SEPTEMBER -- BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

 

This month we had a very interesting and lively discussion at book club.

KERRIE:  SEARCHING FOR CHARLOTTE: The fascinating story of Australia’s first children’s author by CHARLOTTE ATKINSON

This book was published by two of her relatives who were both female writers.  The writing tradition had been passed down through the generations.  Her two great-great grandchildren were interested in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte came from a literary family, and she had a well to do upbringing. In 1826 she came out from England to work as a governess for Macarthur’s children. She married in 1827 and when Charlotte’s husband died in 1834, she nearly lost her property and her children.  She took the case to court and won.  It was the first time in history.  Her second marriage was to an overseer who was a dreadful man.  Charlotte was determined to get on in life and although she had made some bad choices, she tried to make the best of them. She went on to write children’s books. Kerrie enjoyed the book.

ED:  MY LUCKY LIFE in and out of show business by DICK VAN DYKE

Richard Van Dyke was born in 1925.  He is an American actor, entertainer and comedian.  His work spans screen and stage. He won many awards and was recognized as a Disney Legend in 1998. He was in the Dick Van Dyke Show, a CBS television sitcom, from 1961 to 1966 which made him a household name.  He starred in movie musicals such as Bye, Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins and Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang. Van Dyke is a Dutch surname, although he also has English, Irish and Scottish ancestry. Ed enjoyed the read.

JO:  ENCOUNTERS WITH ANIMALS by GERALD DURRELL

The family went to different countries getting animals for his zoo. There were many encounters with animals.  Jo loved it and said it was a very interesting to read.

JOAN:  HILLBILLY ELEGY - A MEMOIR OF FAMILY AND CULTURE IN CRISIS by J. D. VANCE (Pub 2016)

This was a national USA bestseller.  It is a personal story of growing up in a poor rural community and climbing out to become Donald Trump’s Vice-Presidential running partner for the 2024 USA elections.

PRUE:  SIDNEY KIDMAN, THE FORGOTTEN KING by JILL BOWAN

 She did three years of research and travelling to write this book, her first one.  It was like a jigsaw puzzle without any information.  There was so little information even in the family.  He didn’t start making a name for himself in business until his brother died.  He was a thinker.  He had sheep and cattle  in South Australia on land bigger than the British Isles.  Although Prue has not read much, she said she was really drawn in and will read the whole story.

THERESA:  HAPPIEST REFUGEE by ANH DO

Although a happy book, it started off with the very sad journey out of Vietnam.  In the 70’s everything became easier.  He got a scholarship to a good school.  His mother was a very hard worker for the family as she had great love for her children.  Theresa also read The Happiest Man on Earth by Edi Jaku.   This was very sad but also uplifting.  He was unique as nothing ever got him down.  She said both men were very intelligent.   Although she enjoyed both books, she enjoyed the Happiest Man on Earth the most.

SHEILA:  Her choice of biography was a book was about Sir Paul Hasluck, Governor General in 1960’s.  He was born to English parents who moved to Western Australia.  Paul loved Australia.  She hasn’t had time to read it yet.

KRIS: THE SHAPE OF DUST by LAMISSE HAMOUDA with HAZEM HAMOUDA

This is a riveting book.  It is the story of an Australian /Egyptian citizen, Hazem Hamouda who disappeared at Cairo airport after arriving for a family holiday in 2018.  His daughter Lamisse, who was born in Australia, was working in Egypt.  She arrives to pick him up, but she cannot find him or find any information about him.  After quite some time they discover he was taken to a police station and eventually to the notorious Tora prison.   He is put in a cell with many other prisoners, both political and criminal.  His daughter Lamisse is frantic in her quest to help him but is constantly thwarted.  It is an extraordinary and painful story.  We share the long journey with Lamisse as she comes close to a breakdown.  It’s a must read.

