Margaret:
R F Delderfield – The Avenue goes to war. One of a series, set in Shirley in the Borough of Croydon, south London. It gives a very good picture of life during wartime. Margaret’s friend Len used to live there and knows all the places mentioned in the book. Kay has also read it and agrees that it is worth reading.
Pauline:
Jeannie Gunn – We of the Never-Never.
I re-read this after visiting the Elsey Station cemetery on our trip to Darwin. Many of the people mentioned in the book are buried there. Jeannie arrived as a bride in 1902. The property was 1 ½ million acres in size, and the homestead was 45 miles from the entrance. The “homestead” was little more than one single room, following a cyclone 5 years before. Unfortunately her husband became ill and died about a year after she arrived.
Before her marriage Jeannie had been a teacher at the family’s school, “Rolyat”, at 1 Creswick Street, Hawthorn. The Hawthorn Library has a photo showing Jeannie and the rest of the Taylor family gathered outside the building.
Hans Fallada – Alone in Berlin
This novel is set in Berlin during WWII. It shows the lives of ordinary working-class individuals, some of whom have seen through the lies and propaganda, and for all of whom fear and betrayal are never far away. Otto Quangel is a factory worker whose only son is killed at the Front. This death triggers Otto’s heroic but ultimately futile attempts at resistance against the nazis. The author himself lived through these times, and the book was first published in 1946.
Shamini Flint – A Bali conspiracy most foul
This is one of a series about Inspector Singh, a delightful rotund and untidy detective from Singapore, who is sent to Bali after the bombings to help the local authorities with their investigations. The author weaves an intriguing story around a second threatened attack, Islamic practices, domestic violence, a murder, and the real events known to us all. In a recent interview the author said that she likes to touch on ethical and social problems in her fiction, and this is borne out by all the books in this series.
Rachel:
Alex Miller – Lovesong
A really well-constructed and well-written book, which holds the reader’s attention to the end.
Tess Evans – The book of lost threads
Rachel borrowed my copy after I had praised it last time, and said that she thought it “a load of rubbish”, with too many points of view and a wildly improbable plot. On the other hand, Vicki said she quite enjoyed it. Kay has now borrowed it, and we await her verdict with interest.
Eleanor:
Jeff Maynard – Wings of ice; the mystery of the polar air-race
A true story of the intrigue and mystery surrounding early flights over the poles.
Here is a short review from the Angus and Robertson website: Hoping to resurrect his fading career, the legendary Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen desperately wanted to fly over the North Pole. American naval commander Richard Byrd was determined to beat Amundsen to the prize. An Australian adventurer, George Hubert Wilkins, also joined the competition, initiating a rivalry with Byrd that would last years and take them to the ends of the Earth. The world watched in fascination as the air race to the North Pole escalated, until in May 1926 Byrd claimed to have reached it in his Fokker Trimotor, the Josephine Ford. But did he really succeed? In 1928, while Amundsen was involved in the bitter dispute that would cost him his life, Byrd announced he would fly to the South Pole. Wilkins was hired by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst to beat him. The competitors unloaded their planes on opposite sides of Antarctica and prepared for the last great race in polar history.
The author is described as an adventure-historian.
Kay:
The Oxford book of Australian letters.
This is a collection of 200 representative letters, revealing life in Australia from the very early days to recent times. There is an index of writers and recipients. An excellent collection.
Kay also read extracts from private letters held by her own family, dating from the mid 1800s. These provide a fascinating glimpse into the past, and are currently being transcribed for posterity.
Vicki:
Stephen Dando-Collins – Captain Bligh’s other mutiny
A stirring acount of the Rum Rebellion of 1808, an armed take-over of government by the New South Wales Corps.
Vicki also recommended Rum Rebellion, H. V. Evatt’s account of the same events.
Jenny Davies – Beyond the façade; Flinders Street
A well-illustrated account of Flinders Street Station, including its office space, ballroom and retail premises, and the many activities that have taken place there over the years. Anecdotal accounts from users of the station and railway employees make very interesting reading. This book is a useful contribution to our understanding of the history and social life of 20th Century Melbourne.
Adrian Franklin – Collecting the 20th Century
In this book, the well-known presenter from the ABC show, The Collectors, discusses each decade, and shows items from the time. All of us will recognise, or possibly even own, many of the objects.
Pauline M.
