• About this blog

feastonbooksblog

~ Time is precious – read the best first

feastonbooksblog

Tag Archives: Australia

The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John

28 Friday May 2021

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, Fiction, Humor

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1950's, Australia, department stores, employees, female friendship, novels of manners, Sydney (N.S.W.), women, women's clothing industry

Set in the late 1950’s, this novella offers readers a glimpse of the lives and relationships of four women who work for a Sydney department store.  Readers will find here a thoughtfully written and gentle story filled with hope. 

“The book I most often give as a gift to cheer people up.” —Hilary Mantel

“Like the deceptively simple (but perfectly crafted) little black dress, this delicious and sly masterpiece works its magic from the very first sentence. Once you slip into its folds– full of hope and new beginnings, of luck and laughter and love– I dare you not to catch yourself smiling, and wanting to twirl, for days and days and days.” –Sarah Blake, author of The Guest House and The Postmistress

“Funny and light, this story moves quickly as each character navigates the 1950s-era challenges of being a working woman in a male-dominated society with limited options for the happily ever after they all strive for.” —Booklist

“A striking debut novel of wit, charm, female friendships and universal dreams… a delightful and uplifting slice-of-life view.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review

Find this book

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

07 Friday May 2021

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

19th century, Australia, exile, female friendship, governesses, life changing events, midwives, penal colonies, punishment, women

Best-selling historical fiction author of The Orphan Train and A Piece of the World transports the reader to 1840’s Australia where England sent away her prisoners – for some punishment, for others opportunity and redemption.

“Celebrating the bonds between women, the novel explores how lives that seem destined for pain might persevere.” — Real Simple

“Both uplifting and heartbreaking, this beautifully written novel doesn’t flinch from the ugliness of the penal system but celebrates the courage and resilience of both the first peoples and the settlers who came after, voluntarily or not, to create a new home for themselves and their children.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Monumental…This episode in history gets a top-notch treatment by Kline, one of our foremost historical novelists. This fascinating 19th-century take on Orange Is the New Black is subtle, intelligent, and thrillingly melodramatic.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Find this book large print audio cd’s playaway

A Long Way Home : a Memoir by Saroo Brierley

21 Monday Dec 2020

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, memoir

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

adopted children, Australia, birthparents, East Indians, India travel, intercountry adoption, Saroo Brierley, Tasmania

This book is recommended by a Weston library patron.  It was made into the 2016 movie, Lion which received six nominations at the Academy Awards.

“I literally could not put this book down..[Saroo’s] return journey will leave you weeping with joy and the strength of the human spirit.”—Manly Daily (Australia)
 
“We urge you to step behind the headlines and have a read of this absorbing account…With clear recollections and good old-fashioned storytelling, Saroo…recalls the fear of being lost and the anguish of separation.”—Weekly Review (Australia)

Find this book           large print               audio cd’s                playaway

The Dry by Jane Harper

24 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, mystery

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Australia, best friends' death, drought, federal agent, homecoming, homicide investigation, Secrecy, truthfulness and falsehood

9781250105608_p0_v3_s118x184

This is a #1 international bestseller.  I could not put this book down!  The author writes in beautiful, descriptive language and, at the same time, keeps socking the reader between the eyes with the revelations that unfold in this story of an investigation into a family murder in an outback country town in Australia – a town that seeps with anger, bitterness, violence, and oppressive heat.  I can’t believe this is a first novel.

“A stunner…It’s a small-town, big-secrets page-turner with a shocker of an ending….”–Booklist, starred review

“Devastating debut…a suspenseful tale of sound and fury as riveting as it is horrific.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A nail-biting thriller…A chilling story set under a blistering sun, this fine debut will keep readers on edge and awake long past bedtime.”–Kirkus, starred review

Find this book             large print                audio cd’s                 playaway

The Railwayman’s Wife by Ashley Hay

24 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Australia, interpersonal triangles, loss, psychological, romance, Thirroult (N.S.W.), widows

9781501112171_p0_v4_s192x300

A tale of hope and heartache set in post World War II Australia that explores life and grief and the randomness of tragedy.  Not only does the author explore the intersecting lives of the four main characters, but Ashley Hay also creates remarkable sensory details for the reader to savor and experience – the astonishing views, tastes and smells of the Australian seaside town of Thirroul, as well as the clamor and clack of the railway cars through the town and the surrounding countryside.

“Multilayered, graceful, couched in poetry, supremely honest, gentle yet jarring, Hay’s thought-provoking novels pulls you along slowly, like a deep river that is deceptively calm but full of hidden rapids.  Much to ponder.”  Kirkus Reviews

“Exquisitely written and deeply felt, The Railwayman’s Wife is limpid and deep as the rock pools on the coastline beloved by this book’s characters and just as teeming with vibrant life. Ashley Hay’s novel of love and pain is a true book of wonders.” -Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Secret Chord

Find this book             large print              audio cd’s

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014

Categories

  • 20th century
  • action
  • adventure
  • anecdotes
  • Biographical fiction
  • Biography
  • case studies
  • chronically ill
  • Comedy
  • crimes against
  • cuisine
  • detective
  • Drama
  • England
  • fantasy
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Fiction
  • Future
  • Graphic novel
  • Historical Fiction
  • History
  • homicide investigation
  • Horror
  • Humor
  • London
  • magic
  • meaning of life
  • memoir
  • murder
  • murder and investigation
  • mystery
  • nature
  • Non-fiction
  • poetry
  • romance
  • Science fiction
  • Sports
  • suspense
  • thriller
  • Travel
  • True crime
  • Uncategorized
  • United States
  • western

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
Weston Public Library 781 786 6150

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • feastonbooksblog
    • Join 143 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • feastonbooksblog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...