What do you think?
Rate this book
Wild Chicory
Wild Chicory is a novella that takes the reader on an immigrant journey from Ireland to Australia in the early 1900s, along threads of love, family, war and peace. It’s a slice of ordinary life rich in history, folklore and fairy tale, and a portrait of the precious relationship between a granddaughter, Brigid, and her grandmother, Nell.
From the windswept, emerald coast of County Kerry, to the slums of Sydney’s Surry Hills; and from the bitter sectarian violence of Ulster, to tranquillity of rural New South Wales, Brigid weaves her grandmother’s tales into a small but beautiful epic of romance and tragedy, of laughter and the cold reality of loss. It’s Nell’s tales, tall and true, that spur Brigid to write her own, too.
Ultimately, it’s a story of finding your feet in a new land – be that a new country, or a new emotional space – and the wonderful trove of narrative we carry with us wherever we might go.
In many ways Brigid and Nell are Kim and her grandmother Lillian Kelly, and many snippets of story in this work belong especially to them. It is primarily a work of fiction, but while the Kennedys and the O’Halligans in Wild Chicory are not the Kellys and O’Reillys of Kim’s own family history, they have sprung direct from her heart, and show readers just how it is she came to be a writer of stories herself.
From the windswept, emerald coast of County Kerry, to the slums of Sydney’s Surry Hills; and from the bitter sectarian violence of Ulster, to tranquillity of rural New South Wales, Brigid weaves her grandmother’s tales into a small but beautiful epic of romance and tragedy, of laughter and the cold reality of loss. It’s Nell’s tales, tall and true, that spur Brigid to write her own, too.
Ultimately, it’s a story of finding your feet in a new land – be that a new country, or a new emotional space – and the wonderful trove of narrative we carry with us wherever we might go.
In many ways Brigid and Nell are Kim and her grandmother Lillian Kelly, and many snippets of story in this work belong especially to them. It is primarily a work of fiction, but while the Kennedys and the O’Halligans in Wild Chicory are not the Kellys and O’Reillys of Kim’s own family history, they have sprung direct from her heart, and show readers just how it is she came to be a writer of stories herself.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
3 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
Kim Kelly
14 books188 followers‘Why can’t more people write like this?’ – The Age
‘colourful, evocative and energetic’ – Sydney Morning Herald
Kim Kelly is author thirteen novels. Among them are the bestselling, The Blue Mile, and critically acclaimed, Wild Chicory. Her novella, The Rat Catcher, was longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize, and her latest, Ladies' Rest and Writing Room, was awarded the Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Prize.
Also a well-known book editor, Kim has a Master of Creative Writing from Macquarie University, for which she earned the Fred Rush Convocation Prize for writing. She is currently undertaking a PhD in literature at Macquarie.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
January 15, 2016
It was 1976 and the usual hot summer in Australia – living in Marrickville high on a hill overlooking Sydney, young Brigid wasn’t sure if her beloved Grandma Nell would ever be happy again. Their Christmas had been a joyous one, but just five days later Granddad was gone. Brigid hated to see her lively Grandma so sad; she knew though if she could get her to tell some of her stories she’d be happier…
In September 1912 the Kennedy family finally sailed into Sydney after a long sea voyage from Ireland. There were fourteen children in the family and thirteen of them were boys. The only girl, who had been born at number thirteen, was Nell. Lively, with bright red curly hair, she was loved and spoiled by all. Then along came Peter; born on Australian soil not long after their arrival Pete was a chubby baby and fussed over lovingly. When tragedy struck one year into their new life in Australia, Brigid Kennedy was left to raise her brood of fourteen children alone.
As Grandma Nell wove her magical tales of the past, both happy and sad, her granddaughter Brigid learned more about her heritage, the land of her ancestors – there were the stories of a dreadful war, of struggling to make ends meet - stories of a deep love which was woven throughout the entire family; lots of fun and happiness interspersed with the usual mischief from the children as well as sadness and grief. But most of all, it was stories of an immigrant family making a new life in a new land…
Aussie author Kim Kelly has written a moving and poignant novella with Wild Chicory. Though it is fiction, the two main characters Brigid and Nell have little pieces of the author and her grandmother Lillian blended throughout. Switching between time frames, it is a beautiful story, deeply emotional, and it gives an insight into how the author started her own journey of writing stories. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Wild Chicory – and I love the cover too!
