Managing Expectations

Minnie Driver

Manilla Press 2022

I find out at this point that it’s the more innocuous questions in life that will make me cry. Hard questions in a difficult situation will act as an alloy, they’ll make me stronger. It’s the soft questions that have no heat behind them, they’re the ones that will be my undoing, particularly in public’.

This is an excerpt from Managing Expectations by actor, Minnie Driver, that follows from her recounting a fight with her father when she was 11 and staying with him in Barbados that ends in him banishing her back to England. She travels alone and ends up going to Miami where she stays in a hotel for 24 hours awaiting a flight home to England. I feel that had I been aged 11 and travelling solo after an acrimonious goodbye with a parent that an ‘innocuous question’ from the hotel personnel at the check-in desk – ‘Where is your Dad, honey?’ – would have set me crying too.

I am not a reader of memoirs generally, and less so of ones written by actors, but I have always been impressed by Ms Driver and, after hearing her interviewed, decided to read Managing Expectations. I was struck, early in the book, when she wrote:

In the UK, in 1976, women were finally allowed to apply for a mortgage without a make co-signer. In that same year, my mother decided to leave my father and got to experience what an anomaly of social progression the mortgage thing actually was. As my parents weren’t married, the judge in the family court decreed that for my mother to retain custody of me and my sister Kate, she had to: (1) be married; (2) have bought a house; and (3) have us in school by the time she had relocated. The amount of time the judge gave her to accomplish all these things was seven weeks.

Not only is it somewhat disconcerting that legal change of this magnitude occurred as recently as the 1970s in Britain, but it is also instructive on how the decisions of others frame our lives and the expectations we set for ourselves. Witnessing her parents’ relationship, Ms Driver had thought she would want to be married and only later in life came to the realisation that the perceived stability and constancy of such institutions is external to the reality of how a person interacts and commits to another.

There are engaging stories of her many adventures, not least the story of a daring ‘incursion’ from the sea to the part of California where she lived as fires raged and the authorities refused access. It was satisfying to have reaffirmed my impression that she has led an unconventional life and somehow managed to stand slightly apart from the crowd. Her body of work includes film, stage, music, and, now, podcasting; she has had success in both Britain and America.

At its heart, though, this is not a memoir, chronicling a life by dates and significant moments. Rather, it is a collection of stories. They are stories that celebrate the messiness of life and the dawning realisation that we can have numerous expectations, but life just happens, and to ‘expect’ something is limiting and potentially missing the whole point – just be!

The Good People

Hannah Kent

Picador

 With her first novel, Burial Rites, Hannah Kent was lauded for her evocative depictions of place and character. At the time of its release, I was a bookseller and recommended her book to everyone seeking a new author of extraordinary talent. Fast forward some years and by chance I recently met someone who had been a customer; she reminded me of that recommendation and how Burial Rites had become one of her most treasured books.

I am late to come to Hannah’s next book, The Good People, but have had the same response to her writing and the world she creates. Set in 1800s Ireland, in a community living in a rugged and harsh countryside, we are introduced to Nora Leahy. Nora has lost both her daughter and husband within twelve months of each other and is left with her grandson who is afflicted such that he cannot walk or speak.

She takes the advice of a local woman who suggests she hire a ‘servant girl’ to assist with the care of Micheál. Mary leaves her family and comes to board with Nora and take care of the boy. Life is desperate for both women as they eke out an existence in the valley and, at Nora’s insistence, keep the extent of Micheál’s disabilities hidden from others.

This is a world of strong and, some would say, strange beliefs that holds t to the notion of other spirits inhabiting their world who have the power to bring both joy and pain to their lives. They are acutely conscious of the so-called Good People. These are faeries who exist on the periphery of their everyday village lives who can, in an instant, cause good or bad things to happen. The sudden passing of Nora’s husband has brought a disquiet to all, wondering if it is the work of the Good People and speculation that the child is in fact a changeling – one of ‘them’ who has been swapped for Nora’s grandchild, who had been born without any sign of ill-health.Nance Roche lives deep in the valley and is frequently called upon to heal others through her use of herbs and all manner of incantations and rituals. She is relied upon by some but treated with suspicion and worse by others.

The lives of the three women – Nora, Mary and Nance – are thrown into turmoil as Nora insists on Nance trying to return the child to the Good People in the hope that her ‘real’ grandson will be returned to her. Increasingly, the villagers are impacted by interruptions to their food supply and strange happenings and thus the mistrust of Nance grows and she is blamed for all that is befalling them as a result of her ‘connections’ with the Good People.
The local doctor and priest, from whom Nora initially seeks help, are unhelpful.  The priest uses the situation to prosecute his desire to have the villager’s ancient beliefs swept away to be replaced with his brand of Christianity, and hounds both Nora and Nance, and manipulates Mary such that the three are taken into custody when the boy is found deceased. Nora and Nance are charged with aiding Micheal’s demise and Mary is called as a witness to the rituals the older women undertook.

One can read this novel solely as a captivating tale from a past of superstition and uneducated beliefs. Hannah Kent is masterly at drawing the reader into a world seemingly far removed from life today and making us believe we are walking alongside her characters. Her depiction of the physical world is visceral – one can hear and see and smell this desperate, beautiful place. She is an author whose work is best read when you can set aside hours to be immersed in it. 

That said, it has a remarkable relevance to our world today as we continue to search for answers to the questions: how best to live, what to believe, who to believe. In a world where beliefs compete against each other for our attention, where people once supportive turn away, where the truth is hard to grasp, it is not difficult to understand that we live basically the same life as Nora and her villagers – attempting to find a place of safety, shelter, and sustenance. And, wanting to block out all the ‘noise’ (in our case) of the ever-present chatter of others who would have us subscribe to their truth and no other.

Dinner with the Schnabels

Toni Jordan

Published by Hachette, 2022

What I like most about Toni’s writing is its authenticity. She does not contrive a ‘gotcha moment’ nor does she preach or attempt to manipulate the reader. Yet invariably there are poignant and thought-provoking passages that remind you there is substance to her novels.

Simon is the ‘in-law’ in the Schnabels family. Married to Tansy, brother-in-law to Kylie and Nick, son-in-law to Gloria, and father to Mia and Lachie. The story is set in the week preceding the memorial service for Gloria’s former husband David. In fact, David left his wife and three children after twelve years of marriage, so he has not really featured in their lives.  So far, so mundane. But this memorial is taking place in the backyard of Naveen’s house (Tansy’s best friend) a long time after David’s death and Simon has been charged with the landscaping.

In the first few pages we are presented with characters who are immediately familiar, and we want to know how things are going to unfold for them. Simon has lost his architecture business and the fall-out has meant the family home is gone, the kids have changed school, and Tansy is the new breadwinner. Gloria is the mother-in-law everyone would avoid – caustic, demanding and always controlling the family. Siblings Kylie and Nick are completely different from each other and Tansy, yet all three are a tight group who tolerate differences to make it through the minefield of their mother’s behaviour. Into this mix comes Monica, a half-sister who has only been known about recently and who is suddenly staying with Simon and Tansy in their small flat.

We live the ‘memorial’ week with Simon, urging him to at least start the landscaping, cringe with him at the meeting he has with a former employee who is pitching a new ‘opportunity’ to him in an inner city ‘pink’ Melbourne café she and her partners created, and desperately want him to allow Mia to ‘stand down’ from being the voice of reason and responsibility in the family.

The week is a roller-coaster of emotions for the Schnabels’ family and, at the same time, a typical week in the lives of most families. This is what makes Toni’s writing so enjoyable. We connect, we recognise, and we empathise with the characters. We want Simon to stop being distracted and get on with the landscaping so Gloria will not come after him, Tansy will feel her trust in him is well-placed, and Simon himself can regain some self-respect. We want ‘Mon’ to have a positive effect on them all and how they face each day. We really want Gloria to meet Mon so we can watch the fireworks!

Of particular note and huge enjoyment is the unexpected call to the school principal’s office for Simon and Tansy. It appears Mia is in trouble. Up to this point, she has been presented as a model child – sensible, diligent to a ridiculous level with her homework, mature beyond her years. What unfolds is fantastic – such a well-written ‘conversation’ between Simon and Mia post the principal’s meeting.

By Friday night, with little or no work done on the garden, the reader is anxious for Simon; suffice to say, the night before the day of the memorial is tense. Yet, as we head towards the end of the tale, we realise Toni has been leading us to this point and hits us with unspoken truisms about family relationships, self-realisation, and, as they say, ‘life and other catastrophes’.  She also neatly turns the tables on us, with nice twists and turns to what we have assumed along the telling of the tale.

Do not be fooled by the ease with which you read Dinner with the Schnabels – it is a well-crafted, highly accomplished novel.

The Master: the long and beautiful game of Roger Federer

Christopher Clarey

Published by Twelve, Hachette, 2021

Reading the Acknowledgements at the end of this biography, author Christopher Clarey remarks: ‘there have been more flamboyant and fascinating tennis champions but never one whose game was so pleasing to the eye and, as I realized in reporting this book, never one who embraced all aspects of the sport with such unquenchable enthusiasm’.

It is my impression as a bookseller over decades that sports biographies have a discrete audience – the fans of the particular person; the fans of the game they play; those associated either directly or on the periphery of the specific sport; and, finally, those who are generally attracted to biographies. I don’t fit into any of these groups and yet pre-ordered The Master and have read it with great interest.

I was attracted to it because of the author – Mr. Clarey has been a staple of the coverage of the Australian Open in my home town of Melbourne and has always presented interesting and informed observations. And, of course, because of
Mr. Federer himself. I am fortunate to be one of the millions of people who have briefly met him; in my case, when he visited my bookshop on a whirlwind signing event during one of his first appearances in Melbourne; and then I had a lovely connection in recent years to the Australian Open courtesy of Rod Laver and his manager, the late Stephen Walter.

I am not a sports fan per se, being a loose follower of Australian Rules Football and Cricket, but over the years have watched Wimbledon into the late hours and the Australian Open. I was drawn to the sport in one of the highly successful eras of Australian tennis, with the likes of Newcombe and Cash and the Woody’s at their best.  In more recent years, I have been impressed by the record and character of Rod Laver and the similarities I have felt exist between him and both Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal. Those similarities are: incredible talent; humility; and, their ambassadorial approach to the nurturing of their sport.

Reading The Master has reinforced my admiration for Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal. Clarey tracks their respective careers, noting the mirror-like markers as they progressed from teenagers who showed potential to their incredible longevity at the top of their sport. But, of course, the emphasis is squarely on Roger Federer, and the author provides a clear and compelling account of this most remarkable sports person and man.

Roger Federer had the good fortune to have parents who recognized his talent equally with the necessity to make sound decisions on where and how he would start on the road to a successful career. Practical rather than fawning, his parents guided Roger and those around him to work with him to hone his skill while at the same time developing a well-rounded character. Clarey says of Federer, at sixteen:

The most influential voices of reason at this stage belonged to his parents. Yes, they recognized that their son had considerable potential and had shown commitment to his game in Ecublens. But, the Federers were also well aware by this stage that many promising juniors never reach the highest level, They wanted a backup plan.

That plan was to give their son until the age of twenty to be listed in the top 100 or to return to study. History tells us that they did not need the backup plan!

Between them all – Roger Federer, his parents, his wife, and all those who have worked with him over his career – it is clear he has achieved what many elite athletes do not – balance, awareness of a wider world beyond their individual pursuit, business acumen, and personal autonomy. At critical junctures, Federer is a person who Clarey, both by his interviews with the man himself and those throughout the tennis world, presents as more than capable to forge a life beyond his official playing years and record.

What clearly comes through in The Master is that this is an exceptionally talented and skilled tennis player. For those of us who watch in awe but who do not necessarily understand what we are seeing, Christopher Clarey provides explanation. He recounts the details of several matches but never in a dry or statistic-laden way; his descriptions set your mind’s eye watching the play unfold. This is a particularly skilled writer, providing the reader with sufficient information in a manner that allows our imagination to take over – ‘seeing’ point by point at the critical moments in a match.

