Book Review: Becoming Mrs Mulberry by Jackie French

 Becoming Mrs Mulberry

by

Jackie French

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Publication date: 8th March 2023

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Pages: 512

 

RRP: $32.99AU (Paperback)

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of Becoming Mrs Mulberry

Becoming Mrs Mulberry, set in the picturesque Blue Mountains region of NSW post WWI, is a story of compassion and the healing power of nature.

Jackie French, through Agnes, highlights the fight women endured to become doctors. Agnes had to study and qualify in Edinburgh before she could return to Australia and join her father in general practice.

At the plea of her best friend Hortense (Puddin' to her friends), Agnes forgoes her career and marries Puddin's shell shocked brother to save the family fortune from their greedy uncle. Douglas was to be declared insane and committed to an asylum.

Agnes and Douglas move to his property in the secluded Blue Mountains region of Australia. The quiet surroundings and the natural environment, along with Agnes' care, see Douglas slowly heal. Agnes uses her new found wealth to supply a calm and accepting escape for the men and women disfigured by war.

I was totally shocked by the way returned soldiers, greatly disfigured while fighting for their country, were locked away and treated badly, called freaks and misfits, completely disregarding their physical and mental suffering.

Becoming Mrs Mulberry is both heart-wrenching and up-lifting. Agnes' humility and compassion brought tears to my eyes, more than once.

Agnes was taught to look for people who were suffering and try to help them. Money brings power - it's how you use that power that counts.

It's not all heart-wrenching scenes; there are plenty of humorous moments with characters like Private Private, the naturist who discarded society and his clothes, also the appearance of a wombat who has a knicker fetish.

Becoming Mrs Mulberry also has an interweaving story about a young child who Agnes saves from a circus freak exhibition. The child is grossly deformed however Agnes feels she can cure her. The circus owners call the child Dingo, saying she was brought up by dingoes.

 

If you have ever attended a talk by Jackie French you will know she is a passionate person and that passion shines through in her writing.  

I truly think Becoming Mrs Mulberry will be one of my top reads for the year. If you only read one book this year - make it this one!

My rating 5 / 5    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Jackie French AM is an award-winning author, historian and ecologist. She was the 2014-2015 Australian Children's Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the year. In 2016 Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant contribution to literature and youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia's most popular authors with her vast body of work crossing from fiction, non-fiction, picture books, ecology, fantasy and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction.

 

 

Book Review: The Tower by Carol Lefevre

 The Tower

by

Carol Lefevre

Publisher: Spinifex Press

Publication date: 4th October 2022

Genre: Women's Fiction

Pages: 256 (Paperback)

RRP: $32.95AU

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via RM Marketing 

My review of The Tower

I had previously enjoyed Carol Lefevre's novella Murmurations so was looking forward to reading her latest offering.

 

The Tower is an eclectic collection of short stories that are connected and bound together by themes of grief, betrayal, ageing and a need to belong. Carol Lefevre writes heartfelt stories about strong women who battle through adversity.

 

Widowed after a long marriage, Dorelia sells the family home and buys a house with a tower; a place to unwind, find peace and rewrite the stories of older women treated poorly by literature. Her three grown children, although busy with their own lives, feel the need to advise Dorelia on how to live her life.

 

This collection has stories of love, loss and the highs and lows of motherhood, all wrapped around themes of ageing and finding inner peace.

Every alternate story features Dorelia, her move to the tower, her battles with her well-meaning daughters and reminiscences of her younger years.

 

When I first started the book I didn't feel the connection between the stories, other than the theme of motherhood and loss, but as I read on and names from one story appeared in another the connections between the characters became clearer and the stories became more cohesive.

 

The Tower, although a collection of short stories, reads a lot like a novel and even has a few twisty surprises throughout.

 

Deeply imagined and vividly portrayed The Tower is a book that will speak to your heart.

