhouse.

Why would the police come back looking for a dead man?

Young widow Tilly is making a new life for herself, keeping house for the rangers at the Binboona Wildlife Sanctuary in the isolated wilderness of the north-western Gulf Country. Caring for injured wildlife and helping to run the popular tourist campsite are just the distraction she needs from everything she left behind when her husband, Gerry, and young daughter were lost at sea.

But when the police show up asking questions about Gerry, the peaceful routine she’s built is disrupted as she begins to question what really happened to her family. The arrival of botanist Connor stirs up even more emotion and has Tilly questioning who she can trust. When she and young ranger Luke stumble across evidence of wildlife smugglers on a visit to the local caves, suddenly her sanctuary is no longer safe and it becomes clear the past has well and truly come back to haunt her.

Set against the lush backdrop of the Northern Territory with its vibrant birds and deadly wildlife, this is a chilling and highly evocative family mystery about the wild and dangerous things that can happen in the most remote and untamed corners of our country.

My Thoughts:

Rural fiction, be it crime or romantic suspense, is not my usual area of interest when it comes to reading, despite living in the Outback myself, however, this one caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First, the setting is up in the Gulf, in a Wildlife Sanctuary, rather than in the outback or in a small town. Second, the title of Croc Country accompanied by the publicity tag on the front cover: ‘Far greater dangers than drowning lurk in these muddy waters.’ This reeled me in. I’m a bit of a fan of these great reptilian beasts. I went into this novel then with all of these expectations, plot wise, however, my hopes were sadly dashed: not a single baddie got eaten by a croc, nor were they even threatened by one. In fact, apart from being mentioned a few times in passing, the crocs were entirely absent. As good as the book was, this did deflate me at the end. Death by crocodile, or at least a decent maiming, is one of my favourite top end crime story twists. It’s not done nearly enough.

Anyway, this aside, I did actually enjoy this book. The setting was recreated with an intensity that jumped right off the page and the characters were well fleshed out. There were a lot of layers to the story as well and it unfolded with a great deal of intrigue and suspense. The actual crimes that were taking place were of great interest to me and a bit out of the box – which I like. They were crimes that are very unique to that area and in this, they offer another view of the threats that our Australian coast line faces. I also liked the combination of police, customs officers, and rangers all working together for a common goal. On the topic of rangers, I really enjoyed reading about the ins and outs of their daily working lives. It’s a hard gig, physically demanding work, and I never realised quite the extent of it.

This novel is very much a blend of crime/suspense and romance, but the romance is pretty light on and only really develops towards the end of the novel, which I appreciated, to be honest. It left room for the main plot to unfold and for those of us who don’t favour romance, there was no risk of it taking over the story. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and the few wildlife ‘regulars’ they had as permanent residents. This really is an ideal read for anyone interested in Australian wildlife, ranging, and the top end. It provided a relaxing way to fill my mid-week evenings and introduced me to a few things I wasn’t previously aware of.

+1/2

Thanks is extended to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a copy of Croc Country for review.

About the Author:

Kerry McGinnis was born in Adelaide and at the age of twelve took up a life of droving with her father and four siblings. The family travelled extensively across the Northern Territory and Queensland before settling on a station in the Gulf Country. Kerry has worked as a shepherd, droving hand, gardener and stock-camp and station cook on the family property Bowthorn, north-west of Mount Isa. She is the author of two volumes of memoir, Pieces of Blue and Heart Country, and the bestselling novels The Waddi Tree, Wildhorse Creek, Mallee Sky, Tracking North, Out of Alice, Secrets of the Springs, The Heartwood Hotel and The Roadhouse. Kerry now lives in Bundaberg.

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Croc Country

Published by Penguin Random House Australia

Released 2nd July 2020

Book Review: The Silk House by Kayte Nunn

The Silk House…
About the Book:

Weaving. Healing. Haunting. The spellbinding story of a mysterious boarding school sheltering a centuries-old secret by the bestselling author of THE BOTANIST’S DAUGHTER

Australian history teacher Thea Rust arrives at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside only to find that she is to look after the first intake of girls in its 150-year history. She is to stay with them in Silk House, a building with a long and troubled past, where the shadows hide more mysteries than she could ever imagine.

