Stone Yard Devotional

A woman returns to the area where she grew up after thirty-five years. The first place that she visits is the cemetery containing the graves of her parents. She then travels to the nearby monastic retreat where a group of nuns live but other people can stay for a short time. We do not know the name of this woman or what caused her to make the visit at this time. She is not a religious person but enjoys the quietness and structure of the life at the monastery. She stays for five days. Later she returns for good.

As the narrator records her story about her life at the monastery we learn about her relationship with her mother, who she deeply misses. We also learn a little about her early life at school, especially when a a fellow student from the school stays at the community for a time. There is also mention of a husband, but that is in passing. 

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood is not a life story but provides reflections on life as they relate to events in the present. At the monastery they are contending with a mouse plague. At first just a few, but then swarms of mice in the building and grounds. Then they learn that the body of a former sister at the monastery has been located overseas and will be returned. This is during COVID-19 so many obstacles occur before a final resting place for this sister can be arranged. Accompanying her is Helen Parry who for a variety of reasons is returning to the area where she grew up for a short time.

This novel explores long-term grief for the loss of a loved one. People are complex creatures and the novel also explores long-term feelings held by the woman and regret for past events. What is forgiveness and can a person truly forgive the actions of  others? Respect for the environment is another theme of the novel.

Australian author, Charlotte Wood, shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize

The Royal Librarian

Sophie Klein was living with her family in Vienna when Hitler annexed Austria. Sophie had promised her mother that she would take care of her younger sister, Hanna, but where could they go? As her father's family was Jewish, staying in Austria was not an option.

Sophie managed to find a place for Hanna with a group of other young children being shipped to the United States. Sophie had worked in libraries and as she was fluent in German and English she eventually managed to find a position working in a library in England where part of the job description was to translate German documents into English. The library position was at the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.

In this work of historical fiction by Daisy Wood, we learn of Sophie's life and challenges from 1938 until 1943. The story is also told from the viewpoint of Lacey Jones who lives in Philadelphia in 2022. One day Lacey discovers that her grandmother had been born in Austria and that her grandmother had a sister who had worked in England in the Royal Library. Lacey decides to go to England to try and find out about her great aunt's story and why her grandmother never mentioned her sister.

The Royal Librarian is a work of fiction laced with historical facts but the information about living in the castle during the war is mainly fictional. However the author creates an atmosphere of what living in Austria and England was like during the Second World War, including the fears faced by the citizens of England as they waited for the impending German attack. It is another readable book about the challenges of living in England during the Second World War.

The Weekend

This is the story of four women, friends for many years, who regularly meet and share experiences. In The Weekend Charlotte Wood recounts the experiences of three of the women, Jude (a former restauranteer), Wendy (a writer) and Adele (an actress) when they arrange to spend a weekend one Christmas clearing out the beach house of the fourth member of the group, Sylvie, who died eleven months ago.

The remaining members of the group, now in their early 70s, are all struggling with a variety of issues which they endeavour to keep from other members of the group. The physical absence of Sylvie affects them all in different ways however her prescence is still to be found in the house from time to time.

This is a book about secrets, relationships and aging as these older women attempt to face the challenges that life presents. Some of these themes also appear in the Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green.

The book was listed on the Stella Prize Shortlist 2020 - The Weekend

The alphabet of light and dark

Danielle Wood's first novel is primarily set on Bruny Island in Tasmania where, after the death of her grandfather, Essie returns to spend three months to investigate and record the history of her family. The focal point of the island is the lighthouse which for many years was operated by members of Essie's family so much of her time is spent in this building examining the papers and artefacts left to her by her grandfather and writing the story. Her discoveries provide not only an understanding of her family's story but also the opportunity to review her own life, especially after meeting Peter again, a friend from her childhood.