 

My rating 4 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐  

 

About the author

 

Carol Lefevre holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide, where she is a Visiting Research Fellow. Her novel Nights in the Asylum, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, won the Nita B. Kibble Award for Women Writers, and the People’s Choice Award. If You Were Mine (2008) was published by Vintage. She has published short fiction, essays, and journalism, and a non-fiction book, Quiet City: walking in West Terrace Cemetery (Wakefield Press, 2016). She has written two books with Spinifex Press - The Happiness Glass and Murmurations.

My review of Murmurations can be found here: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2020/04/book-review-murmurations-by-carol.html

Book Review: I Belong to No One by Gwen Wilson

 I Belong to No One

by

Gwen Wilson

Publisher: Hachette Australia

 

Publication day: 1st January 2015

 

Genre: Non Fiction / Memoir

 

Pages: 314

 

Source: Own purchase

 

My review of I Belong to No One

I found Gwen Wilson's memoir riveting. The writing flowed well making it an easy read. However, I didn't think the life she portrays in the book was that harrowing, or much different to any low socioeconomic families of that era.

Brought up by a single mother with mental health problems Gwen explains how neighbours and family often took her in. She was an intelligent and fiery young girl who wasn't afraid of hard work.

I few bad decisions and a stubborn personality sees Gwen hit rock bottom; pregnant and unemployed.

I Belong to No One is heart-wrenching in its reading. Although the author has spared her readers the graphic details of abuse she still manages to clearly portray the injustices and inequality suffered by women in the 70's.

Wilson is an inspiration to all in the way she turned her life around, offered forgiveness and moved forward.

My rating 3/5         ⭐⭐⭐

About the author (from the front of the book)

Gwen Wilson started writing her memoir in her fifties. Essentially self-educated, Gwen worked as a motel receptionist, dental nurse and switchboard operator until at nineteen, in the exciting days of the pre-container era, a chance opportunity saw her land a role in customs clearance on the male-dominated Port Adelaide waterfront. A stable marriage and a successful career in shipping and logistics followed until she retired, after which Gwen entered university for the first time and now holds a Master's degree in Electronic Commerce. Gwen and husband Bill live in Wollongong, New South Wales.

Challenges: Mount TBR challenge (on my shelf since October 2015)

                    Non Fiction readers challenge (memoir)

Book Review: Taken by Dinuka McKenzie

 Taken 

by

Dinuka McKenzie

Detective Kate Miles #2

Publisher: Harper Collins Aus

 

Publication date: 1st February 2023

 

Series: Det. Kate Miles #2 

Genre: Crime / Mystery

Pages: 327

Source: Netgalley

My review of Taken

Just what I needed, I finished it in two days! Taken is a fabulous read that kept me glued to the pages. 

A young baby goes missing a Det Kate Miles leads the case. This is the second book in the series but I didn't feel like I had missed out on anything.

Kate has a lot going on in her life and she seems to be struggling but she always finds time to help others, often to the detriment of her own family time.

Kate brushes of racist remarks and battles misogynists while her personal life is threatening to derail her career as she worries that her father may be implicated in a corruption scandal.

Through Kate, Dinuka McKenzie highlights the struggle for all mothers returning to the paid workforce and the guilt this entails as they juggle being a wife, mother, daughter and employee.

Detective Kate Miles is a skillfully developed character; she makes bad decisions, thinks with her heart and struggles with the challenges life throws at her.

Taken is a well-rounded crime, mystery with themes of domestic abuse and the overwhelming expectations of motherhood.

 

Taken, book two in the Kate Miles series, is a fast paced and deftly plotted police procedural that reads well as a stand-alone.

I am pleased to have found a new series to follow with a relatable protagonist at its heart.

My rating 4/5       ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Dinuka McKenzie is an Australian writer. Her debut crime novel, The Torrent, won the HarperCollins Australia 2020 Banjo Prize. Her then-unpublished manuscript Taken was longlisted for the 2020 Richell Prize. When not writing, Dinuka works in the environmental sector and volunteers as part of the team behind the Writers Unleashed Festival. She lives in southern Sydney with her husband, two kids and their pet chicken.