In the late 1700s, Rowan Caswell leaves her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant. She is thrust into a new and dangerous world where her talent for herbs and healing soon attracts attention.

In London, Mary-Louise Stephenson lives amid the clatter of the weaving trade and dreams of becoming a silk designer, a job that is the domain of men. Arriving in the market town of Oxleigh, she brings with her a length of fabric woven with a pattern of deadly plants that will have far-reaching consequences for all who dwell in the silk house.

Intoxicating, haunting and inspired by the author’s background, THE SILK HOUSE is the exceptional new gothic mystery by Kayte Nunn.

My Thoughts:

‘I’m interested in persecution ideologies – specifically witchcraft in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England.’

Oh yes…so am I! Another novel that seems as though it has been perfectly tailored just for me. Kayte Nunn is an author of exceptional talent. I would put her on a par with Kate Morton in terms of creating a vivid atmosphere, the depth and layering of the story, and of course, bringing those historical settings to life. I am a big, long-time fan of Kate Morton, so I mean this as a compliment. Each of Kayte Nunn’s novels seem flawless, and then she brings the next one out and you think, this is her best yet, and then she does it all over again, just continuing to go from strength to strength. Each of her three works of historical fiction have been vastly different from each other, truly unique stories, and yet they are united in a common framework: female agency, specifically, the lack of it within a woman’s life throughout different periods in history and across the different social and economic classes. It’s a theme she demonstrates throughout her narratives with blinding precision.

‘Here they were in a small back garden, stars beginning to pinprick the sky, the moon full and luminous. Five women holding hands in a circle in a garden after dark. In another time, they would have been burned at the stake for less.’

I am very partial to a bit of spooky in a story, particularly the kind that involves an old house with a myriad of secrets whispering from its walls and a reputation as being haunted.

‘Dodgy electrics, doors unlocking themselves and a possible infestation, not to mention the strange dream: Thea began to worry that something was very wrong with the house.’

‘They say the house wants something. Or wants to be rid of something.’

And then there’s the witch angle, one of my favourites, as mentioned above. Kayte explores this through her character’s talent as a herbalist combined with a highly attuned second ‘sight’.

‘The plans showed the gardens , including a sketch of the parterre garden in the shape of a pentacle. A pentacle, she was well aware, was a shape linked with witchcraft, a symbol alleged to be employed in magical evocation, to foretell the future, or to have power over the devil , though it was also often associated with the element of earth. So, it had been there from the very beginning.’

This is a dual timeline narrative, present day setting along with the late 1700s, but told with three distinct female voices. The way their stories intersected was masterful and I was completely enthralled with this novel, devouring it over the course of one (very long) night. It is steeped in atmosphere (think Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Bone China) and the sense of foreboding that Kayte builds throughout is utterly gripping. You just know you’re headed for something shocking, but it still catches you by surprise. The blend of herbology, weaving, and witchcraft, along with the strong feminist themes, makes this novel an absolute must read for any lover of gothic historical fiction. Brilliant, enthralling, and utterly perfect to curl up with for some winter reading. Preferably on a dark, stormy night.

Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley of The Silk House.

About the Author:

Kayte Nunn is a former book and magazine editor, and the author of four previous novels, including the international bestselling The Botanist’s Daughter and The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant. The Silk House is loosely based on a house that still stands, in the town in England where she grew up. Kayte now lives in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. You can find Kayte at kaytenunn.com

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The Silk House

Published by Hachette Australia

Released 30th June 2020

#BlogTour #BookReview: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic…
About the Book:

The acclaimed author of Gods of Jade and Shadow returns with a mesmerising feminist re-imagining of Gothic fantasy, in which a young socialite discovers the haunting secrets of a beautiful old mansion in 1950s Mexico.

He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.

