Tashi may have been a minor character in 鈥楾he Color Purple鈥�, but she is central to this story. She is facing t鈥楥an you bear to know what I have lost?鈥�
Tashi may have been a minor character in 鈥楾he Color Purple鈥�, but she is central to this story. She is facing trial for murder as the novel opens and between this beginning and the end we learn why. This is not a comforting read: no story which includes female genital mutilation (FGM) as a female initiation ceremony can be. In this case, in an act of misguided loyalty to custom, Tashi chose FGM. While the consequences are destructive, heartbreaking and painful, this is only one of the traumas Tashi faces.
The story unfolds in brief chapters involving different characters and gives the reader a more complete view of Tashi鈥檚 life.
Yes, I am aware of the destruction wrought by FGM. But as someone well outside the cultural boundaries within which it is practiced, my view is an uncomplicated one: genital mutilation should never occur. Until I read this novel, I had only regarded the practice as something imposed, never as something chosen. Which leads me to think about the cultural reasons why a woman might choose to be mutilated, and why women conscious of consequences would inflict this mutilation on others. This leads me through the story but also into other areas of life where customs dictate illogical and sometimes dangerous procedures.
But back to Tashi, for whom the consequences of choice are devastating. Ms Walker鈥檚 Olinka may be created, but FGM continues to be a significant, contemporary issue.
鈥楾his is not a memoir. Not in the conventional sense, anyway.鈥�
While I am always interested in analysis of Australian politics and the occasional memoi鈥楾his is not a memoir. Not in the conventional sense, anyway.鈥�
While I am always interested in analysis of Australian politics and the occasional memoir, I鈥檒l confess that the left wing of the Australian Labor Party is not one of my usual areas of interest. Still, a friend of mine recommended this book and lent me a copy, so how could I resist? Kim Carr is of a similar age to me, and the beginning of his story takes me back both to 1972, and the excitement of the Labor victory in my blue-collar home in regional Tasmania, and then to 1975. I was living in Canberra by then and was gobsmacked by the dismissal. In 1975, Kim Carr joined the ALP.
As I read this book and learned more about the byzantine manoeuvrings of the factions of the ALP, I wondered how such processes can ever deliver effective governance. Clearly, it has been at times (I am thinking of the first Hawke/Keating governments).
Kim Carr was elected to the Australian Senate in 1993. This was the election that Paul Keating claimed as a 鈥榲ictory for the true believers鈥�. He served as a minister in both the Rudd and Gillard governments in several different portfolios. The history is interesting (I refuse to comment on the personalities, factional fights, and Gillard versus Rudd), but I found Kim Carr鈥檚 focus on a future in which Australia could still make things (provided that the right skill bases were developed and new technologies were embraced) inspiring. Yes, those of us with a blue-collar background deplore the loss of manufacturing jobs within Australia, as should those who worry about Australia鈥檚 future security.
Once upon a time, the ALP was the political party of choice for most blue-collar workers. Once upon a time the ALP had members (and members of parliament) who had actually worked in blue-collar jobs. Not these days. And I am unconvinced that a parliament full of university-educated representatives is actually doing a better job of governing Australia. Sigh.
Perhaps Bill Kelty鈥檚 label of 鈥榤ired in mediocrity鈥� is accurate.
Me, I am nostalgic for the days of Paul Keating. I didn鈥檛 always agree with his vision for Australia, but at least he had one.
Set across three different timelines Ms Carpenter鈥檚 novel takes the reader into the Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital in Goulbur鈥業 watch them come and go.鈥�
Set across three different timelines Ms Carpenter鈥檚 novel takes the reader into the Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital in Goulburn, NSW. Part historical fiction and part horror, two threads shed light on the treatment of psychiatric patients in the twentieth century. The third thread takes us into Kenmore, now abandoned, with two intrepid YouTube ghost hunters.
The Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital opened in 1894, temporarily accommodating 140 patients. During the 1960s, more than1400 people were accommodated. The institution was closed in 2003. While I wonder what the future holds, it is the past that held my attention.
In 1910, Kenmore is full. Nurse Harriet is one of those working there, trying to do the best for the patients. Alice is one of those patients. Deemed unmanageable much of the time, Alice is often restrained. Her health suffers while her presence has its own impact on patients and staff alike.
In the 1950s, Bonnie joins Kenmore as a nurse trainee. The buildings seem to have their own uneasy lives, impacting on current residents and staff. Alice may be long dead but there are those who believe that her spirit is still active. How else can people explain the mysterious creaks and groans, the changes in temperature in certain buildings? Bonnie and the other nurses try their best to care for patients, to keep them clean, safe and warm.
And in 2021, after Kenmore has been closed for years, Aiden and Devin set out to explore the ruins of the building. They hope to make a video which, once it goes viral, will make them rich and famous.