If you’d like to view the author’s other books (all of which I’ve loved!) click here: http://www.theauthorpeople.com/kim-ke... I believe the paperback of Wild Chicory will be available somewhere in January 2016.
With thanks to the author for my proof copy to read and review.
In September 1912 the Kennedy family finally sailed into Sydney after a long sea voyage from Ireland. There were fourteen children in the family and thirteen of them were boys. The only girl, who had been born at number thirteen, was Nell. Lively, with bright red curly hair, she was loved and spoiled by all. Then along came Peter; born on Australian soil not long after their arrival Pete was a chubby baby and fussed over lovingly. When tragedy struck one year into their new life in Australia, Brigid Kennedy was left to raise her brood of fourteen children alone.
As Grandma Nell wove her magical tales of the past, both happy and sad, her granddaughter Brigid learned more about her heritage, the land of her ancestors – there were the stories of a dreadful war, of struggling to make ends meet - stories of a deep love which was woven throughout the entire family; lots of fun and happiness interspersed with the usual mischief from the children as well as sadness and grief. But most of all, it was stories of an immigrant family making a new life in a new land…
Aussie author Kim Kelly has written a moving and poignant novella with Wild Chicory. Though it is fiction, the two main characters Brigid and Nell have little pieces of the author and her grandmother Lillian blended throughout. Switching between time frames, it is a beautiful story, deeply emotional, and it gives an insight into how the author started her own journey of writing stories. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Wild Chicory – and I love the cover too!
If you’d like to view the author’s other books (all of which I’ve loved!) click here: http://www.theauthorpeople.com/kim-ke... I believe the paperback of Wild Chicory will be available somewhere in January 2016.
With thanks to the author for my proof copy to read and review.
September 28, 2021
A novella that reads like a full length novel. I like that! I could sink my teeth into it.
Written with passion and love and poignancy, as are all of Kim Kelly’s books I’ve read so far.
The author has a unique writing style but one I warmed to instantly.
A compelling multi-generational story set in Ireland and Sydney, Australia.
Marrickville and Surry Hills were mentioned, always fun to read of places I have visited.
And a tale that alternates between the very early days and the present… love those multiple timeline stories. Keeps it interesting. Keeps it moving so very nicely.
A truly wonderful, moving, poetic read.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #47 - The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
Written with passion and love and poignancy, as are all of Kim Kelly’s books I’ve read so far.
The author has a unique writing style but one I warmed to instantly.
A compelling multi-generational story set in Ireland and Sydney, Australia.
Marrickville and Surry Hills were mentioned, always fun to read of places I have visited.
And a tale that alternates between the very early days and the present… love those multiple timeline stories. Keeps it interesting. Keeps it moving so very nicely.
A truly wonderful, moving, poetic read.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #47 - The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
March 12, 2016
Loved it!
I don't know how Kim Kelly manages to fit so much rich life history between the pages of such a relatively small book (novella) without it sounding like a condensed version, and yet she does...and beautifully so.
If this were a gift to the memory of her own grandmother, it would indeed be a lovely one.
This work of fiction takes some inspiration from Kim Kelly's own memories and those of her grandmother Lillian Kelly.
I didn't read this book so much as I absorbed it, I was transported to Grandmother Nell's kitchen and could almost smell the yeasty bread as she removed the freshly baked loaves from the unique pipe shaped tubes which they were baked in. As she does so, she narrates her life stories to her granddaughter, Brigid, who sits very quietly nearby, lest she break the spell.
I could easily visualise the scene as Nell sliced that bread with precision along the lines that were formed by the tube it had been baked in, performing the tasks that had become her daily rituals, all the while imbuing them with the intense loving care and devotion she reserved for her family.
It's in these quiet moments that Brigid learns her grandmother's stories, she shares them sparingly like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which ultimately form a much bigger picture, but one that takes a lifetime to complete.
Wild Chicory is a beautifully portioned out sensory journey through Nell's life as she recounts her immigration from Ireland in 1900, across the seas to Australia, incorporating the many and varied life challenges along the way which impacted on her life and her family...leading right up to their lives in 1976 Sydney.
