PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- The year is 1917, and the great town of Salonika (present day Thessaloniki) is nearly destroyed by an out of control fire. Amidst the ensuring chaos are four people (know by their first names only) trying to cope with the horrors they are witnessing. Loosely based on Stella Franklin, Olive King, Grace Pailthorpe and Stanley Spencer. Jones economical use of language has a power all of its own yet she embroidered the odd sentence with a gravitas that has the reader looking up from the page to ponder and reflect. Recommended. Greg
Four historical figures cross paths amidst the chaos of war in this immersive and beautifully written tale by an award-winning Australian novelist
Gail Jones is one of Australia's most celebrated writers. She is the author of two short-story collections and nine novels, and her work has been translated into several languages. She has received numerous literary awards, including the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the Age Book of the Year, the South Australian Premier's Award, the ALS Gold Medal and the Kibble Award, and has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the International Dublin Literary Award and the Prix Femina tranger. Originally from Western Australia, she now lives in Sydney.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- The year is 1917, and the great town of Salonika (present day Thessaloniki) is nearly destroyed by an out of control fire. Amidst the ensuring chaos are four people (know by their first names only) trying to cope with the horrors they are witnessing. Loosely based on Stella Franklin, Olive King, Grace Pailthorpe and Stanley Spencer. Jones economical use of language has a power all of its own yet she embroidered the odd sentence with a gravitas that has the reader looking up from the page to ponder and reflect. Recommended. Greg
'Fans of Jones's gift with words will appreciate this moving, poetic and meditative tribute to war, suffering, fortitude and the human spirit. It is worth reading, not least to uncover enchanting examples of the inspired way Jones uses descriptive language, many of which will resonate long after the final page.' * Books+Publishing * 'Gail Jones is a thoughtful, accomplished writer whose work speaks for itself...Praised for her precise, incisive observations, Jones's writing frequently offers nuanced reflections on the cultural state of Australia as well as quiet revelations about the lives of her characters. Our Shadows is no exception...written like the wave that haunts its imaginative landscape, ebbing and flowing from past generations to the present and back again.' -- Guardian on Our Shadows 'Touching on love, illness and grief, it is hauntingly beautiful.' -- Good Weekend on Our Shadows