 

Book Review: Retribution by Sarah Barrie

 Retribution

by

Sarah Barrie

Once a vigilante, she's now a cop....who doesn't play by the rules

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Publication date: 30th November 2022

 

Series: Lexie Winter #2

 

Genre: Crime / Thriller

 

Pages: 347

 

RRP: $32.99 Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of Retribution

Retribution is book two in the Lexi Winter series and opens with Lexi newly graduated from the Police Academy. Even though Retribution can be read as a stand-alone I would recommend reading Unforgiven as it will give you a good grasp of who Lexi is and where she has come from.

 

Currently assigned to Wyong Police Station, Lexi is hell bent on bringing down a notorious drug family, single-handedly if need be.

 

Retribution isn't quite as disturbing and hard-hitting as Unforgiven and starts off as a bit of a slow burn. I was wondering if it was going to match up to Unforgiven. I needn't have worried. As the story progresses the pace quickens and the tension rises, along with the body count.

Lexi plays by her own rules and everyone else has to fall in line. She gets results!

 

I really enjoyed the setting of Wyong, Woy Woy and Wondabyne, on the New South Wales central coast, as I know these areas and could picture them.

There are two cases under investigation; one is the murder of a building company owner and the other is bringing down the drug empire.

 

I thought it would be hard for Barrie to follow with another crime thriller that's as gritty and suspenseful as Unforgiven but when the tension in Retribution hits out of nowhere and the twists start coming all I could think was, Sarah Barrie has done it again!  

 

My rating 4.5/5       ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

 

About the author

 

Photo credit:Goodreads

Sarah Barrie is the author of nine novels, including her bestselling print debut Secrets of Whitewater Creek, the Hunters Ridge and Calico Mountain trilogies, and a new crime series starring Constable Lexi Winter. In a past life, while gaining degrees in arts, science and education, Sarah worked as a teacher, a vet nurse, a horse trainer and a magazine editor, before deciding she wanted to write novels. About the only thing that has remained constant is her love of all things crime.

Her favourite place in the world is the family property, where she writes her stories overlooking mountains crisscrossed with farmland, bordered by the beauty of the Australian bush, and where, at the end of the day, she can spend time with family, friends, a good Irish whiskey and a copy of her next favourite book. 

 

 
 

 

Book Review: Shelter From the Storm by Penelope Janu

 Shelter From the Storm

by

Penelope Janu

When Patience Cartwright is stranded in her home town, the last thing she expects is a second chance at love.... 

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Publication date: 4th January 2023

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Romance

 

Pages: 448

 

RRP: $29.99AUD paperback

 

Source: Better Reading Preview

 

My review of Shelter From the Storm 

Patience Cartwright’s life is the Navy, all she wants is to be at sea. A clash with her superiors sees her with the choice of either leaving the Navy forever or accepting a secondment to work with a group of environmentalists on a national project.

There is only one problem, Hugo Halstead, the man who broke her heart years ago is head biologist on the team.
 

I love how Penelope Janu has delivered a story about the environment and biodiversity that is wonderfully informative and blended it with a heartfelt romance. In Shelter From the Storm Janu effortlessly weaves vivid descriptions of the countryside and local bird-life into the narrative.
 

Patience is a delightful character, smart and stubborn but also vulnerable. She is a character you will warm to right from the beginning. Patience excels at all things mathematical and she uses maths as a coping mechanism to calm herself by counting and doing equations and calculations in her head. I enjoyed this side of Patience because calculus has always fascinated me and I love anything numbers.
 

In Shelter From the Storm Penelope Janu touches on subjects such as occupational sexism, child abuse, PTSD, environmental issues and biodiversity. I loved all the information on frogs and it’s easy to see this is a topic dear to the author.
 