I was particularly struck by the notion of balance that permeates Roger Federer’s approach to life. Again, the influence of family (on both Federer and Nadal) shines through:

They were sensitive and empathetic and raised by their families to believe that manners matter: to shake the hand firmly, to make eye contact, to notice the effect and the favour. Federer’s motto was: “It’s nice to be important but more important to be nice”. Nadal and his family subscribed to: “You are not special because of who you are but because of what you do.”

Both might seem trite and sugar-coated maxims, but in the world they inhabit, where every whim is attended to by the team of people around them and where the world ‘owns’ them via media attention and their legions of fans, it is nonetheless a window into how both men have remained aware of the place tennis holds in their lives versus their other pursuits and the wider community.

And this:

Federer thrives on compartmentalizing. Taking his mind off the tennis while taking his children to a museum in Paris or a park in Melbourne helps him to fully focus when it comes time to perform on court…….”Because tennis is a big focus, but there is also something else in life….”.

By the end of The Master, I was confirmed in my good opinion of Roger Federer as a person; even more in awe of his talent; and conscious of the way he has, while still playing tennis at the elite level, put in place avenues of interests and commitments that will sustain him long after his playing days have ended.

Growing up, I would hear my mother speak of being at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as a young girl, watching Don Bradman play (the Australian legend of cricket) – her memory was so vivid, and she retained her unfettered appreciation for his skill and her enthusiasm for having ‘been there’. I feel the same about Roger Federer. I feel privileged to have witnessed this superb tennis player and to have seen him in action on the court. Australians generally and anecdotally have an incredible relationship with sport and their heroes. I would not fit into that category per se, but I do acknowledge that seeing a sports person at the peak of their prowess is to witness something amazing and to be in wonder at their ability. I might say I feel the same when witnessing an especially talented musician or artist or writer and the works they create.

Christopher Clarey writes of Federer, the tennis player; Federer, the tennis star; Federer, the person, with a familiarity borne of years of watching him up close and interviewing him. He provides insights, both personal and from interviewees, on what makes Roger Federer tick and how he navigates his world. He does not present a rose-coloured or uncritical view of the man, but, rather, provides the chronology of his development as a player and man over the decades. It is a comprehensive and engaging account of a most remarkable elite athlete.

This last assessment:

Federer is an intriguing blend or order and spontaneity, or perhaps it is not a blend but more like an alternating current. It is as if all the planning is what allows him to be in the moment, fully present, and he seems particularly resistant to outside influences interfering with his natural cycle.

At this particular moment in time – pandemic, political disappointment, a paucity of good news – reading Christopher Clarey’s book, The Master, was welcome, fascinating, and a reminder of how we can find enjoyment in the achievements of others, and retain the notion of respect.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V.E. Schwab

Published by Titan Books 2020

Many years ago, I read a book called The Eight by Katherine Neville. It was an unexpected addition to my reading list, being a mix of fantasy and contemporary fiction. It was captivating and has been one I have returned to many times. I imagine The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue will be the same.

Moving across centuries and countries, Addie is first introduced to us in 1714 in rural France and we farewell her in New York in 2014.  She has lived all these years, moving in and out of people’s lives without leaving a trace.

As a young woman, living with her parents in a small French village, she realizes she must escape if she is to have any kind of life. She refuses to follow the pattern of the other women villagers - birth, marriage, motherhood, death – and on the eve of her wedding runs into the forest, desperate to find a way out of her fate.

She makes a pact with the devil, depicted as the dark night who appears to her as a handsome man with the most arresting green eyes. She has been warned by another local villager to only seek the assistance of the daytime Gods but she ignores that advice. By the time she has entered the forest and met Luc (the devil) she is lost to her village forever.

Indeed, she is lost to every human encounter she has over the more than 300 years she lives, being instantly forgettable. It is a life that takes her through world wars, revolutions, shifts in world powers, and technical advances. She lives by her wits, stealing anything she needs, knowing that she is untraceable. She has relationships that ‘disappear’ overnight, with the lover waking to find a ‘stranger’ in bed, or to meet someone with whom she has spent days who thinks they are meeting for the first time. Being forgettable has its advantages but it is in fact a high price to pay for her freedom – she understands that she cannot leave her mark on this earth and that she will not live in anyone’s memory.

A clever and interesting device the author uses is to have Addie interact with notable figures from history. While sounding trite, it is anything but – we come to listen in on conversations between literary luminaries in France and to witness Beethoven lose his own contract with the devil. The author also has Addie on the periphery of the art world throughout the centuries.

She has one defining feature – a ring of seven freckles on her face that add a sense of mythical beauty to her image, reflective of a heavenly constellation. Down the centuries, as lovers have tried to capture the beauty of the woman who has appeared in their lives but who they cannot accurately remember, they have drawn or painted her with this feature prominent in their work. And, Addie comes to realise that these artistic impressions are at least something of her that is left behind.

One day, now in 2014, Addie enters a New York bookstore and steals a book. The next day she returns, confident in her ‘invisibility’, only to find that the bookstore worker recognizes her as the thief. This completely unsettles and frightens her – how can Henry, the bookseller, possibly remember her when she has gone through life over hundreds of years leaving only a scant trace of her existence in the art of those trying to capture an elusive image?

Henry’s introduction to the story is an unexpected twist that is welcome, raising all manner of questions. Is Addie’s pact with the devil open to manipulation? Has she somehow found a chink in the devil’s power? Can we have control over our own destiny, even if it be small and seemingly innocuous?

As Henry and Addie begin their relationship, and Addie revels in being remembered, we find that it is confined to just Henry; his friends meet Addie anew every time they arrange to go out. After some time, Henry has no choice but to admit to Addie that he too made a deal and that is why he remembers her; however, he does not divulge the exact nature of his pact with the devil.  

We are witness to the effect of Henry’s ‘arrangement’. No-one sees the real Henry; they see their ideal Henry. He is suddenly perfect in their eyes. The disappointment of his family is now a thing of the past – they assign to him qualities that he knows he does not possess. His friends affirm every decision he has made whereas in the past they had been critical of various actions. Strangers are drawn to him, wanting to be in his company, desperate to be noticed by him.

Between Addie’s ability to move through the world unnoticed and Henry’s apparent perfection, we are prompted to think of what it means to exist and what we want our legacy to be; indeed, whether we can hope to leave a mark on this earth. Further, we begin to wonder what is important to us - to be liked or to be remembered or to be neither of those things?

However, any existential ruminations are incidental – this is simply an adventure through time and history, and human existence. It is to be enjoyed as a tale that is, on one level, fantastical, and on another, a romp through the centuries.

The end to the novel, which will not be revealed here, is both unexpected and inevitable. It is an enjoyable reading experience to get to that point.

Phosphorescence

Julia Baird

Published by Fourth Estate, 2020.

I spent a Sunday afternoon reading Phosphorescence by Julia Baird from my lock down in Australia and found it to be serendipitous for these ‘times of our lives’.

The author presents a simple yet multi-layered approach to her life and ours, peppering the pages with references to research, facts, and the extraordinary interests of everyday people. She draws on the wisdom of elders, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and, without a hint of self-pity or self-absorption, her own stories of illness and setbacks.

Underneath the ‘soft’ narrative is a clarion call for all manner of things: a return to nature and its healing power; acceptance of what humans have done and continue to do to our planet; societal changes and pressures; and the lessons learned from the experiences of others.

From the opening chapter:

There are few things as startling as encountering an unearthly glow in the wild. Glow-worms. Ghost mushrooms. Fireflies. Flashlight Fish.  Lantern Sharks. Vampire Squid. Our forest floors and ceilings, our ocean depths and fringes are full of luminous beings, creatures lit from the inside. And they have, for many centuries, enchanted us, like glowing missionaries of wonder, emissaries of awe…..

And:

Lights released by natural substances or organisms (usually re-emitting absorbed heat) had been known as ‘phosphorescence’ since the 1770s.

Then:

The authors of a study (Japan, 2009) concluded that we all ‘directly and rhythmically’ emit light: ‘The human body literally glimmers. The intensity of the light emitted by the body is 1000 times lower than the sensitivity of our naked eyes.’

Before you assume this is one of those ‘self-help’ tomes that demands you ‘search within’, let me say this is a highly entertaining book. It is a simply told tale of what might be a better way to look at your world and how you exist in it without any of the usual banalities that send this skeptic running away.  To find the wonder in the smallest things, to be ‘awed’ by nature, and to just be quiet and look around you is to experience your life in a very direct and affecting way.

And, therein lies the suitability of this book at this time in our lives. A deadly virus is forcing us to reduce our ‘known’ world and the way we move around in it. Rather than a burden and a frustration and a source for anger, we could see this as an opportunity to recalibrate.

It must be acknowledged that for many, with direct financial and other hardship as a result of this pandemic in 2020, it would be so difficult to see anything positive from this time. But for others, and especially those of us fortunate to live where we do, it is a time to take this imposed stillness and enjoy it.

More broadly, Julie Baird provides, for me, insightful (and perhaps unintentional) affirmation of what has been a deliberate commoditization of living:

So much of what is broadly called wellness now involves an expensive kind of burrowing into our selves, wobbling on the plank between self-care and self-obsession…….what is crucial for calm is not just a capacity to empty minds of nonsense but to also fill them with good and marvellous things, with a care for others.

It isn’t that difficult to understand that nature is calming. The greens and blues of the natural world – plants, trees, the ocean, the sky – have a positive effect on us and if we take a moment to stop and absorb them, we will experience a range of emotions ‘free of charge’: calm, happiness, energy, engagement…..

these days we tend to wonder about mainly about ourselves, instead of allowing wonder to lift us up out of our own self-interest and help us to understand others and the natural world better.

One observation that really struck a chord with me, coming as I do from forty years in bookselling, was that the most peripheral of acquaintances are significant. And, until you don’t have access to them, you don’t realize their importance in your life. The author cites the ‘casual’ connections with others through things, by way of example, such as sporting clubs. I’d like to suggest the two I am most familiar with: the shopkeeper and the librarian.

What we perhaps don’t immediately understand is that these transitory and, some might say, unremarkable interactions with others are of themselves part of a bigger connection that is a feature of our days and gives them some of their character.  

The power of the ordinary activities of community life cannot be underestimated in their importance. Hopefully, out of this current crisis, will come a greater appreciation for the vital role the ‘local’ shop and library play in people’s lives. Business owners might once again really invest in people, remunerate them properly, and instill in them a genuine customer service ethos. Customers might forego, on some occasions, the convenience of online shopping and enjoy the experience of being out in their community.

A few other gems from Julia Baird’s book Phosphorescence:

When dwarfed by an experience, we are more likely to look to one another and care for one another and feel more connected.

the lesson is: you don’t walk away until the work is done

sometimes you do not need to overthink resilience. ‘You just get on with it.’ (a quote from her Mother)

These all resonated with me and seemed especially apt at the moment. Take a moment, read Phosporescence, be enlightened (if you’ll pardon the pun), and maybe view this time as having some positive aspects to it, not least giving us space and time to just ‘be’. Later, when the masks are off and we can once again move around our cities and communities, enjoy the local experience and recognize it as a key thread in your life.

The Mirror and the Light

Hilary Mantel

Published by Fourth Estate, 2020.

But these are not the days of heroes and giants…..

The king raises an eyebrow. He must explain – an activity he dislikes.

There is a time to be silent. There is a time to talk for your life. He saw Henry’s need and he filled it, but you must never let a prince know he needs you; he does not like to think he has incurred a debt to a subject.

These are a mere few sentences from the book by Hilary Mantel which completes her Thomas Cromwell trilogy. The Mirror and the Light depicts the ‘dismantling ‘of Cromwell, the man, who ascended the heights of political life and became the one critical person guiding and accommodating King Henry VIII in all his moods and with all his foibles.

Not a reader of historical fiction, I came to the first of the trilogy, Wolf Hall, mostly as a work requirement. Being a bookseller I felt it only sensible to read what was making its mark on the contemporary literary scene. I was immediately captivated, not least because of the parallels I could draw with the political temperature of our times. It became clear that little has changed and the struggle for power and control has ever been thus.

