The Power Game – Meg and Tom Keneally     An Unsuitable Match – Joanna Trollope

Initially I felt the father daughter combo Meg and Tom Keneally had hit on a winning formula – and obviously, so did they. They have planned for twelve books, in total, for the ‘Monsarrat’ series and so far have released three. After reading the first two I was hooked – I thought they were really onto something. ‘With the ‘Soldier’s Curse’ we were introduced to soon to be ticket-of-leave man Hugh Llewelyn Monsarrat whom, with his incisive housekeeper, added to his own smarts, was part of quite the investigative team for colonial times in early Australia. By the third novel they had already put away a couple of souls who wouldn’t have faced their comeuppance otherwise without their input. First this occurred in early outstation Port Macquarie, then later, in Sydney, at the Parramatta Female Factory in ‘The Unmourned’. In these we are given a colourful taste of life in the first half of the Nineteenth Century, in a new land (for Europeans), for both convicts and those overseeing them. The sparky relationship between the two redoubtable sleuths was a delight. As a bonus, in the second title, there is more than a hint of developing romance between feisty Grace O’Leary and our main man.

So, with all that, I was looking forward to another knotty problem for the duo to unravel. An added interest would be the promise of a VDL setting with hopefully the romance factor blossoming in Hobart Town. This, on all accounts, was not to be. In ‘The Power Game’ all too soon we were transported from my local turf south(?) to Maria Island where we remained. It therefore became largely reminiscent of the two authors’ first outing, complete with another presumed poisoning of a beautiful commandant’s missus. And Grace was hardly mentioned, being stuck back in Sydney, although our hero did plenty of pining. The two duly solve the case, as is to be expected. For much of the tale the main suspect was Thomas Power, an Irish rebel roughly modeled on William Smith O’Brien (whose real story is well worth investigating.) To me this outing seemed to plod along without any of the freshness of the first two. The only really entertaining elements being the repartee between our two investigators and the antics of the local geese. In the end, job done, we discover that the editor of the Sydney Chronicle has been done away with so our duo set sail for bustling Sydney where (spoiler alert) our dapper hero discovers that Grace has been dispatched to the back country. I’ll take advice, though, but I think this is where I’ll leave the pair to go on solving their crimes without me. I don’t think I’ll be lining up for No.4.

So let’s turn our attention to another author who could be said to write in a formulaic, predictable manner – but, although she’s been doing it for decades, I’ll never leave her. As her work continues to sell well to devoted followers, she has no real need to deviate far away from her template. I’ve been hooked on her for decades and starting on her latest was akin to snuggling down, under the doona, on a chilly winter’s afternoon.

It is decidedly more of the same with Joanna Trollope’s ‘An Unsuitable Match’ as she introduces the reader to sixty-something Rose Woodrowe, whose hubby has just taken up with a much younger model and scarpered off to Oz. Soon into the book she encounters the charming Tyler, who is not backward in admitting he is smitten by her and she, seemingly, with him. But is Tyler the real deal? Rose’s offspring have their doubts – and then there’s Tyler’s two to consider as well. The new beau very quickly seems to have his and Rose’s future together all mapped out – but will Rose go with the flow despite the objections of the family. Some of these are quite needy in the love department too. Ms Trollope ensures we fully get to know them and their foibles as well. This is all magnified as the pair prepare to marry and questions arise over money – or the lack thereof for one. Just what is Tyler bringing to the party? Rose considers him a keeper, but at what cost.

And I lapped it all up, as I always do. That it deals with romance in later life is a bonus. ‘An Unsuitable Match’ is Ms T’s twenty-first novel – all of them aimed at her legion of women fans – and just quietly (Shhhh), me.

