PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Alan Reader is unhappily separated from his wife, and there is a distance between him and his daughter that he's not sure how to breach. He carries on his family's traditional business in Melbourne, handmaking cricket bats from willow he is growing in the country. When a young Queensland player, Todd Harrow, catches his attention, Alan decides to craft him a special bat, and as Todd fulfils his early promise, Alan reconnects with the world. But both life and cricket can throw out challenges, and Alan and Todd separately have to learn how to adjust to unexpected situations. This book combines meditative passages on the arcane craft of bat-making, wine and music, with brilliant characterisation and compelling descriptions of cricket, and ultimately on the different forms creativity takes. I'm not a cricket fan, but I am a fan of Simpson's writing, and this was a richly rewarding read, highly recommended. Lindy
'Joyous storytelling at its best. I was enthralled' SARAH WINMAN, author of Still Life
Inga Simpson began her career as a professional writer for government before gaining a PhD in creative writing. In 2011, she took part in the Queensland Writers Centre Manuscript Development Program and, as a result, Hachette Australia published her first novel, Mr Wigg, in 2013. Nest, Inga's second novel, was published in 2014 and was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Stella Prize and shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal. Inga's third novel, the acclaimed Where the Trees Were, was published in 2016. Inga was awarded the final Eric Rolls Prize for her nature writing and has obtained a second PhD, exploring the history of Australian nature writers. Inga's account of her love of Australian nature and life with trees, Understory, was published in 2017. Her first book for children, The Book of Australian Trees, illustrated by Alicia Rogerson, was published in 2021. The Last Woman in the World, her critically acclaimed environmental thriller, was published in 2021 and shortlisted for the 2022 Fiction Indie Book Award. Inga lives on the NSW south coast among trees.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Alan Reader is unhappily separated from his wife, and there is a distance between him and his daughter that he's not sure how to breach. He carries on his family's traditional business in Melbourne, handmaking cricket bats from willow he is growing in the country. When a young Queensland player, Todd Harrow, catches his attention, Alan decides to craft him a special bat, and as Todd fulfils his early promise, Alan reconnects with the world. But both life and cricket can throw out challenges, and Alan and Todd separately have to learn how to adjust to unexpected situations. This book combines meditative passages on the arcane craft of bat-making, wine and music, with brilliant characterisation and compelling descriptions of cricket, and ultimately on the different forms creativity takes. I'm not a cricket fan, but I am a fan of Simpson's writing, and this was a richly rewarding read, highly recommended. Lindy
