Keeping Up Appearances in Aussie Readers

Dec 18, 2022 PattyMacDotComma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, australian-author, arc-netgalley-done, aa, romance

3.5★
“Marion had to go it alone, but one thing was for sure: revealing what they’d put into the capsule would cause so much hurt to the small community she now thought so fondly of. She couldn’t let it happen.”

Badara is a little town that needs to attract visitors, and someone suggests recreating a past festival from more than 50 years ago.

“ ‘The Country Courier 24 November 1970’
There was a spectacular turnout for the Back to Badara celebrations last weekend when more than five hundred past and 3.5★
“Marion had to go it alone, but one thing was for sure: revealing what they’d put into the capsule would cause so much hurt to the small community she now thought so fondly of. She couldn’t let it happen.”

Badara is a little town that needs to attract visitors, and someone suggests recreating a past festival from more than 50 years ago.

“ ‘The Country Courier 24 November 1970’
There was a spectacular turnout for the Back to Badara celebrations last weekend when more than five hundred past and present residents attended a variety of events over three days.”

Into this small, rural town in South Australia comes young widow Paige with her three children (by different fathers – so, judge her already. It’s what she expects). She’s on the run from Melton, Victoria, hoping to dodge her in-laws who want custody of her late husband’s little one, Levi.

Paige has moved into what was once the old bakery, so she is pretty much assaulted by all of the town’s matrons who grew up with varying memories of the building. Welcome to other people’s pasts. She is sort of aggressively adopted, but at least she feels welcome.

These are the women trying to rev up the town’s reputation and organise a fund-raiser at the same time. Studying the photo in the old newspaper article, they reminisce about the day when they were teens. Some of their rivalries have changed, and not all of their group are still alive.

“ ‘The time capsule!’ she blurted.

‘We could dig it up and bury another one,’ Jean said. ‘People always love that kind of thing.’

‘No!’

Both Briony and jean were startled.

‘Not for a fundraiser anyway,’ Marion said quickly.

‘It’d be the perfect thing.’ Briony frowned at her. ‘People could pay to put something in the next one.’

Jean clapped her hands. ‘Another way to raise money.’

‘No.’ Marion shook her head quickly. ‘It’s not quite right for an event like this. We need something grand to get people putting their hands in their pockets. Time capsules have been done to death.’

She knew she was blathering but she had to put a stop to the time capsule reveal… Fifty years into the future had seemed beyond them.”

You get the idea. Meanwhile, the women are anxious to have Paige join their fitness group because their trainer says she won’t come to Badara for so few people. So Paige is drawn further and further into the group.

Badara’s secrets, jealousies, loyalties, and particularly prejudices are given a good airing, and I’m sure the author’s fans will eat this up. The phrase “keeping up appearances” occurs many times, referring to why particular subjects have never been discussed or even alluded to, and why people still refuse to talk about them. Eventually, the stress of pretending gets too much.

The topics are obvious, with few surprises, so I ended up skimming, but Stringer writes real people, and I'm sure her following won’t be disappointed. It’s just not my thing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy for review. ...more

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Oct 04, 2022 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, net-galley, contemporary-fiction, 3500-2022, read-on-kindle, 2022-release, own-read, arc

Paige had fled Melton in Victoria's south for the small town of Badara in South Australia, with its approximately three hundred people. She was sure she and her three children, Jayden, Kodie and Levi would be safe, and keeping her own counsel would further secure them. But as a single mum Paige had it tough, and it wasn't long before the kind, caring townsfolk took her under their wing. First it was the casual exercise class of a Tuesday morning, with Marion, ex school teacher and brusque manner Paige had fled Melton in Victoria's south for the small town of Badara in South Australia, with its approximately three hundred people. She was sure she and her three children, Jayden, Kodie and Levi would be safe, and keeping her own counsel would further secure them. But as a single mum Paige had it tough, and it wasn't long before the kind, caring townsfolk took her under their wing. First it was the casual exercise class of a Tuesday morning, with Marion, ex school teacher and brusque manner offering her homemade sausage rolls, then it was the kindly Sarah who'd, up until recently, been a recluse. And Sarah's son Dane and his son, Zuri, a bit older than Jayden. There was family football, barbeques and more. Paige took a while to accept it for what it was, but she finally felt content.

Briony and her husband Vince had owned the farm which had been in the family for eons. Youngest daughter Madeleine lived with her parents, living for her love of horses. When first Chelsey arrived home, loaded with her luggage and in tears, then Blake, who'd lived in London for the past three years, arrived home, their home was full with family again. But it wasn't a happy vibe, and Briony was shattered at the revelations. But she was of the opinion they must keep up appearances - no one should know...

The fifty two year old time capsule, which had been buried at the last Badara Festival, was going to be unearthed and the contents read at the upcoming Badara Festival - and Marion was beside herself. She wanted to find and destroy the capsule before it was too late. But would that happen? The secrets that had been hidden for so long were rising to the surface and people were bound to be hurt.