The story shifts between these different timelines. Me, I wanted to spend more time with Alice in 1910, but I appreciate that the shifts between timelines were an important part of building suspense. And yes, there are connections between the stories. While I focussed on the people, the asylum itself becomes a central character. As the story unfolds, the building seems to become restless and unsettled. There are inexplicable events in each period, and it becomes easy to understand why some believe the asylum to be haunted.
By bringing Kenmore to life in this novel, Ms Carpenter reminds the reader of the challenges faced by those providing care to psychiatric patients as well as the at times questionable treatment afforded to those deemed insane. There鈥檚 a reminder, too, that it was once comparatively easy to have people locked away on (sometimes spurious) evidence of insanity.
I finished the novel and returned to the twenty-first century.
鈥楾he child was wakened by the knotting of the snake鈥檚 coils about his waist.鈥�
I first read this novel fifty years ago and fell in love with Ms Renault鈥�鈥楾he child was wakened by the knotting of the snake鈥檚 coils about his waist.鈥�
I first read this novel fifty years ago and fell in love with Ms Renault鈥檚 imagining of the early life of Alexander, before he was King, and before he became known as 鈥楾he Great鈥�.
As I reread the novel, knowing that Alexander would become king, and that although he would only live for 32 years, he would create a vast empire, I am aware that there are no firsthand accounts of his childhood. Here, in Ms Renault鈥檚 novel, we have Alexander, a beautiful child caught between warring parents, the tenuous heir to the Macedonian throne. And, even as a child, we see his ambition and determination.
I kept reading, reminded of Aristotle鈥檚 role in Alexander鈥檚 life and the loyalty of Hephaistion. As the novel ends, with the assassination of King Philip, Alexander is ready to take his next step. This is a dense, beautifully written novel. Ms Renault brings people and place to life, with their flaws and strengths part of the story. This is a novel worth rereading and is my favourite of the trilogy.
鈥榊ou鈥檝e spent years training for this, Doctor Heywood 鈥� Now is your chance.鈥�
Sydney, February 1914. Doctor Clara Heywood is one of a handful of female 鈥榊ou鈥檝e spent years training for this, Doctor Heywood 鈥� Now is your chance.鈥�
Sydney, February 1914. Doctor Clara Heywood is one of a handful of female medical graduates working at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She has worked hard for acceptance: not everyone accepts women as doctors. Clara Heywood would like to become a surgeon, but there鈥檚 little likelihood of this within Australia at the time. And, when war breaks out in August 1914, the Australian Army does not accept female doctors. Clara鈥檚 male colleagues, including her unofficial fianc茅 Edward Burnett, head off to war in Europe.
Clara is determined and, despite opposition from within her family, she leaves for France. Here, working within the Scottish Women鈥檚 Hospital at Royaumont Abbey, a voluntary hospital entirely run by women, she learns surgical skills in a demanding environment. Clara is treating French soldiers, dealing with complex cases. The pressures increase as the war progresses, and Clara finds her values as well as her skills tested.
On a personal level, Clara鈥檚 father tries to have her return to London where he believes she will be safe. And Clara takes some comfort in the letters she receives from Edward. Clara and the other doctors at the hospital, including the remarkable Miss Frances Ivens, deal with the harsh realities of war: the shocking injuries, the horrific infections and the need to triage patients to try to maximise survival. Clara is ambitious, and longs for a medical role working with the Australian Army. Finally, it seems that an opportunity may arise!
Susan Neuhaus is a doctor, with experience in the Australian Army, and this novel reflects her knowledge and research. I was caught up in Clara鈥檚 story, in the choices medical staff had to make, and the reminder that sometimes mistakes are made, and not all endings can be happy.
The best historical fiction brings the past to life. Names become people, striding out of the past and into the reader鈥檚 present. In her debut novel, The best historical fiction brings the past to life. Names become people, striding out of the past and into the reader鈥檚 present. In her debut novel, Ms Parker brings aspects of the late Roman Republic to life through Fulvia, (possible) descendant of the Gracchi. Fulvia, raised in the Etruscan countryside, the daughter of a wealthy but politically unimportant family, moves to Rome after her father鈥檚 death. Fulvia is ambitious and believes that Rome will provide a better future than a marriage within Etruria.
In Rome, Fulvia marries Publius Clodius Pulcher, heir to a leading aristocratic family. Clodius, critical of the rules of the aristocracy, finds his way to power through the Roman Senate. He is well supported by Fulvia. But ambition begets enemies, and Rome is a dangerous place. It is over half a century since I studied this period of history. Some of the characters are known to me, but few women appear in the conventional histories written. I can imagine the potential influence of this Fulvia, wielding power behind the scenes.
An enjoyable, thought-provoking work of historical fiction. Highly recommended.