Through this telling we are able to note how certain events and customs have impacted Nell and Brigid's lives...noting also that it is not just the big events that impact a life, but many of the little nuances that stay and imprint themselves on our souls forever to evoke memories...like the smell of your grandmother's freshly baked bread.
Highly recommended 5★s
December 28, 2015
I’ve never met Kim Kelly, author, other than on Facebook. I have read and enjoyed her previous published novels, so when the publisher (The Author People) asked if I’d like to read her latest offering, Wild Chicory, I didn’t hesitate. At only ninety-two pages I figured a novella would be a short read.
Wild Chicory is absolutely remarkable reading and a rich and wonderful history lesson that every child—every person—in Australia should read. (If I had been given this at school instead of Jamaica Inn I might have fallen in love earlier with reading, and writing, Aussie stories!)
This little beauty from Kim Kelly is a mere 92 pages, but the story and the surprises she packs into it makes for a powerful, magical and mesmerising read.
What starts out as a young girl's interaction with her Grandma becomes a journey back in time. While Kim takes us to a century-ago Ireland, my personal favourite parts of this story was walking the streets of early Sydney with the characters -- and, believe it or not, those 92 pages have lots of characters. Yet another testament to the cleverness of this author.
For the reader, Wild Chicory is a step back in time. A celebration of Australia and (what Kim, herself, describes as) ‘the economic refugees who have made and continue to make our country what it is: a colourful patchwork of beauty and bigotry both, all sewn together with love’.
For any writers out there: Wild Chicory is a short and extremely enjoyable lesson in clever crafting, superb structure, and the perfect use of POV. Like her character, Brigid Boszko, Kim Kelly is wonderful storyteller and ‘her’ story is so real I wanted more pages to read.
My opinion: This novella is the author’s tour de force. With a sublime narrative voice Wild Chicory is the kind of story that lingers long after the last page.
In January, on my author blog, I'll be posting an interview with Kim about the magical cover. There is another story in that cover!!
Wild Chicory is absolutely remarkable reading and a rich and wonderful history lesson that every child—every person—in Australia should read. (If I had been given this at school instead of Jamaica Inn I might have fallen in love earlier with reading, and writing, Aussie stories!)
This little beauty from Kim Kelly is a mere 92 pages, but the story and the surprises she packs into it makes for a powerful, magical and mesmerising read.
What starts out as a young girl's interaction with her Grandma becomes a journey back in time. While Kim takes us to a century-ago Ireland, my personal favourite parts of this story was walking the streets of early Sydney with the characters -- and, believe it or not, those 92 pages have lots of characters. Yet another testament to the cleverness of this author.
For the reader, Wild Chicory is a step back in time. A celebration of Australia and (what Kim, herself, describes as) ‘the economic refugees who have made and continue to make our country what it is: a colourful patchwork of beauty and bigotry both, all sewn together with love’.
For any writers out there: Wild Chicory is a short and extremely enjoyable lesson in clever crafting, superb structure, and the perfect use of POV. Like her character, Brigid Boszko, Kim Kelly is wonderful storyteller and ‘her’ story is so real I wanted more pages to read.
My opinion: This novella is the author’s tour de force. With a sublime narrative voice Wild Chicory is the kind of story that lingers long after the last page.
In January, on my author blog, I'll be posting an interview with Kim about the magical cover. There is another story in that cover!!
January 25, 2016
Wild Chicory begins with Brigid, and her grandmother Nell, discussing pipe bread in the kitchen of their ‘old and rickety house’ in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville in 1976. This humble loaf of bread evokes a series of stories recounted by Grandma Nell to her granddaughter which traces back through their family history..
Read the full review at Writerful Books
Read the full review at Writerful Books
February 20, 2016
Wild Chicory is a novella that takes the reader on an immigrant journey from Ireland to Australia in the early 1900s, along threads of love, family, war and peace. It’s a slice of ordinary life rich in history, folklore and fairy tale, and a portrait of the precious relationship between a granddaughter, Brigid, and her grandmother, Nell.
Wild Chicory by Kim Kelly
A reflection
By Jo McClelland
It’s been a very long time since I’ve stained a book with tears, while reading though a crying headache, desperate to see what’s on the next page. With every word of this small book absorbed into my skin, I feel like I’ll never stop crying for the beauty of it. Kim Kelly describes the Central West in a way that makes me want to turn every page of this country faster than I can possible read it. I’m greedy to know more about this land she loves, the magic of Ireland she compares it to. The stories of new and old worlds over generations cross back and forth like the crooked fingers of chicory. A mix of fact and fiction, Kim’s characters feel more real to me than the people outside in the street with the soft muffle of February heat – just like the summers she describes in the book.
