What do you think?
Rate this book
Bad Behaviour
One mistake can change a life forever.Zoe is living a conventional suburban life in Fremantle. She works, she gardens and she loves her supportive husband Archie and their three children. But the arrival of a new woman into her son Daniel's life unsettles Zoe. Suddenly she is feeling angry and hurt, and is lashing out at those closest to her.In Sussex, England, Julia is feeling nostalgic as she nurses her best friend through the last painful stages of cancer. Her enthusiastic but dithering husband Tom is trying to convince Julia to slow down. Although she knows Tom means well, Julia cannot help but feel frustrated that he is pushing her into old age before she is ready. But she knows she is lucky to have him. She so nearly didn't...These two women's lives have been shaped by the decisions they made back in 1968 � when they were young, idealistic and naive. In a world that was a whirl of politics and protest, consciousness raising and sexual liberation, Zoe and Julia were looking for love, truth and their own happy endings. They soon discover that life is rarely that simple, as their bad behaviour leads them down paths that they can never turn back from.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
35 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Liz Byrski
29books189followersLiz Byrski is a writer and broadcaster with more than 40 years experience in the British and Australian media. She is the author of eleven non-fiction books and five novels, and her work has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines.
In the nineties Liz was a broadcaster and executive producer with ABC Radio in Perth and later an advisor to a minister in the Western Australian State Government; she now lectures in Professional and Creative Writing at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, and has PhD in writing with a focus on feminist popular fiction.
Liz was born in London and spent most of her childhood in Sussex. As an only child she spent a lot of time alone, much of it buried in books. She began her working life as a secretary and later moved into journalism working as a reporter on a local newspaper until she took up freelance writing when her children were born. Before moving to Western Australia she also worked as an appeals organiser for Oxfam.
After moving to Perth with her family in 1981 she once again established a freelance career writing for Australian publications including The Australian, Homes and Living, Cosmopolitan and Weekend News.
Liz lives between Perth and Fremantle and in addition to enjoying the company of family and friends, she spends most of her time reading, writing and walking. She has two adult sons and twin grandsons.
In the nineties Liz was a broadcaster and executive producer with ABC Radio in Perth and later an advisor to a minister in the Western Australian State Government; she now lectures in Professional and Creative Writing at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, and has PhD in writing with a focus on feminist popular fiction.
Liz was born in London and spent most of her childhood in Sussex. As an only child she spent a lot of time alone, much of it buried in books. She began her working life as a secretary and later moved into journalism working as a reporter on a local newspaper until she took up freelance writing when her children were born. Before moving to Western Australia she also worked as an appeals organiser for Oxfam.
After moving to Perth with her family in 1981 she once again established a freelance career writing for Australian publications including The Australian, Homes and Living, Cosmopolitan and Weekend News.
Liz lives between Perth and Fremantle and in addition to enjoying the company of family and friends, she spends most of her time reading, writing and walking. She has two adult sons and twin grandsons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
December 20, 2023
EXCERPT: Julia smiled and sipped her drink. She was very fond of Simon - they had fun together and lots of playful sex - but Hilary was talking about a profound emotional connection that she suspected she would never have with Simon. Their marriage depended on her being someone she'd outgrown, and it stretched in front of her like a life sentence. That, she thought, was a worrying way for someone who had been married less than a year to feel.
ABOUT 'BAD BEHAVIOUR': One mistake can change a life forever.
Zoe is living a conventional suburban life in Fremantle. She works, she gardens and she loves her supportive husband Archie and their three children. But the arrival of a new woman into her son Daniel's life unsettles Zoe. Suddenly she is feeling angry and hurt, and is lashing out at those closest to her.
In Sussex, England, Julia is feeling nostalgic as she nurses her best friend through the last painful stages of cancer. Her enthusiastic but dithering husband Tom is trying to convince Julia to slow down. Although she knows Tom means well, Julia cannot help but feel frustrated that he is pushing her into old age before she is ready. But she knows she is lucky to have him. She so nearly didn't...
These two women's lives have been shaped by the decisions they made back in 1968 � when they were young, idealistic and naive. In a world that was a whirl of politics and protest, consciousness raising and sexual liberation, Zoe and Julia were looking for love, truth and their own happy endings. They soon discover that life is rarely that simple, as their bad behaviour leads them down paths that they can never turn back from.
MY THOUGHTS: It is amazing how our tastes change over time. I purchased my copy of Bad Behaviour from the sale table at my local library and discovered, when I went to put my bookmark inside the back cover, that I read this in 2009 when it was first published - some years prior to discovering ŷ. The original slip of paper recording who had read this book is still in the back cover and there is my name, along with my rating of 2/5. I obviously didn't enjoy or appreciate it at that time. Now? - it's a definite 5-star read. How I have changed in those intervening 14 years!
