Utopia Avenue

David Mitchell, (the author, not the comedian and actor) has written this novel about two years in the life of a British band formed in 1967. Folksinger, Elf Holloway, blues base guitarist, Dean Moss, guitarist Jasper de Zoet and jazz drummer, Griff Griffin combine their extensive talents to form a psychedelic, pop, rock, folk band named Utopia Avenue. 

The story of how these musicians met and learned to work together to showcase their music forms the basis of the novel which is divided into sections reflecting their three LPs. Music runs throughout the novel, not just the story of the band and the lives of the individual band members, but scattered throughout the book are names of musicians from the late 1960s. For those of us who grew up in the 1960s the book takes us on a musical trip back to our youth.

The book is definitely about life in the 1960s and sex, drugs and rock ' n' roll, but it also portrays four very different individuals as they have the chance to develop their talent and be accepted in the higher regions of the pop music world at that time. 

As the story evolves  all the characters have to come to terms with who they really are and decide on the lives they really want to live. Dean struggles to reconcile his relationship with his father. As a person with schizophrenia, Jasper also has to face his demons from the past as well as in the present. Each chapter focusses on one character but through that character's story the story of the group as a whole is devolped. I really enjoyed through fiction this brief glimpse into a world of music past.

Grown Ups

Grown Ups by Irish author, Marian Keyes, is about the Casey family - three brothers, their wives, children plus extended family members. Through the stories of the wives of the brothers the plot evolves allowing the reader to also get to know the other members of this large family.

Jessie, married to Johnny, loves organising, and paying for, large family gatherings that everyone must attend. She runs her own business with the assistance of her husband and is definitely a control freak. Cara married Ed, a botanist and quieter member of the trio of brothers. Cara has a successful job working in reception at a swish hotel but she has low self esteem. Nell designs sets for stage productions and recently married Liam. As the family saga evolves Nell questions why she married her husband. 

There are also nine children - two from Jessie's first marriage plus three from her relationship with Johnny, Cara and Ed have two sons while Liam has two daughters from a previous marriage. All the children seem to like each other and generally get along well together at the many family functions they attend. 

It can be confusing, especially at first, working out who is who in this novel, but fortunately there is a family tree at the beginning of the book to check if necessary.

 At Johnny's birthday party Cara, who is not well, blurts out a number of family secrets that effectively destabilise the relationships between the grown ups present. During the book the reader has learned, ofter via back stories, of the questionable behaviour of some of the adults, though needless to say chaos occurs when family secrets are publically aired. Re-evaluation of lifestyle plus some introspection is required by the grown ups after Cara's revelations about members of the Casy family.

This a long but generally easy to read and often humourous book about an Irish dysfunctional family.

Jeremiah's Bell

The first book waiting for me at the library after the softening of the stage four lockdown in Melbourne was Jerimah's Bell by Denzil Merick, the latest in the DCI Daley series.

After a serious illness plus the threat of dismissal from the police force, James Daley returns to his position of DCI at Kinlock only to be encouter a series of mysterious deaths, threats and events from the past that need to be revealed. 

Alice Wenger has returned to Kintye to complete unfinished business started before her departure more than thirty years earlier. The Doig family - Alice's parents and three brothers - live in a small dilapidated, isolated house near the coast and keep to themselves. Rumour has it that the family has a sinister past, including causing ship wrecks and smuggling. It is shortly after Alice's return to Kintyre that the first death occurs. The police soon becaome aware that a former American gangster may be in the area.

Not only does Denzil Meyrick, a former policeman, write page turning crime stories but he also introduces the reader to the close knit community of Kinloch, based on Campbelltown, and its people. The setting for the stories in his series of books plus the development of the characters, particularly Jim Daley, Brian Scott, Hamish, Annie etc are important components of the book. An added thread in this book is the future of the County Hotel as the owners have decided to sell the building.

Each year I look forward to becoming immersed in the next book in this Scottish noir series. Jerimiah's Bell did not disappoint.

For further information about the region where the series of books are set:

Exploring the natural wonder of Campbelltown - The Scotsman 4 October 2014

 

Aboriginal Victorians: a history since 1800

Richard Broome has written a comprehensive study of the relationships between Aboriginal people and Europeans in Victoria since  first encounters in 1800. The book is divided into four sections: Wild Times: 1800-1854; Transformations: 1850-1886; Assimilationism: 1886-1970 and Renaissance: 1970 onwards. The book was published in 2005.

For my family history research I was particularly interested in part one of the book, especially information concerning the years 1834 to 1840 when ancestors had investments in the new settlement of Melbourne as well as properties in the Western District. Another branch of the family settled in Gippsland.

This section deals with initial encounters between the two groups and the reactions, on both sides, to encountering different people and very different lifestyles. The author looks at the impact of the arrival of Europeans on Aboriginal life and culture and attempts to provide viewpoints from both sides. Encounters in the new village of Melbourne were not necessarily the same as encounters in the bush.

The western district of Victoria was chosen for settlement because of the opportunity for grazing sheep on land which the Aborigines had cleared by fire to encourage grass for the grazing of kangaroos which they hunted. The concept of looking after land was different for both groups. The idea of remaining in one location and taking ownership of land to the exclusion of others was a foreign concept for indigenous populations. Sometimes the two groups managed to coexist with an element of give or take on both sides. However hostilities did occur with death and injuries to both Aborigines and European settlers.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Victoria, not just as a study of race relations but also as background to understanding how the state has developed.

Code to Zero

This book was given to my husband some years ago so when I recently discovered it on the bookshelf I decided to read it. I had read Pillars of the Earth but had not read any of Ken Follett's crime / suspense novels.

Code to Zero is set in January 1958 when the first American satellite, Explorer I, was launched. The day of the proposed launch one of the scientists who has worked on the project is found semi-conscious in a toilet block in Washington. Luke has lost his memory and is dressed as a beggar with no money. He sets out to discover who he is and gradually realises that something important is to happen and that he should be there. He also soon realises that he is being followed and that someone is trying to kill him.

The suspense is maintained as the countdown for the launch is recorded in the chapter headings. There are also flashbacks to 1941 when we learn of the relationship between Luke, Anthony, Elspeth, Billie and Bern when students and later during the War. This is also a story of the Cold War in the 1950s and the rivalry between the USA and Russia. As Luke gradually recovers his memory he also has to establish who he can trust as he races against time to ensure that the launch of the satellite is a success.

Ducks, Newburyport

Ducks, Newburyport was the winner the fiction section of the James Tait Black Award for a book published in 2019. Lucy Ellman has written a substantial novel numbering 998 pages and I must admit that I did not read the book in its entirety. 

For the most part the book is written in one sentence. There are commas but where full stops should be used the author inserts the words 'the fact that'. The story is narrated by a housewife from Ohio and from this stream of conciousness we gradually learn about her family and her thoughts about the state of the world, particularly the USA, in the twenty-first century. Interspersed throughout the work is another story about a mountain lion who hunts for her cubs when they are taken away in a car. This second story is told in twenty-six short segments and normal puntuaction is used.

Themes throughout the book include motherhood, flashbacks to the narrator's early life including relationships with her parents and other family members, climate change and the environment, the USA in the time of President Trump, firearms, illness and death, her cooking and animals. References are frequently made to films and actors, authors and music. There are frequent references to books (for example the series by Laura Ingles Wilder and also the books of L M Montgomery) plus many quotations from a variety of sources. The title of the book is derived from an incident when her mother, as a child, almost drowned.

Once I was prepared to forget about the lack of fullstops and paragraphs and put the words 'the fact that' into the background I found that I became immersed in the writing and the jumping from one topic to another. I read 100 pages and dipped into other sections but, even in a pandemic, decided that I had other things to do.