Newspaper article Meg and tom Keneally = https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/two-of-us-tom-and-meg-keneally-20160309-gnebdz.html

Joanna Trollope’s website = https://www.joannatrollope.com/

Marina Abramović was born in Belgrade the year after the end of World War 2. Both her parents had been partisan heroes during that conflict. Her upbringing, in part by her grandparents, was a deeply restrictive and religious one. But from an early age she developed an interest in art and later, taking this interest further, she graduated from both the Belgrade and Zagreb academies of fine arts, specialising in performance art. All throughout her now long career she has attempted to extend the boundaries as to the definition of art. ‘Using her own body as a vehicle, she has pushed herself to the ultimate limits, often exposing herself to lethal hazards to create performance art that is shocking, challenging and deeply moving.’ Now a resident of of Amsterdam, her fame takes her world-wide to the great galleries. In 2010 she landed in NYC to present a marathon seventy-five day performance piece at MoMA, ‘The Artist is Present’. It consisted of Ms Abramović seated at a table opposite a chair to be filled by patrons willing to sit with her for a while. It attracted large audiences, polarised and for some opposite the main attraction it was a profound experience.

It is around this event that Heather Rose’s 2017 Stella Prize winning novel ‘The Museum of Modern Love’ is framed. I was delighted to see a local take it out, especially as I had so enjoyed ‘The Butterfly Man’ (2005), as well as, to a lesser extent, ‘The River Wife’ (2009). Rose (as Angelina Banks) also writes, with Danielle Wood, the children’s series ‘Tuesday McGillycuddy’.

In Rose’s tome, Arky Levin becomes addicted, as an observer, to Abramović during her New York stay. He’s a composer of musical scores for films with a seriously ill wife. As he works through the issues involved in his life at that time the performance by the artist becomes his salve. He feels he has to see her artistic marathon through to the end. In this process we get to know others similarly drawn, some of whom connect to Arky in various ways. Rose also weaves in the artist’s back story and the strain on herself of the daily ritual she undertakes to present her piece.

Undoubtedly this is a very clever and astute novel on all manner of subjects, ranging from the question of what is art to the nature of friendship and love. Unfortunately it occupied a rarefied atmosphere that this reader had some difficulty with. I can attest to it being something special but I could not connect to it. Perhaps the nature of the performance artist’s oeuvre affected the tone of author’s writing, in a deliberate way, placing it out of my comfort zone. My brain told me I should be enjoying it, but my heart wasn’t in it. I am disappointed in myself for not being able to embrace it – but there you are. Like much of the work of her subject, it just wasn’t my thing.

Of course Marina A is just David Walsh’s thing. It’s wonderful that, when the artistic megastar visited Mona in 2015, as a performance piece Ms Rose read an excerpt from her novel to the great woman. Now that is special

The author’s website = https://heatherrose.com.au/

She didn’t like it. I was taken aback. I hadn’t been quite sure if ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ was given to me by her as a gift or as a loan of one she had very much enjoyed. I love reading what my gorgeous writerly daughter passes on – which is usually of the YA genre. She does have, I must admit, a strong instinct for what I like. But I have requested her to only pass on the tomes she’s relished. So, when I did ask the question of her as to whether she had read it and had given it a high ratting, in reply I received back an emphatic yes to the first and then an equally emphatic no to the second. She said she had a complete lack of connection with it. Needless to say I loved it. Does my daughter know my tastes so intimately that, even with an offering she is less than enamored with, she can see in it something that would appeal to me? I do mightily treasure Katie’s gift in this regard.

I’ll concede the story took a little getting into. But once it grabbed me, I was utterly engaged in Eleanor’s transformation from a disfigured ugly duckling of a social outcast to a swan.

Eleanor initially reminded me of Sofia Helin’s portrayal of the socially inept, but extremely competent, Saga Norén from the original Scandinavian version of ‘The Bridge’, now back on our television sets for a fourth season. Eleanor has a repetitive job in an accountancy firm. She can barely relate to her fellow drones; they are dismissive and just a tad wary of her. In return she doesn’t mince words; doesn’t pull any punches on the few occasions she is called on to give an opinion.

