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What Members Thought
Great setting. I was looking forward to reading this book. The setting is often used to varying degrees and is much loved in Australian writing, that of a small coastal town in the recent past, a picturesque landscape, the bush, water, a farm, in a seemingly simpler time. However, I felt the author introduced too many diverse characters and introduced but seemed to skim over too many important themes. As a result I didn't feel fully connected to all the characters, even though I really did like
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Alison Booth is an Aussie author, and it's not hard to tell! The descriptions of the bush, the towns, the wildlife, the beautiful beaches and lagoons in this story are so incredibly real!
The story is set in 1957 in a little town in NSW called Jingera, population 750. Ilona Talivaldis, who is a refugee from Latvia and a concentration camp survivor, and her daughter Zidra, move to Jingera from Sydney after Ilona's husband died, so they could start afresh in a quiet, safe and peaceful environment. ...more
The story is set in 1957 in a little town in NSW called Jingera, population 750. Ilona Talivaldis, who is a refugee from Latvia and a concentration camp survivor, and her daughter Zidra, move to Jingera from Sydney after Ilona's husband died, so they could start afresh in a quiet, safe and peaceful environment. ...more
Sep 24, 2022
Karen
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In 1957, after the death of her husband Ilona Talivaldis and her daughter Zidra decide to make a new start in a NSW coastal town, Jingera. Ilona hopes to make a living as a piano teacher, and Zidra tries to makes friends at the school. Ilona is a survivor of an internment camp in WWII, and still has bad dreams about her experiences. Zidra’s best friend Lorna , an aboriginal girl is taken from her family by the Welfare. As time goes by Ilona and Zidra realise that Jingera is not the haven and san
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Aug 04, 2011
Donna
marked it as to-read
Sep 24, 2020
Kellie Schache
marked it as to-read
Jul 08, 2025
Catsalive
marked it as to-read
