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The Blue Mile
An engaging, entertaining read set in 1930s Sydney against the backdrop of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge...evocatively drawn.' - Books+Publishing
Broke and hopeless in 1929, Yo O'Keenan flees the violence of his home in Chippendale, and by some miracle charms his way into a job on the Harbour Bridge, a new start for himself and his little sister, Agnes.
Meanwhile, on the north side of Sydney, in her cluttered cottage at Lavender Bay, a young and ambitious costumier, Olivia Greene, works on her latest millinery creations, dreaming of taking her colours to Paris, London, New York.
A random encounter in the Botanic Gardens sparks a powerful attraction, even as the gulf between this pair seems wider than the blue mile of harbour that divides the city.
By mid-1932, the construction of the Bridge is complete, but Sydney is in chaos, on the brink of civil war, as the Great Depression begins to bite - hard.
And then Yo disappears.
Against the glittering backdrop of Sydney Harbour, The Blue Mile tells of the cruelties of poverty, the wild gamble a city took to build a wonder of the world, and the risks the truly brave will take for a chance at life.
Broke and hopeless in 1929, Yo O'Keenan flees the violence of his home in Chippendale, and by some miracle charms his way into a job on the Harbour Bridge, a new start for himself and his little sister, Agnes.
Meanwhile, on the north side of Sydney, in her cluttered cottage at Lavender Bay, a young and ambitious costumier, Olivia Greene, works on her latest millinery creations, dreaming of taking her colours to Paris, London, New York.
A random encounter in the Botanic Gardens sparks a powerful attraction, even as the gulf between this pair seems wider than the blue mile of harbour that divides the city.
By mid-1932, the construction of the Bridge is complete, but Sydney is in chaos, on the brink of civil war, as the Great Depression begins to bite - hard.
And then Yo disappears.
Against the glittering backdrop of Sydney Harbour, The Blue Mile tells of the cruelties of poverty, the wild gamble a city took to build a wonder of the world, and the risks the truly brave will take for a chance at life.
442 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
9 people are currently reading
405 people want to read
About the author
Kim Kelly
14 books187 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
November 25, 2015
The Blue Mile is set in the 1930's in Sydney.
Eoghan O'Keenan not only has to deal with a difficult family life, but now he has to deal with losing his job as well. Times were tough for many people, particularly during the Great Depression, but Eoghan had had enough of everything, especially his home life, so he decides to leave home, taking his seven year old sister, Agnes with him. With nowhere to live and no plans in place Eoghan and Agnes find themselves bunking down in the Botanical Gardens for a few nights. Then, before they knew it things were looking up for them when Eoghan landed a job working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With money in his pocket Eoghan was now able to rent a home. Finally life was beginning to look a bit brighter for both of them.
As we follow Eoghan and Agnes's journey through life we soon realize that all is not as it appears even though they do have their good times as well as hard times, but the day they met Olivia Greene was a good day for both Eoghan and Agnes. Yes Olvia and Eoghan were very different from each other, but they enjoyed one another's company. Eoghan worked hard and long hours and his work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge was almost finished and Eoghan was unsure if he would still have a job. But life was about to change dramatically and simply how would Agnes and Olivia cope?
What a wonderfully written book and one I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. I found this to be a very moving and engaging story. Highly recommended.
Eoghan O'Keenan not only has to deal with a difficult family life, but now he has to deal with losing his job as well. Times were tough for many people, particularly during the Great Depression, but Eoghan had had enough of everything, especially his home life, so he decides to leave home, taking his seven year old sister, Agnes with him. With nowhere to live and no plans in place Eoghan and Agnes find themselves bunking down in the Botanical Gardens for a few nights. Then, before they knew it things were looking up for them when Eoghan landed a job working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With money in his pocket Eoghan was now able to rent a home. Finally life was beginning to look a bit brighter for both of them.
As we follow Eoghan and Agnes's journey through life we soon realize that all is not as it appears even though they do have their good times as well as hard times, but the day they met Olivia Greene was a good day for both Eoghan and Agnes. Yes Olvia and Eoghan were very different from each other, but they enjoyed one another's company. Eoghan worked hard and long hours and his work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge was almost finished and Eoghan was unsure if he would still have a job. But life was about to change dramatically and simply how would Agnes and Olivia cope?
What a wonderfully written book and one I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. I found this to be a very moving and engaging story. Highly recommended.
April 30, 2014
In the few days before Christmas in 1929, Eoghan O’Keenan (pronounced Owen he told strangers - but Yo to family and friends) found himself without work – the downturn was affecting them all, and his mates were in the same boat. So spending their last pay on the grog seemed like a good idea at the time. As he staggered home to face an abusive father, he knew his life wouldn’t be worth living – an alcoholic mother, a mean drunk for a father, a brother who had disappeared years before, another one always in trouble; then there was his little sister, seven-year-old Agnes. He always did his best to protect her, taking the beatings in her and their mother’s stead – it was his wages that put food on the table, and paid their rent…
Suddenly he could stand it no more. Taking Agnes with him on the pretext of something for their father, Eoghan fled their home in Chippendale. Through the hours of the evening and into the night they wound their way through the backstreets of Sydney until finally sheltering for the night in the Botanic Gardens. This would be their home for the next two nights – but Eoghan’s fortune looked up when he was put on to work on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He had a wage, he was able to rent a place in Balmain for himself and Ag (he was clever, her Yo-yo) – life was looking up for them both.
On the northern side of Sydney lived the stunning and debonair Olivia Greene – she worked with her mother in fashion; an artist, she was able to create beautiful and greatly desired millinery items – her dreams of fame and fortune were high, her creations well sought after by the high society ladies of the city. Coco Chanel was her idol – one day she would be her! Toot toot!
An unexpected encounter between Eoghan and Olivia near the Botanic Gardens had both of them hoping to see each other again. No mention was made, but their thoughts cascaded around inside their heads – Eoghan knew the vast chasm between them - a boy from the slums and a girl from high society – meant it would never work. He just wasn’t good enough for this girl, this beautiful Miss Greene. She’s not interested in someone wearing a naval surplus coat of wool so mean the sheep wanted its money back… P222.
Meanwhile, with Eoghan working twelve hour shifts on the bridge, Agnes at a new school and making friends, their lives continued unimpeded until the Great Depression began to rear its ugly head. Suddenly the bridge was nearing completion – would Eoghan still have a job? The violence which was beginning to occur between the unemployed was becoming harder to contain – the police were on the beat continually. And when their fortunes changed Eoghan, Agnes and Olivia were thrust into a frightening series of events – with Agnes’ wonderful brother missing, whatever would happen to her?
I absolutely loved The Blue Mile. The descriptions of Sydney, the harbour, the construction of the Harbour Bridge and the tragic deaths during construction, the politics of the time – everything was so authentic. Also the mention of the blue mile – the water separating the two sides of the harbour – was beautiful and felt right. The book was full of delightful characters, and some not so delightful; I loved Agnes and big brother Yoyo with Olivia so true to the time the book was set.
I apologise for my lengthy review! And I highly recommend this novel by Aussie author Kim Kelly – an absolute masterpiece! Toodles!
Suddenly he could stand it no more. Taking Agnes with him on the pretext of something for their father, Eoghan fled their home in Chippendale. Through the hours of the evening and into the night they wound their way through the backstreets of Sydney until finally sheltering for the night in the Botanic Gardens. This would be their home for the next two nights – but Eoghan’s fortune looked up when he was put on to work on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He had a wage, he was able to rent a place in Balmain for himself and Ag (he was clever, her Yo-yo) – life was looking up for them both.