Her boss, as it turns out, sees something in her, as does a nerdy computer guy called to her rescue when the machine she is using misbehaves. The former promotes her, the latter takes her to lunch. Out and about the unlikely couple are first responders to a medical emergency, thus beginning Eleanor’s journey to what will hopefully be a much better place for her. But there is much angst and many horrible memories to let go of once this process commences. And can she break free of her addiction to cheap vodka? At one stage the narrative threatens to become a tale of stalking, such is her irrational attraction to an unpleasant musician in search of super stardom. But her story, thankfully, veers away from that into something far more interesting. And apart from the guitar plucker, there are no real baddies in this.

Since the novel is already a film in production, possibly to star Reese Witherspoon, I am not the only one to fall in love with Eleanor O. In the end we find out all is not as it seems, but that doesn’t take away from a thoroughly enticing effort on the part of author Gail Honeyman.

So darling Kate, if you are holding more tomes akin to this one, even though you haven’t particularly liked them, but something tells you your ever-loving father may, don’t hold back.

Gail Honeyman; ‘I didn’t want Eleanor Oliphant to be portrayed as a victim’ = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/12/gail-honeyman-didnt-want-eleanor-oliphant-portrayed-as-victim

Summer is supposedly the time for effortless reads in the sun, so perhaps it was somewhat perverse of me to tackle two of Alex Miller’s tomes at this time of year – his mint new offering ‘The Passage of Love’ and one that had been hanging around on my shelves for a while, ‘Autumn Laing’ (2011). Miller is one of my favourites, up there with Winton. He is also a national literary treasure and I think ‘Journey into Stone Country’ and ‘Coal Creek’ are masterpieces. He won the Miles Franklin for the first title, as well as for ‘Ancestor Game’.

As it turned out, ‘The Passage of Love’ was a breeze, a real effortless read of 500 plus pages that I loved returning to and got through in a flash. ‘Autumn Laing’ was a different matter.

The question to be asked is how much of Robert Croft, the first book’s central character, is Alex Miller? From what I’ve perused, in terms of reviews, the author has conceded they are largely the same person, but not quite. So the offering is quasi-autobiographical I guess. There is some playing around of the time scale that Miller has admitted to. It covers a thirteen year period during Croft’s life – his journey from the UK to jackarooing in the outback to his city factory work, a marriage and trying to make it as a writer. Miller’s first wife Ann was a troubled soul as was Lena, Croft’s wife, who was bookended by two other women in ‘The Passage of Love’. Firstly, in Melbourne, there was Wendy, an older bed partner who had no time for love but plenty for sex with a sex-starved young fellow. After the anorexic Lena, at the end there came the person who was to be his rock, career wise and emotionally – Ann. Overriding these relationships was the one that drives him on in his obsession to be a writer of note, his friendship, during his formative years on a cattle station, with an Aboriginal stock-man.

Much of what happened in Croft’s life is a mirror image of Miller’s, including the close encounter with suicide and a rejection letter that cut both to the quick. How can writing be both very fine but unpublishable?

I keep very few books after I’ve read them, usually passing them on to friends or family; either that or donating them to the local community library. I ripped through ‘The Passage of Love’ in lightning time for me – and it’s definitely a keeper.

But ‘Autumn Laing’ – oh dear, was that a struggle. Till well over the half way mark I wasn’t enjoying it one little bit. But then something kicked in, I was away and started to actually relish it. But it took most of the month to get to that stage.

And it also took a while to twig that this was Miller’s version of the artistic machinations of the Heide story, with his major characters being based on Sunday Reed, her husband and the artist Sidney Nolan. Taking place during one of the golden periods for Australian art, it’s a tale that has fascinated me for years. And, in a link to ‘The Passage of Love’, it was a book of outback images, taken by the great artist unbeknown to Miller, that first enticed the writer to come to Australia.