鈥楬ead thrown back, beak wide, tail feathers open and shaking, the bird was mimicking the sounds of human terror, the way she had heard other lyrebirds鈥楬ead thrown back, beak wide, tail feathers open and shaking, the bird was mimicking the sounds of human terror, the way she had heard other lyrebirds mimic chainsaws, car alarms and every other bird in the forest.鈥�
When ornithology student Jessica Weston first heard these sounds in the remote Barrington Tops of New South Wales, she thought she was hearing a woman screaming for her life. Her relief, when she saw the lyrebird, was both profound and short-lived. Jessica realised that the bird must have heard those sounds in order to mimic them. Jessica videoed the bird鈥檚 display and took her video to the police, where newly appointed detective, Megan Blaxland was one of the police who investigated. But no-one had been reported missing, and no body was found.
Twenty years later, in the same area, a body was unearthed. Megan Blaxland is brought out of retirement to head the investigation. Jessica Weston, now an associate professor and the mother of a teenaged daughter, is determined to help any way she can.
As the investigation unfolds, we learn more about the lives of Jessica and of the police officers involved. More bodies are found, and painstaking investigation uncovers issues of human trafficking and organised crime. Finding out who is responsible takes those investigating into danger, especially when a bushfire erupts.
While I found the subject matter and a couple of the story twists uncomfortable, I was enthralled. The story held my attention from beginning to end, and I am still wondering about what the future might hold for a couple of the characters.
鈥楾his is a book about refugees, thus necessarily a story involving suffering and loss.鈥�
Europe in 1945 was a disaster. Cities and economies destroyed, 鈥楾his is a book about refugees, thus necessarily a story involving suffering and loss.鈥�
Europe in 1945 was a disaster. Cities and economies destroyed, millions of people dead. Millions of people displaced, food in short supply, and the threat of disease. How could the Allies address these issues? Ms Fitzpatrick is an historian of the Soviet Union, and to write this book she undertook extensive research into the displaced persons who ended up in Germany and Austria at the end of World War II. I was intrigued by the following sentence in the book blurb:
鈥楢 vivid history of how Cold War politics helped solve one of the twentieth century鈥檚 biggest refugee crises.鈥�
I was keen to learn more. Who were the displaced people? They included prisoners of war, forced labourers and Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Amongst their number were about one million people whom the USSR claimed as their citizens. Many of these people (Russians, prewar Soviet citizens, and people from West Ukraine and the Baltic states forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1939), refused to be repatriated to the USSR. Repatriation programs organised by the Allies (and largely funded by the USA) stalled as many displaced people refused repatriation. Many of the Jewish survivors wanted to leave Europe while many from the Baltic states and parts of Eastern Europe did not want to return to areas annexed by the USSR.
Word War II allies became Cold War adversaries. In 1947, with some of the remaining displaced persons redefined as 鈥榲ictims of communism鈥� instead of 鈥榲ictims of war and Nazism鈥�, mass resettlement of displaced persons in America, Australia, Canada and other countries outside Europe followed. The USSR protested in vain about the 鈥榯heft鈥� of its citizens but by 1951 more than one million displaced people had been resettled.
The book is divided into three parts:
Part I, entitled 鈥楾he Great Power Story鈥�, covers the structures set up to address the issues, and the political conflicts over repatriation.
Part II, entitled 鈥楾he DP Story鈥�, takes the reader into the camps and the ways in which displaced people鈥檚 lives were organised.
Part III, entitled 鈥楽olving the Problem鈥� covers various pieces of a complex puzzle. Not all of those in the camps were victims, and some were able to take advantage of the situation to their own benefit.
I finished the book conscious of the fact that while that particular refugee crisis may have been solved, some aspects of that solution have now resulted in another refugee crisis which is far from being solved.
Scotland, 1780. Greer MacAlister receives word that her husband, an excise man, has died. She and her daughter Fenella (Fen) travel from Edinburgh to Scotland, 1780. Greer MacAlister receives word that her husband, an excise man, has died. She and her daughter Fenella (Fen) travel from Edinburgh to Montrose to collect money owed to him. But the money is gone, and Greer and Fen are treated as outcasts. Desperate, Greer offers to work as housekeeper for Tam Gordon in the remote village he calls home. Illicit whisky making provides the means of survival for this small community, still feeling the effects of the Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746. The victorious, red-coated British patrol the area and make a difficult life more challenging. Initially viewed with suspicion, as lowland incomers, Greer and Fen become important members of the community.
Part adventure, part romance, part tribute to a past now long gone, this is the story of courage, the challenges of family, and of justice. I am drawn into this story, with its smattering of Gaelic, with its mix of superstitious and supernatural beliefs and reminders of increasing hardship, resulting in an exodus from the highlands.