Keeping up Appearances is another spectacular novel by Aussie author Tricia Stringer and I loved it. Heartfelt, shattering, filled with tension, the characters were down to earth, kind and caring, but each family held secrets tight against their chests. Whenever I read a Tricia Stringer book, I know I'll be entertained. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Oct 08, 2022 Helen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

Another fabulous story told in the special way Tricia Stringers tells her stories, stories that pull me in and bring to life towns and characters that have me cheering and crying, her stories are filled with emotion and honesty and this is one that I loved come along to Badara in South Australia and meet Marion, Briony and Paige.

Badara is a small country town where a lot of the residents have lived all of their lives, many are related by blood or marriage, keeping secrets is not always easy, but Another fabulous story told in the special way Tricia Stringers tells her stories, stories that pull me in and bring to life towns and characters that have me cheering and crying, her stories are filled with emotion and honesty and this is one that I loved come along to Badara in South Australia and meet Marion, Briony and Paige.

Badara is a small country town where a lot of the residents have lived all of their lives, many are related by blood or marriage, keeping secrets is not always easy, but is it always good to keep secrets or it is good to keep up appearances?

Paige moves to Badara with her three young children as a single mum she works hard to look after her kids and give them a life they deserve and when she feels the need to leave her life in Victoria, for a better one, a google search finds a house to rent cheaply in Badara, and a new life begins for her and her children hoping she has made the right decision.

Marion has lived here all of her life, she grew up on a farm and is also a teacher, now retired, she is married to Len and they have two married children now living in other states, life hasn’t always been easy but she has gotten through, but when an old time capsule that is uncovered from fifty years ago, she is distraught, Marion was a teenager when she wrote those words and now the repercussions will turn Marion’s world upside down with maybe her darkest secret being reveled.

Briony is Marion’s sister in law and she lives with her husband Vince and youngest of three children on the family farm, now Briony likes things the done the right way and everything to be perfect and when all of a sudden her eldest daughter is back home after leaving her husband and her son returning from London with news that will rock Briony so badly, add to that the message from time capsule and Briony is not coping very well, nothing is going the right way now.

This is such a wonderful story, my views on these three woman changed throughout the story, I felt the pain and heartache they went through at different times as we get to know them even if I didn’t always agree with their thinking, but I loved seeing them open up and care for each other in so many ways, I loved the setting and the many other characters who added so much to the story, there were happy tears when I reached the end and I would highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a top notch read.

My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.
...more

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Oct 19, 2022 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-reviews, arc-are

Keeping Up Appearances is an engaging contemporary rural fiction drama from bestselling Australian author, Trish Stringer.

In the small South Australian town of Badara the suggestion to raise money to repair the community hall. Home to several local groups, including a new fitness class, the decision is made to stage a ‘Celebrate Badara’ event to include a fair, local tours, a formal dinner and the opening of a time capsule buried fifty years before.

Life-long resident and retired schoolteacher Ma Keeping Up Appearances is an engaging contemporary rural fiction drama from bestselling Australian author, Trish Stringer.

In the small South Australian town of Badara the suggestion to raise money to repair the community hall. Home to several local groups, including a new fitness class, the decision is made to stage a ‘Celebrate Badara’ event to include a fair, local tours, a formal dinner and the opening of a time capsule buried fifty years before.

Life-long resident and retired schoolteacher Marion Addicot is happy to take charge of the event, until the memory of the spiteful contribution she and her best friend made to the time capsule as sixteen year olds comes back to her.

Though she wouldn’t dream of refusing to help, Marion’s wealthy sister-in-law, Briony Hensley is exhausted at the thought of taking on yet another responsibility, but that concern is eclipsed when her adult children return home with revelations that threaten her well ordered world.

Town newcomer and single mother of three, Paige Radcliffe, isn’t at all interested in the celebration, or the women involved, whom she fears will judge her, but when the fitness class needs a space during the renovations to the hall, and the old store premises attached to her rented home are commandeered, Paige realises she may have misjudged them.

Each woman grapples with their own personal issues over the course of a few months, though there is a common thread, all are desperate to keep up appearances to protect themselves, and others, from real and imagined consequences. But the truth has a way of coming out. Stringer thoughtfully explores their worries and fears and the ways in which they handle the aftermath. Marion, Briony and Paige all exhibit personal growth

Stringer is excellent at creating authentic communities for her main characters to inhabit. I enjoyed the small town setting which is populated with ordinary people at different ages and stages of life, all of whom are well-drawn, and further enrich the story.

An engaging novel about secrets, charades and community, Keeping Up Appearances is a warm-hearted, satisfying read. ...more

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Sep 08, 2022 Janine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Review to come

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Nov 02, 2022 Catsalive rated it liked it

Shelves: aww, 2022

Secrets in small towns have a way of coming out, & it's never the right time. Keeping up appearances is very important to many people brought up in these small communities - knowing everyone, & everyone knowing you, makes the hurt & shame that much stronger when the whole town could be talking about it.

To me, most of the problems were tempests in teacups or water under the bridge, but it's all very different when you're living it. The older characters were brought up to keep private matters priv ...more

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