Bad Behaviour is a family saga spanning the years between 1968 and 2008. It is an examination of relationships - of friendships, of marriages, and everything in between. It touches on Australia's stolen generation, 9/11, the Afghanistan war, and the tragic fire in a Bali nightclub in 2002. These events are the backdrop to the story of an ill-fated marriage, and what became of both parties.
Events within the lives of the people in this story reflect things that most of us will have experienced at some point. The difficulties of the relationships with our own mothers, which we seem doomed to replicate with our own daughters. Infidelity. The rearrangement of the family structure as new members is introduced, and our own feelings of inadequacy as we measure ourselves against these younger, brighter people. The frustrations of dealing with older, ailing members of our family, particularly where dementia is involved, and issues from earlier in our lives remain unresolved.
Yet even through its darkest moments Byrski, a lively and imaginative storyteller, manages to convey a sense of hope, of optimism that all will be well in the end. I love her characters, I find them hugely inspiring and comforting. Liz Byrski is an author I would love to meet.
As she says it, Zoe can hear something terribly familiar in her voice. she sounds just like her mother.
⭐⭐⭐⭐�
#BadBehaviour
THE AUTHOR: Liz was born in London and spent most of her childhood in Sussex. As an only child she spent a lot of time alone, much of it buried in books. She began her working life as a secretary and later moved into journalism working as a reporter on a local newspaper until she took up freelance writing when her children were born. Before moving to Western Australia she also worked as an appeals organiser for Oxfam.
After moving to Perth with her family in 1981 she once again established a freelance career writing for Australian publications including The Australian, Homes and Living, Cosmopolitan and Weekend News.
Liz lives between Perth and Fremantle and in addition to enjoying the company of family and friends, she spends most of her time reading, writing and walking. She has two adult sons and twin grandsons.
I own my copy of Bad Behaviour by Liz Byrski
ABOUT 'BAD BEHAVIOUR': One mistake can change a life forever.
Zoe is living a conventional suburban life in Fremantle. She works, she gardens and she loves her supportive husband Archie and their three children. But the arrival of a new woman into her son Daniel's life unsettles Zoe. Suddenly she is feeling angry and hurt, and is lashing out at those closest to her.
In Sussex, England, Julia is feeling nostalgic as she nurses her best friend through the last painful stages of cancer. Her enthusiastic but dithering husband Tom is trying to convince Julia to slow down. Although she knows Tom means well, Julia cannot help but feel frustrated that he is pushing her into old age before she is ready. But she knows she is lucky to have him. She so nearly didn't...
These two women's lives have been shaped by the decisions they made back in 1968 � when they were young, idealistic and naive. In a world that was a whirl of politics and protest, consciousness raising and sexual liberation, Zoe and Julia were looking for love, truth and their own happy endings. They soon discover that life is rarely that simple, as their bad behaviour leads them down paths that they can never turn back from.
MY THOUGHTS: It is amazing how our tastes change over time. I purchased my copy of Bad Behaviour from the sale table at my local library and discovered, when I went to put my bookmark inside the back cover, that I read this in 2009 when it was first published - some years prior to discovering ŷ. The original slip of paper recording who had read this book is still in the back cover and there is my name, along with my rating of 2/5. I obviously didn't enjoy or appreciate it at that time. Now? - it's a definite 5-star read. How I have changed in those intervening 14 years!
Bad Behaviour is a family saga spanning the years between 1968 and 2008. It is an examination of relationships - of friendships, of marriages, and everything in between. It touches on Australia's stolen generation, 9/11, the Afghanistan war, and the tragic fire in a Bali nightclub in 2002. These events are the backdrop to the story of an ill-fated marriage, and what became of both parties.
Events within the lives of the people in this story reflect things that most of us will have experienced at some point. The difficulties of the relationships with our own mothers, which we seem doomed to replicate with our own daughters. Infidelity. The rearrangement of the family structure as new members is introduced, and our own feelings of inadequacy as we measure ourselves against these younger, brighter people. The frustrations of dealing with older, ailing members of our family, particularly where dementia is involved, and issues from earlier in our lives remain unresolved.
Yet even through its darkest moments Byrski, a lively and imaginative storyteller, manages to convey a sense of hope, of optimism that all will be well in the end. I love her characters, I find them hugely inspiring and comforting. Liz Byrski is an author I would love to meet.
As she says it, Zoe can hear something terribly familiar in her voice. she sounds just like her mother.