JUDY J: THE LAST BUSHRANGERS by MIKE MUNRO (Channel 9 Sixty Minutes Journalist)

When Mike Munro was in his late twenties, he was called to see his very ill father.  His mother had been separated from this man for many years, he was an alcoholic and gambler.  Because he was dying, there was something Mike needed to know.  His name was not really Munro, but Kenniff.  His father had changed it to hide the family humiliation and shame that their uncles were Patrick and Jimmy Kenniff, Australia’s last bushrangers.  Ned Kelly had been hung in 1880, Captain Thunderbolt killed 1870, Captain Moonlight also hung in 1880. The Kenniff brothers were always being chased by the police and for many years had avoided being arrested, but there was never any violence in their actions. When they were finally caught and made an example of, they were sent to trial.  In many respects they didn’t receive a fair trial.  Good story.

ROSEMARY:  MY JOURNEY TO THE WORLD CUP by SAM KERR

It was a simple story, but not well written.  There were interviews with friends and family.  Rosemary said she didn’t learn a lot about Sam Kerr.  Kerr didn’t want to play soccer but took it up when she couldn’t play AFL because she was a girl.  Sam is a great person, player and captain but the book was not terribly informative.

BEV:  BELIVE by SALLY PEARSON

This is an autobiography written in 2013.  Bev said it was interesting.  She was an only child to a single mother.  Her teacher encouraged her.  She was a fast runner.  They moved to the Gold Coast where she trained in gymnastics and then changed to Little Athletics.  The woman running it turned out to be her coach throughout her career. She accepted and believed that, with hard work, she could be a good runner and athlete.  This was written after the Olympic Games in Britain in 2012 where she won a gold medal for 100m hurdles.  Bev said it was interesting and worth reading. There are statistics of all her races at the back of the book.

JUDY A: HOW TO SAY BABYLON  by SAFIYA SINCLAIR

This is a memoir of a girl brought up in Jamaica in a Rastafarian family.  The Rastafari movement began in Jamaica during the 1930’s following a prophecy made by Marcus Garvey, a black political leader who led an organisation whose intention was to unify blacks with their land of origin.  His prophecy was to “Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be your Redeemer.”  This statement became the foundation of the Rastafari movement. The prophecy was rapidly followed by the crowning of Emperor Hall Selassie 1 in Ethiopia in 1930.  There was a crisis of faith when he was deposed by the military in 1974, placed under house arrest and died mysteriously in 1975. Safiya realised there was no accepted gospel among Rastafari.  She was the eldest of 4 children brought up by her father who adhered to a strict patriarchal, misogynistic style.  Although their mother was subjugated to her husband, who ruled by violence, she made sure the kids were well educated.  Judy said it was enjoyable to read.

PAT:  HEIDA, A Shepherd at the Edge of the World by STEINUNN SIGURDARDOTTIR

Heida is a solitary farmer with a flock of 500 sheep in Iceland’s highlands.  She was one of four daughters. She changed tyres, did all the work the men did and was never told she couldn’t do something because she was a woman.  She went to boarding school, did some modelling for a while but she found it superficial and wanted to return to farming.  In 2001 at age 23 she took over the operations of the family farm in partnership with her mother, as she owned the land.  Her father had cancer.  At 46 she is still on the farm and is still single.  She is a loner.  Although Pat found it interesting, she got bored with farm life and did not finish it.

MARGARET:  OLD RAGE by SHEILA HANCOCK

This book is contemporary.  It’s her latest book Sheila rages about Brexit and what is happening in Britain.  She talks about her early life, her wartime childhood, how her schooling was disrupted and her desire to perform.  Margaret enjoyed the read and wanted to read more so she read The Two Us.  It’s a memoir of Sheila’s marriage to John Thaw (Morse) her second husband.  It was a No 1 bestseller.  They had a holiday home in France.  It was very interesting.  Then Margaret read Just Me.  Sheila rediscovered herself as “just me.”  She travelled to different places, met interesting people and faced her prejudices.

 

 

October:  We will be reading Historical Fiction

 

AUGUST: The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

 

The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson

 

Set in 1965 in Sydney’s rag trade district, four tea ladies who work for the surrounding fashion manufacturers meet regularly on their own breaks. They are the gentle Hazel, bossy Merl, slightly dizzy Betty and rough-as-guts Irene (who herself has a colourful past).

Led by Betty, they investigate murder, rescue a kidnapped Russian gymnast and help introduce the latest fashion trends in their industry. 