Wild Chicory grabs and catches at my imagination, enticing me with the promise of blue flowers and questioning eyes. Kim weaves these stories of generations together from far off Ireland to New South Wales, that I’ve come to call home.
I feel like I’ll cry all week until the launch of her book and again when I ask her to sign my copy. It’s a good cry though; the kind of cry that reminds me why I love reading.
Jo
ARH
Wild Chicory by Kim Kelly
A reflection
By Jo McClelland
It’s been a very long time since I’ve stained a book with tears, while reading though a crying headache, desperate to see what’s on the next page. With every word of this small book absorbed into my skin, I feel like I’ll never stop crying for the beauty of it. Kim Kelly describes the Central West in a way that makes me want to turn every page of this country faster than I can possible read it. I’m greedy to know more about this land she loves, the magic of Ireland she compares it to. The stories of new and old worlds over generations cross back and forth like the crooked fingers of chicory. A mix of fact and fiction, Kim’s characters feel more real to me than the people outside in the street with the soft muffle of February heat – just like the summers she describes in the book.
Wild Chicory grabs and catches at my imagination, enticing me with the promise of blue flowers and questioning eyes. Kim weaves these stories of generations together from far off Ireland to New South Wales, that I’ve come to call home.
I feel like I’ll cry all week until the launch of her book and again when I ask her to sign my copy. It’s a good cry though; the kind of cry that reminds me why I love reading.
Jo
ARH
April 17, 2016
Brigid's grandmother Nell is sad. She's lost her husband and misses him terribly. Brigid wants to distract her and tries to cheer her up by asking about the past. Nell loves telling her granddaughter stories about her family. She was born in Ireland as the only daughter in a large family. They all went to Australia and life changed drastically because of it.
Kim Kelly writes about Nell's life and she does that by telling a different story in each chapter. I fell in love with Wild Chicory from the first page. I couldn't put it down and know I will read it again as this novella is too good to read only once. I loved the beautiful, honest and heartwarming stories. Life wasn't always easy, but the closeness of the family and love managed to heal a lot of wounds.
Kim Kelly's writing is magnificent and her stories are always interesting. It was great to read about Ireland and Australia, about many generations of people and about different kinds of relationships. Wild Chicory managed to move me from the first page. It's obvious that these stories mean something to the author. That makes them extra special. They went straight to my heart and are there to stay. I highly recommend this brilliant novella.
Kim Kelly writes about Nell's life and she does that by telling a different story in each chapter. I fell in love with Wild Chicory from the first page. I couldn't put it down and know I will read it again as this novella is too good to read only once. I loved the beautiful, honest and heartwarming stories. Life wasn't always easy, but the closeness of the family and love managed to heal a lot of wounds.
Kim Kelly's writing is magnificent and her stories are always interesting. It was great to read about Ireland and Australia, about many generations of people and about different kinds of relationships. Wild Chicory managed to move me from the first page. It's obvious that these stories mean something to the author. That makes them extra special. They went straight to my heart and are there to stay. I highly recommend this brilliant novella.
Read
August 5, 2016I refuse to participate in the star rating system...would rather talk about the book. (Bit nervous as this is my first Goodreads review) Kim Kelly's beautifully presented little novella is a poignant, and at times funny, family saga spanning generations, and is of particular interest, if like me, you are an Australian of Irish descent. With a cast of strongly drawn characters, the soul of the piece lies in the language. '...chicory had sat in the back of Nell's mind as a sack of rotten, twisted witches' fingers, and now it was something else again. Reborn. Replanted. So life goes; so wisdom grows.' Well worth a read, as is another book of Kim Kelly's I devoured not so long ago - Paper Daisys. Check them out.
January 15, 2016
I really love the way Kim Kelly constructs her stories and the way she uses Australia's recent history (1900's on) to construct her stories. Wild Chicory fits within this theme but feels less like a work of fiction and more a biography. It is a great insight into the struggles of the Irish immigrants and the power of family and the lasting legacy it has on the following generations. A very enjoyable short read.