With Bring up the Bodies, Mantel effortlessly gave the reader more reason to be intrigued, presenting Thomas Cromwell as someone coming to the full realization of his abilities and their attendant benefits.

By the time we get to The Mirror and the Light, we read in the List of Characters, that among the recently dead are Anne Boleyn and her alleged lovers. We are also introduced to the Cromwells, the King’s family, politicians, courtiers, diplomats and more. It is immediately apparent that Cromwell is at the centre of society under Henry’s rule but also embroiled in the political machinations of the time. From a lowly position as the son of a blacksmith, he rose to the highest offices in the land and wielded power and influence. Of course, though, that was only for as long as he had the ear and favour of the King.

Hilary Mantel portrays a man who, having achieved so much, is nonetheless completely at the mercy of his sovereign. And, in this last book, she deftly exposes the inherent weakness of Cromwell’s position and the natural tendency for all of us to misread a situation as it begins to turn from positive to negative. It is as if the instinct for survival is overshadowed by an innate naivety that all will be well. At some point, it is easy to believe the balance of power has shifted and that the leader needs his advisor more than the advisor needs the leader. However, as Cromwell knew, there is never a point at which this becomes so, not least because there is always someone else who will gain the attention of the sovereign and do his bidding.  Again, to frame it in a contemporary context, if one advisor doesn’t fall into step, there is someone else who will do as asked, even against their better judgement.

In Mantel’s portrayal, Henry is ripe for manipulation. He is contrary and self-absorbed yet strong-willed and politically attuned. However, self-interest wins over common good.  When he feels Cromwell has given poor advice on his marital choices, the King entertains the detractors and ends Cromwell’s ‘reign’ and his life.

In each reading of Hilary Mantel’s books I found myself completely absorbed by Cromwell and the world he inhabited. It is a masterly study in how a writer can imbue each page with characters who ‘live and breathe’ and whose world becomes a kaleidoscope before your eyes. That said, my attention did wane towards the end and, dare I say, this book could have been slightly (only slightly) shorter.  That said, The Mirror and the Light is absorbing and a fitting conclusion to a writer’s dedication to her subject.

The Convent: A city finds its Heart

Stuart Kells

Published by The Miegunyah Press 2020

It is a Sunday afternoon in late summer in the 60s. Dad has a rare day off from either working one of his three jobs or fixing the car to keep us moving. The seven of us are scattered doing week-end things but a few of we younger siblings are with Mum and Dad as they head for The Abbotsford Convent. Dad’s cousin, Sr. Bernadette Fox, is there and we are invited to high tea in the Bishop’s Parlour to meet her and, if memory serves, some of her aunts who were also at the convent. It would be decades later I would host literary festivals at the convent and be once again in the Bishop’s Parlour, but, on that day in the 60s, my strongest memory is of us running free in the convent grounds, loving the fresh air, the hiding places, the river, the space.

Bernadette Fox would go on to be the head of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd order for the world, located in Rome for many years, and I would spend my career surrounded by books. By the time I returned to the convent, it was now “The Abbotsford Convent Foundation” running a lively and interesting arts and culture precinct. To round off my disclosures regarding this book, I was already a friend of Tony Lee through the bookshop and some work we had done together, and I became a great admirer of Maggie Maguire who was the person at the helm of the transformation of the convent into this dynamic people’s precinct.

In The Convent, the wonderfully erudite and well-researched Stuart Kells gives us a really important history of the convent under the nuns’ care; the short and relatively unsuccessful few years as a home to other organisations; and the people behind arguably the most successful grass roots campaign to save an historic site in Australia and beyond.

Stuart intersperses the history of the convent and how it developed from the 1860s through to when the whole precinct was designated as owned by the people of Victoria, with the story of the local identities who galvanized support from all quarters to ensure a proposed development would not proceed.

For the local Wurundjeri people – one of the five tribes of the Indigenous Kulin Nation – the river was of great cultural significance.

Based in Angers, France, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd took an active approach to their work. In addition to vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the siters promised to labour for the salvation of souls……the Convent of the Order of the Good Shepherd at Abbotsford was explicitly open to people of all religious denominations, and this was in keeping with the order’s governing rule.

As soon as the concerned Abbotsford residents decide to pursue a positive, viable alternative to residential development of the former convent site, their campaign underwent a radical phase-shift….Once they were organized and activated, the residents morphed from a ‘community interest group’ into a ‘social enterprise.

There are so many layers to the story of this remarkable site that is a mere four kilometres from the city of Melbourne; a haven of 16 acres and 11 historic buildings on a bend in the River Yarra.  And, Stuart Kells captures every aspect of the uniqueness of the story of this place.

He helps the reader fully appreciate the magnitude of what the Sisters of the Good Shepherd undertook when they set up the site. He traces every element of the history of the site and the various uses made of it by all manner of enterprises. And, he clearly illustrates the enormity of the achievement of those who fought to keep this site open to all Victorians and lovers of art and culture across the country. In its present form, The Abbotsford Convent is acknowledged internationally as a spectacular success – an example of an historic site being repurposed for the benefit of the whole community.

Stuart Kells is a prolific author and, along with Fiona Kells, the creator of non-fiction books of integrity and factual accuracy. The books are deceptively easy to read and digest; they are, though, the product of extensive research and intense proofreading and editing. For the reader, The Convent, along with his other books, is an accessible account that any reader, whether they have a prior knowledge of the subject or are completely ignorant of it, will connect with and enjoy.

At this time in our history – a time of enormous global upheaval and societal challenge – this is also a book that inspires. From the Sisters of the Good Shepherd through to the action group who ‘saved’ the convent, all involved poured their passion, expertise, self-belief, and community spirit into the creation and nurturing of this extraordinary place. Stuart contextualizes the period of the nuns’ tenure and provides the lens through which we can view their ‘mission’. He also clearly outlines the economic and political ramifications of the local campaign that took on the powers that be to dispense with the planned redevelopment of the site.  We can see that the power of community is a recipe for great change and societal benefit.

The one thing I would want to personally add to this review of The Convent is the deep significance of Maggie Maguire’s appointment in 2006 as The Abbotsford Convent Foundation’s first CEO.

Maggie Maguire had been working at the state government’s arts body, Arts Victoria. At the appointed interview time, she arrived with purple hair and a compelling CV.

The work and success of the key players in the fight to alter the course of the fate of the historic site cannot be overstated. However, this would have perhaps been relegated to an interesting lesson in grass roots campaigning but little more were it not for the stewardship of Maggie Maguire. As we can all attest, it is one thing to have an idea, a completely different thing to translate that into reality, So much was riding on The Abbotsford Convent Foundation activating the vision for the site. If Maggie had not intrinsically understood disparate elements – business, arts, and politics – and been able to harness them to the advantage of the task at hand, you can but imagine the chorus of disapproval and disappointment that would have ensued. That Maggie could quickly generate a welcoming, vibrant space that retained the magic of the natural environment and the atmosphere of the historic footprint is a testament to her many skills. She surely transformed the landscape for the arts community in this country.

Hopefully this review has given you sufficient interest to procure your copy of The Convent: a city finds its Heart. It is a wonderful record of a unique and fascinating aspect to the city of Melbourne, Australia.

Milk Bars

Eamon Donnelly

Milk Bars - these ubiquitous Australian suburban places were a way in to the workforce and the local community for many immigrants during the 50s and 60s. Eamon Donnelly spent years photographing them all over Australia and has published a fabulous book - Milk Bars. It is part nostalgia, part local history, part advertising history, part immigration story. In short, a 'mixed bag' of images.

Take a trip down memory lane to the days where there was a milk bar on every corner. Hear Eamon tell stories about this iconic Australian invention that for generations has helped shape our suburbs, supported our communities, contributed to our diverse culture and given generations of children glorious memories. 

Artist, illustrator, designer and author, Eamon has published this book himself and it is a fitting celebration of Milk Bars and of Australian suburban life over the decades.

On the night, Eamon will be pleased to sign copies of the book, Milk Bars – $85.00 RRP.

How to Travel

The School of Life

Published by The School of Life 2019

“One of the greatest conundrums of travel also happens to have the most basic ring to it: where should we go?” 

As we approach the end of another calendar year, thoughts tend to turn towards (depending on which hemisphere you live in) a short break around the public holiday season or a long summer break.

This book is part journal, part instruction booklet, and part reflection. Containing thirty essays on various aspects of travel, it achieves a balance between thinking deeply about the significance of travel to our understanding of ourselves and moving around the world for the sheer enjoyment it brings.

It makes us pause and think about a variety of aspects to our travels – what the term exotic really means to us; the three basic fears we have when we opt to just relax for a long period of time; the reality that so-called bucket lists can never be accurate or exhaustive (how do we know what we don’t know, to paraphrase Donald Rumsfield); and the value of the small pleasures in life rather than the grand sightseeing focus.

Types of holidays are discussed (pilgrimage, family, romantic) and ideas for how to take on new ideas when travelling (for instance, sketching what you are seeing rather than taking a photograph). A practical example of the points discussed in the essays is presented in a small section entitled “How to spend a few days in Paris.”

If you are contemplating travel or have it all booked, perhaps have this book as your companion. It is really quite useful and thought-provoking.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 November 2019)

Three Hours From…

Lonely Planet

Published by Lonely Planet 2019

Just as the British publisher, Dorling Kindersley, developed a market within the reference genre for accessible, interactive encyclopaedias, Lonely Planet have created a sub-genre within the travel book subject that typically presents ‘how to’ type books that ease the decision-making for the traveller. These books have become increasingly better produced and are both practical guides and reference books.

In Three Hours From….the editors offer 894 (to be exact) short trips from sixty cities around the world. Complete with maps and a colour-coding system, the trips are broken down into one hour, two hour, and three hour destinations from the centre of the city. The book is divided into continents and also includes small sections on specific aspects of travel in a particular area. For example, as well as detailing the major Australian cities, there is a section on the ‘Best Food and Drink Escapes’ around the country.

If you know the city you intend to travel to, this book will help you get the most out of the trip by introducing you to hidden gems and unexpected activities that are often missed by the general traveller.

This book is also a handy guide for locals; it would be  a great starting point for planning a long-weekend to discover your own backyard, as it were.  

(Boadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 November 2019)

Nothing is Real

David Hepworth

Published by Black Swan, 2019

A veteran music journalist and broadcaster, David Hepworth is well-placed to ruminate on all aspects of music and the people who compose, perform and promote it. This collection of essays provokes us to think about what music means to us and helps us to think differently about bands and the place of music in our lives.

I very much enjoyed his views on many aspects of music. He suggests that pop music is set apart from classical music not least because it is as much about the personality of the artist as the music they create. He states that the exceptions that prove the rule are the Beatles in terms of pop music, and Frank Sinatra in terms of the Big Band era. He also points out that pop music is ‘edging out’ sacred music at funerals…..a quirky but interesting take on the change in these ‘celebrations’ of a life lived.

As Hepworth says, music is ‘all about taste and how emotionally receptive you happen to be at the moment if falls upon your ear.’ I learnt a long time ago never to comment on other people’s musical taste and to hope they would not comment on mine – it is such a personal thing.

Above all, what I take from this collection of essays is that someone immersed in the world that has dominated their career, coming from a starting point of their passion for the particular thing, is especially lucky or blessed to retain their love for that ‘thing’. For me it is books; for David Hepworth it is music and the world of musicians. He remains a fan!

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 6 October 2019)

The Short Story of Architecture

Susie Hodge

Laurence King Publishing

There are any number of small books affording the reader a snapshot of the subject. Few, though, are as cleverly and engagingly compiled as The Short Story of Architecture. It is accessible and interesting, divided into four sections: Styles, The Buildings, Elements, and Materials.  It would be the perfect companion when travelling but also ideal for those of us who may never get to see some of the iconic buildings around the world yet are fascinated by them. And, perfect for those of us who want to get a basic understanding of types of architecture and building features.

