‘Shortly after my forty-fourth birthday, I was stopped in my tracks running in New York’s Central Park.’
I picked up this book, thinking I was about to‘Shortly after my forty-fourth birthday, I was stopped in my tracks running in New York’s Central Park.’
I picked up this book, thinking I was about to read a memoir of life with multiple sclerosis. I picked up this book, knowing that it had been shortlisted for the Stella Prize in 2020. I was curious.
While this book does touch on Ms Llewellyn’s diagnosis of and life with multiple sclerosis, much of it is about her childhood. It is also the story of her father, Richard, who contracted polio as a twenty-year-old. Richard Llewellyn contacted polio towards the end of the polio epidemic in the 1950s, was confined to an iron lung for some time and then to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Richard Llewellyn’s determination provides a focus for Caro as she struggles to come to terms with her diagnosis and what it means.
But there is another dimension to this memoir. There is the story of how her parents met (her mother nursed Richard in hospital) married, had children, and later separated. Physical limitations and mental illness both play a part. Caro’s own illness takes her back through those memories:
‘His great lesson was to teach me that we're free as we allow our minds to be. Imagination can save your life if you need it to. ‘
Memory can be a strange thing. Interpreting our lived experience as children through our memories as adults can add a dimension of acceptance and understanding. It can also be confronting: seeing some of the traits of our parents in ourselves.
When I picked up this book, I was expecting something quite different. But Caro’s description of her father’s experiences took me back into my own family history. My father also had polio, and while he was not as severely affected as Richard Llewellyn, he fought hard to be able to walk again and never retained his early adult muscle tone. I remember listening to my grandmother’s descriptions of the physical therapy he underwent to walk, and how very brave he was.
And so it is that a memoir written by one person can be a jumping off point for memories of life for another. Multiple sclerosis is another disease which varies in its impact. I hope that Caro Llewellyn continues to find the courage she needs for her own journey. As her father did.
‘To write of a relationship that ends in murder is to latch onto the earliest moments of disharmony.’
Tara Costigan was twenty-eight years old when she‘To write of a relationship that ends in murder is to latch onto the earliest moments of disharmony.’
Tara Costigan was twenty-eight years old when she was murdered in Canberra in February 2015. She was one of 103 Australian women who died because of family violence related homicide. Tara was holding her baby daughter when her former partner, Marcus Rappel, attacked her with an axe. Her two small sons were also present.
In this book, Heidi Lemon set out to understand the tragedy of Tara’s murder, and to try to find out why. From the headlines at the time of Tara’s murder (I remember them well, as a Canberra resident) it seemed as though there had been no hint that verbal abuse (which had lead Tara to obtain an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) the day before her murder) would lead to physical violence. It was also Ms Lemon’s own experience which led her to research Tara’s story:
‘It was my experience of emotional abuse – of being urged, time and time again, to believe how little I amounted to – that kindled my initial interest in Tara Costigan’s story.’
I did not know Tara Costigan, but she came alive to me as I read this book. A young dedicated mother, a hardworking young woman, strongly attached to family and friends. I realised, reading about the Costigan family, that I had known her father, Tony. We had worked together, had some shared taste in music, and I was saddened by his death. A slight connection, but it made Tara’s story seem more personal.
Domestic violence takes many forms. A relationship that started so happily foundered as Marcus Rappel’s jealousy came to the fore.
Over two and a half years Ms Lemon researched this story, meeting with members of the Costigan family, with Tara’s mother and with friends. She includes elements of her own experience as well, to demonstrate how widespread domestic violence is. Ms Lemon’s experience also underlines the point that definitions which focus only on physical violence can serve to blind victims to the danger they are in. Tara knew, when she took out the AVO, that Marcus would ‘go ballistic’. But she never thought that he would hurt her.
I finished the book wondering what (if anything) Tara Costigan could have done differently. I finished the book hoping that reading about Tara’s life and untimely death would help others to realise that control is a form of abuse and violence can take many forms.
‘Keely Mitchell peered at the numbers on the overhead panel and stopped beside 19B.’
Keely Mitchell, a secondary school teacher, was looking forward to‘Keely Mitchell peered at the numbers on the overhead panel and stopped beside 19B.’
Keely Mitchell, a secondary school teacher, was looking forward to her three-month holiday in Western Australia. She had been planning a trip overseas with her friend Bec, but those plans had to be put on hold. Instead, Keely plans to explore Broome and the Kimberley region. Unfortunately, a medical emergency requiring surgery in Perth intervenes. Thanks to Euan Levallier, a kind stranger Keely met on the flight from Adelaide to Perth, she can recuperate on his family’s vineyard in the Margaret River region.