When glamorous socialite Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging to be rescued from a mysterious doom, it’s clear something is desperately amiss. Catalina has always had a flair for the dramatic, but her claims that her husband is poisoning her and her visions of restless ghosts seem remarkable, even for her. Noemí’s chic gowns and perfect lipstick are more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing, but she immediately heads to High Place, a remote mansion in the Mexican countryside, determined to discover what is so affecting her cousin.

Tough and smart, she possesses an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to leave this enigmatic house behind.

My Thoughts:

“There’s people in the walls,” Catalina said. “There’s people and there’s voices. I see them sometimes, the people in the walls. They’re dead.”

Gothic historical fiction is a go to for me, particularly if it features a spooky house with a presence all of its own. The injection of horror into the mix can usually be hit or miss though, depending on the type of horror. I’m really not into slasher style horror, but if it leans more to the supernatural side of things, then I’m more inclined to enjoy it. On the hit or miss scale, this novel was a firm hit. It really did have all the right elements for this genre and in all the right concentrations too. Nothing was overdone: the atmosphere, the element of dread, the escalation of fear – all balanced with perfection.

“There’s heavy places. Places where the air itself is heavy because an evil weighs it down. Sometimes it’s a death, could be it’s something else, but the bad air, it’ll get into your body and it’ll nestle there and weigh you down.”

This novel is not all just chills and thrills though. There was a very credible storyline relating to female agency within its historical era. Set at the beginning of the 1950s, in Mexico, Catalina and Noemí are both at the mercy of the men in their lives and their experience, and that of the women who haunt this house, highlights the limitations on being not only a woman, but a woman with money, particularly money that your father holds the purse strings of or that your husband has intentions for. There is a special kind of danger reserved for a powerless woman who comes with a big dowry. The exploration of this vulnerability seems to work best in gothic fiction, particularly, The Woman in White, comes to mind, and this novel taps into that same vein, just with a shot of horror to amplify the effect.

“And the first woman, she thought a horror had befallen him, that an evil possessed him, but the other one, she knew this had always been him, under the skin. I feared evil long ago. I feared him.”

This is kind of a story about eugenics gone mad, and while the way it all plays out is definitely supernatural, and therefore, only credible with the use of imagination, I couldn’t help but feel a certain pull of dread with this focus. History is of course littered with examples of where eugenics have directed certain actions, and while the events of this novel could never actually unfold within the context they are imagined, the premise upon which it is built is only all too real. Selective breeding to preserve bloodlines; it makes you shudder to even read that statement, doesn’t it?

“This house had been built atop bones. And no one had noticed such an atrocity, rows and rows of people streaming into the house, into the mine, and never leaving. Never to be mourned, never to be found. The serpent does not devour its tail, it devours everything around it, voracious, its appetite never quenched.”

I’m really very keen to read more from this author. She has great vision and imagination and her ability to evoke atmosphere is second to none. The way she created the house in this novel was extraordinary, it had a life of its own, the presence of a character in itself. The supernatural aspect to this story was also wholly unique, and again, this is testimony to the author’s imagination. The melding of this supernatural side of the story to the historical setting and those pertinent and thought provoking themes I mentioned above, all point to an author of note, one whose work I’d certainly like to become more acquainted with.

Thanks is extended to Quercus (via NetGalley) for providing me with a copy of Mexican Gothic for review and for inviting me onto the blog tour. To read more reviews on this book, follow the blog tour below.

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About the Author:

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of Signal to Noise, named one of the best books of 2015 by BuzzFeed and more; Certain Dark Things, a Publishers Weekly top ten; The Beautiful Ones, a fantasy of manners; and the science fiction novella Prime Meridian. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Born and brought up in Mexico, she now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

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Mexican Gothic

Published by Jo Fletcher Books

Released 23rd June 2020

Book Review: Fathoms: the world in the whale by Rebecca Giggs

Fathoms…
About the Book:

When Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beach in Australia, she began to wonder how the lives of whales might shed light on the condition of our seas. How do whales experience environmental change? Has our connection to these fabled animals been transformed by technology? What future awaits us, and them? And what does it mean to write about nature in the midst of an ecological crisis?

