Category: Interviews & reviews

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Review: Blyton, Banjo, the bush & Brumby’s Run

Brumby’s Run by Jennifer Scouller

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around, there’s a new kid in the country romance corral…!

Her name… Jennifer Scouller and Brumby’s Run is her debut novel.

My first comment… Brumby’s Run is so much more than the cover and back cover blurb. I can understand the publisher’s desire to take advantage to the increasingly popular farm-lit/ru-ro (rural romance) genre, but it’s a shame that by categorising Brumby’s Run it may limit readership with many missing out on a damn good Aussie tale of family, friendship and country life.

I am a fussy-pot when it comes to reading. I don’t like wasting time on bad books. The first chapter has to hook me and keep me hooked. I admit to almost putting Brumby’s Run down. Not because the writing wasn’t good, or because it didn’t hook me. It did. This book managed to do both brilliantly. My problem was that the main characters were so young, while I… I am so not!

Could I relate? Did I want to read about young love and typical teenage angst? (Did I mention I dislike predictable characters too! Told you I was a fussy-pot.)

Then I met Mary! (Everyone’s allowed a favourite, aren’t they?) And while I loved the way the author handled all the characters, the mothers were my favourite — and not a stereotype in sight.

So to my absolute delight, I not only found I couldn’t stop reading Brumby’s Run, I actually felt 18 again. What a bonus!

This is a terrific read as well as thought-provoking. I can see why they might want to promote it as ru-ro, but it would sit just as comfortably on both Young Adult and Australian Fiction shelves (in fact, I am recommending this to every mother I know who has teenager girls.)

In the end, I loved all the characters, the clever plotting (although the author apparently doesn’t plot out her stories – amazing), and the subtle environmental messages (some less subtle than others, but it did not detract from the reading. This is clearly the author’s platform and if you are going to push a barrow, the environment is the best one I know.)

Jennifer Scoullar’s love of the bush, books, brumbies, Blyton and Banjo (who she does give credit to for inspiring her), as well as the environment really makes this book stand out from the mob. But the best thing about Brumby’s Run is ANYONE – 16 or 60 – will enjoy the ride.

Jennifer has a great website http://jenniferscoullar.com/about/

 

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Swimming outside the flags. A review: Secrets of the Tides ~ Hannah Richell

To me, a good book is one that when you get to the last page you grab anything within reach that writes and you start scribbling a review so you can tell others.

I have just closed Hannah Richell’s Secrets of The Tides (Hachette Aust) knowing every moment of the story was a delight (and most of all a good investment of my time – which I have little of at this stage in my own publishing journey).

So, what an extra thrill to have a story carry me away with its perfect prose, its unclichéd cast of multi-layered characters, and by an author unafraid of wading into the deep and outside standard story structures. With my own approach to House For All Seasons (my debut novel) being described as ‘brave’ I really related to Hannah’s style. Not only is Secrets of the Tides a poignant story told from the alternating perspectives of two sisters and their mother, the author takes readers seamlessly from the past to the present, and uses past and present tense to pull you in even deeper.

(NB: Swimming outside the flags is not a safe practice for all new authors!)

In Secrets of the Tides readers witness the ripple effect of tragedy, the way if unravels relationships to the point of implosion until only fragments of a family remain.

Brilliant in every way.

It’s no wonder world English language rights to Secrets of the Tides were acquired at auction (by Orion, working in conjunction with Hachette Australia) with translation rights sold in France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Sweden, Poland, Portugal, Brazil, Denmark, Norway, Serbia, Iceland and to Catalan publishers Ara Llibres.

I hope to talk Hannah into joining my Author Harvest (here on jennjmcleod.com) so we can find out a little bit about the author behind the book.

 

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SCARED YET?… on THE ROAD HOME… after a HOLIDAY AFFAIR! – A 3-in-1 book review.

“Read widely,” they say. “If you want to write, first you must read.”

Trouble is, I’d rather be writing than reading. So I am taking the 2012 National Year of Reading (and The Australian Women Writers Challenge) to change that, to catch up and to read outside the genre I write in. But the books have to be good to keep me reading so…

Lucky for me I hit the trifecta with these three:

Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford – Her first book voted highest selling debut crime novel in Australia in 2011.

The Road Home by bestselling ru-ro author Fiona Palmer.

Holiday Affair – Annie Seaton’s debut novella that rocketed up the Amazon bestseller list.

Three very different but very enjoyable novels. Here’s why.

Scared Yet?

Couldn’t put it down. No, not an overused cliché but a fact. This book is every bit as fabulous as Jaye’s debut novel – Beyond Fear. A clever book from a clever author who knows how keep readers guessing until the very end.

Scared Yet? throws one ordinary woman into one extraordinary week of fear and uncertainly as she deals with the fallout of a faceless stalker who has her questioning everything and everyone she trusts. And all the while the notes keep arriving. ARE YOU SCARED YET, LIVIA? Brrrrrrrr!  I get goose bumps just thinking about this book. In fact, it should come with a warning: do not read at night!

It’s the kind of book that makes me glad I left the big smoke behind a few years back and took the road home to the country.

Hmmm, kinda cute segue to…..

The Road Home, by Western Australian author, Fiona Palmer.

Anyone who has ever dreamed of a life in the country will relate to this story. I did and, okay, yes, my little slice of country is only one very busy acre (rather than Fiona’s characters who have vast properties) but you get my drift! And size isn’t what matters.

Decisions aren’t always about bigger and better; sometimes it’s as simple as ‘have to’. Like Lara Turner whose life is at the crossroads. It’s not a matter of will she or won’t she quit the city for life on the family farm, but a case of the land drawing her to it.

Fiona’s books follow similar themes with characters passionate about farming life. Having met the author, she epitomises the young (you owe me for that Fee!) country girl whose love of the land cannot be ignored; much like Fiona’s books cannot be ignored if you love a good romance.

Publishers claim lots of things in their book promos, but in this case they are spot on: The Road Home is a heartwarming novel about finding your true place in the world, and the healing power of the land.

And when the country gets too quiet, there’s always the idea of a….

Holiday Affair, a novella by Annie Seaton.

A holiday affair is exactly what Annie Seaton’s character gets up to in this well crafted and entertaining debut novella.

The rather staid academic, Melissa Macintyre, invents an alter ego (Lissy) while on a holiday in the Whitsunday Islands where she meets up with hunky sailor, Nick. Yes, it’s the kind of story in which the characters have more ups and downs than the Aussie dollar and you know there will be happy ending – that’s why the romance genre outsells any other books when the real world gets a bit too dire. It’s escapism – stories that take you away and let you forget your troubles.

Annie Seaton’s story telling is so vivid I found myself wishing it was an audio book so I could close my eyes. The pictures Annie paints – her charming settings and feisty characters – kept me engaged until the last page and made my very first Amazon/Kindle experience a great one. I recommend this read to anyone who needs a holiday from life’s everyday. Thank you Annie. Please keep writing. I am ready for my next affair!!!!!!

I’m also ready for my next book(s):

Dead Heat by Bronwyn Parry

Bella’s Run by Margareta Osborn

Morgan’s Law by Karly Lane

Today’s authors

http://www.jayefordauthor.com/

http://www.fionapalmer.com

http://www.annieseatonromance.com/books.html