Swing Time

Swing Time as the title of this book by Zodie Smith, suggests is full of allusions to music. The opening chapters tell the story of two schoolgirls living in a poorer part of London who both attend the same dancing class. They both want to be dancers but the narrator has to come to terms with the fact that her friend Tracey is the better dancer. The girls frequently watch videos of old musicals and practise the dance moves that they admire. This allusion to music occurs in many sections of the book as the story unfolds. Eventually the friendship between the girls fades as they choose different career paths. From time to time, however, events from the past emerge and affect the life of the narrator who never forgets her early relationship with Tracey.

Most of the book deals with the life of the narrator as she works as an assistant to Aimee, a popular singer. Aimee also decides to sponsor a school in Africa and part of the book is set in this location. The many themes canvassed in the book include friendship, class, relationships, race relations and lifestyle. Intertwined are the constant references to music.

As the story progresses the plot can be difficult to follow with the regular flashbacks to events that occurred at different times. On one hand this method of story telling gradually reveals the main threads of the story but it can also be seen as providing a disjointed account of events. Although I started to lose interest in the story after a while I can see this book being popular with book clubs as the issues presented in this book would provide many opportunities for discussion.

Some reviews of Swing Time
The Guardian 13 November 2016
Sydney Morning Herald 17 December 2016
Good Reads - variety of reviews by readers

The First Fleet

In this sequel to Botany Bay: the real story, Alan Frost continues the story by examining the establishment of the First Fleet to Australia in 1788. Frost argues that many writers of Australian history have neglected to study the original records recording the developments prior to the initial convict settlement at Sydney Cove. The author therefore spent many years in England going through eighteenth century archives before writing these two books.

Part of the conclusion p 214:

The First Fleet was a very expensive venture. ... the Pitt administration spend largely to make the New South Wales colony succees.
It did so because it saw that a colony in the southwest Pacific Ocean would be clearly in the nation's interest, not only because it would provide a solution to a troubling penal problem, but also because it would acieve other objects - most immediately a base and a source of naval materails, and more generally as a point of interchange for an intended vast marketing network.

The five sections of the book cover Planning a Convict Colony, Assembling the Fleet, Preparing to Sail, The Voyage and The Cost. This book is definitely worth reading by anyone interested in Australian history, but especially if you have convict ancestors.