In Fathoms: the world in the whale, Giggs blends natural history, philosophy, and science to explore these questions with clarity and hope. In lively, inventive prose, she introduces us to whales so rare they have never been named; she tells us of the astonishing variety found in whale sounds, and of whale ‘pop’ songs that sweep across hemispheres. She takes us into the deeps to discover that one whale’s death can spark a great flourishing of creatures. We travel to Japan to board whaling ships, examine the uncanny charisma of these magnificent mammals, and confront the plastic pollution now pervading their underwater environment.

In the spirit of Rachel Carson and John Berger, Fathoms is a work of profound insight and wonder. It marks the arrival of an essential new voice in narrative nonfiction and provides us with a powerful, surprising, and compelling view of some of the most urgent issues of our time.

My Thoughts:

‘For as long as there have been humans, the whale has been a portentous animal. A whale warrants pause – be it for amazement, or for mourning. Its appearance and its disappearance are significant. On the beach, an individual whale’s death may not prove ‘global’ in the way of its body powering down abruptly, like a switch being flicked, but, in a different sense, the deaths of whales today are global. The decline of a sperm whale – filled with sheeting and ropes, plant-pots and hosepipes – belongs to a class of environmental threat that, over the past few decades, has become dispersed across entire ocean systems, taking on transhemispheric proportions. This whale’s body serves as an accounting of the legacies of industry and culture that have not only escaped the limits of our control, but now lie outside the range of our sensory perception, and, perhaps even more worryingly, beyond technical quantification. We struggle to understand the sprawl of our impact, but there it is, within one cavernous stomach: pollution, climate, animal welfare, wildness, commerce, the future, and the past. Inside the whale, the world.’

This is a remarkable book. The scope and sheer detail is so impressive, indeed, there is a reference list for each chapter, such is the depth with which Rebecca Giggs has dug into the history and existence of whales. With writing such a comprehensive account of a species, there’s always a risk that the book will be too much like an academic text, and yet, Fathoms is nothing like that at all. Written as narrative non-fiction, there is a beauty to the prose that is at times almost poetic and certainly always visually stimulating. Interspersed with matter of fact accounts and descriptions, it is at times a tough read, sobering and weighty, and yet, overall, really worth lingering over. I have always loved whales but my knowledge prior to reading this book was pretty slim, I now realise. Fathoms is highly readable and deeply thought provoking – there’s something in this one for everyone.

‘There is hope. A whale is a wonder not because it is the world’s biggest animal, but because it augments our moral capacity. A whale shows us it is possible to care for that which lies outside our immediate sphere of action, but within our sphere of influence – we care deeply, you and I, about the whale because it is distant. Because it speaks to us of places we will not go. Because it magnifies the reach of our humanity, and reminds us of our collective ability to control ourselves, and of our part in a planetary ecology. Because a whale is a reserve of awe and humility.’

Thanks is extended to Scribe for providing me with a copy of Fathoms for review.

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Read for #2020ReadNonFic hosted by Book’d Out

Category: Nature

About the Author:

Rebecca Giggs is a writer from Perth, Western Australia. Her work has been widely published, including in Best Australian Essays, Best Australian Science Writing, Best Australian Stories, Granta, Aeon, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, and Griffith Review. Rebecca’s nonfiction focuses on how people feel about, and feel for, animals in a time of technological change and ecological crisis.

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Fathoms

Published by Scribe

Released 28th April 2020

The Week That Was…

The first day of the Winter school holidays, and after what has to be the weirdest school term ever – it’s all good universe, no need to try and top it next time around, normal will be fine – it’s a welcome break.

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Joke of the week:

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What I’ve been watching:

Last weekend was a long weekend so I watched this again, as I had been saying I would all along:

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And then I moved on to a few movies…

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This was a re-watch for me but happily so as I was on a mum-date with my daughter. We ordered in some gourmet pizza and gelato and watched a Christmas movie not even in July!