I came away from this book knowing, as an example of the above, that Art Nouveau refers to an art and design movement and philosophy; bitumen dates back to the tenth millennium BCE; and that the word ‘nave’ derives from the Latin ‘navis’ meaning ship and was applied in medieval times as this feature of cathedrals and churches was thought to resemble the upside-down base of a ship.

Referencing the architects for each building and style, and the key developments in each period of architectural history, this truly is a ready reference guide to an aspect of our lives that dominates our landscape in so many ways.

If you get a chance to enjoy this book, it is part of a series that also covers art and music.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 6 October 2019

The Big Book of Rock & Roll Names

Adam Dolgins

Published by Abrams Image 2019

“Some are brilliant, some are terrible, and some are brilliantly terrible.”  This is the author’s take on the names of rock bands over the decades. I also like his application of  Spinal Tap’s quote to the question of band names : “It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.”

This is an entertaining A-Z of rock and roll band names, starting with ABBA and ending with, of course, ZZ Top.  Probably most of you reading this review already know that John Lennon was making a play on words when he suggested Beatles as the name of the band, referencing the Beat scene of the day. But, you may not know that The Beach Boys learnt of their band name when they took delivery of a box of their new single from the record company.

Sometimes, a band name comes about because friends have done a gig at a pub and a record label takes an interest and wants to know what they are called. Sometimes your sister is looking at a Singer sewing machine and sees the letters ACDC and suggests that for your band. And, sometimes you take the name of a British Unemployment Benefit Card (UB40).

You can appreciate that this book is your ‘go to’ book if you are contemplating the name of your band. For the rest of us, it is an enjoyable dip into the world of rock and roll.

Timekeepers

Simon Garfield

Published by Canongate, 2016

How to Build a Boat

Jonathan Gornall

Published by Simon & Schuster, 2019.

I combined these books for my monthly session on radio station 3AW, as examples of contemporary publishing that is introducing us to both ‘potted histories’ and niche ‘personal reflections’. These types of publications are typically enjoyable (think Bill Bryson for Simon Garfield’s works) and pleasant vicarious entree into the lives of others.

Simon Garfield has a flair for bringing together facts and anecdotes in a manner that engages the reader and gently educates them along the way.  He explains how, through history, “our obsession with time and our desire to measure it, control it, sell it, film it, perform it, immortalise it and make it meaningful” has lead to all manner of odd behaviours. One example is the man who returned from Calcutta to London and decided to stay (for the rest of his life) on Calcutta time, thus being completely out of sync with his physical environment.

Reading this concurrently with Jonathan Gornall’s book was itself a reflection of the impact of time.

The author, at 59, became a father and decided (inexplicably to himself and others) to set about building a clinker boat in the traditional manner for his daughter. For him, time effectively stopped on his old life and he took time to rediscover solitude, ancient skills, and time efficiencies as he juggled his journalistic commitments with boat building.  Taking time to do this for his daughter gives him the space and time to think about other relationships in his life – his mother, his first-born son, now in his thirties – and to think about what it has all meant.

The reader is rewarded in taking the time to read both books and enjoy their individualistic approaches to their subjects.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 8 September 2019)

Storytime: Growing up with books

Jane Sullivan

Published by Ventura Press 2019

Jane Sullivan is best known to us as a journalist and writer. I also know her as a most generous and professional interviewer, hosting, as she has, many of the literary events I have convened over my years of bookselling. I was eager to read her latest book, Storytime, and the opening paragraph instantly hooked me:

“It’s ten o’clock at night and there is just enough light to read by. I’m in bed and everyone thinks I’m asleep. But I’ve got my favourite book of the moment and I’m devouring it.”

Legend has it that my grandmother, who lived with my family of seven children, mother and father, told my mother “you’ll never raise that child, she is always reading, never sleeping” - hence the immediate connection with Jane’s experience. 

In Storytime, Jane takes us back to her book-filled childhood, revisiting a handful of titles that particularly spoke to her, either positively or negatively. She describes the reading scene – where she was, what else was happening around her, how she was feeling – and then reflects on what memories and ruminations the re-reading of these books has brought forth. It is an eclectic list of titles, from The Myths of Greece and Rome to The Wind in the Willows to Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural, and contains both expected and unexpected tastes at the various stages of her young reading life.

Her response to reading The Magic Pudding was especially poignant for me. She tells of being in London and receiving books for birthdays and at Christmas from her relatives in distant Australia. As Aunt to nieces and nephews in America, I have so often sent book parcels to the other side of the world, carefully chosen for their Australian perspective. Reading this chapter in Jane’s book spurs me to write to the now adult relatives and see what they made of my presents. Is this not the wonder of books – that we can share them widely and add to another’s reading experience?

Throughout Storytime, Jane includes glimpses into the reading memories of other Australian authors, having them reflect on the books that held their attention as young readers. These snippets are subtly interwoven and add that other dimension that we bibliophiles have to our book life - the delight in sharing recommendations, of ‘talking about books’ with others. There is a great sense of community amongst readers.

What makes this ‘book about books’ different from others is that it is not simply a writer reminiscing about her world of books but, rather, it is a critical assessment of how books have shaped her life and what those books mean to her today. Jane has re-read all the books and offers a critique of her younger self and the books. In this way, it is both, as mentioned in the cover notes, a ‘blbliomemoir’ and a reading guide. And, as with all good books, it shall grace my home library (in the extensive ‘books on books’ shelves) and be consulted and devoured time and again….even, perhaps, when “it’s ten o’clock at night and there is just enough light to read by….”

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 4 August 2019)

Memory Craft

Published by Allen & Unwin 2019

This is a timely and comprehensive look at the ways in which human beings have harnessed the natural world and their imaginations to build their memory bank. I say timely because of the combined increases in our understanding of how our brains work and the rise in diseases such as dementia.

Lynne Kelly, a scientist and researcher at Melbourne’s La Trobe University, explores methods for improving memory. Her scope is broad, encompassing different points in human evolution and varying cultural and ethnic groups. It is particularly interesting to learn of the way First Nations people have built their memories through a deep connection to the physical world.

The author happily tells us that she grew up with a shocking memory; happily because it meant she was open to the idea of learning to improve the way she was exercising her brain. Her research developed from this point and she has applied many of the ancient techniques to her own situation.

The view that we don’t need our own memory to function at its peak because we have the internet is one that she dispels effectively and quickly, reminding us that we only look up what we know to look up – we are not necessarily adding widely to our memory of the vast array of information and experience on offer.

I particularly enjoyed her explanations of the way in which people in medieval times imbued their writing with illustrations as signposts to their stories. Indeed, throughout the book, Ms. Kelly encourages us to understand the value of story as a way to communicate our shared experience and to build the universal ‘memory bank’.

With many practical examples of how we can train our brains to build our memory, this book is both a reference guide and a tool.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 4 August 2019)

A Spanner in the Works

Loretta Smith

Published by Hachette 2019

So little is known of many who have gone before us and made significant contributions; however, the relatively recent upsurge in the publication of local biographies is addressing this ignorance. This biography of Alice Anderson introduces us to a woman who was the quintessential trailblazer. Born in 1896, Alice would become a motor mechanic and open and operate the first all-female garage business.

It is the story of a tenacious, driven and entrepreneurial woman who defied the prejudices at work in society, refusing to accept the common wisdom that women were incapable of being mechanics. Based initially in outer Melbourne, in the Dandenong ranges, Alice eventually based herself in the affluent suburb of Kew. Smartly, she began by operating a touring service through the Dandenongs that eventually brought her to the attention of both a local mechanic and a well-read motoring magazine of the time.
Alice’s story is full of adventure and courage, and her untimely and mysterious death adds another layer to her fascinating life.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 2 June 2019)

The Incidental Tourist

Peter Doherty

Published by Melbourne University Publishing 2018

Peter Doherty, the much-celebrated 1996 Nobel Prize winner, invites us to share his very particular perspective on world travel, that of the professional attending conferences and living for a few years at a time in foreign cities.

Whether it be Italy or Zimbabwe, Peter debunks the myths of conference-attendance being an ‘overseas jaunt’ and explains the difficulties in trying to get a feel for a city that you are only glimpsing. He also shares his discovery of places such as Edinburgh and Memphis, where he spent considerable time as a visiting professional.

Peter brings his gentle, enquiring nature to the task and presents us with a world seen through a somewhat rarified lense. He also reminds us that return visits to places you’ve loved do not often ‘live up’ to the memory – our imagination has imbued the real memory with nuances that subtly change our perspective. 

The title is apt and reflects the nature of the extensive travelling Peter and his wife have undertaken over the course of his stellar career.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 2 June 2019)

Mr. Guilfoyle’s Honeymoon: The Gardens of Europe & Great Britain

Edited by Diana Evelyn Hill & Edmee Helen Cudmore

Published by Miegunyah 2019

In 1890, the then director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, William Robert Guilfoyle, embarked on his honeymoon. He would take nine months to complete the holiday and visit the famous gardens of Britain, Italy, Belgium and France, with a side trip to Sir Lanka.

Mr. Guilfoyle was an accomplished watercolourist and, as we discover, writer. This collection of, as he described them, “tourist’s notes on the picturesque in gardens, parks and forests”, is informative and illuminating. For the gardener, his interest in design and plants is to the fore while for other readers, his art and evocative descriptions of the beauty he is seeing on his travels is genuinely captivating.

These notes are more than musings of a travelling man; they help to explain his vision for the Botanic Gardens we know today. He brought back with him definite ideas on the plants to include; the intention (fulfilled) to build a conservatory; and the notion of having commemorative trees in the gardens.

Along with other directors, Mr. Guilfoyle has left us with a wonderful addition to the city of Melbourne and, in this beautifully produced book, a glimpse into the world as it was at the turn of a century.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 5 May 2019)

Extraordinary Insects

Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

Published by Mudlark, 2019

The subtitle says it all: “Weird. Wonderful, Indispensible. The Ones who run our world.” Professor Sverdrup-Thygeson takes inspiration from a quote from Pliny the Elder – “Nature is nowhere as great as in its smallest creatures” – and opens our eyes to the wonder that is our ecosystem, on its most micro level.

 She identifies the insects that inhabit our world; explains their relationship to other animals and plants; and then concentrates on our relationship with them. We understand how the tiniest insect has a profound effect on our food supply, our health, and our daily environment.  

 The book is peppered with examples of how and where insects make a difference in every aspect of our lives. The author is a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) but takes a world view on her subject, including interesting stories about the Australian environment.

 Unexpectedly, I found this book fascinating – after all, who among us thinks about how grateful we should be to insects? – and genuinely educational. It is, though, not a dry, academic text, but an accessible, enjoyable read. Every time I see an ant or brush away a fly, I’ll think more kindly towards them!

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 5 May 2019)

Milk Bars Book

Eamon Donnelly

Published by Eamon Donnelly

Take a moment and think back. You are at an age when you are allowed to ‘go to the shop’ by yourself. You have a few coins in your pocket. And you have big plans. The local milk bar offers a wonderful array of enticing things – lollies in all shapes and colours; milkshakes in ice cold, brightly coloured containers; and the best selection of ice-creams. An important life moment is unfolding. You are independent, cashed up, and ready to make personal decisions. Mostly, you are just really excited. 

Along with millions of other Australians, Eamon Donnelly has wonderful memories of going to his local milk bar in East Geelong, Victoria. And, those memories are the foundation for this terrific new book, Milk Bars. Eamon has spent more than a decade travelling across Australia photographing and documenting the remaining milk bars and the sites of long disappeared milk bars.

Eamon’s creativity shines through in this book. He is an award-winning illustrator, designer and artist, as well as someone with a genuine interest in chronicling unique aspects of Australian popular culture. His book is ‘choc-a-block’ full of images, old advertisements, and illustrations.

Importantly, this book also documents the relationship between the development of milk bars and immigration. So many families, newly arrived in Australia, opened and ran the local stores. There are lovely anecdotes from milk bar owners and their families, and an essay entitled “The Birth of the Milk Bar” which gives us the historical context.