I totally enjoyed Shelter From the Storm brimming with secrets, twists and a heartwarming romance. It is a captivating story about breaking down walls, overcoming past hurts and moving on with your life.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Penelope Janu lives on the coast in Northern Sydney with a distracting husband, a very large dog and, now they are fully grown, six delightful children who come and go. Penelope has a passion for creating stories that explore social and environmental issues, but her novels are fundamentally a celebration of Australian characters and communities. Penelope enjoys riding horses, exploring the Australian countryside and dreaming of challenging hiking adventures. Nothing makes her happier as a writer than readers falling in love with her clever, complex and adventurous heroines and heroes.

 

Other books I've read by Penelope Janu.

On the Same Page

 

Book Review: The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper

Title: the Butterfly Collector

Author: Tea Cooper

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 3rd November 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

RRP: $32.99AU

Format: paperback

Source: Better Reading Preview 

My review of The Butterfly Collector

1868 – Theodora is more interested in her art than finding a husband and when her three sisters go to Sydney she stays behind on the family property in Morpeth. A chance sighting of a new species of butterfly starts Theodora on a quest to find its nesting place.

 

1922 - Verity is from a long line of journalists and when an anonymous invitation to a socialite ball arrives she sees this as an opportunity to write an article for the local newspaper. Connections she makes at the ball lead back to her grandfather's home of Morpeth and a fifty-year-old mystery.

Tea Cooper blends fact and fiction to deliver a story that is rich in intrigue and wonderfully immersive.
The Butterfly Collector is a dual timeline Historical Fiction set in1868 Morpeth in country NSW and 1922 Sydney, NSW. I enjoyed all the mentions of Sydney landmarks that still stand to this day. As the story evolves connections are made between the characters from each timeline.
Tea keeps the pages turning with a layering of mysteries. The mysteries hold you for a few chapters then once they are revealed a new mystery is created causing a continuous aura of mystery throughout the book. There is also an underlying sense of foreboding and I always had this feeling that something terrible was going to happen.
 

Centred around the first sighting of the Wanderer butterfly in Australia, the newspaper industry and baby farms, Tea Cooper has seamlessly delivered a story that is diverse in its content and impossible to put down.
Tea Cooper’s trademark strong female characters take centre stage in this multi-layered tale of friendship and tenacity.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Tea Cooper writes Australian contemporary and historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling.

 

            

 

 

 

Book Review: The Proxy Bride by Zoë Boccabella

 The Proxy Bride

by

Zoë Boccabella 

 

Imagine marrying someone you've never met.....

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 7th September 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 432

RRP: $32.99AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of The Proxy Bride

 

The Proxy Bride is a dual timeline narrative with the present day set in 1984 and the historical side starting from 1939 and continuing through the second world war.

 

Many men who immigrated from Italy to Australia and started farming in country towns had no chance of meeting a prospective wife so arrangements were made with their family back home to send a bride. It wasn't proper for unmarried women to travel alone so the women were married by proxy and then sent by ship to a man and a land they had never seen. This is how Gia and Taddeo became husband and wife.

Sixteen-year-old Sofie spends the school holidays at her grandmother nonna's house in rural southern Queensland. Sofie was sullen and reticent, taken from all her friends in Brisbane, and she wasn't going to go easy on Gia, her nonna. Sofie's characterization was perfect and I could easily imagine a 16 year old sulking over having to spend the holidays with her grandmother. As the two spend time together cooking (all the recipes are in the back of the book) they start to talk and Sofie learns Gia's story. Her life, her loves and her tragedies.

This story was quite emotional as Gia describes her arrival in Australia, how the Italian community were spurned by locals, the atrocities that happened during WWII, the men interned and women left to fend for themselves.

There is also a mystery surrounding Sofie's father, a secret that has followed Sofie all her life and a topic her mother refuses to talk about.

The Proxy Bride is brimming with family and love and the food that ties it all together. Boccabella highlights the volatility of the fruit growing industry, raging prejudices during the 1940's, forbidden love and the strength and perseverance of the women who came to call Australia home.

There is much to love in Zoë Boccabella's latest novel.