⭐⭐⭐⭐�
#BadBehaviour
THE AUTHOR: Liz was born in London and spent most of her childhood in Sussex. As an only child she spent a lot of time alone, much of it buried in books. She began her working life as a secretary and later moved into journalism working as a reporter on a local newspaper until she took up freelance writing when her children were born. Before moving to Western Australia she also worked as an appeals organiser for Oxfam.
After moving to Perth with her family in 1981 she once again established a freelance career writing for Australian publications including The Australian, Homes and Living, Cosmopolitan and Weekend News.
Liz lives between Perth and Fremantle and in addition to enjoying the company of family and friends, she spends most of her time reading, writing and walking. She has two adult sons and twin grandsons.
I own my copy of Bad Behaviour by Liz Byrski
October 17, 2017
Initially I thought I was not going to complete this book. For the first dozen or so chapters the story moved from Australia to England and from the present into the past and back again. A huge number of characters were introduced, some of them so briefly that when they reappeared I had to go back and find out who they were. At one point I even considered getting a notebook and writing them all down.
Eventually the important characters made themselves known and things improved so I stuck with it. The story was okay and it was fun to read about 1968 in the UK. Basically the core of the book was good but there was just too much extraneous stuff, too many unnecessary characters, too many pages!
Just not really my kind of book:(
Eventually the important characters made themselves known and things improved so I stuck with it. The story was okay and it was fun to read about 1968 in the UK. Basically the core of the book was good but there was just too much extraneous stuff, too many unnecessary characters, too many pages!
Just not really my kind of book:(
October 12, 2014
Bad Behaviour is the fifth novel by British-born Australian author, Liz Byrski. The story is told in three main narrative strands, and over two time periods, the late 1960s and the current time, beginning in 1999. In Fremantle, Western Australia, a question from Zoe’s youngest daughter, Gaby causes her to reflect on her life in London in 1968. In Rye, England, Julia’s husband, Tom and her brother, Richard are working on a multi-media project focussing on 1968, causing her too, to think back to that turbulent period of their lives. And in Cottesloe, Western Australia, Justine reflects on the tumultuous changes that occurred in her life in 1968. How their lives interact, and their ultimate fates are what comprise this excellent novel.
Byrski uses her story to touch on the Stolen Generation, racism, Y2K, the connection of indigenous people to the land, forgiveness, ageism, mentors, discovering one’s talents, the importance of a sense of purpose and retirement. Byrski exposes her characters to racial discrimination, child abuse and rape, and terrorism. She involves them in Vietnam protests, demonstrations against Nuclear Weapons, the Women’s Movement, racially mixed marriages and some quite bad behaviour.
Along their journey in life, her characters are occasionally given some surprising insight and words of wisdom: “Losing those few people who knew you well in youth is not just painful, it’s strangely disturbing; as though your youthful self might cease to exist with the death of the last remaining witness� and “Knowing there are people who are worse off doesn’t make one’s own hurt any easier� and “It’s odd thinking of something you’ve lived through as history but, of course, it is� are just a few examples. Her plot is completely credible and her characters are familiar, the sorts of people one regularly encounters daily. Their dialogue is wholly natural, overheard often in cafes, shops and around the family home.
This is a moving, thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable novel and readers will look forward to Byrski’s next novel, Last Chance Cafe.
Byrski uses her story to touch on the Stolen Generation, racism, Y2K, the connection of indigenous people to the land, forgiveness, ageism, mentors, discovering one’s talents, the importance of a sense of purpose and retirement. Byrski exposes her characters to racial discrimination, child abuse and rape, and terrorism. She involves them in Vietnam protests, demonstrations against Nuclear Weapons, the Women’s Movement, racially mixed marriages and some quite bad behaviour.
Along their journey in life, her characters are occasionally given some surprising insight and words of wisdom: “Losing those few people who knew you well in youth is not just painful, it’s strangely disturbing; as though your youthful self might cease to exist with the death of the last remaining witness� and “Knowing there are people who are worse off doesn’t make one’s own hurt any easier� and “It’s odd thinking of something you’ve lived through as history but, of course, it is� are just a few examples. Her plot is completely credible and her characters are familiar, the sorts of people one regularly encounters daily. Their dialogue is wholly natural, overheard often in cafes, shops and around the family home.
This is a moving, thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable novel and readers will look forward to Byrski’s next novel, Last Chance Cafe.
Read
November 1, 2011I'm not going to rate this as I lost interest before page 20. It would be unfair because I might have been interested if I wasn't swamped with things to do and better books. But I wouldn't recommend it.