 

Rosemary:

Rosemary described the book as ‘cosy crime’. She enjoyed the characters but thought it a little unrealistic how they suddenly turned into sleuths. It was a nice easy read, a bit of escapism and gave good insights into life in the 60s. A sequel is coming out soon.

 

Bev:

Bev found that the book was a bit slow to start but thought it got better and became more interesting.

 

Joan: 

Joan commented on Hazel, the leader of the tea ladies, saying that she was a woman of the times. Despite her involvement in the sleuthing, she was unable to read or write, something she avowed to rectify.

 

Ed:

Ed also enjoyed the book and was suspicious of Bob (Hazel’s husband) straight away!

 

Jo:

Jo enjoyed the characters and the storyline. The book took her back to the ‘good old days’.

 

Theresa:

For Theresa the book brought back many memories as her sister had lived in Surrey Hills, so it was quite nostalgic for her. She did feel sorry for Hazel and the downtrodden role she had in her marriage although she eventually did stand up to Bob.

 

Prue:

Prue had only just started the book, but she was thoroughly enjoying it. Her first job was as a tea lady, and had lived in the area.

She described it as ‘not the best book’ she had read but it was a good read.

 

Judy J:

Judy’s comment was that humour must be a difficult genre to write. She didn’t find the book and the situations described in it, very funny. Yet she enjoyed the discussion in the group of some of the funnier incidents.

Her favourite part was the coming of the new fashion era of miniskirts etc lead by Jean Shrimpton.

 

Judy De L :

Judy agreed that she hadn’t found the book very funny. It was an easy and light read. Talking about it was more amusing.

 

 

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

 

This semi-historical novel traces the writing and publication of the Oxford Dictionary at the time of the Suffragette movement and World War 1.

 

Lyn:  

The author weaves the fictional character of Esme Nichol through the book. The intricacies of word selection, meanings, description and examples of use fascinated her.

She enjoyed the book more on this second reading, appreciating  the astounding depth of research.

 

Val:

Val enjoyed the book as it was quite original in its subject matter. She commented on how the plight of women was woven through the narrative. Val had also lived in and attended school in the area where the book was set.

 

Margaret:

The main  ideas of the book were words, language and women’s place in society, being very subservient to men.

Through reading the book you learn about the history of the times without it being done in a heavy way. She also enjoyed the bit of romance in the story.

The Book Binders of Jericho is the companion book.

 

Kris:

Kris enjoyed the book although it was a little slow to begin with. This is the author’s first novel, and she has written several other interesting non-fiction books.

Even though it’s quite  long, it’s a story to be savoured. Kris thought she is a great storyteller and a beautiful writer, weaving the story around historical facts. It’s well worth reading.

 

Helen:

While she took a while to get into the story, she thought it was such an original beginning with a young girl sitting under a desk picking up bits of paper with words on them.

She loved the characters and finding out about the history of the Oxford Dictionary.

This genre, learning about history with fiction thrown in, is much like the books written by Geraldine Brooks.

 

Pat:

The first half was slow and depressing, with so much sadness for young Esme. She enjoyed the second half much more.

It was such an interesting concept that the Oxford Dictionary was created in a back yard shed by a group of people who were totally obsessed with words. As such it was very different from any book she had read. The photos in the back tied everything together. 

 

Judy A:

She managed to read nearly 150 pages before the slow moving and tedious story forced her to give the book away. The author’s notes and epilogue were more interesting.

 

Tam:

Tam described the book as a fascinating study of words and the need for dictionaries to keep track of changing uses and meanings. It was interesting that men were usually educated and only the words they used were included. An original type of story.

 

 

 

Sheila:  Hornblower and the Crisis  by C S Forester

 

This historical novel forms part of the Horatio Hornblower series from when Hornblower had  gone to sea as a 17 year old and finishing as  Commander. Set in 1805 it tells the story of Napoleon’s plans to invade England.

All the books are well written, and the descriptions of  the English sailor’s life on ships regardless of their position is very interesting. So too are the descriptions of the warships  and how they won the battles. It’s history served up in a novel.

 

 SEPTEMBER: Autobiography or Biography of your own choice.