This book is self-published and can be purchased by going to www.milkbarsbook.com

Milk Bars by Eamon Donnelly reminds of a simpler time, when our world was genuinely the ‘local’ community, and gives us a fabulous, technicolour hit of pure nostalgia.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 7 April 2019)

The Fragments

Toni Jordan
Published by Text Publishing

One of my favourite Australian authors, Toni Jordan has once again written a thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable novel. The Fragments introduces us to Caddie who is enthralled by the story of an American writer, Inga Karlson. Inga lived and died in New York in the 1930s, her death a devastating event for all her readers who had elevated her to cult status for her single, published work. Caddie is in Brisbane, decades after Inga’s death and is standing in line to view an exhibition based on Inga’s life and, significantly, the fragments of what was to be Inga’s second, much anticipated novel. These scant pieces of writing have captured the imagination of booksellers, literature professors, and devoted readers for decades. Caddie’s chance encounter with a woman also visiting the exhibition turns the common wisdom that these fragments are all that survived the fire that claimed Inga’s life completely on its head. She quotes another ‘fragment’ to Caddie who is convinced it is genuine; if so, how can it be that no-one, in all the years, knows of these additional words?

The story works on a number of levels – crime mystery, romantic relationships, literary puzzle – and moves at a pace that maintains interest. We become invested in Caddie’s life, intrigued by Rachel’s story (the other woman at the exhibition), and fascinated by Inga’s short life. 1930s New York and 1980s Brisbane are described expertly, making you feel you are there, in the moment, with the characters.

This is Toni Jordan’s great skill, creating a world that moves off the page into our consciousness. I liken her writing to that of Ruth Park, another favourite author for me. Park’s ability to transport the reader to the world she is describing is masterful, and Toni Jordan achieves the same effect. The characters Toni creates have stayed with me long after I have finished reading. The Fragments sits very nicely alongside her Nine Days, Fall Girl, Addition, and Tiny, Useless Hearts.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 7 April 2019)

Should I stay or should I go…and 87 other serious answers in questions in songs.

James Ball

Published by Boxtree

I find these sorts of books – the products of chance conversations (often, it seems, in pubs) as a mixed bag. Some are dull and really make you question publishing decisions while others, such as James Ball’s book, are entertaining and diverting and its very silliness is cause for delight.

Think of a song, think of a memorable line, and then imagine applying some form of scientific (loose interpretation to be sure) test of its veracity, and you have this book. 

How many tears does it take to “Cry me a River”? :

“Research published in 1966 showed the average tear is 6.2 microlitres in volume, suggesting that for a single litre we need around 161,000 tears.”

How do you solve a problem like Maria?:

“You adjust your institutional expectations to properly accommodate her. A simple answer might be a more precise job description, allied with a rigorous appraisal structure and regular contact with a line manager. As with many questions, the answer is ‘better HR’”.

As they say…too much fun! Enjoy this quirky but oddly diverting book.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 17 March 2019)

Written in History: Letters that Changed the World

Simon Sebag Montefiore

Published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson

At a time in history when we ‘assume’ letter writing is a thing of the past, it is encouraging to find that in fact letters remain a form of communication that has permanency. I say encouraging because when the art of letter writing is executed well, it provides a source of material that is without peer.

Letters of import, letters of intimacy, letters between friends and enemies, and letters as official documentary evidence are all included in this collection. And, people from all walks of life are represented. Politicians, royalty and artists are among those whose words are captured on paper forever.

The author contextualizes letter writing at various stages of history and discovers, surprisingly, that it is enjoying somewhat of a comeback. As we realize that modern technology has its limitations, we turn to those social activities that have proven their worth over time.

The chapter headings indicate the breadth of the material contained within. Some examples: love, family, creation, tourism, war, discovery, disaster, decency and fate. Two samples: “I am an enthusiast, but not a crank…” (Wilbur Wright to the Smithsonian); “I pray the gods that whatever time is left for me I may pass with you safe and well with our country in a flourishing condition…” (Augustus to Caius Caesar). 

The author frames each letter with historical background on the writer and recipient, and thus provides a fascinating, comprehensive account of the art of letter writing over the centuries. 

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 17 March 2019)

A Keeper

Graham Norton

Published by Hodder & Stoughton

It is easy to be cynical about the writing prowess of people otherwise known to us through their media profile; it is just as easy to read their work and assess it on its own merit.

In that spirit, I am pleased to assure readers that this book, A Keeper, by Graham Norton is an enjoyable and well-written novel that resonates on many levels.

We meet Elizabeth Keene as she returns to the Irish village of her youth to finalise the affairs of her recently deceased mother. Although she has relatives still living in the area, her home and life is in New York with her young adult son.

It is as Elizabeth is reading through letters her mother has left behind that she realizes her knowledge of her father is, to say the least, scant and, indeed, her knowledge of her mother is incomplete. She had been told her father died when she was very young, and was not privy to any further information.

Elizabeth gets drawn into the history of her parents and travels to another part of Ireland, the farming area where the Foley family was known locally as the family that had endured great tragedy. The connection to Elizabeth is that Edward Foley was her father. 

There are many twists in the tale, told both through Elizabeth and Patricia’s eyes as the action moves between Patricia’s life and the present day. We learn that Patricia ‘disappeared’ for two years after answering a Lonely Hearts advertisement in a Farmer’s journal, only to return to her village with a baby (Elizabeth) and resume her life. We discover, with Elizabeth, that her father’s story is quite desperate and that Patricia was in fact not her biological mother. To say more would be to ruin the surprise of the turn of events in this novel. Suffice to say, the facts of these lives are intriguing and more than vaguely unsettling. 

This novel works on many levels. The characters are interesting and elicit, at turns, empathy and anger, and the descriptions of the Irish landscape are evocative. However, it is the overall picture Graham Norton paints of Ireland that resonate so strongly. Being an Australian of Irish descent, and having grown up in a large family with three generations under the one roof, I can absolutely identify with the sentiments expressed by some of the characters. Australia’s white settlement history is so ‘new’ that it is only a few generations back when Irish immigration populated our cities and towns. My family identifies with, and uses, turns of phrase handed down to us from those immigrants.

I was unexpectedly sentimental when reading Patricia, Edward, and Elizabeth’s stories as they held more than a passing connection to relatives living here, on the other side of the world. The village atmosphere that pervaded inner city Melbourne, as described by my mother and grandmother; the three Hackett boys who married three sisters, living in country Victoria; and the stories handed down from those who travelled out from Tipperary and Listowel.

Having read Graham Norton’s other novel, Holding, I think this latest work is a much more accomplished novel. He captures perfectly the atmosphere and characteristics of a community, and presents us with memorable characters.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 February 2019)

The Rosie Result

Graeme Simsion

Published by Text Publishing 2019

The publication and success of The Rosie Project is one of the remarkable stories of recent Australian publishing. This was added to by the publication of its sequel, The Rosie Effect and now this final instalment, The Rosie Result. It is rare to enjoy in equal measure all books in a series but author Graeme Simsion manages it with aplomb.

We first met Don Tillman as he began an extremely detailed and determined quest to meet a partner; he accomplished his mission and Rosie Jarman entered the story. We then followed their journey to New York and observed Don as he came to grips with the pending arrival of their first child.

As we delve into The Rosie Result, Don and Rosie, along with their son, Hudson, are back in Australia. Don and Rosie have work issues and Hudson is experiencing problems at school. His teacher and principal have decided he needs an assessment to determine whether or not he has autism, and their initial discussion with Don and Rosie forms the basis for Don’s problem-solving proficiency to come to the fore.  Changes are made to Don and Rosie’s employment situations, and old friends and relatives are consulted and conscripted to help.

As with the earlier books, there are delightful descriptions of the daily situations Don, in particular, finds himself in which provide much of the humour of the novel. There are also several interactions with others that highlight Don’s unique approach to the world and the similarities in behaviour that he shares with Hudson.

Reading The Rosie Result made me revisit the two earlier books and come to the conclusion that Graeme Simsion has, with the Rosie books, written the perfectly balanced trilogy. In The Rosie Project, we are engaged immediately by Don Tillman; The Rosie Effect allows us to get to know Rosie more; and in The Rosie Result we cheer for all three – Don, Rosie and Hudson – as they develop their family life.

My perfect musical experience is when the composer sets a strong foundation, allows the music to unfold in unexpected ways, and then neatly brings it back to the beginning, referencing the opening bars as the music fades. Graeme Simsion has succeeded to create this effect with his books. They combine to create a world where there is continuity, exploration and, ultimately, affirmation.

He presents us a character, in Don, who, by virtue of his personality, makes us appreciate the nuances of human interaction. We leave the books with a hope that we will be as brave as Don in our ‘reading’ of others; we will be as attuned as Don to the true meaning behind the words of others; and that we will approach daily difficulties with the same focus and unwavering attention to the end goal.

The characters of Don and Hudson prove the implicit value of accepting diversity in others. The books, especially The Rosie Result, gently but effectively lead the reader to consider what it is to be human and how best each of us can navigate our social environment.

The Rosie trilogy is deserving of the accolades it has garnered and The Rosie Result is the best possible goodbye to the world of Don Tillman.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 February 2019)

These three books were part of a group of ten that I listed as ideas for holiday reading at the end of 2018. It is always enjoyable to wander through your personal library and recall the books that amused, enthralled, and, as is the beauty of the written word, opened up new worlds.

Pagan’s Crusade

Catherine Jinks

Hodder & Stoughton, 1992

Children’s Book Council of Australia Short-Listed Book

It is twelfth century Jerusalem – the time of the Crusades. 16 year-old Pagan is assigned to work for Lord Roland, a Templar knight.

Exuberant and very funny, the setting might be medieval, but the teenager is straight out of any time in history - irreverent, fearless, and sharp.

Magic Bus: on the hippie trail from Istanbul to India

Rory Maclean

Viking, 2006

Forty years on from the deluge of travellers headed East from Europe, Rory sets out to discover what’s become of 6,000 miles of ‘hippie highway’. I read anything this man writes; he has such an engaging style.

The Abode of Love: a memoir

Kate Barlow

Bantam, 2006

This is not the tale of a religious cult in which the leader is ultimately exposed as a money-seeking exploiter of the weak. But, rather, a glimpse into the basic human need of belief in something regardless of whether or not it is rational or probable. It is, above all, the story of one girl’s understanding that her world is unique. I doubt I will ever read anything quite like this again.

Books that Saved My Life

Michael McGirr

Published by Text Publishing, 2018.

Tis the time of year (December) when an avid book reader’s thoughts turn to the books that one meant to read during the preceding eleven months and the books to add to a new year’s reading list. Intentionally, or not, Michael McGirr helps this process along by presenting charming vignettes of forty books that resonate with him for a variety of reasons. Subtitled “Reading for wisdom, solace and pleasure”, the list is eclectic and surprising.

Beginning with To Kill a Mockingbird, Michael invites us into his reading life. And, ruminates on why we read, what value it adds to our understanding of our world, and the wonder of discovering an author and his/her works. When talking with a student about Harper Lee’s classic, he makes the point that the student’s approach (surf the net for the salient points!) is such a missed opportunity. He remarks at one point that “at every season of life, the mind needs to be nurtured” and that “books help people develop empathy and compassion”. To skim or, worse yet, not to engage on any level with books is, to the passionate reader, a cause for concern – dismissing possibly the best avenue we have to explore the human mind and heart. Michael’s connection with these books, and no doubt many more, is a perfect example of why reading matters.

Some of the other authors included in Michael’s collection are Annie Proulx (Close Range); Toni Morrison (Beloved); J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban); Vera Brittain (Testament of Youth); and Thea Astley (Reaching Tin River).

A Letter from Paris

Louisa Deasey

Published by Scribe, 2018

Far removed from the usual ode to one of the world’s most famous cities and most interesting cultures, A Letter from Paris is in fact a study of physical letters from Paris and other French locations, and letters across countries and decades.