February 22, 2021
2.5�
Ugh! The main female characters in the last book I read and this one are both pathetic creatures, pining away for the love of a man - one eventually gets what she wants, one doesn’t, but both of them are just happy to take whatever dregs she can get from the man in question, even - in one case - to the point of putting up with his constant crankiness beyond what any self-respecting woman would tolerate!
I think I need to start checking what sort of female characters the books I am considering reading have before I commit to them!
This one had a historical storyline back in the 60s and 70s and a present day storyline. It picked up a little in the present-day storyline with a bit less of the pathetic neediness, but it wasn’t enough to redeem it. Nor was the fact that the main character started learning watercolour painting in the present day storyline - as did I last year!! So I liked that touch, but the rest was too jarring.
I am normally a Liz Byrski fan, but unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me!
Ugh! The main female characters in the last book I read and this one are both pathetic creatures, pining away for the love of a man - one eventually gets what she wants, one doesn’t, but both of them are just happy to take whatever dregs she can get from the man in question, even - in one case - to the point of putting up with his constant crankiness beyond what any self-respecting woman would tolerate!
I think I need to start checking what sort of female characters the books I am considering reading have before I commit to them!
This one had a historical storyline back in the 60s and 70s and a present day storyline. It picked up a little in the present-day storyline with a bit less of the pathetic neediness, but it wasn’t enough to redeem it. Nor was the fact that the main character started learning watercolour painting in the present day storyline - as did I last year!! So I liked that touch, but the rest was too jarring.
I am normally a Liz Byrski fan, but unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me!
December 27, 2014
It was a pleasure to read a book that focused on the strength of women and relationships
The way different people viewed their relationships and the misunderstandings and individual perceptions and the responses to circumstances in different times
One of the few books I rated with 4 stars
Read as audio book...is that a contradiction in terms?
The way different people viewed their relationships and the misunderstandings and individual perceptions and the responses to circumstances in different times
One of the few books I rated with 4 stars
Read as audio book...is that a contradiction in terms?
July 19, 2017
3.5 stars from me. I enjoyed it - well written swinging between the late 60's and early 2000's. Good characters that you can relate to. The narrator (as it was an audio book) did a great job. Lovely Aussie and British accents
January 9, 2019
I loved this book, the author never disappoints. Such an easy read, though with quite a few characters you really need to buckle down and read quite a few chapters to get to know who everyone is. I didn’t want to put it down once I got into it. Four and a half stars
April 11, 2021
Hard to sum up what I thought of this book. It was the third Liz Byrski book I have read in a few weeks and while I enjoy her easy writing style the plot became way too predictable and the dramas panned out just as you would imagine. As usual I liked the way she develops her characters but as another reviewer has commented, there are just way too many of them. I would have loved to hear lots more about Gwen and Gloria but they didn’t develop much beyond their efforts to comfort Zoe. I was however very interested in the references to political movements and protests etc from 1968, 2000 and 2011. That made me persist with the book even as I became downhearted with the myriad of characters and the predictability of the plot twists. Good for a summer beach read.
May 1, 2024
This is the third Liz Byrski book I have read and definitely the last.
This book:
Sexually explicit
Child rape
Physical abuse towards women
Too many characters and places
Bali bombings and September 11th
People of colour and indigenous
My 84 year old friend asked for a few of my books to read and having given her previously Liz Byrski books to read that she enjoyed I gave her this not having read it first. She was taken aback by the sex and asked me what my opinion would be on reading it. Upset at giving her the book to say the least.
This book:
Sexually explicit
Child rape
Physical abuse towards women
Too many characters and places
Bali bombings and September 11th
People of colour and indigenous
My 84 year old friend asked for a few of my books to read and having given her previously Liz Byrski books to read that she enjoyed I gave her this not having read it first. She was taken aback by the sex and asked me what my opinion would be on reading it. Upset at giving her the book to say the least.
July 12, 2018
Having read Gang of Four and loved it I then read Bad Behaviour. Personally, I enjoyed Gang of Four much more. I found Bad Behaviour too long and there were moments when I could have put the book down and not finished it. I would recommend other Liz Byrski books over this one.
May 1, 2019
An interesting story focusing on the lives of women of various ages, and the men with whom they become entangled. Traverses 1960s to early 2000s, Australia, UK and Paris. Some interesting ethical and personal dilemmas are canvassed (to do with parenting and intimacy).
July 23, 2019
This book is right, 1968 was an amazing year and the subject of friendship amongst women in all its complexity, is cleverly and sensitively explored , I really enjoyed this book. And I maintain her books are more than geriatric chick-lit.