On the northern side of Sydney lived the stunning and debonair Olivia Greene – she worked with her mother in fashion; an artist, she was able to create beautiful and greatly desired millinery items – her dreams of fame and fortune were high, her creations well sought after by the high society ladies of the city. Coco Chanel was her idol – one day she would be her! Toot toot!
An unexpected encounter between Eoghan and Olivia near the Botanic Gardens had both of them hoping to see each other again. No mention was made, but their thoughts cascaded around inside their heads – Eoghan knew the vast chasm between them - a boy from the slums and a girl from high society – meant it would never work. He just wasn’t good enough for this girl, this beautiful Miss Greene. She’s not interested in someone wearing a naval surplus coat of wool so mean the sheep wanted its money back… P222.
Meanwhile, with Eoghan working twelve hour shifts on the bridge, Agnes at a new school and making friends, their lives continued unimpeded until the Great Depression began to rear its ugly head. Suddenly the bridge was nearing completion – would Eoghan still have a job? The violence which was beginning to occur between the unemployed was becoming harder to contain – the police were on the beat continually. And when their fortunes changed Eoghan, Agnes and Olivia were thrust into a frightening series of events – with Agnes’ wonderful brother missing, whatever would happen to her?
I absolutely loved The Blue Mile. The descriptions of Sydney, the harbour, the construction of the Harbour Bridge and the tragic deaths during construction, the politics of the time – everything was so authentic. Also the mention of the blue mile – the water separating the two sides of the harbour – was beautiful and felt right. The book was full of delightful characters, and some not so delightful; I loved Agnes and big brother Yoyo with Olivia so true to the time the book was set.
I apologise for my lengthy review! And I highly recommend this novel by Aussie author Kim Kelly – an absolute masterpiece! Toodles!
March 21, 2016
As one who grew up in Sydney and recognised some of the places mentioned, I really enjoyed the setting of this novel. It is obvious a lot of research went into it about the building of our wonderful Harbour Bridge, the Depression, attitudes and conditions of the time and the way Jack Lang was deposed. So all that added to the authenticity of the book. I liked the way Eoghan O Keenan and Olivia Greene were drawn to each other despite their very different backgrounds and upbringings. Eoghan’s love for his young sister Agnes was beautiful to see, when he takes her from an abusive home life and seeks to care for her.
Without giving away too much of the plot though I was majorly disappointed in his behaviour at one stage though and his bad language was something I struggled with throughout. At times I considered giving the book a miss. The story is told in alternate first person chapters from Eoghan’s point of view and from Olivia’s. That for me was a saving grace. It gave some respite from the liberal use of bad language.
I liked hearing about the construction of the harbour bridge as compared to Olivia’s life which consisted of making fashionable hats and clothes. Aggie was a little charmer with her implicit trust in her brother and also in Olivia. While I enjoyed certain aspects of this novel and of the characters, I did not enjoy it as much as I expected I would. I wasn’t convinced about the ending. It was just too neat and a bit unbelievable for me. I loved the front cover but think the blurb at the back gives away too much of the story.
Without giving away too much of the plot though I was majorly disappointed in his behaviour at one stage though and his bad language was something I struggled with throughout. At times I considered giving the book a miss. The story is told in alternate first person chapters from Eoghan’s point of view and from Olivia’s. That for me was a saving grace. It gave some respite from the liberal use of bad language.
I liked hearing about the construction of the harbour bridge as compared to Olivia’s life which consisted of making fashionable hats and clothes. Aggie was a little charmer with her implicit trust in her brother and also in Olivia. While I enjoyed certain aspects of this novel and of the characters, I did not enjoy it as much as I expected I would. I wasn’t convinced about the ending. It was just too neat and a bit unbelievable for me. I loved the front cover but think the blurb at the back gives away too much of the story.
July 12, 2014
A lovely book (with an even lovelier cover) which describes beautifully Sydney as it was at the time of the construction of the Harbour Bridge. I liked the way the author set her main characters living one each side of the bridge and coming together as the bridge did. I really enjoyed the chapters given to Yo and Agnes. They felt so real and reminded me a little of Ruth Park. However I could not take to Olivia at all. I understood that her attitudes and beliefs belonged to that period and that did not bother me. However the authors use of internal monologue means the reader is forced to listen to an endless stream of (sorry) babble. There was just too much for me. Unfortunately Olivia forced me to deduct two stars from what could easily have been five.
April 20, 2017
This is one of those rare things in Australian fiction: a political novel that is also a romance. Bridging the class divide and told in alternating first-person voices, its central story tells of an improbable but convincing romantic attraction between an Irish Catholic labourer and an aspiring young couturier (and businesswoman) of aristocratic descent and upper middle class upbringing.
While the story has a deliberately fairytale aspect (two lovers separated by 'the blue mile' of harbour between his digs in working class Balmain and her flat in Lavender Bay), Kelly has succeeded in making the voices of Eoghan and Olivia utterly distinctive and authentic in terms of their class outlook, sentiments and vocab. I enjoyed Eoghan's slang ('spoon' and 'monkey-nutted' for idiot and crazy) and - despite some readers' genteel objections - his salty swearing!
There is a grittiness in this story that avoids a sepia-toned nostalgia (domestic violence, alcoholism, suicide, cocaine-use, street fights, poverty) and portrays the hard grind of Depression-era Sydney with an unblinking clarity worthy of Ruth Park. Kelly's rigorous research is worn lightly; it informs Olivia's professionalism as a hat and dress-designer with a deep knowledge of cuts and fabrics as do the technical details of Eoghan's duties as a Bridge-worker. The metaphor of 'construction' parallels Eoghan's and Olivia's skilful pride in their respective labours and forms another bond. The romance is also credibly anchored in Eoghan's and Olivia's shared love for his little sister Agnes.
As I say, Kelly wears her research lightly but it lends her setting an immersive vividness from the dingy back streets and factories of Chippendale to the ritzy night clubs and smart shops frequented by the wealthy. If there is anyone left who still thinks Australia is a 'classless' society, this book is a timely reminder of the class chasm (and let's be frank, warfare) that has always existed from its origins to the present. The characters and political drama of Premier Lang and Governor-General Game are naturally integrated into the plot with just enough detail to remind (or even inform) the history-conscious. I was pleased to see the clashes between the workers and the New Guard on the streets of Sydney which grew into the real threat of a military coup.
Kelly has successfully walked that difficult tightrope of a book that is a satisfying personal drama (I really wanted everything to work out for the main characters!) and an engaging social and political drama that gives us insights into a distant era. And for that she deserves congratulations!
While the story has a deliberately fairytale aspect (two lovers separated by 'the blue mile' of harbour between his digs in working class Balmain and her flat in Lavender Bay), Kelly has succeeded in making the voices of Eoghan and Olivia utterly distinctive and authentic in terms of their class outlook, sentiments and vocab. I enjoyed Eoghan's slang ('spoon' and 'monkey-nutted' for idiot and crazy) and - despite some readers' genteel objections - his salty swearing!
There is a grittiness in this story that avoids a sepia-toned nostalgia (domestic violence, alcoholism, suicide, cocaine-use, street fights, poverty) and portrays the hard grind of Depression-era Sydney with an unblinking clarity worthy of Ruth Park. Kelly's rigorous research is worn lightly; it informs Olivia's professionalism as a hat and dress-designer with a deep knowledge of cuts and fabrics as do the technical details of Eoghan's duties as a Bridge-worker. The metaphor of 'construction' parallels Eoghan's and Olivia's skilful pride in their respective labours and forms another bond. The romance is also credibly anchored in Eoghan's and Olivia's shared love for his little sister Agnes.