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Zoë Boccabella is an Australian author who writes fiction and non-fiction and whose books have been much-acclaimed, shortlisted for both popular and literary awards and sold internationally. Her writing is influenced by her migrant ancestry, spoken histories and recipes handed-down, alongside travels in Europe and Australia. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

 

 

Book Review: Red Dust by Fleur McDonald

 Red Dust

by

Fleur McDonald

An outback novel of love, intrigue and redemption

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 1st January 2009

 

Genre: Rural Fiction

 

Pages: 330

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: own purchase

 

My review of Red Dust

 

I'm a huge fan of Fleur McDonald however I came into her books over halfway through her writing career. So I thought it was way beyond time I started on Fleur's back list.

 

Red Dust is her debut novel and although not as polished as her later novels it was still a great read. I found some of the conversations a bit stilted and the point of view was all over the place however I was drawn straight into the story from the opening chapter with a dying man's ominous last words. 

McDonald has written a riveting rural crime novel centred around cattle stealing but also featuring the difficulties faced by woman farmers and the isolation of farm life.

After her husband's tragic death Gemma is left with a farm to run and a mountain of rising debts. As she goes through the farm accounts and the town gossip heats up, Gemma starts to wonder if she really knew her husband at all.

I always laugh and comment that Fleur isn't adverse to killing off a much loved character and after reading Red Dust I can say even from her debut novel Fleur liked to kill off characters that I've warmed to. 😂

I loved that this was Dave Burrows first appearance. He is just a side character here so there is nothing of his personal life. He is just there to investigate the cattle stealing and be awesome. 

A small romance thread runs through the story and after all the drama and suspense it's nice to end on a HEA.

 

 My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Photo credit:goodreads

 Fleur McDonald has lived and worked on farms for much of her life. After growing up in the small town of Orroroo in South Australia, she went jillarooing, eventually co-owning an 8000 acre property in regional Western Australia.

Fleur likes to write about strong women overcoming adversity, drawing inspiration from her own experiences in rural Australia. She has two children, an energetic kelpie and a Jack Russell terrier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Links to my reviews of Fleur's books (not in order).

 

Deception Creek 

Red Dirt Country 

Rising Dust

The Shearer's Wife

Something to Hide 

Without a Doubt 

 

*I read this book as part of the Mount TBR Challenge (on my shelf 19/4/2017)

Book Review: Gone to Ground by Bronwyn Hall

Gone to Ground

by

Bronwyn Hall 

Hunted. Alone. Afraid....

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Imprint: HQ FictionAU

 

Publication date: 3rd August 2022

 

Genre: Thriller / Suspense

 

Pages: 288  

 

RRP: $29.99AUD 

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of Gone to Ground

 

Set amidst the political unrest of The Democratic Republic of Congo Gone to Ground is an adrenaline fuelled race through the jungle.

 

Australian doctor Rachel Forester has been sent to a remote jungle post on the whim of a scorned ex-boyfriend. As a dedicated surgeon she is happy to be saving lives. When the post is evacuated she puts her patients' lives ahead of hers and stays behind to evacuate on foot with three UN soldiers.

 

Bronwyn Hall brings the jungle to life; the heat, insects, spiders and snakes all had me holding my breath. Throw in some close encounters with rebel militias and there was always this ominous 'what will happen next' feeling keeping me glued to the book.

 

Rachel was tough but believable as a civilian trekking through the jungle and I loved the addition of the romance element, it was a nice aside to the danger.

With themes of forced child labour, violence towards women, rebel militia activity and political unrest the narrative has a foreboding sense of unease that simmers throughout the novel. 

 

The story moves along at a steady pace with the plot keeping me totally intrigued and turning the pages. Gone to Ground is a book I truly didn't want to put down.

 

Bravo, Bronwyn Hall, on this remarkable debut!

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  

About the author

 

Photo credit: Harper Collins

Bronwyn Hall didn't intend on being a writer. Her career has been spent working in health and community services, spanning aged care, disability and mental health. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature (and Psychology - for the day job) and she comes from a family of passionate readers. Born and bred in Australia, Bronwyn has a love for new cultures and environments, having lived for several years in both Papua New Guinea and Brazil. She is deeply intrigued by the extraordinary breadth of qualities that make up the complex creatures called humans - not least, their quiet conquering of adversity. Bronwyn lives and writes on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Book Review: The Last Summer by Karen Swan

 The Last Summer

by

Karen Swan

An island full of secrets. An irresistible love story....

