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Back Burning
by
Sylvia Petter is a cartographer of dislocated lives. With compassionate precision, she charts the detours, the disruptive incursions of passion, loneliness and loss, the ever-shifting conceptions of home and of the self. Her characters are always on the move through complicated terrain, and the journey is richly rewarding for the reader. - Janette Turner Hospital In simple
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Paperback, 144 pages
Published
November 1st 2007
by Interactive Press
(first published January 1st 2007)
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I quite enjoy short stories, but I haven't found very many in the Australian fiction genre. In saying that, not all the stories in this book are set in Australia - but many of them are at least linked to it in some way.
Most of the stories within the collection are quite short (only a couple of pages) which I didn't mind. I think it is a real skill when a writer can construct something powerful using few words. So in that sense it was an easy book to pick up and put down, reading a story or two h ...more
Most of the stories within the collection are quite short (only a couple of pages) which I didn't mind. I think it is a real skill when a writer can construct something powerful using few words. So in that sense it was an easy book to pick up and put down, reading a story or two h ...more

I won this book of short stories from a first reads giveaway on goodreads.
Most of the stories in this book are very well written and get to the point quickly. The underlying themes are about love, travel, loss, etc and they are easy to read an only last a few pages each. Most of the stories make you think. I did enjoy most of the stories in this book, but there are some that I didn't like either, which is understandable as not all short stories can hit a nerve with everybody.
She writes the stor ...more
Most of the stories in this book are very well written and get to the point quickly. The underlying themes are about love, travel, loss, etc and they are easy to read an only last a few pages each. Most of the stories make you think. I did enjoy most of the stories in this book, but there are some that I didn't like either, which is understandable as not all short stories can hit a nerve with everybody.
She writes the stor ...more

Well-written stories, each with a clear theme and each with a very different flavor as characters of various ages come from all backgrounds and nationalities and have us visiting various countries in various time periods. Not all stories are happy endings, but in each there is some resolution that makes each rewarding in it's own way. The author's life was well-travelled, and her experiences help enrich her stories. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks for allowing
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Have to say first that I won this on Goodreads, which I love because it is usually one I would not pick up myself as was the case with Back Burning. As with most collections of short story's I found it to be hit and miss, I think the story's I did enjoy were almost too short for my taste. It is a odd mix of Australian and European story's with a nice little history thrown in for good measure.
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I don't normally read that many short stories but this collection was really enjoyable - interesting and compelling. I wanted to keep reading! It's a shame it's not a bit longer
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