As I say, Kelly wears her research lightly but it lends her setting an immersive vividness from the dingy back streets and factories of Chippendale to the ritzy night clubs and smart shops frequented by the wealthy. If there is anyone left who still thinks Australia is a 'classless' society, this book is a timely reminder of the class chasm (and let's be frank, warfare) that has always existed from its origins to the present. The characters and political drama of Premier Lang and Governor-General Game are naturally integrated into the plot with just enough detail to remind (or even inform) the history-conscious. I was pleased to see the clashes between the workers and the New Guard on the streets of Sydney which grew into the real threat of a military coup.
Kelly has successfully walked that difficult tightrope of a book that is a satisfying personal drama (I really wanted everything to work out for the main characters!) and an engaging social and political drama that gives us insights into a distant era. And for that she deserves congratulations!
June 7, 2014
The expanse of the glittering Sydney Harbour, known as The Blue Mile, is not all that separates Eoghan (Yo) O’Keenan and Olivia Greene. An unskilled Irish labourer escaping a poverty stricken, abusive home with his young sister in tow and the daughter of a Viscount and talented costumière making her name in Sydney society, seem an unlikely couple but a chance encounter in the Royal Botanical Gardens forges an unconventional and turbulent romance. Set against a period of great celebration and Depression, Kim Kelly's The Blue Mile is an engaging story of life and love.
Beginning in late 1929, the story of The Blue Mile unfolds through the alternate first person perspectives of Eoghan and Olivia.
Though The Blue Mile is definitely a love story, it is very low key. Olivia and Eoghan's attraction to each other is immediate and mutual, but the couple spend hardly any time alone together over the course of the novel. With the lack of emotional intimacy between the pair I found didn't really feel their connection even though I believed in the issues that divided them, including their differences in class, wealth and faith.
What I really loved about this story was the historical background to the novel, which is well integrated into the story. Set during the latter construction period of the Sydney Harbour Bridge I was fascinated by Yo's experience as a rivet catcher. The building of the 'Coathanger' was an extraordinary feat, taking 1,400 men, six million hand driven rivets and 53,000 tonnes of steel to build the the world's largest steel arch bridge over a period of eight years (1924-1932).
The period was also a time of social unrest in New South Wales due to high levels of unemployment as a result of Britain calling in war loans, and political scandal, when the Premier, Jack Lang, was dismissed from government by the governor-general for his 'socialist' leanings. The economic and political fluctuations of the state have an impact on both Olivia and Yo, though in different ways.
Just days before I read this novel I actually had dinner at The Rag and and Famish, a North Sydney pub mentioned several times in the story, with some fellow book bloggers, and that connection gave me a little thrill each time. Though I liked the protagonists of The Blue Mile, it was the period detail and the physical setting that appealed to me the most.
December 22, 2016
Set in 1930s Sydney, I really liked some of the aspects of this story. I felt that the author did a great job of depicting life in Sydney at that time - the threat of being laid off and the problems that ensued from that including evictions, the terror of the possibility of being taken by “the Welfare”, and the worry of the possibility of civil war as a result of politics. The Author’s Note at the end is worth reading for this, as well. I liked the chapters where the main male character, Eoghan (pronounced “Yo-un”), was working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge - they made me go looking online for more details about its construction. I liked the chapters where the main female character, Olivia, was working to build up her couturière business - some of the descriptions - of colours and designs - were fantastic (see below for some examples). However many of the chapters where they were together, or thinking about each other, were eye-rollingly pathetic. It did improve.
So, for the most part, it was very readable, with likeable characters. I really liked Eoghan’s faith and that he was determined to save intimacy until marriage, since this is rarely the case except in Christian fiction. I’m afraid that Kim Kelly lost me a little toward the end, partly with the political side of things and partly with the character development. My knowledge of 1930s politics is not as good as it could be, although I did do some googling and found that Governor Game was a real person and that there was political upset around that time as described, but I largely just let all that kind of wash over me. But more importantly for me, I didn’t feel that Eoghan’s actions were believable once his job on the bridge finished, or perhaps I just needed some more work in the story to convince me of the plausibility of his actions, so that left some gaps in the story as far as I was concerned.
This is my first read by Kim Kelly, but I look forward to reading more of her works. 3.5★
Some of the beautifully descriptive quotes
“He says some other disparaging thing but I don’t hear it as the whistle blows. Blowing me and my embarrassment round to a lonely seat up near the bow. Where the water looks strung with fairy lights, there are so many vessels dotted about - it’s a dream. I close my eyes for a second and see a beaded evening cloche: teal, gold, pearl.”
“I look out at the North Claw, in the very last of the light, black talons on indigo velvet. Striking, and I’m almost compelled to dart back inside to sketch it: a slouched toque with a random spray of girder-ish appliqué high on the upturned sided. Crisp. Smart. A little theatrical."
“At least I’ll have no trouble deciding what I’ll wear today. Red. Box pleats. Severe. Angry. Black cloche with the red feather. Black stomping-cross double-strap mary-janes. There: this’ll tell her what I think.”
“I almost forget I’m cross. In fact I’m conjuring another hat for my Bridge series: an afternoon casual in sunburst yellow, a vagabond of plaited straw with froth of a deeper shade below a crown criss-crossed with slate satin.”
“This gown Mother has made for herself, from my fabric, undoubtedly to wear to the Merrick this evening, is her most fabulous creation yet. Bias-cut to the hips so that the blues will swirl around her before she even steps onto the dance floor and, when she does, the skirt, with the stripes set on the opposing diagonal, will flute out from three rows of clear crystal drop beads over panels of palest aqua chiffon. Ingenious."
So, for the most part, it was very readable, with likeable characters. I really liked Eoghan’s faith and that he was determined to save intimacy until marriage, since this is rarely the case except in Christian fiction. I’m afraid that Kim Kelly lost me a little toward the end, partly with the political side of things and partly with the character development. My knowledge of 1930s politics is not as good as it could be, although I did do some googling and found that Governor Game was a real person and that there was political upset around that time as described, but I largely just let all that kind of wash over me. But more importantly for me, I didn’t feel that Eoghan’s actions were believable once his job on the bridge finished, or perhaps I just needed some more work in the story to convince me of the plausibility of his actions, so that left some gaps in the story as far as I was concerned.
This is my first read by Kim Kelly, but I look forward to reading more of her works. 3.5★
Some of the beautifully descriptive quotes
“He says some other disparaging thing but I don’t hear it as the whistle blows. Blowing me and my embarrassment round to a lonely seat up near the bow. Where the water looks strung with fairy lights, there are so many vessels dotted about - it’s a dream. I close my eyes for a second and see a beaded evening cloche: teal, gold, pearl.”
“I look out at the North Claw, in the very last of the light, black talons on indigo velvet. Striking, and I’m almost compelled to dart back inside to sketch it: a slouched toque with a random spray of girder-ish appliqué high on the upturned sided. Crisp. Smart. A little theatrical."
“At least I’ll have no trouble deciding what I’ll wear today. Red. Box pleats. Severe. Angry. Black cloche with the red feather. Black stomping-cross double-strap mary-janes. There: this’ll tell her what I think.”
“I almost forget I’m cross. In fact I’m conjuring another hat for my Bridge series: an afternoon casual in sunburst yellow, a vagabond of plaited straw with froth of a deeper shade below a crown criss-crossed with slate satin.”
“This gown Mother has made for herself, from my fabric, undoubtedly to wear to the Merrick this evening, is her most fabulous creation yet. Bias-cut to the hips so that the blues will swirl around her before she even steps onto the dance floor and, when she does, the skirt, with the stripes set on the opposing diagonal, will flute out from three rows of clear crystal drop beads over panels of palest aqua chiffon. Ingenious."