At Levallier Dell Wines, Keely meets Euan’s son Flynn. Euan and Flynn are both committed winemakers, but they have different views about the future. Keely finds the tension between them uncomfortable, and she is made feel like an outsider by one family friend. But Keely also meets others who share some of her creative interests and she is also able to assist the Levalliers. Keely has feelings for Flynn, but she is convinced that he is only interested in the beautiful, vivacious Kat – the granddaughter of a neighbouring vintner.
I picked this novel up, looking to escape into a rural romance. I enjoyed this novel: Ms Stringer’s depictions of some of the challenges of small communities, of tensions within family businesses, and of the efforts of well-meaning busybodies brought a smile to my face. And the ending was perfect.
This is the third of Ms Stringer’s novels I have read, and I have enjoyed each of them.
It was early morning on Saturday, 10 December 1932 when a forest-green dress was spotted, hooked in a spiky thicket of lantana in Queens Park.’
In her It was early morning on Saturday, 10 December 1932 when a forest-green dress was spotted, hooked in a spiky thicket of lantana in Queens Park.’
In her third true crime book, Ms Bretherton writes about a series of horrific murders that began in Sydney during the 1930s. The first body was found in Queens Park on 10 December 1932. A woman violently murdered in a popular park, and no-one noticed anything. Other women were found murdered: their bodies left in public places. But it was not until the body of a young aspiring Olympic swimmer was found that an arrest was made.
Eric Craig was arrested, and eventually charged over the deaths of two women. He was gaoled. But similar murders occurred. Was Eric Craig guilty? And why were some of the murders apparently considered worse than others?
‘Bad police work, inconsistent witness statements and gendered assumptions plagued all of these investigations.’
Sydney in 1932 was in the grip of the Great Depression. Jobs were scarce and, for some women, sex work was one of the few ways in which they could make money to feed, clothe and house their families. Some of the murdered women were sex workers. Assumptions were made, judgements followed.
I wonder how many deaths could have been prevented if the initial murder had been investigated more thoroughly? Granted, much of the forensic science we now take for granted was not available. I still feel that more could have been done.
I was unaware of these murders before reading this book. I appreciate the effort Ms Bretherton has gone to in providing the socio-economic background for these murders in eastern Sydney during the Great Depression. If you have an interest in true crime, then I recommend this book. Was this killer Australia’s first serial killer (as stated on the cover of the book)? I wonder.
Jeanne Baret (27 July 1740 – 5 August 1807) was a member of Louis Antoine de Bougainville's colonial expedition on the ships La‘Who was Jeanne Baret?’
Jeanne Baret (27 July 1740 – 5 August 1807) was a member of Louis Antoine de Bougainville's colonial expedition on the ships La Boudeuse and Étoile in 1766–1769. Jeanne Baret is recognized as the first woman to have completed a voyage of circumnavigation of the globe.
And, until I read this book, I had never heard of her.
Jeanne Baret joined the expedition disguised as a man, calling herself Jean Baret. She enlisted as valet and assistant to the expedition's naturalist, Philibert Commerçon (anglicized as Commerson), shortly before Bougainville's ships sailed from France.
In this book, Danielle Clode sets out to find out more about Jeanne Baret. Her journey takes her from France and Mauritius to New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. I found it fascinating, following Jeanne Baret’s journey through Danielle Clode’s eyes. The challenges of tracking down information: who was Jeanne Baret? How did an impoverished peasant woman from Burgundy come to be part of Bougainville’s expedition? What would the journey have been like and how much of a contribution did Jeanne Baret make?
After the expedition, Jeanne Baret remained in Mauritius for some years before returning to France in 1775. She died in Saint-Aulaye in 1807 at the age of 67, leaving her estate to her husband Jean Duberat, her nieces and nephews, and a bequest to the poor. An impoverished peasant no longer.
Ms Clode has included notes and references at the end of the book, as well as acknowledgment of those who assisted her. I finished the book satisfied with what I had learned but wanting to know more, wondering about Jeanne Baret’s transition from valet to an independent woman of means. As Ms Clode writes:
‘The image of Jeanne Barret in her later life refines and remodels my image of her on the voyage. For much of this story, she has been elusive and difficult to characterise. The sheer brevity of the records, refracted and distorted through a male gaze and the absence of her own voice, have made it challenging to build a picture of her.’
Challenging, but not completely impossible.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
‘A celebration of fiction and poetry from UQP’s Black Writing Series’
A copy of this anthology, published in 2003, found its way onto my bookshelf a co‘A celebration of fiction and poetry from UQP’s Black Writing Series’
A copy of this anthology, published in 2003, found its way onto my bookshelf a couple of years ago. Now that I have finally read it, I wonder why it took me so long. It is a mixture of fiction and poetry, of authors I have already read and some that I’ve just learned about for the very first time. There is biographical information about each of the authors. Of the poets, I am most familiar with Elizabeth Hodgson. I have a copy of ‘Skin Painting’ which I read a few years ago. The other poets are Lisa Bellear, Jack Davis, Graeme Dixon and Samuel Wagan Watson.