Louisa was six years of age when her father, Denison Deasey, died. The first letter she ever received in her life was from her French godmother, Giselle, who, she would come to know, was her father’s first wife. She received many letters over the years and indeed met Giselle when she visited Louisa and her family in Australia. And, then, the letters stopped and all trace was lost of this most enigmatic French woman.

A chance letter from a French woman who is wondering if indeed Louisa is related to Denison Deasey sets off a series of events and meetings that will change forever Louisa and her siblings’ understanding of their father and the life he lived.

The backdrop of this book is France, London and Australia of the late 1940s and the art and cultural society of the times. It is also imbued with the feeling of these locales today, as Louisa discovers her father’s world and her own French connections as an adult woman.

It is poignant, emotional and fascinating, especially when she goes in search of Giselle who, by this stage, is an elderly woman.

  (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 2 December 2018)

Shakespeare’s Library: Unlocking the greatest mystery in literature

Stuart Kells

Published by Text Publishing 2018

I would hazard a guess that the blibliophiles amongst us have imagined William Shakespeare surrounded by walls of books, perhaps dipping in and out of his favourites, as he created some of the world’s greatest literature.

Stuart Kells lets us down gently, revealing that the ‘library’ is more a figment of our collective imaginations than a verifiable accompaniment to the Bard’s life and work. Indeed, he adds salt to the wound by reminding us of all those determined to dispel the ‘myth’ of Shakespeare himself, let alone any library he may have amassed. 

In a typically erudite and enjoyable fashion, Stuart Kells takes us through the history of the search for a library, any library, associated with William Shakespeare, and the various theories that abound about its existence or otherwise. He also delights with tales of the ‘searchers’, those who have spent inordinate amounts of time trying to uncover who really wrote the works we love so much and that endure, and devising ways to verify their particular theory or theories. An example:

“Over many meetings and glasses of Heathcote shiraz, John tutored me on the Shakespeare authorship controversy and the Nevillian heresy. Sir Henry Neville is a recent addition to a list of aristocratic author candidates that includes three monarchs and eight earls, plus Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Anthony Sherley and William Seymour, the ‘illegitimate son’ of Lady Catherine Grey and the Earl of Hertford.”

The ‘John’ Stuart refers to is John O’Donnell of Melbourne, Australia whom Stuart met at Monash university – “a hotbed of Shakespeare scholarship – mostly unorthodox and not confined to the English department.”

This is a wide-ranging yet succinct account of the search for Shakespeare’s library. It fits nicely alongside Stuart’s other works – Rare, Penguin and The Lane Brothers, The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders, and The Big Four. He is a writer of enormous energy, imbuing his works with fulsome detail, amusing anecdotes and side stories, and an infectious enthusiasm for the subject.

“The search for Shakespeare’s library is much more than a treasure hunt, or a case of Shakespeare fetishism. The library’s fate has profound implications for literature, for national and cultural identity, and for the global, twenty-first-century, multi-million dollar Shakespeare industry. It bears upon fundamental principles of art, history, meaning and truth.

Reading this in the ‘introduction’ is a catalyst for continuing on and savouring every chapter of this entertaining addition to our modern libraries.

Photographers on Photography: How the masters see, think and shoot.

Henry Carroll

Published by Laurence King Publishing Ltd. 2018

This relatively slim, small volume hides an expansive look at the art of photography and famous photographers plying their craft. It is also a meditation on the nature and influence of photography, on the photographer, the subject, and the audience. It brings us face-to-face with our own reactions to photographs and points us to some inconvenient truths and some big ideas.

Interspersed with one-on-one interviews with some of the photographers represented are pages of images, accompanied by a succinct explanation, usually in their own words, of how specific photographers go about their craft.

In this age of ‘selfies’ and the (false) idea that we are all photographers, it is a fascinating account of what sets ‘real’ photography apart, and the nonsense that selfies are in any way anything other than a construct of who we want others to see rather than our true self.

There are some iconic images, there are startling concepts put forward, and there are wonderful “bites” of text that encapsulate the photographer’s own sense of the craft.

It is a wonderfully surprising and rewarding book (and an ironic plain cover!)

  (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 11 November 2018)

Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow

Lucy Worsley

Published by Hodder and Stoughton 2

With a bona fide expertise in her subject, Lucy Worsley presents a cleverly constructed window into the life of the astonishing Queen Victoria. She earmarks twenty-seven significant dates in the Queen’s life and, through those seminal moments, uncovers the character, intelligence, and stoicism of the woman. Beginning in 1818 and ending in 1901, the reader is privy to the importance of days such as her Coronation and wedding; the days when she met with remarkable people such as Florence Nightingale and Disraeli; and days we can relate to such as Christmas.

Victoria has often been portrayed as dour, dressed in black, and seemingly deeply unhappy. It is only recently that historians are looking back to her young days, this time suggesting she was the dancing, lighthearted young woman of her time. This author prefers to offer a more detailed and nuanced view – as she says, neither “potato” nor “dancing princess”.  She portrays Victoria as a diligent woman, committed to her responsibilities, and a prolific chronicler of her own life and her times.

For those of us who perhaps are not immediately drawn to such works on the Royal Family and its legacy, this is in fact quite mesmerizing; it details the life of an extraordinary woman in an extraordinary time in history. 

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 11 November 2018)

Lethal White

Robert Galbraith

Published by Sphere 2018

Books by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym J.K. Rowling) are ones I eagerly anticipate and, thus far, thoroughly immerse myself in and enjoy. Lethal White is the fourth in the series and, whilst they are satisfying reads in their own right, I recommend you start at the first book, The Cuckoo’s Calling. The characters of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott are perfect foils for each other as they navigate their way through somewhat challenging private lives. Cormoran is ex-military, the son of a legendary rock star, an amputee, and a private investigator. Robin, originally sent to Cormoran from an agency to do secretarial work, is now a partner with him in the agency, much to the dismay of her husband and parents back in Yorkshire.  

A young distressed man barges into Cormoran’s office, acting erratically and claiming to have witnessed an awful crime many years earlier. Billy’s appearance leaves Cormoran unsettled and intrigued. Little does he know that it will spark an investigation that reaches into the British parliament, has Robin working undercover, and brings Strike back into the odd world that is the British class system. Strike and Ellacott are interesting characters and, as a team, make a perfect partnership. They have developed a deep trust in each other and are becoming inextricably drawn to one another, to the exclusion of others.

If you are not a reader of crime fiction you may miss these books, and it would be a pity, they really are very enjoyable. Lethal White is more than 600 pages and I was so enthralled, I read it over just a few nights.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 7 October 2018)

Rusted Off: Why country Australia is fed up.

Gabrielle Chan

Published by Vintage 2018

Gabrielle Chan is a political journalist who found herself in the unlikely position of taking up residence in country New South Wales. Unlikely, because she was born in Singapore and raised in Coogee. After years spent in the cut and thrust of Canberra’s press corps, she raises a family in a rural community where the ramifications of government policies are writ large in the life of the township. Gabrielle makes interesting observations that those of us living in the cities of Australia have probably never thought about and she challenges what would seem to be some standard preconceptions. One example is the tendency to categorise rural folk as either red necks or ‘salt of the earth’ types whereas the reality is that, like any community, there are people of all political persuasions undertaking all manner of working activities. She dissects the current distrust of major political parties through conversations with people from her town, and she explains the challenge the National party has to retain its once ‘rusted on’ constituents. It makes for thought-provoking reading and is timely given looming state and federal elections.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 7 October 2018)

Body and Soul

John Harvey

Published by William Heinemann 2018

The Charlie Resnick series of books by author John Harvey rank amongst my most favoured of the crime fiction genre. I would recommend the first book, Lonely Hearts, to anyone who is a fan of crime fiction and, importantly, to those who are enticed to read their first crime novel. These “Resnick” books are just part of the body of work produced by this most successful writer. 

When the Elder novels came out, I was thoroughly engaged by the lead character, Frank Elder. This title, Body and Soul, is the last in that series and is wonderful.

Previous titles, in order, are Flesh and Blood, Ash and Bone, and Darkness and Light. Elder, having retired from the police force, moved from Nottingham to Cornwall and set up home in an isolated cottage but, as one would expect, the past soon invaded his life and took him back into the world of the investigator.

Elder’s relationship with his daughter, Katherine, is pivotal, running concurrently and intersecting with the particular investigation he is working on in each of the four novels. In Body and Soul, Frank is surprised and worried when Katherine visits him and he can sense her emotional distress. He learns of her odd relationship with a famous artist and has to confront that she has been self-harming.  Post the murder of the artist, the police become aware of an assault that had taken place at the opening of an exhibition of his work; an assault perpetrated by Frank Elder. Separate to this storyline is the escape from prison of a man who had, in an earlier book in the series, kidnapped and abused Katherine. There is a scramble to try to find him and get him back under police custody but to no avail. The ending to Body and Soul is heartbreaking and left me wanting to reread the series.

John Harvey is such an accomplished person. Novelist and poet, he has also adapted the works of others for radio and television, and he ran Slow Dancer Press for many years.  His writing is engaging; his plot construction without peer; and his command of language of the highest order. To add to all this, he is also a fantastic guest at writers’ festivals as we knew when he visited us in Melbourne some years ago. On a personal note, congratulations, John, on another tour de force with Body and Soul.

Napoleon’s Australia: The incredible story of Bonaparte’s secret plan to invade Australia.

Terry Smith

Published by Ebury Press, 2018.

I would be interested to read the curriculum for Australian History as it is taught (if it is taught) in schools today as this book opens up the subject to me in ways I was never taught. From the Dutch to the Spanish, to the English and the French, European interest in this southern land can be identified from as early as the 1600s, and earlier than that by other parties.

At age sixteen, Napoleon Bonaparte tried to join an expedition but was unsuccessful, and he went on to forge his military career; that rejection did not, however, dampen his interest in this part of the world. Indeed, he would come to strategise and plot the invasion of the continent. His wife, Josephine, amassed a huge collection of ‘Australiana’, inclusive of flora and fauna, that would also have a profound effect on Napoleon’s plans.

This book is best described as an historical account wrapped up in a ‘boys-own’ adventure story. It is accessible and fascinating. From the first page, the reader is captivated and intrigued by the attention on this part of the world.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 2 September 2018)

The Mess We’re In: How our politics went to hell and dragged us with it.

Bernard Keane

Published by Allen & Unwin, 2018.

Canberra correspondent for Crikey and former public servant and speechwriter, Bernard Keane freely admits to being grumpy. The current state of politics is causing his angst, not least because he fundamentally believes in democracy and that our social order has served us well to this point. Whether it be Australian, American or British politics, factors are conspiring to have us believe that all is lost. Fake popularists, economic ‘nationalism’, customer alienation, and more are all leading us to a state of general despair. The notion of a decline in civility is perhaps, in my view, the most telling as when there is no regard for others, it is easy to manipulate and go beyond the boundaries of responsibility and truth. Keane does offer ways to combat this current malaise, especially in Australia: suggestions include individual action in terms of control of our privacy, an end to political donations, and a demand for transparency. He reminds us that it is arguably one of the best times to be alive so we have hope that change will come.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 2 September 2018)

Fodmap Friendly

Georgia McDermott

Published by Pan Macmillan 2018

There is so much discussion and commentary about food intolerances these days that it is easy to forget that for those suffering from such things everyday is a challenge; to eat well and to be able to enjoy it without any negative consequences is no easy task. In this cookbook, Georgia McDermott gives a clear overview of the issues she has faced all her life, the actions she has taken, and then presents lovely, easy-to-follow recipes. I like her approach – this is what is so let’s work out how we can live with it. Great photographs, clear instructions, and a great diversity of  ingredients make this a nice cookbook for anyone to use.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 5 August 2018)

Skin in the Game
Sonya Voumar

Published by Transit Lounge 2018

As we see the media landscape changing before our eyes, it is interesting to read Sonya Voumard’s account of her years as a journalist, beginning in the 1980s. She has worked as a court reporter and a political reporter; she has worked in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra; and she has worked for the broadsheet media as well as in the corporate sector. Her recollections are against the backdrop of significant times in Australian political history and the evolution of the Australian social character. Her insights into the world of journalism are interesting as are the more personal accounts of how her life has unfolded. This is a story very well told.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 5 August 2018)

Alma Mahler

Sasho Dimoski

Translated by Paul Filev

Published by Dalkey Archive Press

www.dalkeyarchive.com

This slim volume is of interest to me for a number of reasons. Firstly, the translator, Paul Filev, is a freelance translator and editor based in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a wonderful supporter of both works in translation and local independent bookstores. Melbourne is a UNESCO City of Literature not least because of its community of bookstores and libraries. I have had the privilege of being a bookseller in Melbourne for forty years (to this point!) and Paul was a significant supporter of Reader’s Feast Bookstore over many years. A few years ago, he chose to hold a book launch in our shop, one reason being the emphasis I had placed on works In Translation, devoting a dedicated area of the store to showcase literature from all over the world. Secondly, I have a sentimental attachment to Irish literary connections and the publisher of this book is named after a Flann O’Brien novel. Thirdly, and obviously from my opening remarks, I am interested in the work of the translator – how he/she is able to capture the language and emotion of a writer’s imagination.

