The Fine Colour of Rust in Aussie Readers

Oct 19, 2011 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

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

Left behind in Gunapan by her lousy husband with her two children, Loretta Boskovic drives the dusty road from her house to town, staring out at the scrubby bushland dreaming of rescue by a handsome lover and a car radio that gets something other than racing commentary. In this unique, wryly observed novel, Paddy O'Reilly captures the essence of a lonely Australian bush town and it's ordinary residents with humour and heart.
The author's protagonist is a woman you will find in any small town, sh Left behind in Gunapan by her lousy husband with her two children, Loretta Boskovic drives the dusty road from her house to town, staring out at the scrubby bushland dreaming of rescue by a handsome lover and a car radio that gets something other than racing commentary. In this unique, wryly observed novel, Paddy O'Reilly captures the essence of a lonely Australian bush town and it's ordinary residents with humour and heart.
The author's protagonist is a woman you will find in any small town, she is a single mother juggling child raising with work, a budget that only allows for discounted undies and a longing for an intimate relationship. Loretta copes with the spareness of her life with a wicked sense of humour, and roll-up-your-sleeves and get-on-with-it attitude. Her children are everything to her, even though she regularly fantasises about being whisked away from their whining demands. Raising her two children on her own isn't easy, they miss their father and his sudden (though mercifully brief) reappearance seems to trigger their worst instincts leaving Loretta floundering.
Loretta isn't completely alone, her neighbour, Norm - a laconic and slightly eccentric collector - is her dearest friend and champion. Her best friend is also a single woman on the prowl and in a community like Gunupan everyone knows everyone else.
In an unconscious effort to stave off her loneliness, Loretta rallies the community in an effort to stop the closure of their school and when that is accomplished, finds a new cause involving a shady development deal and corruption Councillors. In a small town like Gunapan the community is the lifeblood of the town and depends on its' residents to fight for it to stay alive.
It is rare to find Australian novels with a vivid sense of place but O'Reilly evokes this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, slowly dying as services and amenities disappear. Public swimming pools are drained and sports fields are unplayable thanks to the extended drought and the youth grow up and leave for greener pastures. These towns rarely get much attention in fiction with the dazzling Sydney Harbour or wild, romantic outback providing more popular and scenic backdrops.

Loretta's every day life in an ordinary town makes for a surprisingly compelling story. The Fine Colour of Rust is a character driven novel that also addresses a variety of themes such as social injustice and inequality within a subtly layered plot. It will make you laugh and cry and is a fine example of contemporary Australian fiction that captures the essence of who we are, and who we want to be.
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Jan 03, 2013 Brenda rated it it was amazing

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

Loretta Boskovic was a single mother, having been deserted by her husband Tony, with promises of money and contact with the kids, Melissa and Jake…so far none of THAT had happened! Loretta lived in Gunapan, a very small country town in Victoria, Australia. It had the usual small town problems, with drought and a lack of water being only a part of it: there was only one school, one small supermarket and several other struggling businesses. The nearest large town was a couple of hours away.

Norm St ...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Helene Young rated it it was amazing

This is a review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

The genre? I'll call it contemporary fiction with humour - truckloads of it.

When we first meet Loretta Boscovic she's daydreaming about dumping her kids in an orphanage and riding off into the sunset with her dream lover - on a Harley no less. A single mum, she lives with her two children in dusty town called Gunapan.

I was captivated from the opening pages. With sparse words, P.A. O'Reilly skilfully crafts a strong image of a strugglin This is a review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

The genre? I'll call it contemporary fiction with humour - truckloads of it.

When we first meet Loretta Boscovic she's daydreaming about dumping her kids in an orphanage and riding off into the sunset with her dream lover - on a Harley no less. A single mum, she lives with her two children in dusty town called Gunapan.

I was captivated from the opening pages. With sparse words, P.A. O'Reilly skilfully crafts a strong image of a struggling town and its inhabitants. The goats, Loretta's car, her constant battle for what's right make for an eclectic lead character, but the lesser players aren't abandoned either. Norm reminds me of my father and his cronies. The regulars at the town meetings feel like people I've met before. Loretta's children, Melissa and Jake, both have a depth and a charm that makes me care about them.