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On my watch list for a very long time, I finally hit play on this in honour of our #Janeaustenbuddyread which is currently kicking along over in the book club group at Facebook. It put me in a Jane frame of mind, which was just the thing I needed. To refresh, we are reading either Pride and Prejudice or Emma. Arguing a case for which is best is probably impossible for me as I do love both for different reasons, but if we have some bookish fun along the way, then our aim will have been achieved. I watched this latest adaptation of Emma for immersion into my choice and was delighted by how good it was. Bill Nighy was just perfection as Mr. Woodhouse! The whole film was very close to the book and the characterisation was pretty spot on. But the interiors of the houses and the costuming! Just lavish.

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Another movie to have caught my eye when it first came out but only just now make it onto my watched list was this:

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Not at all what I expected but it had me enthralled right the way through. Not your usual period drama, it’s a decidedly dark and unsettling film. It is based on Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, an Opera by Dmitri Shostakovich, which was in turn based on the Russian novella of the same name by Nikolai Leskov. Katherine is sold into marriage and after beginning an affair with a groom on her husband’s estate, she methodically claws back her own agency, but to the point where it is at the expense of her soul. Very much the type of film I relish.

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Book of the week:

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What I’ve been reading:

Three books at once, not something I usually juggle…

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On that note:

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Until next week…

Book Review: The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland

The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan…
About the Book:

The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan is a charming, nostalgic and heart-warming story for women of any age – and it all begins when 79-year-old Shirley kidnaps her husband from his nursing home for one final adventure . . .

When Shirley Sullivan signs her 83-year-old husband, Frank, out of the Sunset Lodge Nursing Home, she has no intention of bringing him back.

For fifty-seven years the couple has shared love, happiness and heartbreak. And while Frank may not know who his wife is these days, he knows he wants to go home. Back to the beach where they met in the early 1960s . . .

So Shirley enacts an elaborate plan to evade the authorities – and their furious daughter, Fiona – to give Frank the holiday he’d always dreamed of.

And, in doing so, perhaps Shirley can make amends for a lifelong guilty secret . . .

My Thoughts:

This was such a wonderful story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Themes of aged care and the way in which our society equates aged with infirm are deeply explored throughout this latest release by Lisa Ireland. Alongside the contemporary story, we get a glimpse into the way in which the domestic lives of Australian women have changed over the decades since the 1950s. This novel is a must read for anyone with an interest in sociology and contemporary society.

Shirley was a quite a character but I have to admit, I kind of liked 79-year-old Shirley a tiny bit more than younger Shirley. The risk of spoiling a key plot point gags me on elaboration here, but suffice to say, as time went on, her intentions became more selfish and she appeared to me to be benefiting quite a bit at the expense of the people she loved the most. The era certainly made this situation a difficult one to navigate but as time marched into the twenty first century, her actions to me became less about protecting others and more about having it all. One person in particular, who I’ll refrain from naming (#nospoilers), I felt particular empathy for and outrage on their behalf. Frank, on the other hand, was very much a man of his generation and while this frustrated me at times, I also had to concede that he was simply just conforming to what he knew and the way that men were ‘supposed’ to be – particularly church going men. Shirley respected and understood that, but I do think at times that if she’d just pushed him a little harder to challenge the status quo instead of simply stroking his ego with her gratitude, a better life might have been possible for all.

Shirley’s journey from the nursing home to her destination was fraught with stress and at times even disaster, but it was also sprinkled with diamond dust in the form of the occasional lucid moment from Frank. Lisa Ireland really digs deep into Alzheimer’s in this story and she casts a very compassionate and realistic gaze onto the disease. The ‘Sherbies’ were an unexpectedly delightful addition and went a long way in showing that our attitudes towards aged people can sometimes come about as we age ourselves; maybe within that middle life period where we may have children of our own and may feel as though elderly parents and grandparents may be better off in care – because it suits our lifestyles best. I truly loved how Shirley maximised the benefits of the activities on offer at the aged care community centre to equip herself for her grand escape plan. A glorious irony there!