Of the fiction writers, I am familiar with Alexis Wright, Melissa Lucashenko, and Doris Pilkington Garimara. Each of the ten to twelve-page extracts included in this anthology had me wanting to read more.
My favourites? Melissa Lucashenko’s ‘Steam Pigs and John Muk Muk Burke’s ‘Bridge of Triangles’. If you are looking to read more fiction and/or poetry by Australian Indigenous authors, I can recommend this book.
‘I wake up, and for a few precious seconds I don't realise there's anything wrong.’
A girl wakes up on a self-driving bus. She has no idea who she is, ‘I wake up, and for a few precious seconds I don't realise there's anything wrong.’
A girl wakes up on a self-driving bus. She has no idea who she is, or how she got there. There is a nametag on her T-shirt: ‘Cecily’. There are six other people on the bus, each with a nametag and no memories. They start talking, trying to work out who they are and what is happening. The screen on each seatback gives them instructions. There is a series of tests — each of them needs to choose an outcome. Tests like this one:
‘You are in a moving vehicle. Before you the road forks. Ahead there are five pedestrians. On the side road there is one pedestrian. You can press a button and the bus will turn off onto the side road. The bus will not stop. Do you press the button? YES/NO’
Each passenger must choose an outcome: the majority wins. This is only the beginning. And what do you do, in a situation where the past is unknown (and irrelevant)? What choices do you make? Who are the seven people on this bus, and why are they there? How do you choose which lives to save?
As the story progresses, the stakes become higher. While each of the seven characters has a role, the major characters are Cecily, Nia and Paxton. Cecily is determined to escape, and Nia may be able to help her. Small clues emerge, their perceptions of each other change. But the more they learn, the more challenging choices become.
What an engrossing story this is! I picked it up and could not put it down because I needed to know how it would end. Are any of these people worth saving? Can any of us be saved from ourselves? There are a couple of twists that made me uncomfortable (choices can be difficult) but the story held my attention from beginning to end. There is a mystery to solve and several moral issues to consider.
Highly recommended, and not just for its intended YA audience.
In this energetic and engaging memoir, Miranda Tapsell writes of her childhood, her family, her time at NI‘I love what I do and the life I am living.’
In this energetic and engaging memoir, Miranda Tapsell writes of her childhood, her family, her time at NIDA and her work on the stage, on television and on film. Miranda Tapsell is an Indigenous woman from the Northern Territory who has worked hard to succeed as a creative. She writes about the challenges she faced as an Indigenous woman from a remote part of Australia looking for Indigenous role models in acting. She writes about challenges; about her family’s support and the friends she has made.
I found this a heart-warming read because Ms Tapsell’s enthusiasm is infectious. But there are serious issues addressed here as well as Ms Tapsell writes about making ‘Top End Wedding’, about reconnecting to family and culture. There is a reminder too, about what is being lost, especially in terms of Indigenous languages.
Miranda Tapsell was born in Darwin in 1987, and her people are the Larrakia. She grew up in Kakadu. I’d recommend her book to anyone who wants, simply, to be inspired.
‘Women leaders all seem to be facing the same kinds of problems …’
This book, co-authored by Julia Gillard, Australia’s first woman prime minister, and‘Women leaders all seem to be facing the same kinds of problems …’
This book, co-authored by Julia Gillard, Australia’s first woman prime minister, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian finance minister, looks at why there are so few women at the top level of politics. Ms Gillard and Ms Okonjo-Iweala draw on their own experience as well as on interviews with eight women leaders: Jacinda Adern; Hillary Clinton; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Theresa May; Michelle Bachelet; Joyce Banda; Erna Solberg and Christine Lagarde.
Why is this such an important issue? Well, consider this:
‘The World Economic Forum has calculated that, if we continue to improve at the current rate, closing the global gender gap in political representation will take ninety-five years.’
While Ms Gillard and Ms Okonjo-Iweala have focussed on women leaders in politics, much of what they write applies to women in leadership roles more generally.
In the book, they test eight hypotheses by asking each of their interviewees a set of questions. The headings of the eight hypotheses are:
1 You go girl 2 It’s all about the hair 3 Shrill or soft (the style conundrum) 4 She’s a bit of a bitch 5 Who’s minding the kids? 6 A special place in hell – do women really support women? 7 Modern-day Salem 8 The role-modelling riddle
Sadly, it does not look like sexism is going to disappear anytime soon. But in a chapter entitled ‘The stand-out lessons from eight lives and eight hypotheses, aspiring leaders are reminded to ‘Be aware, not beware’. This is important: while in writing this book Ms Gillard and Ms Okonjo-Iweala want to inspire women to pursue leadership roles, they have not glossed over the challenges.