I read the The Fine Colour of Rust while I was travelling from Cairns to Taree and back again. Many times I laughed out loud - particularly at the dialogue - causing my fellow travellers to shift in their seats with looks that clearly said 'mad woman alert.' I stopped reading several times because I knew I was close to tears. Being considered a little nutty is fine, but I know a weeping woman makes others uncomfortable and I didn't want to have to explain myself. It was too complicated for that!

The characters are stereotypical and yet they are unique. They are so much more than cliches. I cared about them, I laughed with them and I cried with them. They lingered in my mind long after I finished the story and I've been forcing the book onto friends and relatives ever since.

It's Loretta's ability to be wryly amused by everything, including herself and several disasters, that takes the story from depressing to uplifting. I gather The Fine Colour of Rust started life as a short story. I'm very glad Paddy O'Reilly decided to explore a little more or I would have missed out on meeting Loretta and the good folk of Gunapan.The Fine Colour of Rust ...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it really liked it

Set in the heart of a small rural town in Australia called Gunapan we meet local woman Loretta Boskovic , she moved to the town with her husband Tony and two kids Melissa and Jake . Loretta lived the countrytown dream until one day her husband just disappeared from their lives. Now three years later, Loretta lives in the state between reality - a mother with two children and her dreamworld - of meeting a handsome man who whisks her off to another world , but not until she has dropped her two kid ...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Sheree rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews, own, contemporary-fiction, read-in-2012, aussie-author

Set in the small Australian town of Gunapan, The Fine Colour Of Rust showcases universal themes of life, motherhood, community, friendship and social injustice with distinct Aussie flavour.

After a 'meh' start ... not sure what was going on there, maybe just my mood, O'Reilly's wry observations and dry humour won me over and I quickly became immersed in the heat and dust of Gunapan, charmed by the town's population.

My grandparents lived in rural NSW in a small town very similar to Gunapan. Readi Set in the small Australian town of Gunapan, The Fine Colour Of Rust showcases universal themes of life, motherhood, community, friendship and social injustice with distinct Aussie flavour.

After a 'meh' start ... not sure what was going on there, maybe just my mood, O'Reilly's wry observations and dry humour won me over and I quickly became immersed in the heat and dust of Gunapan, charmed by the town's population.

My grandparents lived in rural NSW in a small town very similar to Gunapan. Reading The Fine Colour Of Rust I felt like I'd been transported back there; heat shimmering, the smell of dust, the genuine sense of community, the care and compassion, the sometimes small town narrow-mindedness, everyone knowing your business unless you guarded it close. With unique turn of phrase and sparse but vivid descriptions, Paddy O'Reilly captures the essence of a struggling rural town.

You can't help but love the characters -

Loretta, self-depracating, single mother of two and town champion of seemingly lost causes. She's a self professed 'old scrag' and a strident voice in the fight to save the local school and viability of the town. Her sarcasm and wicked sense of humour gave me many laugh out loud moments.

Norm, the old fella that owns the local junkyard is as dry and crusty as the landscape but has a heart of gold. He's a man of few but wise words and Loretta's dearest friend, the type of friend who drops off two goats, Terror and Panic when you're in desperate need of a lawn mower.

Helen, Loretta's girlfriend had me grinning from ear to ear in this conversation between the two of them after Loretta's deadbeat husband returns briefly to Gunapan with his new partner.

"Do you want me to follow him, find out what he's doing?"
I shake my head.
"Do you want me to kill him?"
I nod. Then laugh a little. "And trash the CRX. Have you got any idea how much money he spent on that car?"
I kind of guessed when I saw him licking the trim one time."

A delightful combination of dry wit, warmth and tenderness has me recommending The Fine Colour Of Rust without hesitation. ...more

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Jan 30, 2014 Charmaine Clancy rated it liked it

Shelves: aussie

Amusing characters that any country dwellers would find easy to relate to. Amusing vignettes stringed together to create a life, a family and a community.

I almost gave up halfway as the story dragged and it seemed it wasn't going anywhere except to reflect on the amusement of everyday life, but the second half of the novel picked up and I became interested in the outcome.

Good Aussie read. ...more

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