Structurally, this novel unfolds well. The chapters alternate between the Shirley of today and the Shirley of yesterday, spanning from the beginning of her relationship with Frank right up to the incident that results in him being admitted into aged care. There are a lot of issues about marriage and domesticity explored, particularly around a wife’s agency over her own body and reproductive rights. Shirley’s story would be a familiar one for many older women, I’d wager, and it makes me extremely grateful for the movement through the 1970s that saw a change come about for women as the keepers of their own bodies. There’s also an extra issue explored as an offshoot to this: miscarriage and still birth and the way in which our treatment and handling of this has evolved. Shirley really was dealt a poor hand here and her experiences would resonate with many. They’ll also really tug hard on your heartstrings.

There is a lot of ground covered within this novel but Lisa Ireland pulls it all off (and together) with the precision of an experienced novelist. This is a meaningful and heartfelt story that will appeal to people of many generations.

+1/2

Thanks is extended to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a copy of The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan for review.

About the Author:

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After working for many years as a teacher (and a brief stint as a professional organiser – before Marie Kondo made it cool), Lisa Ireland is now a full-time writer.

A few years ago, her husband convinced her to leave their much-loved Melbourne home to take up residence on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula. Now she can’t imagine living anywhere else. When she’s not writing, Lisa can be found running (okay, shuffling) along the nearby river track, drinking coffee at her favourite cafes or perusing the shelves of her local bookstore.

She loves eating but not cooking, is an Olympic-class coffee drinker, and (most importantly) minion to a rather large dog.

The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan is Lisa’s sixth novel.

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The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan

Published by Penguin Random House Australia

Released 28th April 2020

Book Review: The Cake Maker’s Wish by Josephine Moon

The Cake Maker’s Wish…
About the Book:

When single mum Olivia uproots her young son Darcy from their life in Tasmania for a new start in the English Cotswolds, she isn’t exactly expecting a bed of roses – but nor is she prepared for the challenges that life in the picturesque village throws her way.

The Renaissance Project hopes to bring the dwindling community back to life – to welcome migrants from around the world and to boost the failing economy – but not everyone is so pleased about the initiative.

For cake maker Olivia, it’s a chance for Darcy to finally meet his Norwegian father, and for her to trace the last blurry lines on what remains of her family tree. It’s also an opportunity to move on from the traumatic event that tore her loved ones apart.

After seven years on her own, she has all but given up on romance, until life dishes up some delicious new options she didn’t even know she was craving.

An uplifting and heart-warming story about the moments that change your life forever, human kindness and being true to yourself.

My Thoughts:

I always look forward to a new release from Josephine Moon. As a pioneer of the sub-genre Food Lit, it goes without saying that her stories are delicious – and they generally make you hungry! This latest release is about a cake maker and it was all just so beautiful and delectable. I do love cake though, so this aspect of the story was always going to be a winner for me. I really enjoy how Josephine spent time throughout the story on the process of cake making, allowing for a total immersion of the senses. Detailing the flavours along with the ingredients and styling – sublime!

As is the way with a Josephine Moon book, there is always more and in terms of this one, there was a lot more than just the food on offer. Olivia has moved with her young son to the English Cotswolds to take part in a project created by one of the villages as an experiment in revival. Coined The Renaissance Project, its aim is to attract migrants into dying villages and rebuild the community in a way that offers residents and tourists a quaint self-sufficient working village, just sans the lord of the manor. I really loved this idea as something that could be transferred to real life villages and small towns. And while it was not without its challenges, all in all, it’s an idea that has merit. Given though how much our society is driven by capitalism and cheap commodities, it’s an idea that I wouldn’t expect to ever get off the ground in anything other than a niche and very strongly community driven locale, which is a shame, because I’d actually really love to live in a place like this.

Olivia has left Tasmania in a haze of tragedy. Her beloved grandmother, who raised her and has also helped raise her son Darcy, passed away on the back of Darcy having a major accident. The entire situation was terribly traumatic and I could see exactly why Olivia wanted to move so far away. Plus, there was the allure of tracing her family tree now that it was just her and Darcy left – the village they moved to was where her grandmother grew up. Another drawcard was the decreased distance to Norway, where Darcy’s father lives. This was a bit odd for me, that whole relationship, to be honest. I still can’t quite wrap my head around why neither of them tried a bit harder to be together from the outset, but anyway, that’s just me. This novel had more romance in it than Josephine’s others I felt and I’ve never been a fan of love triangles, so there were definitely parts throughout that I could have done with less of. Helge seemed a bit too convenient with his interest in Olivia after so long and I felt the addition of this kind of muddled what could have been a straightforward, not centre stage love aspect, if Olivia had just had the one love interest and Helge had remained a character whose only purpose was to be Darcy’s father. I’m probably in the minority with this opinion, but you all know me and my impressions of romance plots. I’m very finicky!

