The Harp in the South in Aussie Readers

Jul 21, 2013 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 10-aussie-books-to-read-before-you, aussie-authors, library-bookclub-reads, classics, literary-fiction

Set in the 1940s and first published in 1948, The Harp in the South is a well renowned Aussie classic. Author Ruth Park (who passed away in 2010) was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia in 1942. After marrying writer D’Arcy Niland they moved to Sydney where she wrote full time, with over fifty books to her name, and she also received many awards including a Miles Franklin Award.

The Harp in the South is a story of the Darcy family, living in the slums of Sydney, extremely poor and struggl Set in the 1940s and first published in 1948, The Harp in the South is a well renowned Aussie classic. Author Ruth Park (who passed away in 2010) was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia in 1942. After marrying writer D’Arcy Niland they moved to Sydney where she wrote full time, with over fifty books to her name, and she also received many awards including a Miles Franklin Award.

The Harp in the South is a story of the Darcy family, living in the slums of Sydney, extremely poor and struggling through their day to day lives. Hugh Darcy had a drinking problem, and many times he came home drunk, suffering from a terrible hangover the next day. When Margaret (Mumma)’s mother (Grandma) came to stay with them, (as Margaret’s sister, who had had Grandma for the past eighteen months and was now unwell herself, could no longer care for her), their small dwelling at Number Twelve-and-a-half Plymouth Street, Surry Hills, became even more congested.

The story of Thady, Hugh and Margaret’s son who vanished from their front yard at only six-years-old was a prominent one, with the grief they both felt at not knowing what happened to him one that wouldn’t let up. Rowena (Roie) and her gradual emergence into adulthood, her mistakes, loves and desperation and Dolour, the younger daughter and her puzzlement of life; then there were the boarders who helped the Darcy family make ends meet – Mr Diamond and Miss Sheily and her retarded son Johnny.

These wonderful characters mingled with other lesser characters to make an amazing day to day look at life in Sydney back in the ‘40s when all they had was each other; their love for each other meant when Grandma began to lose her memory, slipping into the depths of Alzheimers, they brought her home for her last days, after a brief stint in a nursing home. When Roie suffered terribly, she was nursed at home.

I enjoyed this novel, though at times I found it a little slow. But overall it is a classic which should be read by all (Aussies) and definitely earned its place in the Top 10 Aussie Books to read before you die!
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Dec 27, 2012 Charmaine Clancy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Australian classic. Good episodic tale of the trials and triumphs of The Darcy's of Surry Hills. There are some very endearing moments in this novel and it inspires nostalgia for those hard times that build the strongest bonds. I did find most of the turns in the story predictable and it left me longing for something to work out as a surprise and not what you would expect. ...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Kathryn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-authors, fiction, added-because-of-abc-s-book-club

I know this book is an Australian classic, but it was just OK, in my opinion. It reminded me of Tim Winton's Cloudstreet, although I wasn't actually able to finish ploughing through that one and I was able to finish this. It improved toward the end, but still not enough to make me love it. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could, but I didn't think I could truly say I enjoyed it and give it 3 stars. ...more

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Dec 22, 2018 Dee-Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: five-star, australian-authors, irish, memoir, humour, historical-fiction, romance, movie-material, classic

Dirty, bug-filled, poor family but one with compassion resilience and humour. Loved it. Don’t know why the title.

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Dec 27, 2012 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Loved this story, set in 1940s Sydney. Centred around the Darcy family the story works through the trials and tribulations of family life. The characters were easy to know and love. From the 1st page I felt a part of the story. A great read

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Jun 20, 2014 Laura Rittenhouse rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Written and set in 1940s Sydney, this book gives a real look into the world of the struggling underclass which inhabited that city. The Darcy's are a poor family with a couple of daughters struggling to keep afloat. The daughters dream and strive for a more exciting life and for romantic love that can be hard to secure in these conditions. It's beautifully told and the characters are all very real. I was drawn into their lives and my mood rose and fell with their fortunes. ...more

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