Publisher: Macmillan Australia 

 

Publication date: 26th April 2022

 

Series: The Wild Isle #1

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Pages: 496

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback 

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of The Last Summer

 

I loved this book and I need the next one now!!

 

I never read the back cover blurb before I start a book, always preferring to go in blind. So I was thinking this was a dual time line, as some of Karen Swan's previous books, but I was delighted to find that The Last Summer is purely historical fiction and also the first in a new five book series.

 

Set on the remote island of Hirta in the St Kilda archipelago in the months leading up to the 1930 evacuation of the villagers to the mainland of Scotland. Swan uses real events to weave a fictitious tale of resilience.

 

Life is hard for the villagers on the island but it's the only life 18 year old Effie Gillies has known. Effie is wild and determined she has  had to work as hard as the men to help support her ailing father.

Lord Sholto has lead a privileged life but when he and his father visit the island they do not show airs and graces as Effie acts as tour guide to the visitors. Sholto falls for Effie the minute he sees her and Effie dreams there may be a life for her off the island.

 

I loved all the descriptions of the wild beauty of the island, Effie's skill at cragging (abseiling) on the sheer cliffs and how the villagers lived in harmony like one large family. The continuous effort of getting a meal on the table as well as work to pay taxes to the landlord was extremely interesting.

 

Karen Swan has delivered the perfect forbidden love story with the two protagonists separated by powerful class boundaries that seemed insurmountable.

I was totally immersed in this story from beginning to end and I flew through the pages eager for Effie to find acceptance as her wild, free self.

 

The Last Summer is a love story that defies distance, standing and a dangerously jealous man.

⚠ Be warned, the story ends on a cliffhanger that will have you eager for the next installment.

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 About the author

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author of twenty-one books and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year - one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and, for winter, The Christmas Secret, Together by Christmas and Midnight in the Snow.

Previously a fashion editor, she lives in Sussex with her husband, three children and two dogs. 

 

 

Book Review: The Brightest Star by Emma Harcourt

The Brightest Star

by

Emma Harcourt 

 

It's a dangerous time to be a clever woman.

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Imprint: HQ Fiction

 

Publication date: 6th July 2022

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Pages:  386

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of The Brightest Star

 

I was expecting this story to be about Luna's battle to be accepted as a woman of knowledge, and this was partly the story, but it was more about the politics of Venice in the 15th Century and the suppression of women. 

 

Set in Renaissance Florence, a time when the judgement of others ruled everyday moments, The Brightest Star is rich in political intrigue as the governance of Florence comes under question.

 

Emma Harcourt's writing is beautiful to read and I had so many magnificent quotes highlighted throughout the book, however the subject matter didn't hold my interest. I found myself more invested in the lives of the country folk, and their preparations for the coming winter, than the politics of the time.

 

Harcourt's writing evokes a powerful sense of time and place and I am certain The Brightest Star will be enjoyed by many Historical Fiction fans.

 

My rating 3 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐

 

 About the author

Emma Harcourt has worked as a journalist for over 25 years, in Australia, the UK and Hong Kong. In 2011, she completed the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course and The Shanghai Wife was borne. The Brightest Star is her second novel. Emma lives in Sydney with her two daughters.

 

Book Review & Giveaway: Esther's Children by Caroline Beecham

Esther's Children

by

Caroline Beecham

 

An audacious story of love, bravery and self-sacrifice in World War Two

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 3rd May 2022

 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Pages: 376

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

 Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Blurb

 

Austria, 1936: Esther 'Tess' Simpson works for a British organisation that rescues academics from the cruel Fascist and anti-Semitic regimes taking hold in Europe. On a dangerous trip to Vienna to help bring aid to Europe's threatened Jewish scholars, Esther meets Harry Singer, a young Jewish academic and musician - and they fall in love.