 

 

 

 

  

JULY 2024 -- VARIOUS TITLES BY GERALDINE BROOKS

 

A smaller group of highly engaged readers at our July Book Club meeting allowed for much more discussion surrounding our chosen author  - Geraldine Brooks. We even had a member who was at High School with Geraldine Brooks, so this added to our lively conversation.

HELEN, PAT, JUDY J.,KRIS - YEAR OF WONDERS - 2001. Set in 1666, in a small village in England, a bolt of cloth is brought into the town and unbeknown to the villagers the Plague has reached them. Amazingly the town goes into isolation at a time when knowledge of infectious diseases was unheard of,  science was feared, religion and superstition controlled lives and medicine was mainly herbal remedies combined with faith and elements of witchcraft. The towns people have to cope, alone. The central character Anna, a young widow grieving the deaths of her 2 babies, rises to the challenge of helping her neighbours to survive what turns out to be a year of dire hardship. So many similarities with the recent Covid pandemic. People finding inner strength to assist, others fleeing to safer places, incorrect blame against the innocent, selfishness versus selfless  actions, Church meetings held in open fields, the gap between those who have and those who don't. The book about this fateful year is based on a true story and the terminology reflects the language of the time. Comments from our readers included - the generosity of spirit and  resourcefulness of the villagers was revealed and how powerfully  portrayed the characters were. It was a fascinating read, thoroughly enjoyed with mixed feelings about the ending.

JOAN, ED. - 9 PARTS OF DESIRE - THE HIDDEN WORLD OF ISLAMIC WOMEN - 1994. A serious, respectful insight into the lives of Muslim women according to the author who  spent a number of years in the Middle East closely observing religious, political and cultural practices.. The Koran, the basis of the Islamic faith, has seen many interpretations evolve resulting in varying rules and beliefs across the Muslim world. The brutality of some practices, the differences between what the Koran says verses traditional and cultural 'laws' and the everyday lives of the women resulted in a well balanced read for one member whilst another developed an instant dislike due to the derogatory treatment of women.

 THERESE, PRU, TAM, JO - PEOPLE OF THE BOOK - 1996. Australian conservator Hannah painstakingly traces the origins of the 'Haggadah' (an ancient Jewish text that explains the order of the meal and meaning of Passover - the Exodus of Jews from Egypt) through its bindings. The Haggadah, (which in reality was found in Sarajevo) has a wine spill, a cat hair, the vellum is of a sheep now extinct, salt crystals, a hair, and a partial butterfly wing. Through these minute  items Hannah tries to determine the history of the text, and the background of the times - wars, conflicts, brutal regimes, religious doctrines etc. The settings are quite detailed, the characters life like, the stories can be dense with different views explored. Fact and fiction blended well.

ROSEMARY - CALEB'S CROSSING - 2011. 1665 A native American became the first man to graduate from Harvard. The story is a contrast of opposites between the old and the new. A friendship is formed between Caleb, the son of a chief and a young girl, Bethia, from a Puritan group who yearns for education and knowledge (not allowed in strict puritanical times). Caleb goes to University, whilst Bethia becomes a housemaid locally but quietly listens and learns about life from those around her.

LESLEY - HORSE - 2022. 2 main time frames - leading up to and including the American War of Independences and the present day. Kentucky - a champion horse is groomed and trained by a slave and his son (Jarrett). They cannot own the horse - only white, and usually wealthy men are allowed to own property. The horse called Darley and Jarrett share a special bond. The background story is filled with the social and political rules of white society. Darley is sold to a wealthy plantation owner, Jarrett is also allowed to go with the horse. The Civil War is approaching, Darley is now known as Lexington and winning races, thus bringing huge kudos, and money, to his new owner. Present day Boston and Australian Jess, palaeontologist and researcher discovers the skeleton of Lexington is held deep in the Smithsonian. She wants to examine it to discover why the horse was so exceptional. Randomly she meets and English art historian, Theo who has an old painting of Lexington, with his slave groom Jarrett. With strong themes of racism, slavery, social injustice and the devastation of war the book is well written, the time frames are well connected and the characters mostly well drawn. Thoroughly enjoyed.

For August the Book Club has chosen 2 books to be reviewed - The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Tea Ladies.

Both books should be enjoyable.

Lesley