There are other valuable observations, and a reminder. Both Ms Gillard and Ms Okonjo-Iweala are involved in sponsorship and mentorship. The publisher of this book observed that, despite all of the work they were doing they were both acting like stereotypical women and highlighting their failures and guilt.
‘Naturally, in response to her assessment, we edited. But there is something laugh-out-loud ridiculous about two intelligent, dedicated women writing tens of thousands of words about gendered stereotyping and then falling for it in our behaviour.’
I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in the issues faced by women in leadership.
Felicity Lewis’s fiftieth birthday party has been meticulously planned to the last detail and seems to be going well. It is an oppo‘It’s your father.’
Felicity Lewis’s fiftieth birthday party has been meticulously planned to the last detail and seems to be going well. It is an opportunity, as well, to show off the home that she and her husband Ian have recently renovated. And then Felicity receives a call from her mother, Hazel. Her father, Franklyn, has died. His death sets of a series of events, taking Hazel back into the past, and changing the lives of her daughters June and Felicity and granddaughter Greta.
Hazel may have hoped to be free from Franklyn’s controlling, misogynistic behaviour, but his will ensures that his control is exerted beyond the grave. Franklyn has set conditions which threaten to tear the family apart as long-held secrets are exposed. Hazel’s long estranged sister Alice attends Franklyn’s funeral, but Hazel wants nothing to do with her. Why?
Felicity’s life becomes further complicated, and Greta must make some choices of her own. June wants to control Hazel’s life, but Hazel takes tentative steps to find her own way.
Once I picked this novel up, I found it extremely hard to put down. I needed to know how it would end, whether Felicity would find what she needed, whether Hazel would accept Alice, and what choice would Greta make? I also wanted to understand why Hazel had accepted the control exerted by Franklyn, and whether she could resist June’s attempts to control her future.
I enjoyed this novel, with its well-defined characters and challenging family relationship issues.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Meet Miss Fidelia Knight. She set out from England with her parents on the SS Great Britain and arrived in Melbourne in 1874. Alone, e‘She was alone.’
Meet Miss Fidelia Knight. She set out from England with her parents on the SS Great Britain and arrived in Melbourne in 1874. Alone, except for half of Samuel Johnson. Fidelia takes refuge at night in the fabulous Coles Book Arcade in Bourke Street. Here, surrounded by books, she takes refuge in words. But Fidelia’s rest in Coles Book Arcade is interrupted by a man puzzling over words (in alphabetical order).
Over twenty-six wonderful chapters, an A to Z of life through words, we travel with Fidelia as she meets several wonderful (mostly) characters and changes their lives. First, she starts with Jasper Godwin. He is the manager of the new Billings Better Bookstore and he is really struggling to prepare for the opening: how can he catch the attention of potential customers?
Fidelia calls him Quandary Man.
‘Could she be Quandary Man’s muse? Would he thank her for her effort? Or begrudge her presumptuousness? A Amelia Audacious Admonished an Amateur Abecedarian and Absconded with an Antediluvian Aardvark, After Adjourning for an Arousing Absinthe at Billings Better Bookstore and Cafeteria. Did she Absolutely? She did indeed!’
And this is just the beginning. Fidelia loves words. Her enthusiasm helps Jasper Godwin, and Mr Billings who is also in a position to help others. Where others see problems, Fidelia sees possibilities. But there is one mystery she would like to solve: what happened to her parents?
What a word feast this novel is! The superb cover and illustrations are by Judith Rossell and they are a perfect complement to the story. I discovered new words, met some old favourites, and loved the alliteration. Fidelia’s thirst for knowledge is unquenchable and her enthusiasm enables her to teach others. There are some unexpected twists in the story, and a very satisfying ending.
Every one of the twenty-six chapters opens alliteratively. My favourite today is x.
‘X Xavier Xerxes, a Xenodochial Xenagogue, used Xyston and Xiphos To eXtricate himself from a Xanthippe aboard his Xebec, In an eXotic display at Billings Better Bookstore and Brasserie Did he Xenially? He did indeed!’
‘It is tempting to think that Edith has been forgotten because she was a woman, but it’s more complicated than that.’
Recently I learned of an Australi‘It is tempting to think that Edith has been forgotten because she was a woman, but it’s more complicated than that.’
Recently I learned of an Australian naturalist, Edith Coleman. I learned of her by reading a review of this book. I added this book to my reading list, sad that I had not heard of her before. What a fascinating woman she was.
So, what is the story of Edith Coleman?
Edith Coleman (1874-1951) was 48 years old when she delivered her first paper, on native Australian orchids, to the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria in 1922. Between 1922 and her death in 1951 she wrote over 300 articles about Australian nature for various newspapers, magazines, and scientific journals. She also solved a mystery concerning orchid pollination and was the first woman to be awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion.