November 21, 2014
The Blue Mile by Kim Kelly
This is a really good and insightful book about life and love in 1930's Sydney.
The title The Blue Mile refers to the mile wide expanse of Harbour water dividing the South shore of Sydney from the North shore, which are now connected by the Harbour Bridge.
Before the bridge was built the only means of crossing was by boat, and workers would choke the landing wharves during morning and afternoon peak hours when clambering for ferry transport back and forth across the Harbour.
If I have any criticism about this story its that I was at times distracted by the amount of internal monologue (as mentioned by another reviewer), and found it a bit excessive sometimes, making me want to rush through those bits and get to the gist.
That said, I thought it was a thoroughly researched story that gives lots of insight into the life and times of 1930's Sydney and the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially the politics involved and the impact that the building of the bridge had on the local population.
This was the beginning of the Great Depression in Australia and this story gives very good examples of the devastating effects it was to have on families and businesses in the Sydney business and surrounding districts, at the same time building a tale by weaving threads of faith, love, hope and promise into an otherwise bleak future...which for so many held very little promise.
I think it is a good writer that can rile the reader into wanting to punch one or more of its characters. That's exactly how I felt towards one of the main characters in this story towards the end...fortunately he managed to (somewhat) redeem himself later on, and I realize that his behavior was (sadly) typical of most "men" at that time.
I really enjoyed reading this story with its unlikely love match and how it demonstrates the mob mentality of some of the hotheaded radicals as well as the familial dynamics among the working class men and women of the time, particularly in Sydney.
A great historical portrayal of Sydney in the 1930's. I'm glad I read it, I was not disappointed, and would readily recommend it.
4★s
This is a really good and insightful book about life and love in 1930's Sydney.
The title The Blue Mile refers to the mile wide expanse of Harbour water dividing the South shore of Sydney from the North shore, which are now connected by the Harbour Bridge.
Before the bridge was built the only means of crossing was by boat, and workers would choke the landing wharves during morning and afternoon peak hours when clambering for ferry transport back and forth across the Harbour.
If I have any criticism about this story its that I was at times distracted by the amount of internal monologue (as mentioned by another reviewer), and found it a bit excessive sometimes, making me want to rush through those bits and get to the gist.
That said, I thought it was a thoroughly researched story that gives lots of insight into the life and times of 1930's Sydney and the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially the politics involved and the impact that the building of the bridge had on the local population.
This was the beginning of the Great Depression in Australia and this story gives very good examples of the devastating effects it was to have on families and businesses in the Sydney business and surrounding districts, at the same time building a tale by weaving threads of faith, love, hope and promise into an otherwise bleak future...which for so many held very little promise.
I think it is a good writer that can rile the reader into wanting to punch one or more of its characters. That's exactly how I felt towards one of the main characters in this story towards the end...fortunately he managed to (somewhat) redeem himself later on, and I realize that his behavior was (sadly) typical of most "men" at that time.
I really enjoyed reading this story with its unlikely love match and how it demonstrates the mob mentality of some of the hotheaded radicals as well as the familial dynamics among the working class men and women of the time, particularly in Sydney.
A great historical portrayal of Sydney in the 1930's. I'm glad I read it, I was not disappointed, and would readily recommend it.
4★s
November 29, 2024
2.5 ⭐️s
Kind of boring. Definitely not one of her best. Didn’t like the main character Eoghan (pronounced Owen but not in this book, the narrator called him Yowie or Yo (stupid name), he was whiny and a bit obnoxious. If you’re going to make your character a religious catholic nut and walk away with a sister in tow from alcoholic parents then why have him swear like a trooper and turn alcoholic? Ridiculous.
Loved all her other books but this was just mediocre.
Listened to the audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by ABC audio
Read by James Harvey, Zoe Ellerton-Ashley
Duration: 14 hrs, 66 min. 1.25x Speed
Kind of boring. Definitely not one of her best. Didn’t like the main character Eoghan (pronounced Owen but not in this book, the narrator called him Yowie or Yo (stupid name), he was whiny and a bit obnoxious. If you’re going to make your character a religious catholic nut and walk away with a sister in tow from alcoholic parents then why have him swear like a trooper and turn alcoholic? Ridiculous.
Loved all her other books but this was just mediocre.
Listened to the audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by ABC audio
Read by James Harvey, Zoe Ellerton-Ashley
Duration: 14 hrs, 66 min. 1.25x Speed
December 14, 2017
Nice easy listen in the car. Interesting to hear a little of Sydney's history in the early 1930's. Irish immigrants, the tragedy of how alcohol can affect a family, sibling love, the Catholic faith and the building of the harbour bridge.
July 7, 2014
The Blue Mile is quite simply an extraordinary book. I absolutely loved it and, once I'd grown accustomed to its very original style, the quirkiness and authenticity of the language, as well as the way the tale is told, found it impossible to put down.
Set in the late 1920s and early 1930s in Depression-era Sydney, the book is narrated from two points of view: that of Eoghan O'Keenan, an Irish-Australian man eking out an existence in the slums of Chippendale, Sydney, and Olivia Greene, a lovely young designer who dreams of opening a couture's salon in Paris. The Blue Mile is at once a simply beautiful love story, a homage to a largely forgotten time in Sydney, a story about the way politics impacts upon real lives, and a treatise on class and religious differences.
Seguing from Eoghan (Yo-Yo's) voice and Olivia's, we see the close of the 1920s through their very different eyes. Yo-Yo offers a masculine voice of desperation, ideals and firm work and religious ethics all of which have him fleeing the house in which he grew up, a house which offers him nothing but a bleak and violent future. A man of high principles and gallantry despite (or perhaps because of) his working class origins and abusive upbringing, Yo-Yo takes his seven year old sister, the adorable, Agnes (Aggie) with him, determined to give her what he never had: love, stability and a future.
Running counter to Eoghan's dark tale is Olivia's feminine and whimsical dreams, ones fostered by her hard-working mother who instills in Olivia an unusual spirit of independence and a belief in the power of dreams if only you work towards them. Olivia is the child of a dissolute British aristocrat who, after divorce, ships his ex-wife and daughter off to the antipodes without another thought. Only mildly bitter, Ollie is a kind and talented soul who though she longs for change, also fears its consequences. Determined to achieve her dreams and on her own, she eschews her mother's offers of help and, later of relocation, and forges ahead, earning a reputation some covet and others envy.
But it's when fate brings Eoghan and Ollie together and steers them onto a rocky and unpredictable path that both of them have to make difficult choices, choices that run counter to what their upbringings, dreams, class, parents and God have taught them to expect. Their stories intertwine and collide with heart-breaking, uplifting and calamitous consequences - for Ollie, Eoghan, Aggie and those who love and care about them.
I don't want to say too much more lest I spoil this unforgettable tale except that the way the era is evoked is utterly magical. The phatic language, the everyday patois of the working, middle and upper classes gives the novel such authenticity and veracity as does the sense of time and place. The way Kelly understands and uses history, not in a boring didactic way but to make the story sing is marvellous. She makes the shape of a hat, a brooch, or the collar of a shirt signify an era and those who not only lived but worked through it in ways that are at once clever and lyrical. As the characters walk the streets of Sydney, so too the city comes alive for the reader in all its ugly glory and promise. The Harbour Bridge which, as the book opens, is incomplete is as much a character as the city, but it's also a metaphor for the events in the book: for the span of time, for hopes, imaginings, and livelihoods built, shattered and salvaged. It's a sign of union and unions, of a city on the cusp of transformation, of a new era about to be ushered in. It's also signifies the journey the two central characters make - from opposite sides in every way to some kind of possible or impossible meeting.