Autumn (read Reed) is in her dotage, her body increasingly failing her, obsessed by her memories and memoirs, she recalls her affair with the mercurial Pat Donlan (Nolan). At that time the would-be artist was trying to convince himself and the world around him that it was possible to paint in an Australian way. He finds he is bashing his head against a brick wall in conservative Melbourne until it is recommended that he visits a supporter of young talent from outside the art establishment – Arthur Laing (John Reed). Through a series of events Pat eventually moves into the Laing’s residence and commences his affair with the only too willing Autumn. The pair soon take off to the back country of Queensland where Nolan, sorry Donlan, finds his mojo and his art supplants his lover. Both Pat and Mrs Laing are not particularly appealing characters – I was more drawn to the ever-patient Arthur who was prepared to wait out his wife’s infidelity until the artist leaves them both for fame and fortune.

I’m pleased I read ‘The Passage of Love’ first. Had I commenced with the older book the latest may still be sitting on my shelf this time next year. ‘Autumn Laing’ is not a keeper, but I am hoping the eighty year old Miller can continue his semi-autobiography with a sequel, as well as delivering other titles. Long may Alex Miller be around.

The author’s website = http://alexmiller.com.au/

‘The Secrets She Keeps’ Michael Robotham ‘Magrit’ – Lee Battersby

I’ve eschewed crime, whodunits, mysteries, sci-fi, dystopian, fantasy for years now – not because I have anything against them, but more from worry that I’d get hooked, when I’m already hooked on so much. But when two writers, usually plying their trade in those areas, veered a little into my territory, I gave them a go.

I’d read a review of Michael Robotham’s ‘The Secrets She Keeps’ citing this was a break from his normal output, that being related to the solving of crime. He was lauded as one of the best in that genre going around. With this offering I thought I’d be safely spreading my horizons without being reeled in. I’m not so sure, after it, that that’s the case. Am I entering dangerous territory?

Now, although the book eventually makes it into crime territory, we know who’s going to commit it almost from the commencement. This is not a blow by blow account of coppers, or similar sleuthing heroes, getting to the bottom of it and making the perpetrator pay. No, they are largely in the background until the back end of the story, ramping up as the conclusion nears.

Instead Robotham gives us a close examination of two pregnant ladies whose paths cross – one is wracked with guilt, one is wracked by envy. It doesn’t take long to figure out who is also a tad whacky. And its reasonably clear, early on, where all this will lead us. What’s not so discernible is if there will be a solving or happy ever afters for either of the duo – particularly as, it could be argued, there is no true guilty party.

As the two women career towards the inevitable and then go their separate ways, the dastardly deed being successfully pulled off, we are reminded of another unsolved real life British mystery of the same ilk – then perhaps, as well, the excellent first season of ‘The Missing’ (am hoping there will be a series 3).

There are no real surprises with the narrative, but it was, nevertheless, a page turner as Meg and Agatha, in alternating chapters, played out their tale as the British press feasted on it. I enjoyed ‘The Secrets She Keeps’ very much – but what happens now when Robotham reverts to the usual and presents a new release?

As with the above author, Lee Battersby, a Western Australian wordsmith noted for his sci-fi and fantasy, turns away from his normal fare. He centres this delightful effort in a cemetery which almost becomes a character in its own right. This is a strange and compelling short read – and quite moving. Whole lives are being led within the inner-city confines of the burial ground – but not lives as we know them. The eponymous, ten year old Magrit has found this out. She’s not quite sure what she is, but with her fantastical friend, Master Puppet, she scavenges out an existence of sorts. Then a low-flying avian drops a bundle on an overhanging roof and marked changes occur to how she sees the world.

This is a beautifully wrought tale, its exquisite presentation assisted by the contributions of artist Amy Daoud. It’s a mini-gem of a marvel, aimed at children, but it certainly had this old codger spellbound. ‘Magrit’ is a title that will linger in the synapses.