April 22, 2016
What a wonderful book this is! It's a novella about an Irish family who originally immigrated from Ireland to Australia . It's told in a short story form and bounces from one generation to another but all comes together in the end. I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy of this book by the author Kim Kelly, thank you Kim for this little treasure. Another example of what fine talent we have here in Australia
March 24, 2016
This book left me speechless. It may have been only short but it was beautiful from the beginning to the end. I loved it. It made me teary many times. It was bittersweet and magical. It made me think of my own family and how they've paved the way for my own generation today. I absolutely loved it. It was everything I'd hoped for and more, Kim is a talented writer and story teller as well as a wonderful person and I look forward to reading more of her books in the near future.
March 15, 2016
Wild Chicory is a warm, heartfelt yarn and a joyful celebration of family ties. The characters and storyline are skilfully constructed, well-researched and cleverly fleshed out within the confines of a novella. Not only does the Irish/Australian experience read true, but the voices are distinct and memorable. Kim Kelly has written an historically insightful story, free from pretension and brimming with love. Highly recommended.
April 5, 2016
Although this novella is only 92 pages long, I fell in love with every single page wishing, as I turned each one, that this was a going to last a lot longer! Wild Chicory is a remarkable, beautiful read and Kim Kelly has an incredible gift to be able to put words together that take you to another time and place. From Ireland to Australia this lovely story shows the bond between family and especially a Grandmother and her Granddaughter…….Highly recommend……++
March 15, 2016
A beautiful, absorbing novel that feels like a true family and social history. Interesting, emotional, so much for me as a reader to relate to and definitely one to read again.
I loved this little book so much and will be searching out the author's other books.
Thanks to The Reading Room and The Author People for my copy.
I loved this little book so much and will be searching out the author's other books.
Thanks to The Reading Room and The Author People for my copy.
May 26, 2016
A beautiful novella filled with a lovely blend of themes of history, family and love. I loved the connection between grandmother and granddaughter and hearing their stories of growing up.
I enjoyed the insight into Australian life for immigrants in the early 1900's and now can't wait to get stuck into Kim Kelly's other books!
I enjoyed the insight into Australian life for immigrants in the early 1900's and now can't wait to get stuck into Kim Kelly's other books!
May 19, 2017
I loved this book. Intensely interesting and I can see that this novella must be close to the authors heart. No spoilers but you'll see what I mean. I highly recommend this novella; it's a quick read, but absolutely fascinating.......
March 14, 2016
This is a Goodreads win review. This is the most charming book I have read in a long time. It is about a journey from Ireland to Australia in the early 1900's. It tells the story of history and the bond between a granddaughter and her grandmother, Lovely book.
February 12, 2016
Wild Chicory is full of wonderful Characters, and the story is mainly based around Nell who from a very young age in Ireland, to her stories and life in Australia. The author has definite ties to one of the Characters in the book Bridget, which really gives this read a close and personal feel.
April 1, 2016
Won in the First Reads giveaways.
I've been listening to Willa Cather and Miles Franklin audiobooks lately, and I feel like this lovely story fits right in with them.
I've been listening to Willa Cather and Miles Franklin audiobooks lately, and I feel like this lovely story fits right in with them.
July 27, 2016
Wild Chicory by Kim Kelly is a novella-length celebration of stories, family and migration. Each of its chapters has a theme, indicated by the chapter title: for example, “Good White Bread”, “The Fire Trail” and “The Little Milk Maid”; each presents a snippet of life of the Kennedys, an Irish-Australian family, as they migrate from their ancient rural home in County Kerry in the early part of last century, to the streets of Surry Hills – with scenes reminiscent of Ruth Park’s Harp in the South – and beyond. Threading through the stories is the image of “wild chicory”, a plant that figures in both countrysides, and comes to symbolise both the wildness of the characters and the tales they tell, and the connections between generations over time.
A character who figures prominently in the stories is Nell Kennedy, the only daughter in a family of fourteen children, a feisty redhead who wages a battle with a neighbour and comes a cropper over some stolen forget-me-nots. In the way of children, Nell believes this theft is the reason her family uproots from Ireland and travels with nothing to a new home in Australia.