This juncture, like that of the bridge, is not without battles - emotional, financial, religious and other. And it's through these that the heart of the book (and the folk that live in its pages) come alive and beats at a frantic pace making it impossible to put down lest you miss one single moment.
A gem of a book that will captivate lovers of history, romance, politics and so many others things besides. It surprised me in the most wonderful of ways - it literally took my breath away and I cannot wait to read more of Kelly's work. Cannot recommend this novel highly enough. It is stunning.
Set in the late 1920s and early 1930s in Depression-era Sydney, the book is narrated from two points of view: that of Eoghan O'Keenan, an Irish-Australian man eking out an existence in the slums of Chippendale, Sydney, and Olivia Greene, a lovely young designer who dreams of opening a couture's salon in Paris. The Blue Mile is at once a simply beautiful love story, a homage to a largely forgotten time in Sydney, a story about the way politics impacts upon real lives, and a treatise on class and religious differences.
Seguing from Eoghan (Yo-Yo's) voice and Olivia's, we see the close of the 1920s through their very different eyes. Yo-Yo offers a masculine voice of desperation, ideals and firm work and religious ethics all of which have him fleeing the house in which he grew up, a house which offers him nothing but a bleak and violent future. A man of high principles and gallantry despite (or perhaps because of) his working class origins and abusive upbringing, Yo-Yo takes his seven year old sister, the adorable, Agnes (Aggie) with him, determined to give her what he never had: love, stability and a future.
Running counter to Eoghan's dark tale is Olivia's feminine and whimsical dreams, ones fostered by her hard-working mother who instills in Olivia an unusual spirit of independence and a belief in the power of dreams if only you work towards them. Olivia is the child of a dissolute British aristocrat who, after divorce, ships his ex-wife and daughter off to the antipodes without another thought. Only mildly bitter, Ollie is a kind and talented soul who though she longs for change, also fears its consequences. Determined to achieve her dreams and on her own, she eschews her mother's offers of help and, later of relocation, and forges ahead, earning a reputation some covet and others envy.
But it's when fate brings Eoghan and Ollie together and steers them onto a rocky and unpredictable path that both of them have to make difficult choices, choices that run counter to what their upbringings, dreams, class, parents and God have taught them to expect. Their stories intertwine and collide with heart-breaking, uplifting and calamitous consequences - for Ollie, Eoghan, Aggie and those who love and care about them.
I don't want to say too much more lest I spoil this unforgettable tale except that the way the era is evoked is utterly magical. The phatic language, the everyday patois of the working, middle and upper classes gives the novel such authenticity and veracity as does the sense of time and place. The way Kelly understands and uses history, not in a boring didactic way but to make the story sing is marvellous. She makes the shape of a hat, a brooch, or the collar of a shirt signify an era and those who not only lived but worked through it in ways that are at once clever and lyrical. As the characters walk the streets of Sydney, so too the city comes alive for the reader in all its ugly glory and promise. The Harbour Bridge which, as the book opens, is incomplete is as much a character as the city, but it's also a metaphor for the events in the book: for the span of time, for hopes, imaginings, and livelihoods built, shattered and salvaged. It's a sign of union and unions, of a city on the cusp of transformation, of a new era about to be ushered in. It's also signifies the journey the two central characters make - from opposite sides in every way to some kind of possible or impossible meeting.
This juncture, like that of the bridge, is not without battles - emotional, financial, religious and other. And it's through these that the heart of the book (and the folk that live in its pages) come alive and beats at a frantic pace making it impossible to put down lest you miss one single moment.
A gem of a book that will captivate lovers of history, romance, politics and so many others things besides. It surprised me in the most wonderful of ways - it literally took my breath away and I cannot wait to read more of Kelly's work. Cannot recommend this novel highly enough. It is stunning.
May 5, 2014
I loved this book. It kept me up at night, turning the pages. I loved learning about the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge through Yo (or Eoghan) viewpoint and I loved learning about the fashion from Olivia's viewpoint. And I loved their love story. In many ways this novel is what you'd expect of the elements it has brought together -- the turbulent between-wars Lang years, the last years of the Bridge being built, class-challenged love story -- but it's told with nuances that are unexpected and insightful, and the voices and world feels real and familiar. Yo is the big brother to Agnes that I wanted to have had for myself (possibly even with the flaws) and the love story steers clear of his being Olivia's 'bit of rough' because the characterisation is true and consistent (which is no small task for impulsive characters). Through neighbours and friends and customers to Olivia's shop we also get a sense of the wider Sydney context, and how different types of people deal with the same hard (or privileged) circumstances.
This novel uses the same twin-POV-by-turns style as 'This Red Earth' and, as in that, the characters dialogue and interior monologue flows very comfortably in period vocabulary. Kelly must have done a lot of research but it never feels as though she's hanging it out there. The only scaffolding visible is the one Yo hangs off to work on the Bridge.
This novel uses the same twin-POV-by-turns style as 'This Red Earth' and, as in that, the characters dialogue and interior monologue flows very comfortably in period vocabulary. Kelly must have done a lot of research but it never feels as though she's hanging it out there. The only scaffolding visible is the one Yo hangs off to work on the Bridge.
August 4, 2017
This book was not my normal choice of reading, but after reading Black Diamonds and loving it, I had to read another Kim kelly book. This had me up til 2 am 3 nights in a row. just one more chapter and 4 hours later with the words blurring I was reluctantly putting it down. Olivia, Eoghan and Agnes were such wonderful characters. I loved little Agnes' ability to see magic all around her. I loved the descriptive way that Kim used to describe the people and the places. The use of clothing choices and designs was a new take on things and I really enjoyed it and they were like a character all by themselves. The characters around the main characters were also wonderfully portrayed. The history of the building of Sydney harbour bridge and the politics at that time were very interesting, I'm glad I didn't have to work up there, I'd have been terrified. I love learning about the history of our country and getting an insight into how people got by. The unemployment situation there has parallels to what is happening in my state at the moment, let's hope it doesn't continue the way it does in the Blue Mile. A fabulous story I can't wait to read another Kim Kelly novel.
November 3, 2014
This is a moving and engaging story, set in Sydney at the time of the building of the harbour bridge. Eoghan O'Keenan loses his position at Fould's Boots in the depression years and finds the only job he can get is working on the bridge - a dangerous and challenging job, but the only way he can support himself and his young sister. When he meets Olivia, a milliner and dressmaker who is doing well in her shop and has been raised to consider herself above the working classes, Eoghan falls madly in love. But a future with Olivia seems as impossible as the coming together of the two sides of the massive structure going up over the waters of Sydney. This is a really interesting story from an historical perspective, as well as a good love story. It was very much spoiled for me by what I considered unnecessarily bad language from Eoghan, and though the author may have considered it a realistic portrayal of an Irish young man, I found it grated on me and prevents me from recommending it to other readers.
October 15, 2017
The novel is set in a difficult and yet exciting period of Sydney’s history. The post WWI depression has robbed the city of jobs and yet The Sydney Harbour Bridge rises from these ashes. Kelly deftly intertwines this history with a most-unlikely romance. Told through two separate voices, a fine balance is struck as the two claws of the harbour bridge, rivet to rivet, stitch to stitch, come closer together.
Kelly’s prose has a lovely surreal quality to it, possibly brought on by the use of present tense. The tone reminded me of Francis Ford Coppola’s highly under-rated film, One from the Heart, and the recent award clutcher, La-La-Land. And yet there’s something of a classic and straightforward logic to it. The novel’s concern and problematisation of the everyday echoed E M Forster.
