Saturday 19 March 2011

Just a Girl by Jane Caro


I do read books outside the historical fiction genre, but looking at my reviews so far...not very many! But they're just so darn satisfying and interesting!

In 'Just A Girl' we have young Elizabeth on the eve of her coronation, passing a restless night in anticipation of her coronation. She spends the night reflecting on the path that has led her to this night. A young life beset with tragedy, pathos, danger, imprisonment, illness, glamour and death.
She is surrounded by people who change allegiance at the drop of a hat, who are quick to judge, condemn and believe the worse. Elizabeth makes mistakes and learns from them and she is quick to observe and learn the lessons from the mistakes of others as well.We see how she develops the strength of character to become a Queen that is capable of ruling her people through a period of nearly 50 years into a Golden Age.

Caro's story is simply written, but never trite or dull. I was completely caught up in the feelings and dilemmas of the young Elizabeth. I felt empathy and sympathy for her. I finished the book wanting more. More Elizabeth and more Caro (you may know her from the Gruen Transfer on ABC TV).
Jane Caro interview SMH

Having read (and loved) Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall' over Christmas I felt quite familiar with the history of that time and I was very ready to enter into that time once again. 

Caro has made some concessions to her younger, modern readers, but this simply gives Elizabeth's story a poignancy and immediacy.


Highly recommended for 12+ readers.

Friday 18 March 2011

Steampunk Literature

I've heard the genre 'steampunk' referred to quite a bit in recent times...and I realised I didn't really know what it meant.

According to wikipedia it is
a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them.

Or as one article referred to it as ''clocks and corsets stories".

Steampunk is inspired by the Victorian classics of H G Wells and Jules Verne. Other examples of the genre are Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series, Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan books, Richard Harland's Worldshaker, Phillip Reeve's, Michael Pryor's and Kenneth Oppal's books just to name a few.

Michael Pryor's steampunk renaissance blog
Steampunk'd on youtube
There are oodles of websites and links to steampunk fanatics out there - just start googling! There a people who not only enjoy reading the genre, but choose to live their lives with a steampunk aesthetic - clothes, furniture, art, architecture!

Now I just have to work is 'Shadow Web' by N.M. Browne steampunk or dystopian...?

The Ivory Rose by Belinda Murrell

I haven't enjoyed a junior fiction read so thoroughly or as much as I did The Ivory Rose for quite some time.

Perhaps it was the local setting of Annandale in Sydney. Perhaps it was the time slip theme as Jemma found herself suddenly in 1895. Perhaps it was the well-drawn, believable characters. Or perhaps it was the strong, warm-hearted, likeable Jemma.

It was all of the above! But it was also beautifully crafted by Murrell. A well set-up mystery with dramatic tension and humour. The historical facts were woven into the drama in a natural way. Clues and danger aplenty to keep the pace moving along briskly. And a very satisfying ending.

What more could you want....except another story by Murrell as soon as possible! And for me - a stroll next week around the Witches houses of Annandale to soak up the atmosphere a bit longer.

If you enjoyed this book, you might like Girl About Time by Kerstin Gier.

Sunday 13 March 2011

The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky

What a curious story. Set in the 1960's with a hint of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' about it. A group of schoolgirls are taken on an excursion to the local park by their teacher. She is befriended by the new gardener who encourages them to explore the hidden caves along the beach.

The teacher is full of poetry, longing and dreams. She admonishes the young girls who try to inject practical objections or more realistic ideas into the conversations.... and then she goes missing.

The girls have been told be her to keep their excursions to the park a secret, so they fail to raise the alarm back at school.

What really happened in the cave? Who is the gardener? And what happened to the teacher?
The mystery is well developed. The atmosphere, time and place is beautifully evoked. The angst and indecision of the girls is believable. But the ending was a let down.

The story seemed to be in part a conversation about the perils of being a dreamer and allowing yourself to be carried away (in a way that is unsafe and risky) by your desires and imaginings. So the ghostly ending didn't sit well with me.

But I'm curious to see more paintings by Charles Blackman and the mood of the story has stayed with me now for several days. Maybe a second reading will be in order...!


Tuesday 8 March 2011

Wolf Wont Bite by Emily Gravett

A new picture book by Emily Gravett is something I look forward too.
Her last book, The Rabbit Problem, was one of those difficult books to categorise - adults loved it, but it failed to appeal to young children. The humour and details went over their heads. But the cleverness and quirkiness appealed to adults nostalgic for their own childhoods.

Wolf Wont Bite harks back to the deceptively simple repetition and rhyme of Monkey & Me, but combines humorous, clever illustrations with a moral - a leopard doesn't change it spots! Usually the wolf is the bad guy in the story of the 3 pigs. However, by the time we see this wolf jumping through circus hoops for the 3 pigs half way into the story, we sympathise with him so completely, that we delight in the turn around at the end of the book.

I can't wait to read this one out loud.