And after thinking about it for quite some time now, Nell realised that there was only one person in all of her family that could be blamed for what had befallen the Kennedys: and that was her small but wicked self. It was Nell’s fault that they’d had to sell up and leave their farm; it was Nell’s fault that Stanly the stag-pig was killed in his stall with his blood all running out into the med along the edge of the stone path there and reaching towards the back step; it was her fault that they were all here now, tossed on the black sea, bound soon, surely, to hit a subtropical iceberg and plunge to the fathomless depths – just like the Titanic. If only she hadn’t teased and taunted Mrs O’Neill, and squirted her with Maggie’s [the cow’s] milk. (p37)
Nell also figures as “the grandmother”, seen through the eyes of her Australian-born, half-Irish, half-Polish granddaughter Brigid. Like her grandmother, Brigid has a gift for storytelling and knows instinctively the vital role it plays in carrying people through the travails of everyday life. She clamours for her grandmother’s oft-told tales, stories that have taken on the feel of fables, knowing telling them will provide solace for her grandmother as she grieves the loss of her husband and lifelong mate.
Being one of twelve kids from an Irish-French Catholic family, I was primed from the start to enjoy this book. My Irish ancestors came to Australia earlier than these Kennedys, but many of the same values were passed down, including the prayers, the superstitions, the valuing of education, the adventurous spirit, the humour and, above all, the love of tall tales. One aspect that Kelly touches on that I found both interesting and moving is the reason she gives for the loss of language: the shame associated with the use of Gaelic, a marker of poverty and ignorance, which subsequent generations sought to erase. I know I was well into adulthood before I realised that certain idioms and cadences common among my family – especially my cousins in the country – were forms more common to Irish English speakers than speakers of standard English, vestiges of a language no longer spoken.
I always hesitate to say that my mum loved this book, but she did. It’s a well told series of connected tales that vividly recreates a slice of Australian-Irish history.
A character who figures prominently in the stories is Nell Kennedy, the only daughter in a family of fourteen children, a feisty redhead who wages a battle with a neighbour and comes a cropper over some stolen forget-me-nots. In the way of children, Nell believes this theft is the reason her family uproots from Ireland and travels with nothing to a new home in Australia.
And after thinking about it for quite some time now, Nell realised that there was only one person in all of her family that could be blamed for what had befallen the Kennedys: and that was her small but wicked self. It was Nell’s fault that they’d had to sell up and leave their farm; it was Nell’s fault that Stanly the stag-pig was killed in his stall with his blood all running out into the med along the edge of the stone path there and reaching towards the back step; it was her fault that they were all here now, tossed on the black sea, bound soon, surely, to hit a subtropical iceberg and plunge to the fathomless depths – just like the Titanic. If only she hadn’t teased and taunted Mrs O’Neill, and squirted her with Maggie’s [the cow’s] milk. (p37)
Nell also figures as “the grandmother”, seen through the eyes of her Australian-born, half-Irish, half-Polish granddaughter Brigid. Like her grandmother, Brigid has a gift for storytelling and knows instinctively the vital role it plays in carrying people through the travails of everyday life. She clamours for her grandmother’s oft-told tales, stories that have taken on the feel of fables, knowing telling them will provide solace for her grandmother as she grieves the loss of her husband and lifelong mate.
Being one of twelve kids from an Irish-French Catholic family, I was primed from the start to enjoy this book. My Irish ancestors came to Australia earlier than these Kennedys, but many of the same values were passed down, including the prayers, the superstitions, the valuing of education, the adventurous spirit, the humour and, above all, the love of tall tales. One aspect that Kelly touches on that I found both interesting and moving is the reason she gives for the loss of language: the shame associated with the use of Gaelic, a marker of poverty and ignorance, which subsequent generations sought to erase. I know I was well into adulthood before I realised that certain idioms and cadences common among my family – especially my cousins in the country – were forms more common to Irish English speakers than speakers of standard English, vestiges of a language no longer spoken.
I always hesitate to say that my mum loved this book, but she did. It’s a well told series of connected tales that vividly recreates a slice of Australian-Irish history.
August 5, 2016
Wild Chicory is a big story magically woven into a small book - a novella, actually. Artfully structured, its progress is never confusing, yet moves from one time to another so artfully I kept looking back, as a curious reader and writer, to see how the author, Kim Kelly had done it. Mainly by leaving out the boring bits. This is all story, moving, funny, sad and satisfying.
