A Stranger in My Street in Aussie Readers

Apr 30, 2012 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-authors, 2012-release, own-read, historical-fiction

This debut novel by Aussie author, Deborah Burrows, has a murder mystery, romance and intrigue, combined with WW2 history, and is set in Perth, Australia in 1943.

Meg Eaton lived with her Mum and sister Joan, whilst working for a big time law firm, as a secretary. She loved her job, but the heartache she had endured caused her to be extremely unhappy, and her family were worried about her. She had lost her young love, Peter Lagrange, to the war. Peter had joined up as a pilot, so excited to be se This debut novel by Aussie author, Deborah Burrows, has a murder mystery, romance and intrigue, combined with WW2 history, and is set in Perth, Australia in 1943.

Meg Eaton lived with her Mum and sister Joan, whilst working for a big time law firm, as a secretary. She loved her job, but the heartache she had endured caused her to be extremely unhappy, and her family were worried about her. She had lost her young love, Peter Lagrange, to the war. Peter had joined up as a pilot, so excited to be serving his country, and flying the planes he loved, but he was shot down and killed 18 months prior. She read about his death in the paper, as his family hadn’t thought it necessary to let her know!

With US troops settled permanently in Perth, flying their Catalina’s out on sorties daily, the people of Perth were used to seeing them everywhere. The only ones to enjoy the company of the US servicemen though, were the women, as the troops had money, good manners and showed the local girls a good time. They were pushing the social boundaries to the limit…why not, there was a war on! The local men were not impressed!

Meg was not in the least interested, only leaving her home to go to work, until the day she heard an Australian soldier (who sounded very familiar) talking to the young kids down the road from her place. She raced outside, into the extreme heat of the Perth summer, to come face to face with Tom Lagrange, Peter’s brother, whom she’d only met once before.

When Tom and Meg discover the body of their next door neighbour, a woman who had enjoyed the company of the US troops, AND was married, things began to get extremely complicated. Tom seemed to have secrets, Meg was confused about him, his relationship to the dead woman, and the murder mystery which seemed to be going nowhere.

Suddenly Meg was in danger…what was going to happen? Was Tom friend or foe? Were any of the US troops she’d met involved? The intrigue, the suspense, the build-up to the finale with the final twist (which I didn’t see coming!) was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining novel, and will definitely read more from this author.
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May 15, 2013 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian, historical-fiction, library-reads, war, aww2013

It is 1943, the Second World War is still in full swing. In Perth Australia, US troops have landed and are making life just a little bit more bearable for the local young women. The men are generous, always bringing things such as food like meat and fresh fruit and vegetables and little gifts to express their thanks for the hospitality whenever they are invited anywhere. They have access to far more in the way of rationed items and are far better paid than their Australian counterparts. They are It is 1943, the Second World War is still in full swing. In Perth Australia, US troops have landed and are making life just a little bit more bearable for the local young women. The men are generous, always bringing things such as food like meat and fresh fruit and vegetables and little gifts to express their thanks for the hospitality whenever they are invited anywhere. They have access to far more in the way of rationed items and are far better paid than their Australian counterparts. They are also friendly and happy, always willing to take a girl out for a meal, or dancing, often with little in the way of return. Many are just seeking some company, a night of fun to forget the horrors they’ve seen and been a part of. And many young women are very happy to be that distraction.

Meg Eaton isn’t one of them. This war has brought upon her nothing but pain, first stealing the man she loved away from her and then keeping him when he was killed in action 18 months ago. Since then Meg has done very little, just gone to work and come home again. On a hot Perth summer’s day, she meets her former fiancé’s brother Tom, who is looking for a woman who lives in Meg’s street – a married woman who, with her husband away in the war, has taken to hanging out with the American officers. Meg is disconcerted to finally meet Tom, the man Peter admired so much and it’s not long until she sees him again – when the two of them find the dead body of Doreen Luca, the woman Tom was looking for.

The immediate suspect is her jealous husband, home on leave but Meg, who knows Frank and Tom, who definitely knows more than he’s letting on, aren’t so sure. Despite Meg’s grief and Tom’s engagement to a chilly society type, they find themselves spending more and more time together. It is a way for them to talk about Peter as well as try and figure out exactly what is happening in their neighbourhood. When a young boy from their street goes missing, Meg is even more desperate for answers – anything to distract her from her growing feelings for the very taken but also very troubled, Tom Lagrange.

I saw a lot of reviews for this book last year – lots of bloggers I follow and admire and trust had glowing reviews and really enjoyed it and so it was kind of hovering around at the back of my mind, always on my radar without me ever really going out of my way to hunt it down. The other day I went to pick up a book at my local library – they have a ‘recently returned’ shelf which often has some great books sitting on it and I always browse there just before I pick up my holds. This book was the first one I saw on that shelf the other day so I immediately snatched it up.

I have to admit, when I read novels set during the war, they’re rarely ever set here. I’ve read quite a few books set around WW2 and just about all of them have taken place in Europe. It was refreshing to read something set close to home and get an idea of what life was like for Australians while the war was going on. Perth wasn’t entirely removed from the action and the arrival of the American troops helped greatly, which is only partially why they were so well received. The Americans are fun and lively and do a lot to bolster community spirits although it does send up a bit of a friendly rivalry (or perhaps not-so-friendly) with the local boys who perhaps can’t shower as many luxuries! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, story wise but this novel was a tightly written mystery sprinkled with a believable war time feel and a forbidden romance.

