The Freudian Slip by Marion Von Adlerstein

A quick rundown… The advertising world in 1960′s Sydney, told from the views of three women

Strengths: 60′s nostalgia

Weaknesses: No real main character, ending is very open-ended for two of the major characters.

Why I read it: Billed as ‘Mad Men meets Paper Giants‘ (Australian miniseries on 1970s women’s magazine, Cleo)

Pages: 400

Published: 2011

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Setting: Sydney and Melbourne, Australia

Rating: 7 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Fortune Cookie by Bryce Courtenay, Mad Men (the TV show)

 

I was really looking forward to this book. I adore the TV programme Mad Men and thoroughly enjoyed Bryce Courtenay’s look at advertising in Australia and Singapore in Fortune Cookie. You know I’m a historical fiction fan, so you wouldn’t be surprised to read that I stalked the bookstores of Melbourne for days prior to the release of this book. (Hachette will be pleased to know that nobody broke embargo). I really wanted this book to read on the way home as I thought it would be all-engrossing. Sadly, it was not to be. Not to be as in – 1. I couldn’t read it on my return journey and 2. That the book was not of the type where the world stands still while you read.

I was disappointed!

Let me get this straight. This is not an in-depth social commentary of 1960s Australia – people of a certain era will smile at the heavy use of old, familiar brand names while those of a younger generation will marvel at two things: 1. That some brands are so old! 2. What life was like prior to seven day shopping (although this can be experienced in Perth in 2012), no fast food outlets or mobile phones/internet. It’s a great piece of nostalgia but sometimes the brand references seem to be more crammed in than a Costco trolley on the inaugural visit.

Which brings me to a second point that I found interesting- Australia looking still to the Motherland, England but having a sneaking glance at glamorous America. The advertising agency has weekly showings of American commercials and Stella, turns to American magazines for inspiration (and plagiarism).

But I digress. Let me return to the storyline. The novel looks at three women, all working at a Sydney advertising agency. There’s Stella, former secretary and new copywriter, wanting to get herself out of the suburbs and intro the middle class; Desi, the posh society girl and TV director and Bea, divorcee with a nose for creative. The book focuses on each of them, but it’s unclear if one is meant to be the main character or if this is an ensemble cast. Should we like or dislike Stella, who is desperately crying to move up the corporate ladder (not always in an orthodox fashion)? Should we support Desi’s affair while engaged and encourage her to break from society’s bonds? Why is Desi known as Dizzy sometimes by various people at only various times? Isn’t that an odd nickname for someone breaking new moral ground? What exactly is the role of Bea? Are we to focus on the husband she left in the UK or her Don Draper-esque eye for advertising?

Sometimes it seems if this book is too much in too short a space. It also deals with homosexuality, drag queens (this is one of the funnier moments of the book!), class, aging, sex and racism. Nothing is in great detail.

Perhaps I was expecting a little too much of this book. If you think of it as a light frolic down 1960′s Sydney memory lane with nostalgia aplenty, you’ll enjoy this book. And I did enjoy it on this level. Those expecting more though, may be disappointed.

I Came to Say Goodbye by Caroline Overington

A quick rundown… A baby is taken from a maternity ward. The story is the one that leads to this happening, then the aftermath.

Strengths: Easy to read, dialogue has a distinctly Australian feel.

Weaknesses: The backwards storytelling really doesn’t make sense until about 50 pages before the end.

Why I read it: Part of the 2011 Get Reading! Programme.

Pages: 295

Published: 2010

Publisher: Random House Australia

Setting: New South Wales, Australia

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

If you liked this, try: a better executed psychological thriller, such as Beneath the Shadows by Sara Foster.

 

I Came to Say Goodbye was another book that I read for Australian Literature Month, hosted by Reading Matters. This was the first book that I had read by Caroline Overington (although I do have a free ebook of Ghost Child, which wins the award of Worst Ebook Cover Ever- it’s a black screen – but I digress). I was surprised at how light and easy this was to read – I finished it in two days (again, I must admit that I didn’t have a functioning leg at the time which curtailed my ability to hop away from the couch). Once again, the cover doesn’t really seem to link to the book, no matter how hard I tried to do so.

This book is somewhat unusual in which it opens with almost the end of the story – a baby being stolen from a Sydney hospital by a woman. It then travels forward in time and we meet Med Atley (short for Meredith, but Med is a typical salt of the earth Aussie bloke) who needs to prepare a statement for an upcoming court case. He can’t bring himself to talk about it, so he writes it all down. It starts with his childhood in Forster, New South Wales, a pretty coastal town, goes through his marriage and sudden departure of his wife, Pat. Med is left to bring up his three children – Kat, Blue and Fat (Donna-Faye) as best he knows how. Kat goes to high school and university in Sydney before departing for New York; while Blue goes opal hunting in Lightning Ridge. Fat falls in with the wrong man and that’s where things go downhill, with the involvement of child safety services, police and mental health services. Exactly what happened to Fat’s first child Seth and why was he removed from their care? What is the trigger for Fat’s breakdown? Finally, who is the woman who stole the baby and what did she do with it?

It’s easy to get lost in the story, but there are a couple of sticking points for me. Why did the Atleys not think to ask if they could see Seth after his accident – or even check if he was still alive? How does a baby get stolen from a hospital after hours? (All the hospitals I know have one entrance open after the end of visiting hours – the emergency entrance). Why does the hospital in Newcastle (a city) have only a registrar doctor for paediatrics? It seems Overington didn’t really know a lot about the ‘levels’ of doctors. I know that part of the point of this story is to demonstrate the differences between bureaucracy and real life, but sometimes a seemed a little too hung up on the ‘Aussie battler = good’ side of things. The voice of Kat also came across as somewhat false at times – like she is restraining herself, distancing herself from the family issues but all the same being a big part of them! The ending was also a bit strange, catching everything and tying up all the ends.

In summary, it’s an okay read, suitable for being caught short in an airport but for me there were several holes in the narrative that needed some more thought put into it.

The Siren’s Sting by Miranda Darling

In a nutshell… Stevie Duveen works in protection – opera singers, the filthy rich etc. However, there’s something strange going on in her latest adventure.

Strengths: Feisty female action hero, combines action and intrigue with a little bit of fashion and exotic travel.

Weaknesses: Took a little while to get the story going

Why I read it: courtesy of the publisher, I asked for it as I love the James Bond novels.

Pages: 341 (uncorrected proof copy)

Published: 2011

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Setting: Europe (including Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK)

Rating: 8 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Ian Fleming or Darling’s earlier Stevie Duveen novel, The Troika Dolls.

Allen and Unwin (publishers with the coolest logo, a cockatoo) recently put out a call for bloggers and bookworms to read an ARC of The Siren’s Sting. This book looked so interesting (I love Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels), as it was touted as a ‘female James Bond’ and it was by an Australian author, so I emailed and was lucky enough to snag a copy (thank you Allen and Unwin!).

In case you haven’t heard of Miranda Darling, she’s also the author of The Troika Dolls, another book about the protagonist of The Siren’s Sting, Stevie Duveen. Although it might be helpful to read The Troika Dolls, The Siren’s Sting can easily be read as a stand alone book (which is what I did). Despite Stevie’s name, she’s a feminine girl who knows her labels as well as her weapons. While this is a high action thriller involving pirates, weapons and secret armies, this book also appeals to label lovers (Stevie has some great Pucci clothes) and those with a wanderlust for living the high life in exotic European locales.

The book opens with Stevie acting as protector (or officially, ‘companion’) to a famous opera singer on a cruise ship. When the ship is attacked by pirates, Stevie is on the case, helping to stop the ship from being taken hostage. Back on dry land, Stevie is then asked by her boss (who she has a crush on) to assess the security risk of an old flame of his, whose husband happens to run a private army with a few ‘extra’ sidelines… The story then moves to Sardinia where Stevie joins the jet set on one of the flashiest superboats in the sea. Posing as a vacant socialite, Stevie finds out that nothing is as it seems, everyone has an agenda – and one of them is trying to kill her…

It’s not all yachts and YSL though. There’s the return of Henning, who Stevie met in the first novel but still knows very little about. She thinks she likes him and there’s a touch of romance. Henning’s mother, Iris, is also a well-written character who influences Stevie’s feelings. Minor characters such as Stevie’s cousin and fiancé (possibly the most annoying girl in the world) provide some light hearted relief.

The settings of this book are also envy-inducing. Stevie resides at either her grandmother’s villa in Sardinia (which is described in such glorious terms I’m putting it on my holiday list) or her flat in Zurich. She also spends time in Turin, Venice and Spain. Darling paints the settings very clearly in the mind, and the interiors tend to reflect that character’s place in this shady world.

For an action novel, there’s very little use of guns and there’s not endless bodies littering the pages. The action is based on innovative technology (such as ceramic guns – Darling, via Stevie, explains why these generally don’t work), double crossing personalities and characters not knowing each other’s agenda. Darling’s style is intelligent action and the novel would appeal to both men and women.

While I’ve been writing this review, I’ve just bought a copy of The Troika Dolls to read. I think Stevie is a character who will be with us for a long time and grow stronger and stronger with each novel. Well done Ms Darling.

Empire Day by Diane Armstrong

In a nutshell… The story of Australia post WWII, in particular the ‘New Australians’, told by the residents of Wattle Street, Bondi Junction.

Strengths: Really captures the period of post-war Sydney and the reactions to the immigrants are similar to today.

Weaknesses: A lot of characters, occasionally hard to remember where they fit in

Why I read it: Galley from Net Galley, courtesy of Harper Collins Australia

Pages: 512 (ebook)

Published: 2011

Publisher: Harper Collins Australia

Setting: Sydney, Australia

Rating: 9 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Bryce Courtenay or Peter Yeldham

I love Australian historical fiction, but the late 1940s and 50s is somewhat devoid of books. It was a time of great change, but perhaps it’s too recent in the minds of our grandparents and parents to reflect yet with must nostalgia. There was still rationing but Australia was changing. The entry of many ‘New Australians’, displaced people from World War II was changing the Australian landscape from one of 6pm pub closing and tea drinking to coffee lounges and exotic food. Many of these immigrants simply had no home to go to – Italians, Russians, Latvians, Ukrainians, the Polish and the Jewish people – and ended up here, sometimes not by choice as there was nothing for them – no home, no family, no friends. This is their story and those of those already settled in Australia. Empire Day has particular relevance to me as my paternal grandparents arrived on such a ship to Australia from devastated Eastern Europe via a refugee camp in Germany – they didn’t (and still don’t) know what became of their family. My maternal grandparents were already ‘Aussie’ so it was really interesting to hear the stories of those in Wattle Street and compare them to that of my own family.

As you’d expect, there are many characters in this book as it’s the residents of the street and it can be difficult to keep up initially with who’s who, particularly the Polish and Latvian residents (my genes lack that ability!). But the established Australian residents soon typically give them nicknames and for the majority, embrace the differences and warmly welcome the refugees. There are several topics covered that are still relevant in Australia today – do the refugees accept the ways of the new country or maintain the ways of the old? Should they forget their horrific past or share it with others? Do they mingle outside their ethnic group? Different characters have different reactions to these – for Ted, it’s falling in love with a Latvian girl; but for her father, dating an Australian boy is something he can’t forgive.

Other topics of the time covered well in Empire Day are the polio epidemic (Meggsie, a red-headed larrikin is told he’ll never walk again), rationing post war (I didn’t know Australia still rationed butter then), the lack of decent coffee (we were still a nation of tea drinkers) and the leftovers of ‘Razorhurst’ (as seen on Underbelly: Razor). I didn’t even know about Empire Day until I read this book!

The Australian spirit of ‘having a go’ and generosity really come through in this book. Whether it’s Miss McNulty helping out Kath or Mr Emil befriending Meggsie, it demonstrates the lack of a class system and the way the ‘New Australians’ were increasingly accepted by the current residents.

This book in general makes me proud to be Australian – Armstrong has perfectly captured the spirit of Australia (better than Qantas anyway!) and it’s a heartwarming read with great characters and very well researched. Bonzer job, mate!

The Gruen Transfer by Jon Casimir

In a nutshell… the TV in book format – or, how they try to sell us stuff.

Strengths: You may not be as hooked by advertising.

Weaknesses: Even though you know the advertising principles, you’ll still buy the stuff.

Why I read it: my Dad’s Christmas present. From me.

Pages: 288

Published: 2010

Publisher: ABC Books

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

If you liked this, try: The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It
by Marcia Angell

For those who are unaware, The Gruen Transfer is an Australian TV show about advertising – particularly ironic, as it’s shown on a non-commercial station. The show tells us about all the tips and tricks advertisers use to get the unsuspecting public to buy things they don’t really need. It also consists of trying to advertise difficult things (eg. Australian invasion of New Zealand) and weird ads from around the world.

As my family enjoyed the TV show, I bought this book for my dad for Christmas. When he still hadn’t read it halfway through 2011, I decided to borrow it. (He would like it if he opened it. He’s more likely to use this book as something to lean on at present). This book is just as interesting as the TV show – although I think they may overlap on ideas in some places, I think I recall some discussion on some topics. Set in the course of a normal working day, this book takes the reader through the types of advertising you’re likely to see when getting up, eating, working and relaxing. The average person will see thousands of brand names in any given day. (Look around you now if you don’t believe me – look at your monitor’s brand, phone brand, tablet brand – and the list grows). The book explains how advertisers try to sell you things – from banks (yes, they know they’re a boring necessity) to food (glue is a common substitute for milk in cereal ads) to weight loss (the before and after pictures contain several extra differences). It also contains a section on anti-advertising as well as interviews with various ‘ad people’.

I found this book very interesting and I did try not to be sucked in by advertising, but I think it’s very, very difficult in this day and age. (Although, I will never be taken in by a delicious looking ice cream – it’s probably mashed potato). While I read this book cover to cover, it could also be read in any order as each time period of the day contains an unrelated topic. A good read for those interested in advertising and how it’s sold to the consumer.

Smithereens by Shaun Micallef

 

Yes, it does need to be that big. (Original 2004 cover)

Smithereens was originally published in 2004 and has been re-released this year. As a long time Micallef fan (from Full Frontal to The Micallef P(r)ogram(me) to Micallef Tonight), I am reviewing the original edition. The new edition does contain some changes though, noted by Micallef himself as well as some sections missing (such as the letter allegedly written by Jonathan Shier – wonder if anyone remembers him?) 

Shaun Micallef is a former lawyer turned comedian and self-proclaimed ‘Renaissance man’. (I say that tongue in cheek). I am a big fan of his dry, subtle humour; especially his play on words which I worry sometimes goes over the heads of those watching Talking ‘Bout Your Generation (humourous Australian game show). He is also the creator of such characters as Fabio, the most beautiful man in the cosmos; Nobby Doldrums, Milo Kerrigan, David McGahan, Roger Explosion (played by David McGahan), Dr Miracle and District Attorney Ferguson (also played by David McGahan) and Il Est Myron. He can also write too.

This book contains short works by Shaun, ranging from diary entries on the sets of his shows, to topics such as Sherlock Holmes and Australian painters. He has a brilliant knowledge and each word must be savoured so that you find all the double meanings. It also comes with a page of non-adhesive stickers. (When you think about it, the world is full of non-adhesive stickers).

My words alone will not to justice to this excellent collection and I resist the temptation to include the words ‘goaty creatures’ or ‘STAT!’. I am looking forward to his novel Preincarnate (available at a bookstore or Kobo eBooks – Micallef goodness must be shared).

Read it if: you enjoy obscure references and laughing hysterically on public transport.

9 out of 10.

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do

 

(Image from Goodreads)

Australians probably know Anh Do as a comedian and/or the star of the movie Footy Legends. What they probably don’t know is how Anh got to be one of Australia’s truly funny blokes.

Anh and his family are from Vietnam and survived a harrowing boat journey (multiple raids by pirates, dehydration, loss of life) to get to Australia (via a refugee camp in Malaysia). Anh was only two at the time, but the story of the trip is edge-of-your-seat kind of stuff. When they finally made it to Australia, the Do family were so thankful for everything (they were given jeans- a sign of wealth in Vietnam) that when Anh’s little brother, Khoa, was mistaken for a girl and given a dress to wear, the family accepted it with pleasure. (From the photos, Khoa made a very cute little girl). It’s that thankfulness to the country that took them in that continues on as a feature of the story as well as the sense of family. Anh’s family often have extended family or friends come to stay with them as they get on their feet, despite the family working exceptionally hard on their sewing business. They were never too busy to help someone out, despite being poor themselves (Anh had to pretend he had lost or forgotten his schoolbooks- he simply couldn’t afford to buy them at all).

Anh’s story reminds us we need to be thankful for what he have- he is so kind, buying his mother a house or working to afford braces for his sister, who was ashamed about her smile. With the current media headlines about ‘boat people’, we need to remember that they have thoughts, feelings and can be a great asset to this country, like Anh and his family.

A great, funny, emotional memoir. Well done Anh.

9 out of 10.

Barbed Wire and Roses by Peter Yeldham

(Cover picture from Penguin)

Peter Yeldham is an Australian screenwriter and author. Some time ago, I bought Barbed Wire and Roses, added it to my TBR pile and promptly forgot about it. Recently, I saw he has a new book out (Glory Girl) and thought I should read his work before I go and buy another of his books.

