Book Club: The Glass Room by Simon Mawer

Our latest bookclub instalment is The Glass Room by Simon Mawer. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for 2009, JGE chose the book this term and after a long wait for the Book Depository to ship the order out, I believe everyone has a copy now and is making progress. I was fortunate enough to get my copy before the backlog slowed down the shipment so I have finished it and am waiting with baited breath to get talking about this novel.

While I think there are many creditable aspects to the novel, such as the evocative imagery of modern architecture, the historical perspective of a Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia and an intriguing cultural set who appear almost impenetrable. Sadly, I feel that Mawer overwrites and relies too heavily on repeated images that, for my likeing, interfere with the organic presence of the building. It is afterall, a story that revolves around a minimalist building. One that came about in a time when Czechoslovakia needed vision and an eye to the future.

In some ways it is not unlike Tim Winton's beautiful Cloudstreet, in that the house shapes and is shaped by those vastly different occupants who not only share an address but also a sense of hope and promise. However, I feel Mawer falls short of Winton's mark due to some fairly superficial characterisation and predictable outcomes.

I look forward to hearing what the rest of the group has to say.

Book of Lost Threads

Book of Lost Threads by Tess Evans

Reviewed by Jennifer Levitt

What’s in a name? In this remarkable debut novel dealing with family ties and unique friendships, Tess Evans’s Book of Lost Threads highlights the intrinsic role nomenclature play in finding identity, escaping the past and shaping a future. It delivers something very personal that has the reader reflecting on their own relationships and the mistakes we all make on the bumpy road of life. Evans’s experience with a wide range of people in her years as an educator and counsellor is evident in the compassionate treatment of her characters, each of whom, though suffering great heartache, is touched by the kindness, and sometime meddling, of others.

Moss (Miranda Ophelia Sinclair) has left Melbourne in search of a man she knows only by the name of Michael Finbar Clancy. The path leads to a small rural town by the name of Opportunity, a town that had once enjoyed the spoils of a gold rush long past and now survives minimally on the modest income of a farming community. It is here that Moss learns a lot about life, becoming an adult and the painful truth about a parent’s love.

On locating Michael, or rather Finn as he has become known, Moss is confronted by her own past while inadvertently picking the scab from some of Finn’s old wounds. His secrets reveal a brilliant mind tormented by the tragic consequences of an affair gone wrong. His struggle to locate the family of a deceased prostitute leads to dead ends and personal despair. While Moss attempts to repair her unconventional family torn apart by misconceptions and resent she positions Finn to question himself once more.

The unlikely friendships that develop with Moss and Finn are a pleasure read. Mrs Pargetter the eccentric elderly neighbour who knits tea cosies for the United Nations and has a letter from the Quartermaster to prove it, generously takes Moss under her wing and into her home. While Mrs Pargetter’s nephew Sandy, another a perplexing character, struggles to gain his aunt’s approval and plans to erect a giant Galah as a monument to his late father, an idea causing great vexation and protest among the town’s residents. As they advance, these relationships convey a certain faith in human kind. Evans seems to be suggesting that given a chance, each of us has something to offer the community and that we must first just take time to listen to each other.

He had to steel himself, but there he was the next day standing sheepishly on his aunt’s doorstep, a lemon pie balanced in his hand. He knew that if he left it any longer, he would never have the courage to return to his aunt’s house. The Major wouldn’t have recognised this as courageous- there are no Distinguished Service Orders for acts of moral courage- but Mrs Pargetter realised what it must have cost him. (226)

Above all else this is a story about mothers. Our relationships with the ones we have, their relationships with us and the challenges we all face in demonstrating our love for each other. Evans touches on painful issues of grief and lost children. It is the presence of Mrs Pargetter’s late child who hovers within her home that touches readers and foregrounds the permanence of the intense pain associated with the loss of a child. It is an indisputable fact that parenthood is the most challenging job anyone could undertake and this novel truly demonstrates just how difficult it is to get it right.

This said, Evans offers hope and the possibility of light in a challenging world. This is a tender and clever study of the family unit in a variety of combinations. Her writing is insightful and refreshing. What’s in a name? Everything! Tess Evans, an exciting new name in Australian literature.

Buttons and Birds

Well I have been experimenting with some new ideas for cushion designs. I've been wanting to create some fun baby furnishings for all the little people in my life. I saw something similar to this in Vogue Living and thought I would try to create my own version of a soft bird cushion. I think these will look cute in a nursey for a girl or a boy.

Hope you like them too.

I love these headboards found in my large folder of beautiful interiors. I am thinking of attemting to create one myself. Am I biting off more than I can chew? Any suggestions or tips would be great.

I think the green is beautiful, but not sure if I'm going to be that bold in the bedroom. Perhaps a really rich white and silver jacquard would be soft and luxurious.

After a long working holiday in Italy, I have returned to the real world refreshed and excited about a big year ahead. Getting married in 4 months and beginning an Interior Design course while working full time is enough to keep me occupied for now.

On Country: Stories of Nyrlotte

Written by Fiona Doyle
Reviewed by Jennifer Kemph

On Country: Stories of Nyrlotte is a collection of charming tales featuring a young Aboriginal girl and her developing involvement in the women’s business of her mob. Author, Fiona Doyle, integrates traditional words from the moribund Alngith language – spoken on Cape York Peninsula - with familiar contemporary dialogue. The result is an authentic link between traditional speech and popular culture. A glossary at the back of the slim volume ensures Doyle’s language choices can be accessible to all and invites readers to consider the importance of preserving our unique language groups.

Each story focuses on Nyrlotte and the teachings of her Granny as she discovers her unique connection with her land. In a sense the stories convey some of the ideas of the Dreamtime, and Nyrlotte is a vehicle through which young readers can come to hear these stories. Her connection with the landscape is profound and Doyle’s description of Ornyawa (Swamp at Wathaniin) is absolutely magical. There is a sense of spirituality inherently built into each of the stories as Nyrlotte learns the skills and develops a deeper understanding of her culture and her role in society.

The title is pitched at an 8+ audience, but I would argue that these stories could be successfully studied right through to the latter primary level. The concepts of development and growth are coupled with adventure and magic to ensure young reader engagement. Additionally, the stories are complemented by a range of line drawings which are elegant and subtle.

Not only are the stories delightful in their spirited adventure, but they are, in my opinion, essential reading for all Australian children in their responsibility to recognise the stories of our Indigenous peoples. I look forward to more from Fiona Doyle and will share these stories with the small people in my life.

I feel summer coming on...

I woke to a beautiful morning on the Gold Coast. Blue sky, a hint of a breeze and a calmness around.

Frangipanis and Hibiscus always lift my spirits, so when I came across these on my way home from the beach this morning I thought I should capture their simple beauty on camera.

Have a wonderful week!