Highly recommended. Do yourselves a favour…
Kelly’s prose has a lovely surreal quality to it, possibly brought on by the use of present tense. The tone reminded me of Francis Ford Coppola’s highly under-rated film, One from the Heart, and the recent award clutcher, La-La-Land. And yet there’s something of a classic and straightforward logic to it. The novel’s concern and problematisation of the everyday echoed E M Forster.
Highly recommended. Do yourselves a favour…
January 13, 2015
An enjoyable read, especially for lovers of historical fiction. I saw this at the library and the cover caught my attention... Gorgeous cover!
Other people have covered the plot so I won't go into it. I found it quite easy to get into, the characters have very distinctive voices. Some reviewers have mentioned the swearing ... I felt it was justified and 'true' to the character. It didn't bother me, maybe I swear too much? :)
There were some lovely passages, a some really interesting historical stuff that managed to keep me interested- things I never knew about Sydney, and about the politics of the time.
I would recommend this book, it certainly captivated me for a few days and I thought about it a lot while I wasn't reading(which is, to me, the mark of a good book!)
Other people have covered the plot so I won't go into it. I found it quite easy to get into, the characters have very distinctive voices. Some reviewers have mentioned the swearing ... I felt it was justified and 'true' to the character. It didn't bother me, maybe I swear too much? :)
There were some lovely passages, a some really interesting historical stuff that managed to keep me interested- things I never knew about Sydney, and about the politics of the time.
I would recommend this book, it certainly captivated me for a few days and I thought about it a lot while I wasn't reading(which is, to me, the mark of a good book!)
December 9, 2019
This is my kind of story. I can't go past a book set in 1929 Sydney with the Harbour Bridge right there on the cover. Eoghan is poor, negotiating his oppressive past and trying to redeem himself when he gets a job working on the bridge. Olivia designs clothing for the wealthy and dreams of becoming a famous couturier. Their love story is unconventional and beautiful. The story is meandering but not without suspense. I so looked forward to picking this book up again whenever I found a spare minute to devour some more pages. I won't be forgetting this one anytime soon.
May 20, 2017
The Blue Mile is the distance between Lavender Bay and Balmain on Sydney harbour -or just a ferry stop between the two. Olivia and her mother live above Lavender Bay in the little cottage her mother inherited and together run a couture business on the top floor of the Strand Arcade in the Sydney CBD. Eoghan, a reformed alcoholic, attempts to provide for his sister Agnes, he gains tenuous employment on the Bridge but still struggles to make ends meet in the small house in Balmain. Agnes and Eoghan meet by chance and are immediately enthralled by each other but the distance between the two is not just geographical. They are divided by class, religion and education. Eoghan knows that Olivia should be unattainable or too good for him and Ollie knows that by associating with Eoghan her business and social aspirations could be ruined as her clients are pretentious small minded socialites.
The book is set in Sydney in the in the early 1930's, Jack Lang is the Premier of NSW, the Sydney harbour bridge is completed but the state government is in debt to the Bank of England. Many businesses and enterprises are forced to close, the unemployment numbers escalate as the depression worsens and many families are evicted.
I enjoyed the period setting and locations, some of which still exist today such as the Strand Arcade or existed when I was younger for example the department stores such as Hoderns and Mark Foys with their wonderful Christmas displays. Sydney has a fascinating history, structurally, politically and socially and Kim Kelly has produced an entertaining romance set in the hard period of social upheaval and financial depression that occurred between the two World Wars.
The Blue Mile reminded me of another enjoyable historical novel - To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin, in which there is an improbable romance between two people and which is set during the construction of the Eiffel Tower - also a feat of extraordinary engineering.
The book is set in Sydney in the in the early 1930's, Jack Lang is the Premier of NSW, the Sydney harbour bridge is completed but the state government is in debt to the Bank of England. Many businesses and enterprises are forced to close, the unemployment numbers escalate as the depression worsens and many families are evicted.
I enjoyed the period setting and locations, some of which still exist today such as the Strand Arcade or existed when I was younger for example the department stores such as Hoderns and Mark Foys with their wonderful Christmas displays. Sydney has a fascinating history, structurally, politically and socially and Kim Kelly has produced an entertaining romance set in the hard period of social upheaval and financial depression that occurred between the two World Wars.
The Blue Mile reminded me of another enjoyable historical novel - To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin, in which there is an improbable romance between two people and which is set during the construction of the Eiffel Tower - also a feat of extraordinary engineering.
January 27, 2020
‘The Blue Mile’ is one of my favourite kind of books, interesting yet flawed characters, a storyline that keeps moving at a pace that keeps your attention overlayed by detailed historical stories.
The detailed description of Sydney in the 1930’s was extraordinary. Everything was thoroughly researched from the colloquial terms of the time ‘Oh that’s snazz’, to the living conditions and streets of inner city Sydney, most of which is now coveted property. I loved learning about the garments of the times, the situations of the workers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and how the British banks were crippling the colony of New South Wales with high interest rates post WW1 after Australia had sacrificed so many for the British war effort. So much of this has made Australia what it is now and yet we have learnt so little of this from our education systems.
I do wish there was a map of Sydney at that time at the front of the book as I did have to refer to a map of Sydney just to see the where the different areas of the city are located (as I am not a Sydney sider).
I wish that I had found this author sooner but I am looking forward to reading her back catalogue.
The detailed description of Sydney in the 1930’s was extraordinary. Everything was thoroughly researched from the colloquial terms of the time ‘Oh that’s snazz’, to the living conditions and streets of inner city Sydney, most of which is now coveted property. I loved learning about the garments of the times, the situations of the workers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and how the British banks were crippling the colony of New South Wales with high interest rates post WW1 after Australia had sacrificed so many for the British war effort. So much of this has made Australia what it is now and yet we have learnt so little of this from our education systems.
I do wish there was a map of Sydney at that time at the front of the book as I did have to refer to a map of Sydney just to see the where the different areas of the city are located (as I am not a Sydney sider).
I wish that I had found this author sooner but I am looking forward to reading her back catalogue.
December 27, 2025
An Australia historical fiction book about people of different classes coming together with the backdrop of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Not a bad story.
July 6, 2014
Whenever I return to Sydney, I love flying in over the Harbour so I can gaze out the window at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Despite living away from Sydney for various periods, permanently for the past ten years, the sight of the harbour with the bridge joining north to south is my enduring image of home.
In The Blue Mile, Kim Kelly skilfully uses the construction of this iconic Sydney landmark as the background for her novel. This author is obviously very knowledgeable about the history of the period. Her research shows as she weaves into her story a number of real persons of the time; The Big Man, Jack Lang; Lord and Lady Game, Governor of New South Wales and Miss Cowdrey, secretary to Lady Game.
When it opened on 19 March 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge had been eight years under construction and cost £4.2 million. There were sixteen million or so rivets used, each rivet was formed high above the harbour waters, and whilst red-hot caught in a bucket held by an unskilled worker; not that the worker complained. This was the peak of the Great Depression. If a man had a job he did nothing to jeopardise his income, including complaining about unsafe work practices. The government resumed hundreds of homes leaving over 800 men women and children homeless. Sixteen men lost their lives.
The Great Depression hit Australia with a severity second only to our enemy in the Great War, Germany. Despite so many of our young men losing their lives fighting for the interests “the Mother Country”, the Bank of England continued to charge the full rate of loan interest and. what’s more, called in the loans.