In this book, scientist and writer Danielle Clode sheds light on Edith Coleman’s life from her childhood in England to her passion for the Australian landscape and nature. Ms Clode has undertaken extensive research to piece together the little that is known about Edith Coleman’s personal life, to visit places where she lived, and find her work. Ms Clode also tracked down surviving family members.
The result is a book which combines known biographical facts with possibilities, a social history of the times with examples of Edith Coleman’s own writing. Ms Clode speculates about why Edith Coleman has been forgotten and does her best to bring her back into view. She writes:
‘Women’s voices are being lost when we anthologise, analyse and criticise the literature. In this case, it’s not a question of what’s written, but who we have chosen to hear.’
I agree. If you are interested in Australian gardens and nature, if you have an interest in earlier Australian women authors and their work, then you may enjoy this book as much as I did. It is beautifully presented and left me wondering about other Australian women who’ve slipped into the shadows.
‘Great art can make even the most important person seem insignificant – and I’m not important by any means.’
Art dealer Alex Clayton is both thrilled a‘Great art can make even the most important person seem insignificant – and I’m not important by any means.’
Art dealer Alex Clayton is both thrilled and nervous to be previewing the Melbourne International Museum of Art (MIMA)’s latest exhibition: Masterpieces of Victorian Britain. Alex is thrilled because of the art, nervous because she has some unpleasant memories from the time she spent working there. She and her friend, conservator John Porter, meet and make their way into MIMA. They are present when, as a large painting is being unpacked, one of the packers collapses and damages the reportedly cursed painting. The packer is taken to hospital.
Meredith Buchanan, a senior conservator, is to repair the work. But when she dies, less than twenty-four hours later in an apparent suicide, John Porter is asked to supervise the repairs. Was Meredith also a victim of the reputed curse?
The conservation studio is now a crime scene, but there is something strange about the scene. There is a splash of paint: a vivid crimson which is not a colour on the painting to be restored. And then Alex discovers a torn-up photograph. The police dismiss the photograph as irrelevant, but something is not right, and Alex and John are determined to investigate. Their amateur investigations lead them into some tight spots while their knowledge of art leads them to some worrying conclusions. Alex is offered a job at MIMA, which complicates matters.
This novel is the second in Ms Kovacic’s Alex Clayton Art Mystery series. We were introduced to the characters of Alex and John in ‘The Portrait of Molly Dean’, and they are further developed here. They are good friends, have been for years, even though John’s jealous wife does her best to keep them apart.
Ms Kovacic works some interesting technical detail (about the behind the scenes work of art museums and the restoration of damaged paintings) into the story. But the real focus is on the death of Meredith. If she did not commit suicide, who killed her and why? And what is the significance of the crimson paint?
The various pieces come together in a satisfying conclusion.
I enjoyed this novel. The story and the setting held my attention, as did the working relationship and history between Alex and John. I especially liked Alex’s Irish wolfhound Hogarth.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series shortly.
I am drawn to this collection of Thea Astley short stories because of the title, and because Lisa, at ANZ LitLovers LitLet me draw you a little map.’
I am drawn to this collection of Thea Astley short stories because of the title, and because Lisa, at ANZ LitLovers LitBlog, is hosting a Thea Astley week later this month (August 17 to 25, 2020). More information can be found at: https://anzlitlovers.com/thea-astley/
I should admit that while Thea Astley has long been on my reading horizon, I have not previously read any of her work. So, I consulted my local library’s online catalogue and borrowed ‘Hunting the Wild Pineapple’, a collection of short stories published in 1979.
‘Take a patch of coastline and its hinterland, put it just north of twenty and one hundred and forty-six east, make it hot and wet and sprinkle it with people who feel they’ve been forgotten by the rest of the country – and don’t really care.’
There are eight marvellous short stories in this collection, narrated by Leverson:
‘Take a failure, male of middling years, who had already punctured several shiny bubbles.’
And who is missing a leg.
‘Add a name. Leverson.’
What can I tell you about these stories? Can I describe aspects well enough to tempt you to read them? The places you might see, the people you might meet. Would you like to travel to Mango with Leverson and Mrs Crystal Bellamy? Will you wonder about the characters in ‘The Curate Breaker’? Or, like me, will you become caught up in the stories (for there are more than one) in ‘A Northern Belle’?
It is Ms Astley’s descriptions that take me into the stories, lead me to observe people and wonder what might happen next after the writing stops. Are any of these relationships between equals? I keep thinking of ‘A Northern Belle’, but I could equally name ‘Ladies Need Only Apply’. There are images that grab my attention, scenes which have me squirm, people I feel sorry for. And some I detest.
There’s a skill in constructing self-contained narratives as short stories: images are important, and language is critical. Each of the eight stories held my attention: none of them is predictable, each of them has a twist (or two) to make you catch your breath.