Yes, I loved this story. It took me back into a lifestyle and history some of my ancestors were part of, before leaving Scotland in the mid-19th century. Ms Brooks brings people and place to life.
Set in colonial Fiji in 1914, this novel introduces Sergeant Akmal Singh, a twenty-five-year-old police officer who has been banish鈥楽ingh. My office.鈥�
Set in colonial Fiji in 1914, this novel introduces Sergeant Akmal Singh, a twenty-five-year-old police officer who has been banished to Fiji after a professional mistake in Hong Kong. Sergeant Singh is desperate to earn back the respect of his superior officers (while dreaming of returning to Hong Kong).
When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation, the local priest, Father Hughes, gets media attention when he claims that she has been kidnapped. Reluctantly, Inspector-General Jonathan Thurstrom assigns Sergeant Singh to the case. The Inspector-General intends only a cursory investigation: the fate of an indentured Indian worker seems to be of little consequence. While initially Sergeant Singh thinks that the woman has run off with another man, it soon becomes clear that this is not the case. In investigating the case, Sergeant Singh is confronted by obfuscation and racism on the part of the European plantation owners, but receives support from the local doctor, Dr Holmes. While he receives mixed responses from the other indentured Indian labourers on the plantation and others, he is able to piece together the evidence and solve the mystery.
While I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story, it was the colonial history aspect which captured and held my attention. As described, the working conditions for the indentured Indian labourers were appalling.
This is the first novel in a proposed series. The second novel is scheduled for publication on 10 June 2025.
England, 1650. After the execution of Charles I in 1649, England is again on the verge of civil war. The Parliamentary forces are led by Oliver CromweEngland, 1650. After the execution of Charles I in 1649, England is again on the verge of civil war. The Parliamentary forces are led by Oliver Cromwell, while the Royalists fight in support of Charles II.
In this novel, Ms Stuart combines adventure and romance as Kate Ashley, a widow on the Parliamentary side, becomes responsible for a Royalist estate. Kate receives a letter from Sir Francis Thornton, her nine-year-old son Thomas鈥檚 paternal great grandfather, asking her and Thomas to visit. While the Thornton and Ashley families have been estranged for many years, Kate accepts the invitation after Thomas expresses interest in meeting his great grandfather.
Sir Francis鈥檚 grandson Jonathan, a supporter of Charles II, makes a clandestine visit to 鈥楽even Ways鈥� while Kate and Thomas are visiting. He and Thomas get on well and Kate finds him intriguing. After the visit, which goes well, Thomas is named as heir to Sir Francis鈥檚 estate, 鈥楽even Ways鈥�. This is seen as the only way that 鈥楽even Ways鈥� can be kept out of Parliamentary hands. Sir Francis dies. The fighting continues. Kate works hard to look after 鈥楽even Ways鈥�. And her path crosses again with Jonathan.
While romance interests me less than adventure, the story drew me in. Aspects of Jonathan鈥檚 story were a little too dramatic for my taste, but the entire story portrayed the uncertainties experienced by many during the Interregnum. Jonathan鈥檚 past added some complicating factors, and I started to wonder whether there could ever be a happy ending. Kate was my favourite character: I admired her competence and courage.
This book is the first in a series and I am hoping to lay my hands on the remainder.
鈥楽omeone鈥檚 tragic death was everyone else鈥檚 direct messaging.鈥�
In the courtyard of the Pacific Heights apartment block, somewhere in an Australian city鈥楽omeone鈥檚 tragic death was everyone else鈥檚 direct messaging.鈥�
In the courtyard of the Pacific Heights apartment block, somewhere in an Australian city, a local resident is found dead. Given that five apartments overlook the murder scene and several residents were awake at the time, solving the murder should be straightforward. At least, that is what is assumed by Superintendent Laxton when he assigns Detectives Carl 鈥楤luey鈥� Blewson and Lachlan Dyson are assigned to the case. He doesn鈥檛 have a high regard for either of them, but all the other detectives are busy.
Once on scene, the detectives try to determine what happened. They start by interviewing several residents who either witnessed some of the events surrounding the murder or who knew the victim. But, even allowing for different perspectives of the site and the fact that no-one saw everything, discrepancies appear.
And what about the victim? The more the detectives dig, the more motivation they find. The victim had manipulated or taken advantage of several people, any one of whom might have resorted to murder.
Mr White has peopled his novel with a range of well-developed and complex characters. Each has his or her own story, and some apparently knew the victim better than they claimed. I was fascinated. While I thought I knew who was responsible for the murder, there were aspects of the case I did not work out before the end. And, while it is totally inappropriate for me to say so, I had much more sympathy for the perpetrator than the victim.
鈥榃e answered your questions, Detective.鈥�
This is the fifth of Mr White鈥檚 novels I have read, following the (currently four volume) Detective Dana Russo series. Highly recommended.
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