The author, Sasho Dimoski, paints a picture of Alma Mahler, wife to Gustav Mahler, as she bears witness to his last days on earth. He imagines the thoughts and feelings she would have experienced facing the reality of the great composer’s death; and, what his passing would mean for both the choices she has made in the past and her future life.  Each chapter is referenced by one of Mahler’s symphonies and I read this book with his music playing in the background.

Written in Macedonian and translated by Paul Filev, this is a work that in its brevity encapsulates the world of the genius and the price paid for extraordinary talent by the chosen one and those in his/her orbit. Alma Mahler was a composer herself but it is said she did not pursue her talent once married to Gustav, possibly because he did not wish her to and possibly because of her own decision to concentrate on him. Regardless, she is, in his last days, reviewing the life lived and the sacrifices made and in so doing offering a glimpse into the human condition. What it means to love and be loved; how one’s choices determine the trajectory of a life; and the inescapable reality of the uncertainty of the future.

I don’t know how or why a reader can sense if a translation is true to the original. I remember reading a novel that was jarring in parts, and then reading the author’s notes that she was unhappy with the translated version as it did not capture the essence of her work. I do know that in this instance Mr. Filev has presented a work in English that is descriptive, meditative, and engaging. I was immediately transported to a time and place where a woman is voicing her innermost thoughts, and I cared to ‘travel’ with her as she came to an understanding of herself and her life.

 It is a sensitive and beautiful translation. 

The Death of Noah Glass

Gail Jones

Published by Text Publishing 2018

On the death of their father, Martin and Evie Glass enter that period of grief  when the past is summoned and memories frame understanding of the momentous shift that comes with the passing of a parent. Noah Glass was born in 1946 in Western Australia and eventually married a woman who would die young and leave him with two children to raise. He would immerse himself in the world of art and become an expert on an Italian fifteenth century artist. His frequent visits to Italy, sometimes with his children, would ultimately lead to an affair that in turn would lead to the robbery of a piece of sculpture. This is news to Martin and Evie until after Noah’s death in Sydney when a detective begins an investigation into the theft.

Martin, himself an artist, travels to Palermo, Italy to try to uncover the truth whilst Evie moves in to her father’s Sydney apartment to get closer to him and try to order her thinking about the past and the things coming to light about Noah.

This is an enthralling story of people linked by one man and all keenly feeling his loss. It is also a beautifully written tale of two worlds: the Sydney of sunshine, ocean, and vivid colours and the Italy of village life and old customs. It is a satisfying tale and a memorable exploration of familial ties.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 8 July 2018)

On Quiet
Nikki Gemmel

Published by MUP 2018

This small, short book is part of a series, each title written by a different author. In this work, Nikki Gemmel expands on the notion of our lives being so busy that we are missing important, life-affirming moments that feed our soul. She talks of the physical environment and the noisiness of it; the intrusion of technology on the way we live; and the constant interruptions that keep us from being quiet and alone. The importance of solitude and quietness is examined and she draws on examples from her own life and how finding space for herself, to be by herself, has enriched not only her existence but that of her family. It is well worth taking the little time it requires to read it and to ponder how ‘quiet’ could similarly benefit us.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 8 July 2018)

Australia Reimagined

Hugh Mackay

Published by Pan Macmillan 2018

Hugh Mackay says this will be his last non-fiction study on Australia but I for one hope that is not so. He has always presented as a man of reason and integrity, with a genuine curiosity and a keen researcher’s mind. A social scientist, Hugh Mackay has helped us understand our society, acknowledge our cultural idiosyncrasies, and led us to a possible solution to current issues.

In Australia Reimagined, he points out that presently we are an anxious society. Individualism is rampant, society is fragmented, and we are afraid of stillness. All of these leads to a population that is isolated and unable to empathise; each person believing in their own entitlement and operating from a particularly insidious selfishness. Talk of a deficit of compassion and a poisonous ‘busyness’ underpins his overall point that we need to change our ways.

Understanding the human need for connection and that communication is at the heart of a healthy society, Hugh Mackay suggests we need, individually and collectively, to focus on our local community and to take steps to involve ourselves in it and take responsibility for it.

In the second half of the book, he focuses on the notion of convergence, where old lines are blurred and ways of living and working are intersecting or changing altogether; in particular, he looks at religion, politics and education as well as issues of gender, and how our relationship to each has changed.

Hugh Mackay points out that approximately two million Australians are anxious, even though, on a global scale, we are in much better shape than so many other countries. He helps us understand why this is and what we can do to improve our outlook. Regardless of statistics and research, Hugh Mackay maintains an optimism about us and it is this that always makes his commentary all the more influential on how we, the reader, respond to the challenges of our world.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 June 2018)

Bridge Burning and Other Hobbies
Kitty Flanagan

Published by Allen & Unwin 2018

I particularly like the tenor of this book from the Australian comedian, Kitty Flanagan. She is not trying too hard to make us ‘laugh out loud’ nor is she regaling us with tall tales. She is simply recounting experiences from childhood and adulthood that, by their very description, are entertaining. Whether it is the description of her grandmother’s cooking, her time at teachers’ college, or her encounter with the undertaker on a date, it is all amusing and endearing. I especially like her honesty about her choices and her reactions to the predicaments in which she has managed to place herself. She is quick to tell us this is not an autobiography because her mother, on being told she had written a memoir, would have simply asked why? In other words, this is not an indulgent, eco-driven tome but, rather, a pleasant meander through the life of one woman.  

  (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 June 2018)

Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia

Marcia Langton with Nina Fitzgerald and Amba-Rose Atkinson

Published by Hardie Grant 2018

Through Marcia Langton’s eyes, we gain insight into aspects of Indigenous life and the knowledge to equip us to travel throughout Indigenous Australia. The first part of the book is an exploration of language, custom, history and culture. The second part is a directory of “tourism experiences” that identify the ways in which we can engage with Indigenous Australia ‘on-the-ground’. Identified by State or Territory, this section mirrors all travel guides, covering galleries and museums, national park locations, and festivals and local performances.

Beautifully designed, it serves as a unique guide to a land and its people. How many of us traverse this continent without engaging with historical and contemporary Indigenous life? Ideal for anyone, local or international, who wants to see and understand this ‘wide brown land’.

Bygone Badass Broads
Mackenzi Lee

Published by Abrams 2018

Evolving from a twitter feed by Mackenzi Lee (a fiction writer), this book celebrates 52 women whose names are probably completely unfamiliar to you but who were influential. They are women from all decades, from countries around the world, and from all walks of life. There is an engineer, a fossil collector, a warrier, and a pirate queen. The woman, Empress Xi Ling Shi, who founded Taoism and created Chinese writing is represented. So too Edith Garrud, the first English fight choreographer for film and stage who had protected Emmaline Pankhurst at her public rallies with a group of specially trained women using Jujitsu.

Presented in an engaging style that would attract young and older readers alike, it is a dip into the history of women in the world.

The Ruin

Dervla McTiernan

Published by Harper Collins 2018

As a bona fide crime fiction tragic, I can attest to the enthusiastic reviews Dervla McTiernan’s novel The Ruin is attracting. Her lead character, Cormac Reilly, is presented as a stoic but troubled man. Such a character is relatively standard in the genre, but the difference with the way Reilly is drawn is that we are not privy to full detail of his past (which makes him interesting) nor is he flawed in the usual way (heavy drinker with a tendency to sit and wallow while listening to jazz!).

Reilly is new to the Galway Garda Station and is acutely aware that he is an outsider; however, that alone does not explain the odd behaviour of his peers and bosses. He knows all is not as it seems but cannot quite put his finger on what is going on. Completely unexpectedly, he is thrust back in time to twenty years earlier when he was a young officer, sent out to investigate a domestic situation. That night he met two children, Jack and Maude Blake. After establishing their mother was dead, Cormac took them to the local hospital where Jack was treated for injuries and Maude disappeared.

In the present day, Jack has just been found dead after what is classed a suicide and Maude has reappeared. Aisling, Jack’s partner, meets Maude for the first time and comes to agree with Maude when she determines that Jack did not kill himself and the police are disinterested in uncovering the truth.

This is a novel that develops ‘quietly’ in that the reader is immersed in the characters and the plot without realizing it is happening; it is that wonderful and relatively rare work that demands you return to it and keep reading, leaving chores and other things aside till you reach the end.

A follow-up novel is in the offing; this is great news as there are so many questions I have about Cormac Reilly’s past and interest in his future in Galway.

The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders

Stuart Kells

Published by Text 2017 and Counterpoint Press 2018

The word “library” will conjure up a specific memory or feeling for every reader. It might be the library was an escape from an otherwise fraught childhood; perhaps it was a point of contact in a lonely existence; or perhaps it was the place that sparked an imagination that led to significant choices in life.

It is more than likely that few of us have stopped to ponder that our library experience is but one of millions that have been lived over centuries and in all corners of the globe. Stuart Kells provides us with the context for our library memories and opens up worlds populated with wonderful anecdotes, interesting facts, outrageous characters, and seminal historical moments. He is our guide through the fascinating history of libraries and the people who created them, frequented them, and saved or destroyed them.

This broad sweep of their history introduces us to, among others, mythical libraries, literary libraries, physical and metaphysical libraries. We make the acquaintance of key figures in the history of individual books, and we come to an appreciation for the architects and builders of the world’s most beautiful libraries.

Stuart Kells has a particular skill for taking a broad approach but peppering it with salient details that best illustrate the chronology of the development of his subject. He manages to fill our heads with information that does not overwhelm but educates and delights us. He expertly brings individuals to life on the page and, by so doing, transports us to earlier times and the great repositories of  world literature.  My favourite is the bibliomaniac Richard Heber (1774-1833) who amassed a collection that exceeded 100,000 books and required eight houses for their storage. Tales of book thieves are riveting and stories of hidden bookcases and fake books add to the sense of the story of libraries being as fanciful and enjoyable as any movie we might see or novel we might read.

To be a lover of books is not necessarily to be a lover of libraries or bookstores as I have discovered to my horror (the librarian at an exclusive school who seemed to take pride in telling me that she “hated being surrounded by books all day”). But I defy anyone who has even the most cursory interest in the printed book not to be swept up in Stuart’s obvious affection for libraries and his enthusiasm for the role historical figures who, by virtue of their creation of libraries, have played in inculcating us with a love of books and an appreciation for their inherent beauty.

This is also a book for our time – it is clarion call for those of us who appreciate the role of libraries in the history of the world to protect and defend them from transitory budgeting pressures or unfettered excitement at the new frontier of digitization.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 8 April 2018)

Think Before You Like
Guy P. Harrison

Published by Prometheus Books 2017

Subtitled “social media’s effect on the brain and the tools you need to navigate your newsfeed”, this book will be comforting and worrying in equal measure.  At a time when Facebook is facing scrutiny over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, this book helps explain that, by its very nature, the technical environment in which we operate is destined to expose our thoughts, beliefs, buying patterns, and so much more.  As articulated by a former Google employee: “The internet is the first thing humanity has invented that humanity doesn’t understand.”  And, this sobering thought from historian Yuvel Noah Harari: “In the 21st century our personal data is probably the most valuable resource most humans still have to offer, and we are giving it to the tech giants in exchange for e-mail services and funny cat videos.”

