This is a very good debut novel from Aussie author Karen Crompton
With instinctive and perceptive insight, the author successfully manages to convey th This is a very good debut novel from Aussie author Karen Crompton
With instinctive and perceptive insight, the author successfully manages to convey the troubled emotions that result from young love, loss, depression and grief. This book should appeal to adults and young adults alike as a stand alone novel in its own right, but it would also, I believe, be helpful for anyone suffering from any the above-mentioned states.
Beau Huntington is the local heart throb, seriously good looking and with the buff physique of a seasoned surfer, he is never short of a cute girl to flaunt about, and who will gladly satisfy his needs and desires. He is however, a young man with issues, well known around South Shore, his Beachside town, as a bit of a rebel with a dark moody streak that regularly gets him into trouble. His one and only good friend, Rake, is a constant companion who shares Beau's love of surfing and tries to keep him out of strife wherever he can.
Beau is seriously troubled with nightmares as a result of certain tragic events a few years previously, and refuses to acknowledge it is the cause of his angst, nor that he needs help to come to terms with it. He now finds himself in trouble with the law, again, and is very close this time to blowing everything. Though he is on Summer holidays now, he has been sentenced to do so many hours of community work at the local pool as punishment for his latest outburst. His family despair at his seeming unwillingness to behave and get back on track, they fear he will end up in gaol this time if he doesn't stop his binge drinking and fighting and one night stands. Then something totally out of the blue happens that stops Beau in his tracks and will become the cause of so much more mental anguish that he doesn't know how to deal with it.... What happens to Beau next could very well send him over the edge.
This is Karen Crompton's first novel in what might be a series, and if this is anything to go by, then it is promising indeed. The story is very well written with lots of insight into the psyche of her characters and their individual dispositions. Karen gives the reader an authentic look at some of the very real and destructive consequences of depression and its domino effects on those suffering from it or those close to someone who is. She is able to convey a real sense of what the collateral damage can look and feel like from her unique perspective.
Only one issue had me confused early in the book where I was at times unsure of who was speaking, but that seemed to have sorted itself out and I was soon fully immersed in the story. I was amused several times by some of the witty turns of phrase and mentally congratulated the author on some very skilled writing. I look forward to her next book and have no hesitation in recommending Hell Bent (South Shore Beach, # 1). to other readers. 4ȴ....more
It is late 1940's and early '50's in Sydney and ships are arriving in port laden with new immigrants to Australia. The waEmpire Day by Diane Armstrong
It is late 1940's and early '50's in Sydney and ships are arriving in port laden with new immigrants to Australia. The war in Europe is over and, many displaced persons, from a wide range of ethnic groups including.....Polish, Latvian, Hungarian and Ukrainian, are being relocated to Australia. The residents of Wattle street in Bondi are curious but wary of the new immigrant neighbors arriving in their street, not entirely trusting these people from foreign lands who cannot speak english and are apparently not interested in mixing in. It seems that the feelings are mutual as the newcomers are not entirely trusting of the Australians with their different religions, funny talk and too relaxed attitude to life...and their strange rituals like the Bonfires of Cracker Night to celebrate Empire Day...each culture not understanding the other. The immigrants come bearing deep scars from atrocities experienced during the war and are even wary of each other as their hopes of starting a new life are quashed by crippling fears that some war criminals have slipped through the nets and are now also living amongst them. The Australians, though not having experienced that side of the war, are struggling to keep their heads above water as the effects of the war have also taken a heavy toll. Mother's are struggling to make ends meet to feed children who's fathers' have not returned from the war. Deserted wives try to get part time work to raise their children. Jobs are few and pay very little.
The story focuses on the residents of Wattle street, in Bondi, a beach suburb of Sydney, and is told mostly from the pov of the Polish immigrants and also the Australian residents and how they interacted, or tried to interact. Like wary animals circling one another on first encounter, they regard each other with guarded curiosity, all the while feigning indifference, never really sure of what might be expected of themselves.
Some really important observations are made regarding the overall disposition of the people and their attitudes towards each other's difficulties and differences...not just their political and religious differences, but also their cultural disparities. How they gradually learn to assimilate and value what each has to offer the other. The people are shown in all of their emotional challenges through love, loss, heartache, illness, fear, loneliness, pain and joy, its all here.
The state of the health system of the time and how it was managed was shown for its lack of empathy for long term patients such as polio sufferers and other such debilitating conditions of the day. Just one more potential horror that families were faced with...thanks to modern medicine Polio is no longer the threat it was then.
The author has done a great job in showing us just how far our society has come in such a short time, and raises some very enlightening points of view about cultural differences and how our inherent fears can cause tensions.
I did enjoy this book, though at times it felt a bit fragmented into many mini stories, or side stories within stories and although still fascinating to read about, it kind of loses its sense of focus...rather like someone relating individual stories from memory. Although they do start to come together towards the end. I tossed between 3.5 and 4*s for this as, although I did enjoy it, the writing seemed to lack emotion. So that I didn't really feel anything for the characters, even though their stories were deserving of compassion. I should have felt more.
It certainly is enlightening though, and showed life through many eyes, and how the effects of the war had impacted on all kinds of people with different religious and cultural ideals, including the Australians and how they were affected by the sudden influx of immigrants at a time when they were struggling with the effects on the local economy, particularly in Sydney. 4ȴ...more
What a cracker of a debut novel! With a really unique storyline... Andrea Drew has conjured up a real good cast of characte Gypsy Hunted by Andrea Drew
What a cracker of a debut novel! With a really unique storyline... Andrea Drew has conjured up a real good cast of characters here ..... with a great plot!
