Jack Rivers and Me

by Paul John Radley

Tells the story of five-year-old Peanut Delarue and his invisible best friend, Jack

193 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1986

Reviews

[Abby]

It took some energy to get into this one. Honestly, I didn't understand all the similes or even all the words. But once I figured out that about half the dialogue was not action but in fact a raunchy Australian version of a Greek chorus, I got into the swing of things and really enjoyed the read. Even without knowing who's who in Boomeroo, I desperately wanted to know how this ended. The dynamics were spot on. Gotta love winning the used bookstore roulette.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite book about 25 years ago, supposed to be first in a trilogy, does anyone know if Paul John Radley wrote more? My copy is so lent out and tattered it is rubberbanded together, but i can't get rid of it . . . Beautiful authentic voice of a young boy and his imaginary friend.

[Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my reading goals this year is to work my way through the literary award lists. I'm starting with the Vogel's. The Australian/Vogel Literary Awards are for an unpublished manuscript by an Australian writer under the age of 35. Paul Radley won the first Vogel award in 1980 for this book, then had it taken away from him when it was revealed that he didn't actually write it, but his uncle did (who was over 35). I can see why it was initially awarded the prize. It's a great read, at times funny, at times sad. And it's a great representation of Australian life during the 1950s. Not that I was around at that time, but I can picture the things that the author describes as actually happening. We see life in a small country town through the eyes of six-year-old Jim, affectionately known as 'Peanut' by his family, and we see the life of Jim through the eyes of his family - an Australian mother, and American father, and a ten-year-old sister, Connie. I think Connie is my favourite character. Her way with words, and her grasp of reality is way beyond her years. She is very protective of her younger brother, and her and her mother's understanding of Jim's imaginary friend is a highlight of the novel. Although part of a trilogy, it works well as a standalone story.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coming of age story set in Australia. OK, so the Boomeroo Trilogy was written by Paul John Radley's uncle...they are still enjoyable reads.