So this collection of short stories is my introduction to Thea Astley. I will look, next, for one of her novels.
‘That’s the thing about mistakes. Not all of them can be fixed.’
Rachel Krall ‘s true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation after it resulted in ‘That’s the thing about mistakes. Not all of them can be fixed.’
Rachel Krall ‘s true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation after it resulted in an innocent man being set free. And plenty of people would like Rachel’s help. But it is her voice people recognise usually, not her face, which makes it unsettling when she finds a note addressed to her on her car windscreen begging for help. Rachel is heading to the small North Carolina town of Neapolis where an upcoming rape trial will be the subject of the third season of her podcast Guilty or Not Guilty.
The people in the town of Neapolis are polarised by the case. A local boy, destined to be an Olympic swimmer, has been accused of raping the granddaughter of the former police chief. Rachel is determined to report the case objectively, but she keeps receiving letters from a woman called Hannah. Hannah wants Rachel’s help to find out what happened to her sister Jenny Stills in the town of Neapolis 25 years earlier. Officially, Jenny drowned but Hannah is sure that she was murdered.
‘It was Jenny’s death that killed my mother.’
The story alternates between Hannah and Rachel, between past and present. While focussed on the present-day case, Rachel is drawn to Jenny’s case. She starts asking questions and runs into a wall of resistance. Hannah’s letters, Rachel’s narrative and parts of her podcast keep the story moving. A number of those who were young when Jenny died hold positions of power in Neapolis now. And almost no-one seems to have a kind word (or memory) of Jenny. She has been judged and dismissed. Rachel keeps investigating. In both cases there are inconsistencies. There are also similarities. What is the truth? Is the swimmer guilty of rape? Was Jenny murdered?
This novel held my attention from beginning to end. I worked out some aspects before the end but was pleased, overall, with the conclusion. To say more might spoil the story.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Ben Elliott is missing. He has disappeared from the mine site at Golden Arc (a foreign investment site in Ind‘He is missing. Your husband is missing.’
Ben Elliott is missing. He has disappeared from the mine site at Golden Arc (a foreign investment site in Indonesia) where he works. The Department has contacted his wife, Mim, to let her know. Mim cannot believe it: after all Ben, like her and their children Essie and Sam, is microchipped. ‘You want to know where your people are when the world becomes a shifting, wild, hungry thing.’ In this near future apocalyptic world, everyone in Australia is monitored. People can be detained without charge for six months, citizenship can be lost, as can assets. Mim is told to contact The Department if she hears from Ben and is assured that The Department will look after her.
But something is not right. Mim is questioned, her passport is confiscated, and she is told not to leave home. Mim’s instincts tell her otherwise.
Mim and the children set off on what will be an arduous journey, undertaken at great risk to themselves and to others. Imagine: a world where the effects of climate change and of the threat of biological warfare are apparent; a world in which people are microchipped and their movements controlled. Imagine. Can Mim protect her children? Will she find Ben?
This is an unsettling and uncomfortable read. Recommended.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
‘The facts and rumours surrounding the event have polarised the close-knit Hobart community.’
On the night of 26 January 2009, Bob Chappell went missin‘The facts and rumours surrounding the event have polarised the close-knit Hobart community.’
On the night of 26 January 2009, Bob Chappell went missing from his yacht Four Winds and was never seen again. The yacht had been moored near the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s marina in the Derwent River. Bob Chappell had intended to spend the night on the yacht and was found to be missing the next morning.
Bob Chappell’s body has never been found.
‘The police were investigating a murder with no body, no weapon, no witnesses and no confession.’
In 2010, Sue Neill-Fraser, his life partner of 18 years was found guilty of his murder and sentenced to 26 years imprisonment. There have been several appeals, and in March 2020 Ms Neill-Fraser gained leave for a second appeal against her conviction. This appeal has not yet been scheduled (as of 25 July 2020) because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Ms Bowles sets out the story in three parts: the disappearance of Bob Chappell; a summary of the way the case was dealt with by the legal system; and the ongoing challenging of the legal system in this case.
Before reading this book, I knew little about the Sue Neill-Fraser case. While I appreciate the amount of detail and background information that Ms Bowles has included, it took me a while to adjust to her writing style. For example, initially Ms Bowles’s referring to her connections to Tasmania, of knowing ‘who’s who in the zoo’ seemed irrelevant but I soon realised that it was part of her scene-setting, of describing the environment in which events took place. I do not necessarily share all of her conclusions (I am an expatriate Tasmanian with no establishment ties), but I think her observations are relevant.
We may never know what happened to Bob Chappell, but I am gobsmacked that Ms Neill-Fraser was convicted of murder on the case made by the prosecution. While I do not necessarily agree that:
‘When you go into court, you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.’