Gypsy Shields' psychic senses are very highly tuned...or, as she prefers to call it, her intuition. In fact, it is her unique powers of intuition that save her life and help her with investigations into the kidnapping of a woman in a high profile position with the police force. Gypsy was walking home alone after a surprisingly good night out on a blind date, (which she hadn't been looking forward to at all) and was now basking in the afterglow of what she sensed was a mutual attraction with the very handsome Connor Reardon, a police detective recently estranged from his wife. Distracted by nice thoughts of the previous couple of hours spent in the company of her friends and...more interestingly...the handsome Connor, she is pulled up short when she hears sounds coming from a nearby laneway. Her intuition kicks in and gives out all the alarming signals that Gypsy has come to trust and depend on. It is on closer investigation that she bears witness to a kidnapping in progress and before she can call for help, she is seen by the perpetrator.... What follows is some pretty fascinating and page turning suspense as Gypsy uses her psychic abilities to conspire with others in a bid to catch the kidnapper...and maybe the handsome Connor, if, he is who he says he is??
The story is well paced with some gripping and (for me) sometimes laugh out loud moments,(view spoiler)[ when Gypsy sought to exact her revenge, and you can't help but be on her side, cheering her on! (hide spoiler)].
This was a great debut novel which I enjoyed immensely and I would definitely read more from Andrea Drew as I believe she has much to offer. I have no hesitation in recommending this book and I will look forward to the promised next installment in this Gypsy series.
*I'm happy to say that punctuation problems in an earlier (kindle) version have been corrected in the latest and readers of earlier versions should not be put off, as this really is a good read.
Sixteen year old Evie is struggling with her school assignments and personal popularity after a strange and unexplainable "episode" with a fellow Art Sixteen year old Evie is struggling with her school assignments and personal popularity after a strange and unexplainable "episode" with a fellow Art student, leaves everyone talking...and Evie in an extremely shaken and vulnerable condition which sees her falling behind after having to take time off school as a result. She is at a loss to explain her sudden and irrational outburst in the Art class that day and is now suffering, not only the persecution from the pupils and teachers at her school, but also other mental and physical effects.
Evie doesn't get on with her mother very well at the best of times, but since the event at school their relationship seems to be stretching to a new low, causing tension between her parents as Evie suddenly begins to manifest more unusual behavior. The situation is made worse when Evie overhears her parents fighting about her, with her father trying to defend her unusual behavior. If not for the loyalty of her good friend Alex, Evie would not know what to do.
What are Evie's parents keeping from her...and why?
This is such an intriguing and engrossing story which has a real authentic feel to it. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and found it quite unputdownable. I would very much recommend this book to lovers of alternate possibilities and give it a well earned 5★s...more
OUTSTANDING! Absolutely delightful, this has been one of my most pleasurable reads in a long time. So very, very clevThe Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
OUTSTANDING! Absolutely delightful, this has been one of my most pleasurable reads in a long time. So very, very clever, witty, thoughtful and sensitive. Don is adorable!
Graeme Simsion has created a story which [to my mind] feels perfectly balanced between its witty dialogue and the astute behavioral observations of its various characters; In particular the unique and brilliant Don Tillman, Associate Professor of Genetics who...unbeknownst to himself at this stage...exhibits some of the defining symptoms of the autism spectrum. Thus to the world at large, he unwittingly projects an image of an erudite pushbike riding eccentric who can't look you in the eye, and who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder!
The Wife Project- Already in his 39th year, Don has decided it is time he found a wife, but experience has taught him that the process of trial and elimination through conventional means, ie; dating, is time consuming and fraught with stressful pitfalls. So in order to find the most suitable applicant, at the same time avoiding potential problems, he has formulated a very comprehensive questionnaire, designed to filter out all negative and undesirable traits in prospective candidates. This being for the prospective applicants to fill in and return to him for the assessment and evaluation of their "Wife" eligibility. Successful applicants are expected to achieve a 100% score, anything less will be deemed unsuitable. Obviously this expectation proved to be too unattainable with all applicants failing much of the criterion. In order to refine this technique, Don is accepting sound advice from his only two friends and confidants...a colleague and fellow professor, and his wife who is a Psychologist. They suggest subtle changes that Don might make to his questionnaire in order to best attract suitable applicants without compromising his rigid standards..... Therein begins a comedy of errors, a roller coaster ride for Don and seemingly everyone he comes into contact with!
From the very first page I was hooked and did not want to put this book down...though I forced myself to do so, purely and selfishly in order to prolong the enjoyment of it. I feel the point should be made though, that this is not just a very funny story on its own. It is a very clever portrayal of some very plausible, albeit unique, scenarios.
Some of the circumstances, life situations and personality traits concerning the characters which make up this story are quite touching and show how, in spite of our differences, we are all intrinsically the same. Some just view the world through different lenses, but we are all dancing to the same tune. Sometimes it seems, there are greater powers at work, orchestrating the dance, adding unforeseen obstacles to change the course of direction....who are we to judge? I think the very last paragraph in the book describes it perfectly....you will have to read it to find out though.
In acknowledging that he is "wired differently" from the mainstream, here is one particularly insightful quote from Don:
"I need not be visibly odd. I could engage in the protocols that others followed and move undetected among them. And how could I be sure that other people were not doing the same—playing the game to be accepted but suspecting all the time that they were different?" Food for thought. With *Aspies, what you see is what you get.
If Mainstream society were one side of a coin, then Don and his like, would be the other... each necessary to the other.
(Don immediately reminded me of the lovable and charismatic Sheldon in "The Big Bang Theory" television series, which inadvertently gave me an advantageous visual perspective on this story.) I think this story would translate brilliantly into a movie and I'd love to see it.
This is an outstanding debut novel and I look forward to the next book with much anticipation. I have no hesitation in recommending this to all 5ȴ+
*Aspergers groups... affectionately known as Aspies....more
Jülie ☼♄ �
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