Miss Olivia Greene and her mother live in Lavender Bay. They are close to the site where the bridge arch struts are manufactured; their sleep disrupted by the rhythmic clang, clang, clang of steel against steel. The next morning the construction workers put these struts onto place. Olivia’s background is impeccable; her father is an Honourable, although his treatment of his ex-wife and daughter is anything but! Nonetheless, the hoi polloi love any connection to Home, as they affectionately call England, and Mrs and Miss Greene are doing very nicely with their business, Emily Costumiere, in the Strand Arcade.
In Chippendale, Eoghan O’Keegan, Yo to his family, is sacked from his factory job, mainly because women’s wages are cheaper and Yo is old enough to get a full wage. Yo has been standing between his father, mother and other members of the family for years, taking the bearings meant for them. When the police bring home the body of his brother Michael, found dead in his boarding house, Yo decides he has to get out away from the drunken abuse and beatings. His mother is an alcoholic incapable of taking care of herself, so Yo takes his sister Aggie and flees. The first few nights they sleep in the Botanic Gardens, but when Yo lands a job on the Bridge construction team, they find a small house in Balmain.
Other than the “claws” of the bridge moving inexorably together, (one looks at them in awe, one builds them) Yo and Olivia have nothing in common, but a chance meeting in the Botanic Gardens changes this. Is the divide between North and South, O’Paddy and WASP too great or, like the harbour, can they be bridged?
This is a very evocative retelling of a period of Sydney history, important not only to New South Wales, but to Australia as a whole. The dismissal of Gough Whitlam was the first of a Prime Minister, but it was not the first dismissal of an elected Government. Growing up in a family where on the paternal side Jack Lang was a hero, and on the maternal side, the family lost their home, I have a long association with many of the scenarios in the novel. The author develops the characters of Olivia, Yo and Aggie very clearly, but also draws delightful portraits of the people who inhabit their lives. This characterisation extends to both Sydney Harbour and the Bridge, both become characters, not just background scenery.
What a good novel The Blue Mile is; my sincere thanks to Pan MacMillan Australia for my ARC. This review is published at www.startsatsixty.com.au.
In The Blue Mile, Kim Kelly skilfully uses the construction of this iconic Sydney landmark as the background for her novel. This author is obviously very knowledgeable about the history of the period. Her research shows as she weaves into her story a number of real persons of the time; The Big Man, Jack Lang; Lord and Lady Game, Governor of New South Wales and Miss Cowdrey, secretary to Lady Game.
When it opened on 19 March 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge had been eight years under construction and cost £4.2 million. There were sixteen million or so rivets used, each rivet was formed high above the harbour waters, and whilst red-hot caught in a bucket held by an unskilled worker; not that the worker complained. This was the peak of the Great Depression. If a man had a job he did nothing to jeopardise his income, including complaining about unsafe work practices. The government resumed hundreds of homes leaving over 800 men women and children homeless. Sixteen men lost their lives.
The Great Depression hit Australia with a severity second only to our enemy in the Great War, Germany. Despite so many of our young men losing their lives fighting for the interests “the Mother Country”, the Bank of England continued to charge the full rate of loan interest and. what’s more, called in the loans.
Miss Olivia Greene and her mother live in Lavender Bay. They are close to the site where the bridge arch struts are manufactured; their sleep disrupted by the rhythmic clang, clang, clang of steel against steel. The next morning the construction workers put these struts onto place. Olivia’s background is impeccable; her father is an Honourable, although his treatment of his ex-wife and daughter is anything but! Nonetheless, the hoi polloi love any connection to Home, as they affectionately call England, and Mrs and Miss Greene are doing very nicely with their business, Emily Costumiere, in the Strand Arcade.
In Chippendale, Eoghan O’Keegan, Yo to his family, is sacked from his factory job, mainly because women’s wages are cheaper and Yo is old enough to get a full wage. Yo has been standing between his father, mother and other members of the family for years, taking the bearings meant for them. When the police bring home the body of his brother Michael, found dead in his boarding house, Yo decides he has to get out away from the drunken abuse and beatings. His mother is an alcoholic incapable of taking care of herself, so Yo takes his sister Aggie and flees. The first few nights they sleep in the Botanic Gardens, but when Yo lands a job on the Bridge construction team, they find a small house in Balmain.
Other than the “claws” of the bridge moving inexorably together, (one looks at them in awe, one builds them) Yo and Olivia have nothing in common, but a chance meeting in the Botanic Gardens changes this. Is the divide between North and South, O’Paddy and WASP too great or, like the harbour, can they be bridged?
This is a very evocative retelling of a period of Sydney history, important not only to New South Wales, but to Australia as a whole. The dismissal of Gough Whitlam was the first of a Prime Minister, but it was not the first dismissal of an elected Government. Growing up in a family where on the paternal side Jack Lang was a hero, and on the maternal side, the family lost their home, I have a long association with many of the scenarios in the novel. The author develops the characters of Olivia, Yo and Aggie very clearly, but also draws delightful portraits of the people who inhabit their lives. This characterisation extends to both Sydney Harbour and the Bridge, both become characters, not just background scenery.
What a good novel The Blue Mile is; my sincere thanks to Pan MacMillan Australia for my ARC. This review is published at www.startsatsixty.com.au.
July 14, 2014
A historical fiction that takes the time period and setting of the construction of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and pairs it perfectly with a subtle love story.
The setting is the true highlight of this book. The book opens in Sydney in the late 1920’s, Kim Kelly gives the reader accurate insight into the political tensions, unemployment, trade unions and immigration issues of the time period. This is highlighted by the differences faced by the two main protagonists as they come from polarizing backgrounds but become connected by the mighty bridge. Eoghan (Yo) O’Keenan is an Irish Catholic immigrant from a poor, abusive household. He escapes his family with his younger sister Agnes after he loses his job as a local bootmaker. They spend the night in the Botanical Gardens as Eoghan struggles to find them a home and himself a job. Olivia Greene meets them by chance in the gardens and instantly takes a shine to young Agnes. Olivia agrees to look after Agnes for the day while Eoghan begins his first day on the job as a rivet catcher on the bridge construction. Olivia is worlds apart from Eoghan, she is a dressmaker who works in a shop in the strand arcade and aspires to be the next Coco Chanel. However, as the book progresses, so does Olivia and Eoghan’s mutual attraction for one another. The narrative is paced perfectly so the chapters alternate between the perspectives of Olivia and Eoghan as their love story unfolds complete with tensions of wealth, class and religion threatening their long term happiness.
This book gave me a deeper appreciation of the history behind one of our country’s most enduring and iconic landmarks, the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It also brought to the forefront just how dangerous it was to work on the bridge construction, told through Eoghan’s perspective of working on the bridge. I loved the vivid descriptions of the time period and place, I felt like I was transported to the life and times of late 1920’s Sydney. The Blue Mile is a remarkable novel about an important period in Australia’s history, combined with a love story that triumphs over adversity.
The setting is the true highlight of this book. The book opens in Sydney in the late 1920’s, Kim Kelly gives the reader accurate insight into the political tensions, unemployment, trade unions and immigration issues of the time period. This is highlighted by the differences faced by the two main protagonists as they come from polarizing backgrounds but become connected by the mighty bridge. Eoghan (Yo) O’Keenan is an Irish Catholic immigrant from a poor, abusive household. He escapes his family with his younger sister Agnes after he loses his job as a local bootmaker. They spend the night in the Botanical Gardens as Eoghan struggles to find them a home and himself a job. Olivia Greene meets them by chance in the gardens and instantly takes a shine to young Agnes. Olivia agrees to look after Agnes for the day while Eoghan begins his first day on the job as a rivet catcher on the bridge construction. Olivia is worlds apart from Eoghan, she is a dressmaker who works in a shop in the strand arcade and aspires to be the next Coco Chanel. However, as the book progresses, so does Olivia and Eoghan’s mutual attraction for one another. The narrative is paced perfectly so the chapters alternate between the perspectives of Olivia and Eoghan as their love story unfolds complete with tensions of wealth, class and religion threatening their long term happiness.
