Clean Straw for Nothing & A Cartload of Clay

by George Johnston

These two classic tales of identity and exile by award winning author George Johnston focus on David, a successful war correspondent, as he attempts to find his place in the world.

George Johnston, born 1912, launched his journalistic career at the age of 16. He became Australia's first official war correspondent in WWII and wrote for "Time" magazine. He spent a number of years in Greece.

Genres: Australia, Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

George Henry Johnston was an Australia journalist, war correspondent and novelist. He published some thirty works, several of which were written in collaboration with his wife, the writer Charmian Clift.

Reviews

[indy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, some advice

Before starting this book I recommend reading the following:

1. Mermaid Singing & Peel Me a Lotus by Charmian Clift. Clift was Johnston's second wife and the basis for Cressida Morley. The memoirs are beautifully written and more enjoyable than anything I've read by Johnston.

2. My Brother Jack by George Johnston. The first novel in the Meredith trilogy.

Review

Two stars for Clean Straw for Nothing and three, perhaps four, for A Cartload of Clay.

Clean Straw was better for having read Mermaid and Lotus, because the memoirs provide a deeper, richer context for the Merediths' life on the unnamed Greek island, and a glimpse of Clift's perspective.

Regardless, Clean Straw was a slog.

The opening setting is Sydney, 1968, with a first person narrator. By the 33rd page the reader has whiplash thanks to the narrator's jumping about: first to Melbourne (October 1945), then West China-Japan (1945), back to Melbourne (1945) and Sydney (1966), to Athens (1959), Sydney (1968) and again back to Melbourne (1945). The perspective shifts to third person for Athens (1959), and then alternates for the remainder of the novel. The constant shifting keeps the reader uncomfortable and at a distance, making it all the more difficult to become engrossed. Perhaps this is why it felt as if pages were being added to the end of the novel as I read.

David Meredith is even more frustrating here than he was in Jack. The self-absorbed ruminations are framed by lip service to self-awareness and embarrassment, but I still struggled to muster any feelings or sympathy for the guy. Having read Clift's memoirs of their time in Greece, I was reluctant to side against Cressida the way Meredith intended. It's surprising, really, that Clift and Johnston remained together long enough to produce three children, considering how much they appeared to live in their own heads.

I much preferred A Cartload of Clay, in spite of its unfinished state. The writing is vivid and raw, reflective and sad. Its prose and characterisations are beautiful, and very nearly made me cry. What a shame that Johnston wasn't able to finish Clay before he died.

[Geoff Wooldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can recall reading My Brother Jack (Miles Franklin 1964) way back in high school. My recollection of the detail is understandably vague, by my general recollection is that it was one of the better, more interesting novels I read in an academic setting. I'm sure I didn't understand at the time that the novel was largely autobiographical, or that it was to become part of the Meredith trilogy, albeit an incomplete trilogy.

Fast forward more than 5 decades, and I have just completed a kindle version of Clean Straw For Nothing (Miles Franklin 1969) and the final instalment, as far as it went, A Cartload of Clay. The latter was incomplete at the time of Johnston's death in 1970. This review, and the 5 star rating, relates mostly to the second novel in the trilogy, Clean Straw For Nothing.

I am now aware that these novels very closely parallel Johnston's own life, with the names changed and many of the details fictionalised.

The character, David Meredith, is Johnston himself, and his wife in the novel, Cressida, is his real wife, Australian writer Charmian Clift. Many other characters are based on real people from Johnston's social circle, including actor Peter Finch and artist Sidney Nolan. The man with whom Cressida had an affair in Greece, Galloway, is apparently an amalgam of several men who enjoyed Clift's favours during that period.

The novel structure is far from linear, but that is hardly a problem. It jumps about between Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), London, Greece, with occasional reminiscences of Meredith's time in Asia, particularly China, during WWII. The timelines range from 1945 to 1968.