July 20, 2016
Wonderful little novel. A great read, as usual from Kim Kelly. Highly recommended.
Read
April 24, 2016Check out full review on www.dogearedtails.com . Thank you!
October 3, 2020
This is the first book from Kim Kelly that I have read, and it won’t be the last and lucky for me I have a few to catch up on, this is a story about families the struggles they go through, we go from Ireland to Australia, there are world wars to go through, famine and depression but families are families not perfect but love is always there.
We meet a young girl Brigid in her grandmother’s home in Marrickville and her grandmother is very sad and Brigid is doing what she can to make her happy, it won’t be easy as she has just lost the man that she has loved for many, many years. Grandma Nell tells the best stories and Brigid has learnt a lot about her family through these beautiful stories.
This is a beautifully written story, it comes from the heart of MS Kelly, I was pulled in from page one, it is poignant and heart wrenching at times as we learn about The Kennedy family and their families before them through different time lines, Grandma Nell opens Brigid’s mind and heart to the lives of her family past and present.
I had a lot of memories from my past surface while reading this one suburbs that I know so well being at my Nanna’s place a lot and having tank loaf bread which is the best, this family called them pipe loaves, I can see my Nanna slicing the loaf up for sandwiches and home- made fig jam on them, so good to remember.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish, yes I cried and I smiled as my emotions flowed with the story, thank you MS Kelly for a fabulous story.
We meet a young girl Brigid in her grandmother’s home in Marrickville and her grandmother is very sad and Brigid is doing what she can to make her happy, it won’t be easy as she has just lost the man that she has loved for many, many years. Grandma Nell tells the best stories and Brigid has learnt a lot about her family through these beautiful stories.
This is a beautifully written story, it comes from the heart of MS Kelly, I was pulled in from page one, it is poignant and heart wrenching at times as we learn about The Kennedy family and their families before them through different time lines, Grandma Nell opens Brigid’s mind and heart to the lives of her family past and present.
I had a lot of memories from my past surface while reading this one suburbs that I know so well being at my Nanna’s place a lot and having tank loaf bread which is the best, this family called them pipe loaves, I can see my Nanna slicing the loaf up for sandwiches and home- made fig jam on them, so good to remember.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish, yes I cried and I smiled as my emotions flowed with the story, thank you MS Kelly for a fabulous story.
December 8, 2022
Magic! The book I’d like to have written 🤓.
November 21, 2022
This gem of a novella! It's about Irish families moving to Australia at the turn of the last century before WWI and generations thereafter.
It's like a short but sumptuous story with notable and unique characters, hardworking women, loving, kind men, boisterous, naughty and wholesome children and ambience. Stories of years spent in New land making it home.
It's like a short but sumptuous story with notable and unique characters, hardworking women, loving, kind men, boisterous, naughty and wholesome children and ambience. Stories of years spent in New land making it home.
September 28, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this story which is based on an Irish migrant family's anecdotes and reads like a biography/memoir/family history. According to the author, it is loosely based on her family's stories.
The dual time frame was wonderful, moving between present day Australia and a past which progresses from the writer's grandmother's life as a small child in Ireland. Regardless of whether Wild Chicory is loosely based on real events or a mixture of fact and fiction, it is beautiful writing. The images of two farms - one in Ireland and one in Australia - on which the blue flowered chicory grows is a wonderful thread running through the story.
The dual time frame was wonderful, moving between present day Australia and a past which progresses from the writer's grandmother's life as a small child in Ireland. Regardless of whether Wild Chicory is loosely based on real events or a mixture of fact and fiction, it is beautiful writing. The images of two farms - one in Ireland and one in Australia - on which the blue flowered chicory grows is a wonderful thread running through the story.
August 6, 2017
I wanted to love this book. It had all the right ingredients for me to love it. But I didn’t. For me, the issue was not the content or the writing style, but how the story was expressed. The story was recited in basic detail – the novella was basically chapters of exposition and there was no spark of life.
September 9, 2016
A brief but gorgeous adventure into the lives of a family throughout their lives in Ireland and Sydney in the early 20th century. Superbly crafted with memorable characters and remarkable settings, this is a delightful bite-sized novella that will whisk you away for an enjoyable journey.
August 19, 2017
Not my favourite out of the kim Kelly novels, but certainly worth reading!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews