The Revenge Club

Kathy Lette writes humorous books about the challenges of older women, often their relationships with men,  and The Revenge Club continues this trend. Four older women - Matilda (Tilly), Jo, Penny and Cressida (Cressy) - meet one day after thirty years apart and discuss problems they are facing in their work opportunities or in marriage. 

Jo has discovered that dressing as a man and calling herself Joseph allows her to continue working at the job she enjoys in the film industry. Penny, a respected reporter and television host, loses her job on a television show as she is considered to be too old while her male co-host, who is the same age, hosts the show on his own. Cressida gave up her job when she married to support her husband and bring up their four daughters. Now that the girls are no longer at home she starts looking for acting work again but is considered too old for most jobs. Then she discovers that her husband, an influential lawyer, has been dating a younger woman. When she tries to divorce him she discovers that he has taken total control of the family property and financial accounts. Matilda, a successful author, discovers that her publisher is refusing to publish her new book because he considers that she is too old and unappealing to look at.

The four women therefore decide to create the Revenge Club.

Kathy Lette has created an often amusing and sometimes raunchy tale of how the four women set out to achieve revenge for themselves and other women in a similar situation.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was first published in 1937. I first read the book many years ago.  As my granddaughter is studying the novel this year for year 10 English I read the novella again.

The story is set at the end of the Great Depression in America when many men took to the road to try and pick up temporary jobs on farms. Two of these men are George Milton and Lennie Small who we first meet camping near the road ready to start work the following day. It is soon obvious that George is in charge of arrangements and has made it his business to look after Lennie who is a good worker but has a limited capacity for being aware of other people and coping in social situations. We soon learn that George and Lennie made an early exit from their previous job due to misunderstandings about Lennie's behaviour.

Lennie likes anything that is soft and in the first chapter we learn of his infatuation with mice. Later, all he want to do is to live somewhere where he can look after rabbits. George is trying to earn enough money so they can purchase some land, raise a few animals and become independent - the American Dream. However, whenever it looks as if the plan might succeed something goes wrong, usually due to an unintentional action of Lennie. One of their co-workers is Curley who is against Lennie from the start. George finally takes extreme measures to save his friend from further harm.

Of Mice and Men is a short book comprising of six chapters -120 pages in the edition l read. There are many possible discussion points within the book which is probably why it is still used as a school text, although many of the views in the book are outdated in 2025.

There are many web resources designed to assist students in understanding this work:

 Why Of Mice and Men is Still Relevant - KC Studio

Of Mice and Men - Questions and Answers - Spark Notes

Of Mice and Men Readers Guide - Penguin Books

Of Mice and Men Summaries - Cliffs Notes

Of Mice and Men - pdf

Our Dog Snoopy

Reading Three Wild Dogs and the Truth by Markus Zusak brought back memories of our family dog many years ago. 

When we were young we had often had cats. When I was a young child my father was horrified when I convinced my mother that we should purchase a kitten from the pet shop. As far as Dad was concerned, no-one purchased a cat. Then there was George, a ginger Tom, who technically lived two doors from us but seemed to spend all his time in our garden. It became obvious that he was not well so eventually my mother saw his owner and told him we were taking the cat to the vet. The vet agreed to treat George for minimum cost so long as we agreed to become George's new owners. Our next door neighbour also helped look after George. Another cat adopted my mother when she went for a walk. A week or so later the cat produced a litter of kittens. We found homes for most of the kittens but for considerable time there were three cats in the house. Fortunately we did not have all the cats at the same time.

When I was in my late teens my father collected me from the railway station after I had attended evening lectures at RMIT. He told me he had a surprise. On the front seat, nestled in a box, was a small puppy. I named him Snoopy and he was an important part of our family for fourteen years. Snoopy's mother was a pedigree basset hound but she had an encounter with a labrador. As Dad was a friend of the owner he was allowed to choose which dog he wanted and chose Snoopy. I suspect that Mum knew nothing about this until Dad and Snoopy arrived home.

Snoopy had his own looks and definitely his own personality. We used to refer to him as being two dogs long and half a dog high. Snoopy was supposed to live in his dog kennel in the back garden. When Dad arranged for a wooden bungalow to be erected in the back garden so that he had a quiet place to work, Snoopy decided that this was his new home. Snoopy liked to dig so the back garden began to look like a disaster zone as Dad had to pile large quantities of rubbish along the side fence to prevent Snoopy digging under the fence into the property next door.

Snoopy could look quite ferocious when he looked through the hole in the gate and barked at anyone passing. No one tried to enter the back garden when Snoopy was on guard. He was fine with the family though he could be boisterous and had to be dissuaded from jumping on people to show his pleasure at seeing them. 

The big challenge when taking Snoopy for a walk was to avoid being taken for a walk by Snoopy. We always kept him on the lead, including at the park. When I walked with Snoopy I was always on the lookout for cats. If I saw the cat first it was OK as I could literally dig in my heels in the grass to stop him pulling me over when he decided to take chase. He did not like cyclists either so that was another thing to look out for. Needless to say walking with Snoopy could be an exhausting experience.

At the end of 1967 I moved to Canberra for several years. When I returned home in February 1971 I was sharing the bungalow with Snoopy. Dad had created a place for Snoopy to sleep in his office. Each morning I would cover my bed with folding chairs to dissuade Snoopy from sleeping on my bed when I was at work.

In 1976 Robin and I moved to Bayswater. Several months later we received a request to look after Snoopy for several weeks as the sewerage was being installed in East Bentleigh and part of the fence would be down for a while. At least this gave Snoopy new territory to explore - always on the lead.