I felt for Meg, she had found such a lovely happiness and then had it snatched away from her by a conflict on the other side of the world. Despite the fact that the war has taken from her, she retains her compassion and the ability to see people as who they are, not where they are from. When Doreen Luca is found murdered, many locals suspect her husband Frank, an Australian born Italian. Italians faced prejudice and even incarceration in Australia during WW2 as “aliens”. However, Meg never suspects Frank, knowing him to be more than just his stereotypical background.

I really liked the way in which things developed between Tom and Meg – Tom is her dead fiancé’s brother and at first he’s just a person she can reminisce about Peter with. The two of them are thrown together after discovering the body of Doreen but they seem to find solace in each other’s company. Tom has demons that Meg doesn’t even know about, having been captured by the Japanese and tortured horrifically. He’s employed as a liaison officer between the Australian forces and the Americans and definitely knows more than he is letting on. He and Meg meet often for lunch (which causes gossip, not least because Tom is engaged). There’s also a noted class difference between the two, which Meg has already faced when she briefly met Peter’s parents when they were dating. They’re wealthy whereas Meg is definitely lower middle class, living with her mother and her sister, the three of them pooling their resources to get by. They’re not starving, but there’s definitely very little money for luxuries. Apart from spending time with Meg himself, Tom convinces her to begin to live again, to go out and have fun and Meg begins to accept dates with some of the American soldiers and learn that life does indeed, go on. However she soon finds that the one man that really interests her seems to be the one that she can’t have.

This was a very enjoyable book – I just wanted to keep reading all day until I was finished. I know that the author has another book out and now I’m very keen to read that too. It’s going on my list. ...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Marg rated it really liked it

Like most readers, I have my favourite types of books. For example, tell me a book is set in either World War I or World War II then I will certainly consider whether it might be something that I might want to read. Tell me that book is set in my home town of Perth then I will have to do more than that! Of course, that bring it's own dangers. What if the representation of the city feels off? Luckily, that wasn't an issue here.

Perth is a city that has been invaded, mostly by the American servicem ...more

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May 09, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-author, provided-by-publisher, arc-are

A Stranger in My Street is an enjoyable novel that blends mystery, romance and wartime history. It is a hot summer evening in 1943 when Meg Eaton and Captain Tom Legrange discover the body of Mrs Doreen Luca in an air raid shelter. It is assumed her husband, home on leave, one of 'those' passionate Italians, stabbed her in a fit of jealousy and rage but neither Meg nor Tom are so sure. Despite their awkward relationship, the pair are caught up in a desire to solve the mystery of her death which A Stranger in My Street is an enjoyable novel that blends mystery, romance and wartime history. It is a hot summer evening in 1943 when Meg Eaton and Captain Tom Legrange discover the body of Mrs Doreen Luca in an air raid shelter. It is assumed her husband, home on leave, one of 'those' passionate Italians, stabbed her in a fit of jealousy and rage but neither Meg nor Tom are so sure. Despite their awkward relationship, the pair are caught up in a desire to solve the mystery of her death which leads them from Meg's quiet suburban neighborhood to the dance halls of Perth amongst the rowdy American servicemen.

Though A Stranger in My Street has a mystery at its core, it is more than a simple who-dunnit. Burrows has created a novel rich with history, romance and interesting themes. The novel is well paced and
the characters are appealing.
A twenty one year old stenographer who lives with her widowed mother and sister, Meg Eaton lost her lover in combat and has been grieving for the last eighteen months. The unexpected appearance of Captain Tom Legrange, her boyfriends older brother, and the discovery of her murdered neighbour is the catalyst for Meg's recovery. Meg is sweetly naive, which is typical of the time, yet has a steady core of intelligence and resilience that gives her character depth.
The former Rhodes Scholar, member of Perth's social elite and older brother of Meg's deceased lover, Captain Tom Legrange is an enigmatic character haunted by his POW experiences, painful wounds and secrets he struggles to hide. Despite his engagement to a society darling, he is drawn to Meg's optimism and innocence which contrasts with his own tortured darkness.
The mutual attraction that develops between Meg and Tom is complicated not only by their connection to Peter but by their individual circumstances, they are opposites in social status, and worldly experience. The romance is built up slowly over the course of the novel but is contained within the story so that it doesn't overwhelm the plot.
World War II had a significant impact on Australia, despite being far from the front lines. The usual privations of wartime such as rationing, shortages and blackouts were in effect, women were pressed into employment in greater numbers, Germans, Italians and Japanese were interred in camps as 'enemy aliens' while hundreds of thousands of men went to war and never returned, and those that did were often badly injured and suffering shock. For some, particularly those in capital cities like Perth the general deprivations of war were mitigated by the presence of thousands of American servicemen, who introduced economic and social change. Burrows integrates the social and cultural circumstances of the period seamlessly into the novel with vivid and authentic detail.
I particularly enjoyed the setting for this novel, largely because of my familiarity with the city of Perth. Meg strolls through the Stirling Gardens, passes The Swan Brewery and gazes out across the Swan River and though it has been more than twenty years since I was last there, images of the landmarks mentioned flashed through my mind. I admit to knowing little about the city during wartime though and was impressed with how Burrows captured the atmosphere of the period with interesting details.

A Stranger in My Street is an entertaining debut from Australian novelist Deborah Burrows that is sure to appeal to a wide audience

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