I feel a bit bad now that I’ve had this sitting on my shelves for so long. It’s a great book and if I was looking for similarities, I say he’s like Bryce Courtenay in telling a good Aussie story (but his books are not as thick as Courtenay’s- good for bedtime reading)!

Barbed Wire and Roses is not a romantic novel, as you might think from the title (it does have romance, but that’s certainly not the focus). It tells the story of Stephen Conway, who eagerly volunteered to join the army in 1914, fought in Gallipoli and France and then died at the end of the war. Or so that’s what his family thinks. Patrick, his grandson, goes to France to retrace his grandfather’s footsteps on the way to a meeting with the BBC in London but there’s a lot more to this than first thought. Enter diaries, misplaced letters, a gold digging granddaughter and a romance- you’ll find Stephen’s plight a lot more than first thought.

This book enters into topics that are generally not told in war stories (or skimmed over)- I found some of the treatments and outcomes truly awful. Stephen is portrayed well as a character, but Joanna (Patrick’s wife) is a hastily sketched caricature and it’s hard to care what she thinks or what happens to her. Patrick’s romance wasn’t really necessary to the story, but I can understand why it was there to draw parallels.

I’m eagerly awaiting Glory Girl on my bookshop shelves now!

8.5 out of 10

Campaign Ruby by Jessica Rudd

Australians probably would have heard about this book recently as it’s scarily prophetic. Shafted prime minister’s daughter writes a book about an Australian prime minister being ousted from office by his female colleague who then calls a snap election- it all reflects our recent political climate. But is Jessica Rudd cashing in on her father’s name and fate?

No! Even though I am an ardent Kevin Rudd fan (geeks and academics can be prime minister…hope for us all, but that’s another story for another blog) Jessica Rudd has done a wonderful job in producing a truly funny chick lit where politics is anything but boring.

Campaign Ruby centres around Ruby Stanhope, an investment banker who is sacked as part of the credit crunch. She goes home, gets blind drunk and books herself a ticket to Melbourne. (Why Ruby has a Qantas Frequent Flyer number even though she’s never been to Australia is never explained). It’s too expensive to get out of the ticket, so luckily she flies in to a stinking hot summer where she is met by her aunt. By luck, she meets the Leader of the Opposition (leader of political party not in power) and is offered a job on the election campaign. Here Ruby makes the most of her Englishness and lack of knowledge regarding Australian slang, leading to some awkward (and funny) moments. Will the Leader of the Opposition win? Will Ruby realise which of the team has her best interests at heart in time?

Ruby is a very likeable character (even though she has a better knowledge of Australian fashion labels than most Australians) and the supporting cast (particularly the aunts and her niece Clementine) are skillfully written and unique.

Jessica doesn’t have the literary verbosity of her father (phew, I hear most of you say) but she does have an incredible talent for humout- I don’t think I’ve ever giggled my way through a chick lit as much.

It was interesting to read this in the wake of the recent Australian federal election, when we didn’t know what was going to happen in regards to who would form government- I was hoping that Jessica would predict the result!

If you’re in Sydney and would like to read this, many of the CBD bookshops (Dymocks, Kinokuniya and Abbey’s to name the ones I saw) have autographed copies (like mine, below).

9 out of 10.

Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave

 (image from Goodreads)

After the boring repetitiveness of Under the Tuscan Sun, I’ve made it a mission to read a little bit of the book I plan to read on my commute so I’m not stuck reading something dreadful. So, last night I started reading Holding the Man. I finished it this afternoon.

I bought Holding the Man as one of the Popular Penguins series. I thought it was about AFL (Australian Rules football), given the title. I suppose you could say that it is, a little- Tim falls in love with the captain of the footy team at school, John. So begins a love affair that ends with John’s death.

I found the initial chapters rather graphic in places (perhaps not suitable for public transport if you have people who read over your shoulder) but not offensive. I enjoyed the transcription of their lives, right down to recreated conversations. I found the description of the medical treatments very interesting (and nearly all factually correct, a rarity in today’s lack of fact checking world), especially in regards to how much HIV and AIDS treatments have progressed since John and Tim contracted the disease.

This may not be for the fainthearted as there are many sexual references, as well as a poignant farewell to John, but it’s definitely an eye opener and I’m glad I read it.

8 out of 10.