July 17, 2022
I enjoyed this book with its twist and turns. Some parts were very deep and others very witty. Prejudice and emotional trauma that happens in different ways to the people in the book I felt really sad at times, however it was good that love one out
March 25, 2017
I lost interest in this book after 5 chapters. Just didn't grab me.
January 18, 2018
Good book. Loved the characters and the story.
August 21, 2018
Another good book by Liz Byrski, enjoyed this book very much.
September 20, 2018
Have not found a book by Liz Byrski that I have not enjoyed.
December 13, 2018
It was an ok read but I think it was too long, too wordy and had too many characters to keep track of. I have enjoyed other Liz Byrski books more than this one
November 22, 2019
A good yarn.
June 1, 2021
A great book about women and their friendships
April 7, 2024
I enjoyed but it could have been a few chapters shorter.
June 26, 2024
Didn’t finish. No interest in characters.
July 1, 2024
3.5 - very frequent chopping between locations and characters took some time to get used to (at least half of the book). Enjoyed the storyline and characters overall
October 12, 2024
Beautiful story of friendship, family and how the past can influence your life
January 30, 2018
Absolutely loved this book. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
March 7, 2013
This story goes back and fro between Australia and England. It starts in Australia and goes back to 1969 London where Zoe has gone for a working holiday, she finds work at the BBC where she meets Richard who reluctantly becomes her husband when she finds out that she is pregnant, but that ends in disaster when the baby is born. With the break up of this marriage Zoe also loses her new best friend, Richard's sister Julia. At the same time as Zoe is meeting and falling in love with Richard, Julia is working in Paris and is falling in love with Tom but that is short lived too, as Tom finds out his previous girlfriend is pregnant and he feels he must do the right thing by her. Julia goes on to Marry Simon but that is also short lived and the life Julia leads as Simon's wife is boring. This is a time of the Woman's Lib movement of which Julia wants to be a part of, she goes to a meeting with like mided woman and meets her life long friend Hilary.
Years later Tom sees Julia's picture in the paper and goes looking for her as he has never stopped loving her and his marriage for the sake of a baby did not work out. Julia is a little elusive but Tom wins her. He and Richard are best mates by this time too.
Zoe returned to Australia not long after her baby Daniel was born, she had to go back to live with her mother Eileen, who would not accept Daniel as her grandson. Not long after this Zoe meets Archie and they go on to have 2 daughters.
What I really loved about this book was the meeting 30 years after of Julia and Zoe and with that Richard. I like the way their lives were interwoven again after the long absense. I would also have liked to hear more of Justine's story. Justine married Daniel, but that caused it's own problems to start with as Justine was 12 years older than Daniel.
Good Story
Years later Tom sees Julia's picture in the paper and goes looking for her as he has never stopped loving her and his marriage for the sake of a baby did not work out. Julia is a little elusive but Tom wins her. He and Richard are best mates by this time too.
Zoe returned to Australia not long after her baby Daniel was born, she had to go back to live with her mother Eileen, who would not accept Daniel as her grandson. Not long after this Zoe meets Archie and they go on to have 2 daughters.
What I really loved about this book was the meeting 30 years after of Julia and Zoe and with that Richard. I like the way their lives were interwoven again after the long absense. I would also have liked to hear more of Justine's story. Justine married Daniel, but that caused it's own problems to start with as Justine was 12 years older than Daniel.
Good Story
August 24, 2019
Well it's a stretch to say I have read it. I read maybe a fifth of it, maybe even a quarter, it didn't grab me so I went to the end (a bit interesting). I looked at various points through the book but it felt messy to me. Of Liz Byrski's novels this is the first one I haven't loved. It may come down to my state of mind when reading, I don't know. There seem to be many characters in the book with a variety of entangled relationships across many years and at least two countries. Was person A the sister, cousin, girlfriend, housemate or what for person B? Get it straight once but next time one or both of them occurs in the book it might be years later and in a different country.
Please don't let me put you off if you like Liz Byrski's work, or even if you just have a fancy to read it. She is a wonderful writer but this book was not for me at this time.
Please don't let me put you off if you like Liz Byrski's work, or even if you just have a fancy to read it. She is a wonderful writer but this book was not for me at this time.
April 24, 2011
this is the fourth Liz Byrski book I have read in as many weeks. It's about how one wrong move can change things forever. I found all the characters a bit hard to keep track off and had to keep flicking back to place them. However, once I got over this I really enjoyed it. I would have given it 31/2 stars, but possibly not 4. I particularly liked Justine and the aboriginal part of the story - definitely a subject I would like to pursue. I liked how the book was set in different countries, with quite different characters. It kept me turning the pages
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.