Snoopy was a special dog. He was full of life until shortly before he died. He was definitely part of the family and our special friend. My father, in particular was very fond of him. If we had Snoopy today he would have been taken to dog training classes to attempt to teach him better behaviour, especially when on the lead. However this was not the normal procedure in the 1960s. One thing for sure, Snoopy will always be remembered by those who knew him.

Three Wild Dogs and the Truth

When the Zusak family decided to adopt a dog from the local pound they did not know the change this animal would make to their lives. The dog was Reuben, a mixture of many breeds though they were told his ancestry was possibly a Great Dane / Labrador cross. He was a few months old when they brought him home and what was certain was that he would be a big dog. 

As Markus and his wife had a three year old daughter it was essential that Reuben should be a family dog and fortunately he was. Reuben and Kitty became the best of friends. However there were other occupants in the house - two cats named Bijoux and Brutus. Bijoux was in charge. Eventually the animals came to accept each other but there were still challenges, especially when Markus took his dog for a walk.

Then a second dog named Archer arrived. There was a lot of love in the house between dogs and humans but there was also chaos, especially when the dogs went for a walk. There were also expensive vet bills. But the dogs became an important part of the family life which had expanded to include a son. 

When the two dogs died within a short time of each other it was decided to wait six months before considering another dog in the family until they saw a photo of Frosty, another street dog from the pound, and the challenging and chaotic life of looking after and loving a large and sometimes unruly dog began again.

In Three Wild Dogs and the Truth Markus Zusak provides an often humorous account of the highs and lows of living with strong-willed pets. There are a number of photos of the three dogs, usually looking innocent despite the disruption they may have caused. While Reuben and Archer were entertaining the family Markus was often away on publicity tours for The Book Thief and writing Bridge of Clay so we also learn a little of the life of an author.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book which I read in one sitting.

The sea, the sea

When retired actor, playwright and director, Charles Arrowby relocates to a house by the sea he is not prepared for the dramatic changes about to occur in his life. The first section of The Sea,The Sea by Irish author, Iris Murdoch, provides initial thoughts outlining the background to Charles' life so far and his desire to write his story - now that he has the time to do this. This is followed by a more serious attempt to record his story in which we meet a cast of characters who, one way or another, have impacted on his life. We also begin to realise that Charles is not necessarily a reliable narrator and there could be many versions of the story.

Much of the book revolves around Charles' infatuation with his 'first love' Hartley who he meets again in the village near where he now living with her husband, Ben. Their son, Titus, has disappeared from their life. However we soon learn that Charles has had many relationships including with Clementine, Lizzy and Rosina plus other women who appear infatuated with him. His written account deals with his version of the story with these women which becomes chaotic when Lizzy and Rosina with Gilbert, Peregrine, Hartley's son, Titus, and Charles' cousin, James, arrive at his house at the same time.

This is a story of relationships ( real and imagined) - jealousy, remorse, hatred, tragedy and love are some of the themes occurring in the often humorous account of Charles' life. A major factor of the book is, of course, the sea which is ever present. There is also a feeling of the supernatural with Charles convinced that he has seen a sea-monster and his suspicion that his cousin may have mystical powers.

The version of the book that I read had 580 pages of small print which made it a challenge to read at times however persevering was worthwhile. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch won the Booker Prize in 1978. This novel was one of three books selected as a possible title for the Monash Alumni Book Club in March 2025.

The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch - review

The Berry Pickers

In May 1962 a family made up of members of the Mi'kmaq people made their annual trek from Nova Scotia to Maine to take part in the berry picking season. Each year they worked on the same property and lived in a nearby cabin. One day four year old Ruthie disappeared. Her six year brother, Joe, was the last family member to see her. She was last seen sitting happily on a large rock by the road. Joe went for a walk and when he returned Ruthie had disappeared. It was fifty years before she was reunited with her family.

The effects of this event on Ruthie's family and Ruthie herself (renamed Norma) is told in the first person in alternating chapters by Joe and Norma. Ruthie's family never give up looking for her and Joe's account describes the problems he faced throughout his life as he was convinced that Ruthie's disappearance was his fault. Norma on the other hand knows that she looks different from her 'parents' but she also knows that she is loved by her 'mother'. Norma's mother accidentally reveals her secret before she dies and Norma is able to search for her true family.

In The Berry Pickers, Amanda Peters has written a moving thought provoking novel about grief and betrayal but also a story of love as the background stories of the two families involved when an indigenous child is stolen are revealed. 

The Berry Pickers won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction 2024.

The Mango Tree: A memoir of fruit, Florida and felony

When the phone rings one morning Annabelle Tometich finds herself talking to her mother who is in the Lee County Jail. This was not the start to the day that she had been expecting. Josefina Tometich was arrested for shooting at a man with an air-rifle when he was stealing mangoes growing on a tree in her garden.

In The Mango Tree Annabelle Tometich has written a memoir about her family when she was growing up in Fort Meyers, Florida. Her mother was born in the Philippines and moved from Manila to the USA to work as a nurse at the local hospital. Her father, Lou Tometich, was the son of an immigrant from Yugoslavia. Annabelle and her sister, Amber, and brother, Arthur, were therefore the product of a mixed marriage.  

Families can be complicated. The author acknowledges towards the end of the memoir that the real interpretation of an event may not be clear until much later. The book contains themes of forming and maintaining relationships, raising a family in a culturally different environment, racism, grief and especially family relationships in general. There is much humour in the book as the author recounts family events and describes often eccentric members of her extended family.

The heart of the book is the mango that Josefina loves to eat and attempts to grow from seed in her garden. A difficult task but one that she is proud of when she is finally successful. The mango tree is therefore a central feature in Josefina's family life

The Mango Tree was one of three books selected as a possible title for the Monash Alumni Book Club in March 2025.