I do have concerns about the way the case was presented and can only hope that the most recent appeal is successful. Usually, when reading books about true crimes, there is an outcome. In this case there is not. Yet. Ms Neill-Fraser is still in gaol, is still awaiting a determination of her appeal. Ms Bowles started her investigations in 2015, and when this book was published wrote:
‘So that’s it, really. My job is done. I never expected this story to cover this many years and still not have an ending.’
I finished this book dissatisfied, not with the book, but with the process surrounding Ms Neill-Fraser’s conviction. I will be extremely interested in following the appeal which hopefully will be heard later this year. The appeal hearing has been delayed by COVID-19 restrictions: Ms Neill-Fraser’s legal team are based in Melbourne.
Note: My thanks to Sisters in Crime for the opportunity to read and review this book.
‘The animals are dying. Soon we will be alone here.’
Franny Stone desperately wants to follow the Arctic terns on what is likely to be their last migra‘The animals are dying. Soon we will be alone here.’
Franny Stone desperately wants to follow the Arctic terns on what is likely to be their last migration to Antarctica. The terns are teetering on the brink of extinction because of climate change. Franny managed to secure a berth on one of the last ships heading south from Greenland.
As we travel south, Franny’s story unfolds over different timelines. She is a restless soul, in search of answers, meaning and redemption. She is erratic and unpredictable, drawn to the sea. We will gradually learn what Franny is running from and what she is looking for.
‘My life has been a migration without a destination, and that in itself is senseless.’
I picked this novel up and became spellbound. I wanted to know more about Franny and her past, I wanted to understand the why and the what. This is a sad story, but it is so beautifully told that I could lose myself in some passages before being buffeted by others. Is it possible for Franny to find peace? Is it possible for the world to survive our depredations? I wonder.
‘Freezing air slices my lungs every time I breathe.’
Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock has recently moved to Melbourne. She is still adjusting to life‘Freezing air slices my lungs every time I breathe.’
Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock has recently moved to Melbourne. She is still adjusting to life in the city and mourning the life she has left behind while trying to find her feet in her new workplace. Gemma has been assigned to partner Detective Sergeant Nick Fleet, and she’s finding him a bit of a challenge as well.
When a homeless man is murdered, Gemma is assigned the case. She wants to solve the case and appreciates just how difficult it might be to find the murderer of a lonely, isolated man in a big city. But then a young actor is murdered in the middle of a crowded scene being filmed in the city. Who killed Sterling Wade, and why? And will Gemma have to stop investigating the murder of the homeless man because of this new case? Can she and Nick Fleet work together effectively?
‘Starting work on a case is always like beginning a jigsaw without having looked at the picture on the box.’
I found this novel totally absorbing. Gemma Woodstock is a brilliant, flawed character who is facing plenty of challenges in her own life while trying to be a good detective. Gemma’s intuition and self-destructive behaviours wrestle for dominance as she and Nick Fleet try to work out who killed Sterling Wade. The murdered homeless man is never far from her thoughts, nor are the family and friends she left behind in Smithson.
If you enjoy crime fiction by Australian authors, and you’ve yet to make the acquaintance of Gemma Woodstock, don’t hesitate. She’s a wonderfully flawed, complex, intelligent hero. There are three novels. I somehow managed to read them out of order which, while it didn’t detract from my enjoyment, isn’t the best way to come to terms with Ms Bailey’s hero. Highly recommended.
‘The terrifying truth about every case we work is that no matter what, the answers are out there somewhere.’
‘The girl pushes blindly through the wall of trees, tripping over her feet.’
DS Gemma Woodstock, now living in Sydney, has just returned home to Smiths‘The girl pushes blindly through the wall of trees, tripping over her feet.’
DS Gemma Woodstock, now living in Sydney, has just returned home to Smithson to attend the funeral of her son Ben’s father Scott. She’s in a new relationship, but not yet sure how committed she is. She’s restless, claustrophobic and wants to do the right thing by Ben.
In the Australian coastal town of Fairhaven in NSW, a fifteen-year-old girl, Abby, goes missing. The following morning, her boyfriend is found murdered. The police in the area need help, her old boss is approached, and Gemma volunteers. Within hours, she and Ben are on their way to Fairhaven.
Gemma has a young, inexperienced team to work with. Everyone knows everyone else in this small town, and there’s no shortage of speculation about who might be responsible for the murder. But where is Abby?
This is a case with plenty of twists. Gemma learns of another missing person case in the area: a young couple who disappeared and were never found. And there are secrets being held which may have an impact on the investigation. Gemma herself has some personal issues to resolve as she tries to juggle parenting Ben with the demands of the case.
Gemma Woodstock is a complex character: dedicated, insightful, and flawed. Her tenacity enables her to work through the information (and disinformation) received. I enjoyed this novel. I did work out some elements before the end, but not all.
This is the third Gemma Woodstock novel. I wonder what Ms Bailey will write next?