Michael Robotham’s website – http://www.michaelrobotham.com/

Lee Battersby’s website – https://leebattersby.com/

Retirement should have seen me ploughing through the library of books I purchased, in my last few years of teaching, to tide me through when I’d be time rich and too financially poor to be handing over any extra dosh on new releases, or so I’d assumed. I didn’t foresee that, as far as the latter was concerned, I would be comfortably placed, nor that Hobs and multiple televsion platforms would offer me a rich menu from which to choose alternate experience. So I am still roughly reading the same amount of books per year as in my teaching days, as well as coping with being frustrated that favourite authors continue to produce enticing titles – and rave reviews being handed to some new to me. I just can’t help myself. I keep on buying so said library remains in credit at roughly the same amount. I’m not sure whether that is a positive or a negative as far as time management is concerned. All I know is that I am more than happy with my lot in life – and reading great books just enhances it.

So these are the cream of what I picked up in the last twelve months and delighted in consuming:-

1. ‘The Music Shop’ – Rachel Joyce. A tale for all of us who find it hard to give up the way we’ve always done something to embrace new technology, only to discover the what used to be finds a way through in any case. This was just a whimsical delight from cover to cover – one of those lovely, lovely reads you hope will never end.

2. ‘The Reason You’re Alive’ – Matthew Quick. Who’d have thought a potty-mouthed Vietnam vet could be such a sweetheart underneath all his bluff, bluster and cussin’.

3. ‘Commonwealth’ – Ann Patchett. As with Quick and Joyce, I was new to Ms Patchett’s work, but her tale of familial dysfunction won me over. I’ll be a customer of hers in future, along with the above.

4. ‘Hold’ – Kirsten Tranter. There’s an unexpected death and the rebuilding of a life, with a little assistance from the surreal.

5. ‘Full Bore’ – William McInnes. Always terrific for a good hearty chortle and the former ‘SeaChange’ heartthrob duly delivers.

6. ‘The Dry’ – Jane Harper. Kudos for having your first book, as an Aussie author, optioned by a Hollywood studio. Whether it ends up on the screen or not, this outback police procedural is a dash good read.

7. ‘The Things We Promise’ – JC Burke. The scourge of AIDS is sweeping the globe and it gets up close and personal for Oz YA heroine Gemma.

8. ‘Dumplin’ – Julie Murphy. Hollywood has gotten hold of this novel too, but it’s already been cast. Another feisty teenage heroine, in Willowdean, has the odds stacked against her from the get-go. Can she overcome them? You bet she’ll have a darn good try.

9. ‘Goodwood’ – Holly Throsby. The songsmith demonstrates she’s perfectly adept with wordsmithery, as well, with this very fine coming of age tale.

10. ‘The Rules of Backyard Cricket’ – Jock Serong. You do not have to be a fan of leather on willow to enjoy this slice of Aussie life from Serong.

Hms to Joanna Trollope (Circle of Friends), Jock Serong (On the Java Ridge), Julie Murphy (Ramona Blue), Len Vlahos (Life in a Fishbowl), Roxane Gay (Hunger- a Memoir for My Body), Andrew Daddo (One Step), Laura Barnett (Greatest Hits), Michael Robotham (The Secrets She Keeps), Lee Battersby (Magrite) and TC Boyle (Terranauts)

On the Java Ridge – Jock Serong, The Reason You’re Alive – Matthew Quick

Going to Pat’s; being at my lovely Leigh’s mother’s place, has its fair share of pleasures. Apart from my hand-held device, I know I am going to have days largely free from the digital age. There is also only a single platform with which to engage with the television. And in this golden period of that format, that has its upside. Pat also knows how to tempt me with old-fashioned culinary delights such as sugar free rhubarb, stewed pears and trifle – so I know there’s always tasty fare awaiting. Often Pat and Leigh will head out on shopping expeditions, take in a movie or go visiting extended family, leaving me home alone. So all that, together with an accommodating guest room to retreat to, allows me ample opportunity to write and read without distraction. So the last time we visited, as well as putting to paper a story I’ve had floating around in my synapses for some time, I managed to read two rip-snorter novels in, for me, super quick time.

The lesser of the excellent pair was Jock Serong’s ‘On the Java Ridge’; a riveting and rollicking read, even if at the heart of the matter was our abysmal treatment of many poor souls who dare to attempt to improve life for themselves and family by seeking refuge on our shores Their misfortune is to come by sea.