Nevertheless, Harrison presents the positives from this technological age, and most importantly, provides useful information about how we can harness these and take control, to a degree, of how we live.  A key point is that we need to think critically about what we do and how we access the internet; we must analyse the information we are receiving, and take an active part in our online presence.

This book is a thought-provoking, accessible and ultimately useful resource.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 8 April 2018)

The Pocket Universal Principles of Art

John A. Parks

Published by Rockport 2018

I wonder if you are like me – you visit a gallery and become thoroughly captivated by what you see but don’t really understand or appreciate what exactly you are viewing; you know what you like but perhaps not why you like it.

This pocket-sized book is the perfect companion for your gallery visits. It provides “100 key concepts for understanding, analyzing, and practicing art.” Each page features an image that illustrates a point about art – it might be the style, the technique, the cultural context or the physical response it evokes. The saying “don’t leave home without it” was never more apt.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 8 April 2018)

The Passengers

Eleanor Limprecht

Published by Allen and Unwin 2018

I grew up with stories of Australia in the 1940s and the arrival of American soldiers, temporarily transforming our cities and having a lasting impact on the society. This well written novel by Eleanor Limprecht explores what is perhaps the most fascinating byproduct of this ‘invasion’; that of war brides.  Thousands of Australian women married American soldiers and then followed them home to the USA after the war. In The Passengers, we meet Sarah, an elderly lady accompanied by her young granddaughter, travelling to Australia by cruise ship. She has not been home to Sydney since she left on a ship in 1946 to travel to Virginia to meet Roy, the young soldier she had known for a few weeks when she married him before he was shipped out to PNG. Hannah, Sarah’s granddaughter, comes to learn of her grandmother’s life both before and after meeting Roy. She is at turns surprised, amazed and confused by the twists and turns of Sarah’s life. At the same time, Hannah is herself on a life journey that is by no means easy or straightforward.

The author met with surviving war brides and is herself no stranger to moving around the globe, having been born in America, lived in Pakistan and is now a resident of Australia. Her characters are likeable and the reader is totally engaged by the details of Sarah’s life as she expertly weaves them in-between the narrative of Hannah’s contemporary life issues.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday4 March 2018)

Born a Crime

Trevor Noah

Published by John Murray, 2017

It is easy to watch late night television from America and imagine the hosts have come from relatively uneventful backgrounds and have found fame with ease. Not so Trevor Noah, current host of the The Daily Show and successful comedian. Trevor was born in South Africa a few years prior to Nelson Mandela being released from prison but he came into the world, as he says, a “crime” given that he was the son of a white Swiss father and black African mother and such a union was still illegal at the time.  It is a remarkable story of a childhood held hostage by the prejudices of his society and by the dysfunction of his family unit. He begins each chapter with information on the history of Apartheid. The story that follows each chapter opening illuminates this history and brings it into sharp focus , as it impacted on the life of this young man. The stories are thoughtful and interesting and, at turns, heartbreaking and humorous.  The abuse his mother and Trevor suffered at the hands of his stepfather is made even more horrifying by the lack of support from the authorities. Despite the seriousness of his background, Trevor Noah presents an uplifting and engaging memoir.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday4 March 2018)

There it is again: collected writings

Don Watson

Published by Vintage

Famous for his facility with language, Don Watson’s beautiful writing is on display in this collection of previously published articles. Subjects covered include sport, nature, history, international politics and, of course, the local political scene. Particular favourites for me are the article on the retirement of cricketer, Steve Waugh (“Why we loved the other PM) and the Afterword of Recollections of a Bleeding Heart contained in the tenth anniversary edition.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 February 2018)

A Timeline of Australian food: from mutton to MasterChef

Jan O’Connell

Published by New South

I would label this book as a trip down memory lane and very good fun. It is also a terrific snapshot of the history of food in this country. Spanning from the 1860s to the present time, it is full of interesting facts (a book was produced in 1898 that decried the cooking and consuming of meat, called The Book of Diet; the first ‘organic farming society’ was formed in 1944) and identifies how the new settlers turned their backs on local produce and began introducing new foods that continued (and continues) to this day where the good food guides can showcase more than forty cuisines. If you want to know when the first Granny Smith apple was grown, who was the first Australian chocolatier, or want to revel in the fact (as I do) that ice-cream has been on the shelves since 1906, then you will enjoy this book. It is full of photographs and old-time product advertisements.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 3 February 2018)

The Life of a Song
Edited by David Cheal & Jan Dalley

Published by Brewer’s 2017

Originating as articles in the weekend FT, this compilation of the origin of fifty much-loved songs is both fascinating and enjoyable. As mentioned in the introduction to the book, this is about the music itself rather than the singer or its commercial success.

The piece on Red Red Wine recorded by UB40 explains that when identifying the composer, they believed N. Diamond was an unknown Jamaican songwriter. Of course, it was Neil Diamond. A picture is painted when we are told that Edith Piaf wrote La Vie en Rose while sitting at an outdoor Parisian café with Marianne Michel who was bemoaning the fact that no one was writing her new songs.

Jim Weatherly, composer of Midnight Train to Georgia, had contact in recent years with a Canadian radio producer and son of a train enthusiast who told him he had checked, no trains left for Georgia at midnight in August 1973!

These wonderful anecdotes sit alongside historical and poignant facts about the creation of these fifty songs. The book also includes black and white photographs of some of the artists who have performed them over the years.  Songs include Over the Rainbow, Born in the USA, Starman, and God Bless the Child. It is an eclectic but balanced list, and a lovely browse through the song tracks of our lives.

 (broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 7 January 2018)

Australian Gypsies: The Secret History

Mandy Sayer

Published by New South Publishing 2017

Until picking up this book I had no idea we had a Gypsy community in Australia. The author makes the point that in beginning to research this history, she could find only four scant references to gypsies in any of the literature, yet it is known that people from the Romani community were amongst the earliest convict arrivals. Mandy Sayer helpfully gives a brief history of the Romani people and explains the differences between some Romani communities and, for instance, the tinkers of Ireland. She meets Romani families and provides fascinating information about their way of life, both in the past and today, and provides the historical background to how these communities evolved, and the external societal influences that dictated how Romani people lived and worked.  Whilst reading the book, it struck me as an important but previously untold part of our history:  “For 230 years, the Gypsies of Australia have lived in the shadows of history…..”

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 7 January 2018)

Best in Travel 2018

Lonely Planet

Published November 2017

This compact guide to potential holiday destinations for next year is interesting as it contains an eclectic range of places as well as identifying unusual types of holidays. It is divided into the ten best countries, regions, and cities with the Australian capital, Canberra, getting the nod alongside Oslo, Hamburg and Seville.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 10 November)

Still Lucky

Rebecca Huntley

Published 2017

Distilling the information gathered over more than ten years, social researcher Rebecca Huntley looks at Australia and Australians today and reflects on the similarities and changes to the “lucky country” as depicted by Donald Horne more than fifty years ago. The conclusions reached are sometimes surprising; whilst we may think the world is very different now to that of Horne’s era however the same worries and aspirations seem to apply. Of particular interest are Huntley’s comments on our responses to apartment living and the endurance of the Australian spirit.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 10 November)

Two Kinds of Truth

Michael Connelly

Published November 2017

As an aficionado of the crime fiction genre over my reading life (some five decades) I can attest to the fact that Michael Connelly has never let this reader down. Every work has been of the highest calibre and he has managed to keep the readers’ interest in his character of Harry Bosch alive whilst introducing other characters and making them similarly engaging.

A case from thirty years earlier is raised with Bosch as the subject of investigation, with the convicted killer set to appeal on the basis of new evidence coming to light in the form of previously undetected DNA.  If the appeal works, it calls into question all of the cases Harry successfully closed over his long and illustrious career. He is still working cases, albeit not as a fully paid up member of the police force, and is caught up in undercover work to bring to justice the killers of a pharmacist and his son.

Every time I pick up a new Harry Bosch novel, I am immediately back in his world as Michael Connelly manages to seamlessly have us inhabit Bosch’s world. Other writers can sometimes disappoint; that is never the case with Connelly.

Queens of the Conquest: England’s Medieval Queens

Alison Weir

Published by Jonathan Cape, November 2017

This is the first in a series of four books by renowned author Alison Weir. It explores the lives of the first five queens who followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It begins with Matilde of Flanders, and follows with Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, Matilda of Boulogne and the Empress Maud.  Weir makes two interesting points: any information available mostly comes from monastic chronicles and all but one of the medieval queens were of the high royal blood of Europe. Working with relatively scant material, Weir nonetheless draws full and interesting biographies of these figures from history.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 12 November)

Ada: comedian, dancer, fighter

Kaz Cooke

Published by Viking, November 2017

Writing a fictionalized account of the life of an Australian woman from the 1890s/1900s, Kaz Cooke imbues her story with humour, anecdote and interesting historical information. Ada Delroy was a Vaudevillian who travelled throughout the world before setting up her dance troupe and traversing Australia. Drawing on research from every state library, Kaz Cooke brings us the story of a mesmerizing character who offers a particular view of life at the time, meeting all manner of personalities and landing in all sorts of unusual situations. Written as a result of a Creative Fellowship at the State Library of Victoria 2013-2015, Cooke obviously immersed herself in Ada’s world.

(broadcast by 3AW’s Alan Pearsall, Sunday 12 November)

*This review was written in 2009 and this book by Ros Moriarty remains firmly in my list of top five all time favourite and most influential books.

Listening to Country

Ros Moriarty

As I write this review, I am yet to finish Listening to Country. I could have finished it by this time but I am savouring the experience of ‘listening’ to this book. It is perhaps the most lyrical and evocative book I have read in years. Ros Moriarty is married to John, an Aboriginal man, and they have three children. From the earliest years of their marriage, they have travelled home to John’s country and family, a journey that, each time, holds special meaning for everyone as John was taken from his mother when a young boy.  With her children now young adults, Ros undertakes an extraordinary journey with John’s female relatives. She travels to the Northern Territory’s Tanami Desert with these remarkable women to perform ceremony. Ros Moriarty, in sharing her experiences with us, has created a beautiful rendering of the wonder that results when one human being connects with another. She has provided a lovely portrait of the natural grace and humility of good women. And, she has offered her readers the chance to just be still and listen to this land, its people, and our own hearts.

The Cello Suites

Eric Siblin

“It doesn’t get any better than this” is a phrase that comes to mind as I write this review of Eric Siblin’s The Cello Suites. Johann Sebastian Bach and books! The composer whose music touches my heart the most is revealed in this meticulously researched and beautifully written book. Eric Siblin had his most evocative Bach moment as he sat listening to the Cello Suites in the courtyard of a villa that was once owned by Pablo Casals. Casals was a young boy when, in 1890, he was walking with his father through Barcelona’s Ramblas and they loitered at a second-hand store selling sheet music. Neither father nor son could believe their eyes as they realised what was sitting in front of them, a score with the title “Six Sonatas or Suites for Solo Violoncello by Johann Sebastian Bach”. So began the Catalan cellist’s journey towards greatness as an interpreter of this most glorious music. The book, in alternating chapters, traces Bach and Casals’ lives. It is a celebration of the power of music, the nature of true genius, and of lives well lived. I have been reading it as I listen to Pablo Casals performing the Suites. This bookseller of Catalan heritage has been immersed, as was Eric Siblin, in the wonder that is Bach’s composition and Casals musicianship. So, come to think of it, it is Bach and books with a Catalan thread. The only way it could get even better is if I could find an Irish connection – the main corner of this Dalmau’s heart. We have limited stock of Casals’ recording and I would urge readers to listen and read simultaneously. We readers owe a debt to Eric Siblin for taking such care with the greatness that is Bach and Casals (I deliberately use the present tense as they are very much part of my world).