On a more serious note, there were some thought provoking issues with regards to parenting boys and the whole notion of gender vs. a child’s interest. There’s probably more correct terminology I could be using here but we’ll just muddle through. I have one daughter and two sons, the boys coming after the girl, all two years apart, so quite often playing at similar stages to each other. As small children, they could play with whatever they liked since our house had a combination of traditional boy and girl toys along with plenty of non-specific toys, blocks, games, and books. One son loved wearing his sister’s dress ups and bangles while the other was a dedicated Spiderman impressionist – thank goodness for my grandmother securing a durable costume because he wore that suit for two years straight! My daughter liked to push around Tonka trucks whilst dressed as a fairy. However, when it came down to it, when they were given the option to pick their own clothes or birthday cakes, they always gravitated without prompting towards their prescribed genders. Some might say that society itself was the prompt. Perhaps, but that’s a completely different paper to write and this is just a book review. But my own experiences meant that I never really had to deal with what Olivia did within this story. And I do believe that clouded my view. I’ll be honest here, in eighteen years of parenting, running playgroups in the early years and working in schools in the latter, children will be attracted to all sorts of things, from princesses to super heroes and everything in between, it’s just the way it is. I am totally opposed to shaming a child for being interested in something that has been defined as boy or girl. But I’m also opposed to putting your child’s welfare at risk for a political statement. I fear that new parents in the current changing society we live in might be too quick to read too much into a preference instead of just letting it all play out as a child grows.

In the case of what happened within this book with Darcy’s themed birthday party and THAT cake, the situation was avoidable and it made me really angry at Olivia that she put her son into that position, particularly since he expressed last minute reservations. From that point on, in my opinion, it all became about her, and that, I feel, is wrong. Also, as a highly skilled cake maker, she could have easily given Darcy what he wanted but with other characters from that movie decorating the cake. It’s called thinking out of the box and when you’re throwing a mixed birthday party with boys and girls in attendance, that should be your aim anyway. Also, there were boys at that party who were known bullies; I wouldn’t have even invited them, but she did, and she should have really anticipated issues. I know that as a parent, we need to advocate for our children, but we also need to protect them. It’s a very tricky tightrope to balance on and this book has certainly given me much to ponder on regarding this issue. I am eagerly awaiting a friend of mine to finish this so we can have a more in-depth off-page discussion about these themes. I do love it when a book brings this about, so take note, this one would be an ideal book club pick!

By far, for me, the community aspect of this story was the shining star and combined with all of the delicious cake making, this was a lovely novel to spend a weekend with. Highly recommended if you’re seeking a cosy read with some thought provoking content.

Thanks is extended to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a copy of The Cake Maker’s Wish for review.

About the Author:

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Josephine Moon was born and raised in Brisbane, had a false start in Environmental Science before completing a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and then a postgraduate degree in education. Twelve years and ten manuscripts later, her first novel The Tea Chest was picked up for publication and then shortlisted for an ABIA award. Her bestselling contemporary fiction is published internationally. Her books include The Tea Chest, The Chocolate Promise, The Beekeeper’s Secret, Three Gold Coins and The Gift of Life.

In 2018, Josephine organised the ‘Authors for Farmers’ appeal, raising money to assist drought-affected farming communities. She is passionate about literacy, and is a proud sponsor of Story Dogs and The Smith Family.

She now lives on acreage in the beautiful Noosa hinterland with her husband and son, and a tribe of animals that seems to increase in size each year. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

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The Cake Maker’s Wish

Published by Penguin Random House Australia

Released 2nd June 2020