 

My review

 

Caroline Beecham has delivered another honourable novel with Esther's Children; a work of fiction inspired by the life of Esther Simpson (1903 - 1996).

 

I loved that this story was based on the life of a real person, Esther Simpson, who through her tireless work saved the lives of many German Jews in her work for The Society for the Protection of Science and Learning. The society endeavoured to secure grants and work, in Britain, for academic refugees.

"On our shoulders rests the future of many of Europe's finest minds...."

Caroline Beecham's writing is exquisite and I found it easy to picture Esther and her colleagues. However, I didn't quite connect with the story the way I did with her previous novels. I found myself wanting more of Harry's story, Esther's love interest and a refugee himself. I was interested in his life in Vienna, the changing face of the city, then in the internment camp where aliens who were classed as a risk to British security were held.

Esther Simpson was an amazing woman, risking her own life and foregoing a family of her own to help many men and women who went on to achieve greatness in their field and I feel Caroline Beecham has done her story proud in Esther's Children.

 My rating 3.5 stars  ⭐⭐⭐½

 

About the author

Caroline is a novelist, writer and producer. She is the author of four books: the bestselling novel, Maggie's Kitchen, Eleanor's Secret, Finding Eadie and Esther's Children, and has been published in the UK and the US. Her debut novel, Maggie's Kitchen, was shortlisted for Booktopia's Best Historical Fiction in 2016 and nominated as book of the year and Caroline as Best New Author by AusRom Today. She has worked in documentary, film and drama, and discovered that she loves to write fiction and to share lesser-known histories; particularly those of pioneering women whose lives speak to us now. Caroline studied the craft of novel writing at the Faber Academy in Sydney, with Curtis Brown Creative in London, and has a MA in Film & Television and a MA in Creative Writing. She currently lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and two teenage sons.

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to the generosity of Allen & Unwin I have one paperback copy of Esther's Children to give away. (Australian postal addresses only). Entry is via the form below. Giveaway closes at midnight on 5th June 2022.

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Book Review: The Nurses' War by Victoria Purman

 The Nurses' War

by

Victoria Purman

 

Winning the battle will take more than guns...

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Imprint: HQ Fiction

 

Publication date: 30th March 2022

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Pages: 608

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

My review

 

I love reading stories about both WWI & WWII. Stories set during the battles from a soldier's point of view, those from a civilian's point of view and also those from front line workers, the doctors and nurses.

As the title depicts The Nurses' War is about Australian nurses who enlisted during WWI and travelled to England to treat and care for the Australian soldiers in a makeshift Australian hospital.

 

The Nurses' War is based on the true stories of real life experiences of the Australian women who served at Harefield Hospital in Middlesex, England. 

 

Purman writes of the anticipation and camaraderie of the nurses as the hospital prepares for its first patients and the anguish and fatigue as the wounded and maimed ariive day after day for years.

 

The Nurses' War is a story of women breaking the mold for their time and choosing career over marriage.

Told in the dual narrative of Cora, an Australian nurse who leaves her family to work in England, and Jessie, a young local girl living in the small country village of Harefield. Through Jessie we learn how everyday citizens were affected by the war and the changing face of society in work and fashion.

 

Purman writes about how the men coped with their injuries and the lose of their mates. The Nurses' War is a story filled with emotion, pride and a touch of Aussie larrickinism.  For me however the book was about 150 pages too long. I am not a lover of big books!

 

The added romance interests for the two protagonists added a heart-warming element to the story.

 

The Nurses' War is a story of love, grief and the sacrifices everyone made during the war.

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Victoria Purman is an Australian top ten and USA Today bestselling fiction author. Her most recent book, The Women's Pages, was an Australian bestseller, as were her novels The Land Girls and The Last of the Bonegilla Girls. Her earlier novel The Three Miss Allens was a USA Today bestseller. She is a regular guest at writers festivals, a mentor and workshop presenter and was a judge in the fiction category for the 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature.