Bolla

Bolla by Pajtim Statovci is on the shortlist for the 2023 James Tait Black award in the fiction section. 

Set before and after the Kosovo civil war the novel recounts the story of two young men who are students at university. Arsim is Albanian while Milos is Serbian and they live in a community contested by both nationalities. Arsim is recently married when he meets Milos in a cafe. Their relationship develops and Arsim finds himself living two lives which becomes complicated when his wife discovers that she is pregnant.

Eventually Arsim and his family leave Pristina to live in a safer community while Milos joins the Serbian army. Many years later Arsim and Milos meet again but Milos' life has been destroyed by war and Arsim is attempting to establish a new life alone in Pristina. There are only memories.

Entwined throughout the novel is the legend of Bolla a snake like creature who appears once a year and devours everything in its path. Arsim writes a version of the story where a blind girl meets the Bolla and they agree to meet each year.

Kosovo conflict - Britannica

Restless Dolly Maunder

Later in her life Dolly realised that she had just wanted to be a woman with the same freedom as men who normally controlled their own lifestyle and the lifestyle of their families.

Dolly Maunder had been restless from the time she took her first steps. Attending the local school, Dolly decided that she would like to be a teacher however her father had other plans. She was to stay on the family farm helping her mother with the cooking and household tasks. Dolly definitely wanted more from life than this.

When Dolly was born in 1880, some women were beginning to take control of their own lives. However Dolly was born into a family in rural New South Wales where her father made the decisions and children who rebelled felt the wrath of his leather belt.

Dolly met two young men who may have been marriage prospects but these men were deterred because of Dolly's family's low social standing or by religion. Eventually her family insisted that she should marry Bert, a worker on their farm. Dolly and Bert then moved to another property.

Bert and Dolly made improvements to the property and then Dolly became restless and they set out to develop another project. As well as farming, the pair managed hotels and boarding houses. With each project their financial position improved but Dolly was still restless. She always wanted more, to try something new. Dolly and Bert had three children but later in life Dolly realised that she didn't really have the knack of being a mother and the relationship with her children was strained. 

Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville, as well as telling Dolly's story, provides a social history reflecting on the lives of women from the later years of the nineteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century. Gradually there were changes in expectations as some women began to object to the domination of men in their lives, particularly when women wanted to own property in their name. The effects of the 1930s Depression, followed by the Second World War, on the lives of women and their families, also shapes the latter years of Dolly's life.

Dolly Maunder (Sarah Catherine Maunder) was Kate Grenville's grandmother.  Kate did not know her grandmother well but she did know that there were tensions between members of her family and her grandmother. The author collected together the small number of facts that she knew about the life of her grandmother to form the basis of this novel in the hope of better understanding the life of Dolly Maunder.

Women like Dolly helped open the doors for the next generations of women to enjoy more freedom in how they lived their lives. After reading this novel I plan to look more carefully at the lives of my family members who were of the same generation as Dolly in order to better understand their lives and their sometimes strained relationships with younger generations.

Thank you to Better Reading for a preview copy of this novel which is due for publication in July. (#BRPreview)

Shortlisted for 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction (Previously Orange Prize for Fiction) - honours the best novel published in Britain in English by a woman.

A Routine Infedelity

Ted Bristol runs the private detective agency, Edwina Bristol Investigations, in Melbourne. Most of her cases revolve around investigating suspicions of wives or husbands against their spouses however she is prepared to take on any case. Her business is new and she relies on social media to promote the operation of her agency.

However not all cases prove to be routine investigations. When following one suspect Ted discovers that he is involved in the embezzlement of large sums of money from his employer. Ted is determined to investigate the case further - this could be the big break for herself and for her agency. It could also lead her into danger.

Ted also has a difficult relationship with members of her family, especially with her father,  which she eventually realises most be resolved. Meanwhile Ted discovers that her sister, Bob, has become involved in a catfishing scam and Ted is determined to discover the person behind this. Also, a neighbour, Chantal, has been sensing that Ted is in danger and it takes time before Ted is able to take Chantal's concerns seriously,

In A Routine Infidelity Elizabeth Coleman has written a story with interweaving threads as Ted and her team which includes her dog, Miss Marple, solve their cases and survive the unexpected danger that comes their way.

After Soppho

Sappho lived between c. 630 – c. 570 BC on the island of Lesbos in Greece. She was known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. 

In the novel, After Sappho, Selby Wynn Schwartz combines possible incidents from the lives of female authors, poets, artists, actors and singers who were known for promoting feminism in the battle for freedom, justice and control of how they wanted to live their lives. These women pushed against the boundaries in a male dominated society.

A chorus of narrators question whether modern feminists owe more to the beliefs and ideals portrayed in the the remnants that have survived of the works of Sappho or to the beliefs of the Trojan prophetess-princess Cassandra, condemned to be unbelieved even as she foretold a terrible future.

Sarah Bernhardt, Colette, Eileen Gray, Lina Poletti, Virginia Woolfe , Vita Sackville-West, Romaine Romaine Brooks, Ida Rubinstein, Natalie Barney, Isadora Duncan, Nancy Cunard, Gertrude Stein, Anna Kuliscioff, Rina Faccio and Radclyffe Hall are some of the characters who lived in the late nineteenth century / early twentieth century who appear in the vignettes woven together to form this novel.

This book by Selby Wynn Schwartz was long listed for the 2022 Booker prize.

It is on the short list for the James Tait Black award for 2023.

Interview with Selby Wynn Schwartz about the book, After Soppho.

Review in The Guardian 20 July 2022 - After Sappho

The Tea Ladies

The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson is set in Sydney in 1965. Hazel Bates is the tea lady for the firm Empire Fashionwear, manufacturers of quality fashion for women. Hazel and a group of friends regularly meet for a cup of tea or something stronger in the local pub. When Hazel briefly notices through an office window a woman who appears to be in distress in the deserted building opposite the factory, she and her friends decide to investigate. 

However life becomes more complicated when in the middle of the night there is a fire in the deserted building. Hazel and Betty, like most of the neighbourhood go to watch. The door to the Empire building is unlocked so Hazel and Betty check inside and discover the body of staff member, Mr McCracken.

The tea ladies now have a number of crimes to investigate. Who was the lady in the deserted factory and who kidnapped her? Who lit the factory fire and why? Who killed Mr McCracken and why? Hazel also has a more private concern to investigate. Her husband, Bob, has been behaving strangely and, when Hazel discovers that a private investigator has been tailing her, she wants to know why.

Empire Fashionwear has other concerns to sort out caused by the publicity that followed the visit of English model, Jean Shrimpton, to a race meeting in Melbourne. Within the factory there is a strict hierarchy of staff with those upstairs wanting to maintain the status quo in fashion design while younger staff members wanting the firm to manufacture more 'with it' garments.

Having worked, in the mid 1960s, in a building that had a tea lady as well as being well aware of the changes in women's fashion that occurred at that time, I enjoyed reading about the day to day activities and concerns faced by the characters in this story. Of course there was also a series of crimes to investigate, especially as the police did not appear to be anxious to find out the cause of the crimes.

Amanda Hampson has written a fun cozy crime novel incorporating a group of interesting and enterprising characters who are determined to investigate these crimes that have occurred in their neighbourhood.

Bitter Orange Tree

Bitter orange tree by Jokha Alharthi and translated by Maryilyn Booth is one of the four books on the short list in the general fiction section for the James Tait Black Awards for 2023.

Zuhour from Oman is a student at a British University. As she tries to work out how to fit in with her new environment she consistently remembers events involving family that have occurred now and in the past. 

The main story that haunts her is that of her grandmother, Bint Amir, who is not actually her grandmother but was adopted into Zuhour's family. Bint Amir's story appears throughout the book in segments concluding in the final section. It is Bint Amir who looks after Zuhour's father, Mansour,when he is a boy. She also plants and tends the bitter orange tree in the family's garden.

Zuhour also reflects on the situation of her older sister, Sumayaa, whose personality dramatically changes after her marriage to a man who turns out to be an abusive partner. 

Zuhour's fellow class mates include Pakistani sisters Kuhl and Suroor who are also struggling to adapt to family expectations when faced with other possibilities. Suroor loves a fellow student Imran but her parents would never approve of the relationship because of his parent's low social status.

During the novel Zuhour reflects on relationships in her family and how decisions are often based on tradition and expectations on how people should behave, especially to preserve the honour and status of the family. 

In this novel there is no consistent narrative, just a collection of  memories and accounts of events which together portray the concerns, remorse and regret experienced by Zahour. At times I found it confusing trying to keep track of what was happening, especially as so many of the names of characters are similar. However the author succeeds in providing the reader with a glimpse of life and expectations, especially for women, from a different culture.

The Remarkable Mrs Reiby

Mary Haydock was arrested for stealing a horse in August 1791. Fourteen months later she was aboard the convict ship, Royal Admiral, on her way to Sydney Cove. In 1794, Mary married seaman, Thomas Reiby, and they moved to the Hawkesbury where they been given land to farm. 

They started a cargo business transporting goods on the Hawkesbury River between Sydney and the new settlement where they now lived. Mary became involved in operating the family business as well as looking after their growing family of seven children, especially when her husband travelled overseas for more cargo.

When Thomas Reibey died in 1811, Mary was in control of a successful business which she operated from the heart of Sydney. She was more than able to compete with the other traders in the colony and became a wealthy businesswoman and landowner.

As well as telling Mary's story in The Remarkable Mrs Reibey, Grantlee Kieza provides vivid descriptions of life in the colony of New South Wales at the time both in Sydney and at the Hawkesbury, politics, trade, Rum Corps, other merchants and living as a former convict in the settlement. When some of her family settle in Van Diemen's Land descriptions are also provided of life in that colony. One of Mary's neighbours in Sydney was Simeon Lord whose name appears quite often in the book.

Mary Reibey has been remembered with her image appearing on the Australian $20 note.

 

The book has detailed endnotes and a bibliography.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath

This sequel to The Left-Handed Booksellers of London may be even better than the first book. The Sinister Booksellers of London by Garth Nix is set primarily in Bath, plus some time in London, and their alternate magical worlds. When Merlin is transported into an alternate world through the remnants of a magical map, Susan Arkshaw is summoned to Bath to assist Veronica in his rescue. This leads to the discovery of a plan of an Ancient Sovereign to cause destruction on the night of the Winter Solstice.

As the magical booksellers group together to prevent this plan eventuating it is discovered that Susan is the immediate target so all efforts are required to protect her from danger. Through her dreams Susan has also been contacted by her father, The Old Man of Coniston, and realises that she is gaining some of his magical powers, which she tries to resist.

Once again the author takes the reader into a world of  magic with the tension increasing as the hour of the Solstice approaches. Throughout the book there is an array of weird underworld characters, including Bath stone sculptured creatures, that threaten anyone or anything in their path. As time is running out Susan realises what she has to do. You might also discover the titles of books that you might like to read or reread scattered throughout the book. Another great book by Garth Nix.

Home before midnight

Third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Melbourne and another curfew has been called. Everyone must be home by 8pm. Lou is worried. She is unable to contact her son Samuel to ensure that he knows about the impending curfew. He was going to visit his father but did not arrive. Lou becomes frantic. Samuel seems to have disappeared.

When Lou eventually hears from her son, he is evasive and hesitant about answering her questions. He indicates that he is staying with his girlfriend but Lou is not convinced that he is telling the truth. Where is her son and what has happened to him?

In Home  before midnight J. P. Pomare has written another psychological thriller that will keep the reader guessing. We know that Lou and her  ex - husband Marko have a secret but does it have any relation to the disappearance of their son? Lou knows that at all costs she must find Samuel and ensure that he arrives home safely.

That Bligh Girl

That Bligh Girl by Sue Williams explores the life of Mary Bligh, daughter of William Bligh who was the fourth Governor of New South Wales. Captain Bligh had also been involved in the Mutiny on the Bounty. Generally her father was known for being stubborn, self important and generally being difficult to get along with if another person disagreed with his viewpoint.

When her father was appointed governor of New South Wales in 1806, Mary had recently married John Putland and they were planning to move to Ireland. Instead, they both found themselves aboard a fleet of ships on their way to New South Wales. Needless to say William Bligh managed to have disagreements with Captain Short as to who was in charge of the fleet. It was a long voyage.

 In this work of historical fiction Sue Williams tells us the story of Mary and of her maid, Meg, as they adapt to a new life in the colony. Much of Mary's time is spent trying to diffuse situations created by her father. Then on January 26, 1808 the military in the colony rebels against their leader in what was later referred to as The Rum Rebellion. After Captain Bligh agrees to return to England he instead sailed to Van Diemen's Land where he remained for twelve months.

Like her previous work of historical fiction, Elizabeth & Elizabeth, Sue Williams creates a world showing what life was like, particularly for women, in the new British colony. Having family who lived in New South Wales during the period described in the book, I enjoyed reading the descriptions of life and challenges in the new colony as portrayed by the author. Another excellent book by Sue Williams.

Information about Mary Bligh:

Mary Bligh O'Connell - Riverstone & District Historical Society & Museum