Gabriel Fox has travelled to Van Diemen’s Land on a quest. The novel opens with Gabriel in the company of a man he c‘How came I to a place like this?’
Gabriel Fox has travelled to Van Diemen’s Land on a quest. The novel opens with Gabriel in the company of a man he calls his Cannibal travelling from Hobart-town. Gabriel’s head is full of questions, such as:
‘… can the season truly be called winter, if it is at the wrong time of the year, and the leaves have not fallen?’
Gabriel and his Cannibal are travelling. Gabriel is hopeful of selling two harpoons he bought in Sydney-town at a whaling-station, north-east of Hobart-town. Once he gets rid of the harpoons, Gabriel wants to find the woman he has been despatched to find, and for whom he has a letter, and return to England. He has a letter of credit to use for his expenses.
The story unfolds slowly: we are in Gabriel’s head and that is the only perspective we will have. He has been tasked with finding Maryanne Maginn, who first set foot on Van Diemen’s Land some thirty years earlier. Why this is important and who has tasked him will gradually become known to us. But it is not Gabriel’s quest as much as his description of the land he is travelling through and the people he meets which held my attention initially. A day’s travel north-east of Hobart-town will take him to a whaling station on the east coast of Van Diemen’s Land. The whaling station is for sale. Sadly, the whales have already been hunted to near extinction.
Gabriel and his Cannibal arrive at the whaling station and take part in a whale hunt. Gabriel’s harpoons are used successfully. But a man dies, and Gabriel becomes part of a group which takes the body back to his widow in Hobart-town.
The descriptions in this novel are so vivid: I can picture the whale hunt (even if I don’t want to); I can see the poor horse Gabriel bought and which is subsequently stolen from him; I can feel his discomfort in his dirty, wet clothes. Gabriel has several different challenges to meet, before a somewhat surprising ending. Surprising, but strangely satisfying.
If you enjoy nineteenth century historical fiction set in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania since 1856) you may enjoy this as much as I did.
‘Too much lip, her old problem from way back. And the older she got, the harder it seemed to get to swallow her opinions.’
Kerry Salter heads home. She‘Too much lip, her old problem from way back. And the older she got, the harder it seemed to get to swallow her opinions.’
Kerry Salter heads home. She cannot avoid it now: her Pop is dying. She heads home on a shiny new Harley-Davidson Softail. Her first conversation is with three crows: one bites a dead snake on the head, and its fangs wedge the bird’s beak shut. Kerry feels ‘certain the crow was going to spend several hideous days before starvation claimed it. But he hadn’t ridden three hours to worry about a doomed waark.’
That doomed crow is a sign of what is coming. Kerry gets back to Durrongo and heads back into a family caught up in a cycle of family dysfunction, carrying its history of injustice. She’s only planning on staying for twenty-four hours, but things don’t go at all according to plan.
This story is ‘in your face’ confronting. Problems from the past are part of the story as is a current threat. Jim Buckley, the mayor of Durrongo, wants to build a prison on the Salters’ ancestral land. There’s important family history associated with the land, and Kerry’s older brother Kenny is keen to sort out Jim Buckley. Kerry’s younger brother, Black Superman, who has made a life for himself in Sydney, can’t escape either. And there are old wounds to be treated as well as secrets to be uncovered and managed.
I do not want to write more about the story because much of the power of it is in the way Melissa Lucashenko tells it. These pages are peopled with complex humans: people trying to do the best they can with limited resources in circumstances that are often hostile. Difficult issues are addressed, with insight and compassion and humour.
I finished this novel feeling uncomfortable with many of the issues raised but also feeling that I had a better understanding of at least some.
‘You can go as far as you like, but the past always comes along for the ride.’
Private Investigator Caleb Zelic can see some light at the end of the tunnel. He is in therapy, he’s tentatively reconciled with‘Make good decisions.’
Private Investigator Caleb Zelic can see some light at the end of the tunnel. He is in therapy, he’s tentatively reconciled with his wife Kat, and he’s connecting with friends in the deaf community. He is working hard at making good decisions. Caleb is deaf and relies heavily on lip-reading to understand speech.
But it is all about to go horribly wrong for him. Again.
A severely injured person, a violent confrontation, a kidnapped child. Caleb’s ex-partner Frankie begs him for help. But just who can Caleb trust? The police are giving him mixed messages. Can Frankie and Caleb save the child?
At the same time, his friend Alberto is in trouble. Alberto’s café, which employs other deaf people, is being targeted. Who wants to destroy his business, and why? Can Caleb help?
Two different crimes, and Kat might not be safe either.
Wow! This is the first Caleb Zelic novel I have read, and now I want to read the first two. This novel has several strands and a few twists (including one I really wasn’t expecting towards the end).
Jennifer (JC-S)
>
Books:
australian-womens-writers-challenge
(571)
Loading...