Cassius Calvert is our Minister for Border Integrity. Initially he’s a carbon copy of the odious Dutton, seemingly without one jot of humanity in his heart. With an election coming up Calvert is introducing tough new measures to even further strengthen our security, which, by now, is largely in the hands of a secretive private concern. Of course that’s a sure vote winner if all goes according to plan. It doesn’t.

Meanwhile, out to sea, a collision of sorts is taking place. A state of the art bugi pinisi schooner – look them up, they’re amazing Indonesian vessels – is transporting a group of surfers to a dot in the ocean not far from Ashmore Reef. Heading that way too is the ‘Tukalar’, full of refugees, including a Hazara girl, Roya. With wild weather approaching, Isi Natoli, the skipper of the former boat, seeks shelter at a nearby coral atoll. The storm smashes Roya’s dodgy vessel into the coral outcrops surrounding the safe haven. Isi coordinates the rescue of the survivors, giving them what succor she can from the wealth of supplies in her stores. Luckily she has a doctor on board to assist with the injured.

Little do those struggling out in the ocean realise that this event has triggered a crisis for Calvert to handle. How his government does so is preposterous in the extreme – but then again, once upon a time our country’s present treatment of asylum seekers would have seemed totally at odds with any notion of ‘a fair go’ this nation prides itself on.

The tale is told from the points of view of the aforementioned protagonists, the only downer being the shocking and unexpected conclusion to the saga. But, I guess, sadly with it Serong makes his point. I loved this author’s previous title, ‘The Rules of Backyard Cricket’, but he has written a different beast here. I wonder what’s next for Jack? Whatever he tackles, I’ll be waiting with my hard-earned in hand.

As good a read as the Aussie author’s was, Matthew Quick’s ‘The Reason You’re Alive’ topped it – what an ace novel. It may well be my book of the year. That will take much ruminating, so we’ll see.

This writer’s claim to fame is that he penned the title which became that wonderful film ‘The Silver Lining’s Playbook’. Knowing how much I adored that, darling daughter gave me his latest title as a birthday gift. I was hooked right from page one through to its not so shocking nor unexpected ending. That being said, though, there were more than enough surprises en route – but, be warned, the language from the old fella, the main character – a true scene stealer – is rather fruity.

Yep, I became very enamoured of Vietnam vet David Grainger. He’s an ornery curmudgeon, initially resembling an American Alf Garnett for the digital age. He intensely hates Obama and any governmental interference in his life. Also, on his hit list, are Muslims, his son’s Dutch wife and the ‘gooks’ he fought against in the conflict. No doubt he would have loved Trump as much as he does his guns and the camouflage he chooses to wear in his daily life.

Yet Grainger is surprisingly an easy guy to fall in love with, just as long as you don’t have to live with him. Very early on his touching relationship with granddaughter Ella softens his tough facade. Despite being outwardly homophobic, racist and a misogynist, he has a special relationship with a gay man as well as a woman of Asian extraction. He fervently dislikes his son’s girly-man demeanour, but as we turn the pages, there comes a semblance of a bond. An accident and brain surgery has left ol’ Dave largely reliant on others – and there’s a wrong to be righted revolving around the mysterious Clayton Fire Bear. As well, his beloved wife’s demise weighs mightily on his mind, as does the destruction of her art work

Miramax has already optioned ‘The Reason You’re Alive’ for a proposed movie. Who could play our anti-hero? Jack Nicholson? Jeff Bridges? Bill Murray? Fingers crossed it makes it to the big screen, I’ll certainly be lining up. Not all went well for me on this latest trip to Pat’s, but with such addictive books to read and my lovely lady keeping a good eye on me, I was in the best of hands.

An interview with Jock Serong = https://www.readings.com.au/news/alice-pung-interviews-jock-serong

Matthew Quick’s website = http://matthewquickwriter.com/