As a quick summary, a discontented Meredith struggling to settle into his profession (journalism) after the war, dumps his wife Helen, and takes up with the beautiful Cressida, who he knew from the army.

Both of them being restless spirits, they depart Australia for London in the early 50s seeking adventure and life stimulus.

Tiring of the dreariness of English weather, they take the plunge and drop out to a Greek island, where they live a bohemian life style among the locals, while Meredith tries to earn a living as a writer. Both David and Cressida drink too much and smoke too much, they are perpetually broke, and they now have two children to support. David becomes seriously ill with tuberculosis and other ailments, and seeks treatment and recuperation in Athens. During this time, Cressida seeks comforts elsewhere.

When David finds out, there is rage and fury, a reconciliation of sorts, and decision to return to Australia after an absence of many years, for the sake of the children and because, frankly, it was the only sane alternative. Meredith returned first for the launch of his novel, the most successful so far, and the family follows.

We know that Charmian Clift committed suicide on the eve of the publication of Clean Straw For Nothing, knowing that it her infidelities would be revealed.

Johnston picks up his fictionalised life story in A Cartload of Clay in Sydney, post 1968, with David now living alone following the death of Cressida through suicide (booze and pills, same as Clift). David continues to struggle with his health, his wrecked lungs, which have left him weak.

As far as it went, the style and the tone of the third novel is identical to that of its predecessor.

It is the quality of the writing that is the standout here. It is highly intelligent, deeply thoughtful and inquisitively introspective. The characters are brought to life in vivid and articulate detail.
Johnston is one of the Australian masters of the English language.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading these excellent works of Australian literature, and I will seek out a copy of My Brother Jack and read it again as an adult.

[Anne Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

As brilliant and thought-provoking, if not more so than "My Brother Jack".

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the story of David Meredith, and his partner Cressida as they pursue life with their young family on the island of Hydra (same time frame as Leonard Cohen), with a back and forth to earlier and later times in England and Australia. It's an absorbing account of being an expat during the 50s and 60s. Johnston writes lyrically and with passion.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a fan of the back and forward time lines in the first of these two books which make for a rather disjointed read. Despite that ‘Clean straw for nothing’ is an interesting read.

I greatly enjoyed ‘My brother Jack’ and had hoped this would live up to that standard, but was disappointed that it didn’t. Having said that the book captures the essence and confusion of Australia and Europe in the post war area and into the 60’s. The idea of having to leave Australia ‘to make it’, the colonial attachment to all things British while at the same time the often condescending attitude of the British towards the ‘Colonies’ are clearly and cleverly portrayed.

Meredith, in ‘My Brother Jack’ was always a character of indecision, unwilling to make hard choices and often leaving things so late or in such a mess that the choices were made for him. This character trait continues in the second book of the series as does his self-centred focus on his career success. Friends pick up the pieces for him again and again and his wife supports him as he blunders through life battling his need for freedom from society and yet the need for public success for his and his family’s financial survival.

It is difficult to know how Meredith’s wife survived her time in London or even in Greece as Meredith either really didn’t understand her or chose only to present those aspects of her that he found ‘beautiful’ - he was so very focused on physical form and liked to be surrounded by beautiful women. It would have been more interesting to understand the reasons behind the affair, rather than Meredith’s reaction to it.

The continual listing of things when describing scene became tedious for me after a while - I appreciate the detailed pictures this style of writing renders, but I found it too much.

The third book is sadly unfinished and is the one I liked least. The coming full circle, from seeking freedom and escaping the expectations of society to needing to return to the start, is part of so many lives - perhaps particularly so for those born in the war and post war periods. Many of those who lived through the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s Cold War politics will recognise the desire of the youth of those times for a different world and a freedom from conflict and conformity and will be able to see a small part of themselves in Meredith’s life journey.

[David Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow on from My Brother jack but didn't quite live up to that novel. Still great writing though

[Lesley Moseley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it until near the end when the jumping timelines got on my nerves. By the last page I no longer cared.