This book gave me a deeper appreciation of the history behind one of our country’s most enduring and iconic landmarks, the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It also brought to the forefront just how dangerous it was to work on the bridge construction, told through Eoghan’s perspective of working on the bridge. I loved the vivid descriptions of the time period and place, I felt like I was transported to the life and times of late 1920’s Sydney. The Blue Mile is a remarkable novel about an important period in Australia’s history, combined with a love story that triumphs over adversity.
May 16, 2016
The setting of this story is Sydney, and the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, an international icon for Australia. The widest and one of the longest steel arch bridges in the world. I found the story interesting in regards to what risks and hardship the men suffered, something I had no idea about until reading this book, and will now look upon this monument with new eyes.
The story revolves around three main characters, Eoghan O'Keenan (Yo), Agnes (Ag) his sister, both Irish who flee from their abusive home to live on the poorer side of Sydney harbour. Olivia Greene (Ollie) who has dreams of becoming the next Coco Chanel who lives across the harbour in Lavender Bay along with what she considers, ‘the better class of people'.
My favourite character was Ag, I loved how the author portrayed the world through her eyes. I’m afraid I could not warm to the character of Olivia, if anything she annoyed me, and then there is Yo, his character confused me, he is depicted as a staunch Catholic with strong moral standards, which seemed to clash with his constant use of coarse language, and then his ‘disappearance’, which is why this was not a five star read for me.
The story revolves around three main characters, Eoghan O'Keenan (Yo), Agnes (Ag) his sister, both Irish who flee from their abusive home to live on the poorer side of Sydney harbour. Olivia Greene (Ollie) who has dreams of becoming the next Coco Chanel who lives across the harbour in Lavender Bay along with what she considers, ‘the better class of people'.
My favourite character was Ag, I loved how the author portrayed the world through her eyes. I’m afraid I could not warm to the character of Olivia, if anything she annoyed me, and then there is Yo, his character confused me, he is depicted as a staunch Catholic with strong moral standards, which seemed to clash with his constant use of coarse language, and then his ‘disappearance’, which is why this was not a five star read for me.
April 6, 2015
I WAS really enjoying this light read ...
Good main character (Olivia Greene - very young woman in a sort of 'Ugly Duckling'meets 'Cinderella' role).
Enjoyed hearing about the fashions of the day / the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge... and the politics of the day to a lesser extent because I found that a bit confusing.
The characters of Yo (Eoghan) and Aggie were fine .....
UNTIL **(Spoiler Alert)** Eoghan's 6 month bender. Yeah, Yeah, forgiveness is a fine thing.... but ignoring the fact that he is obviously an alcoholic and presenting the "and they all lived happily ever after" scenario to us at the end ruined it for me.
The Jabour family was a great addition to the book, too. Just was really put off Eoghan's fall from grace and the fact that he won Olivia and Aggie back so easily. And, yes, I do know it's a novel.... it's just that I was really enjoying it until then.
Good main character (Olivia Greene - very young woman in a sort of 'Ugly Duckling'meets 'Cinderella' role).
Enjoyed hearing about the fashions of the day / the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge... and the politics of the day to a lesser extent because I found that a bit confusing.
The characters of Yo (Eoghan) and Aggie were fine .....
UNTIL **(Spoiler Alert)** Eoghan's 6 month bender. Yeah, Yeah, forgiveness is a fine thing.... but ignoring the fact that he is obviously an alcoholic and presenting the "and they all lived happily ever after" scenario to us at the end ruined it for me.
The Jabour family was a great addition to the book, too. Just was really put off Eoghan's fall from grace and the fact that he won Olivia and Aggie back so easily. And, yes, I do know it's a novel.... it's just that I was really enjoying it until then.
July 14, 2014
I really got into this novel. Kim Kelly explores the issue of the have and have nots and the impact it can have on star crossed lovers.
The book also investigates the risks people are prepared to take on to achieve apparently impossible results.
Eoghan comes from extreme poverty and emotional deprivation. Olivia lives in another world on the other side of the tracks. Both have experienced abandonment in different ways. They need to overcome the shackles of their different circumstances for their love to succeed.
I really enjoyed the way Kelly interlaced the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the risks some men took to get work and the price some paid.
The impact of the Depression on the lower echelons was hard to read.
Well worth putting on your to read list
The book also investigates the risks people are prepared to take on to achieve apparently impossible results.
Eoghan comes from extreme poverty and emotional deprivation. Olivia lives in another world on the other side of the tracks. Both have experienced abandonment in different ways. They need to overcome the shackles of their different circumstances for their love to succeed.
I really enjoyed the way Kelly interlaced the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the risks some men took to get work and the price some paid.
The impact of the Depression on the lower echelons was hard to read.
Well worth putting on your to read list
December 20, 2014
Written in first person in alternating chapters between Olivia (shy society girl designer) and Eoghan (child abuse survivor runaway homeless looking after his younger sister) who live across the harbour from each other, just a 'blue mile'. I only really got to like Eoghan as a character - he struggled with his moral code but stuck to it, and made some really strong choices for most of his story. The ending was too outlandish for me. Did they not have passport and visa controls in the 30s? Possibly not.
I wonder if there is a list of books set in Sydney featuring the building of the Harbour Bridge? I read another recently, a Phryne Fisher story; Death Before Wicket and Nicole Alexander's Absolution Creek
I wonder if there is a list of books set in Sydney featuring the building of the Harbour Bridge? I read another recently, a Phryne Fisher story; Death Before Wicket and Nicole Alexander's Absolution Creek
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September 16, 2014A great read that reminds us of the contradictions of this country, our dreams and our drunkenness, and why we dream and drink. The Blue Mile shows how the experience of ordinary folk and the building of our 'icons' has never been married in our politics. There's chaffing for mine between the romance - whose end is never in doubt - and the romance in the politics. And Lang like Whitlam was cut down as much by the working man as the toffs. (And himself ... ) But lovely that a reader be considering these questions among the glittering windows of old arcades and the whispering encouragements of Coco Chanel.
February 3, 2017
I needed something light after the last book I read & this story fulfilled that. It is a love story set in the 1930s between a young woman who is a fashion designer & dressmaker & a young man who lost his job in a factory & gained work on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I enjoyed reading about the fashions & I learnt a lot about the iconic bridge & how it was such a challenge to build. It was interesting to learn about the politics at the time when Australia was struggling financially. However, I didn't think the young man's long disappearance fitted with the character portrayed by the author. I love Sydney & I enjoyed learning about some of her history.
June 18, 2014
I love Kelly's prose in this book. It flows with a lyricism that is rare in modern novels. The internal monologues give a direct insight into the thoughts, feelings and plans of the main characters and compel the reader on to finding out where it will all go. Kelly's depiction of 1930s Sydney is based on solid research, but she doesn't bludgeon the reader over the head with the details. I really felt like I was looking out of the eyes of people from that era. I look forward to discovering some of Kelly's other novels
June 29, 2014
Set in Sydney in the 1930s when the harbour bridge was being built and the depression was looming over Australia, a young couple meet by chance and the rest, as they say, is history but there's a great storyline in there too if you can get a handle on the different style of writing offered on this book. Great characters and a great feel for the era it's been set.
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