Notes from Eve Abbey ~ June 2016

Have you read Tim Winton’s great book Cloudstreet? (If you look it up make sure you call it thus because 'Cloud Street', two words, will only lead to confusion).

I think perhaps it is time to read it again. I know I held off a very long time because I’m not keen on big books but when I did read it I thought it magnificent and I do think, now, that I should read it again. It is hard to miss knowing about Cloudstreet. There have been a hugely popular play, a TV series and several editions and now there is to be an opera, composed by Australian George Palmer, with Gail Edwards as Director, just opened at the State Opera of South Australia. It is coming up to twenty five years since publication.

Tim Winton has sent a personal postcard to lots of independent booksellers thanking them for their efforts. He acknowledges Cloudstreet is a top example of the success of handselling by knowledgeable independent booksellers.

You must already know that Cloudstreet covers the lives of two large rural families who have met hard times and must move to the city where they both end up sharing a very large and rambling house. And you can share their lives for the next twenty years or so. Tim Winton is such a marvellous all-round writer I thought it a good idea to remind you of his stories for children such as Lockie Leonard: The Human Torpedo or Legend or Scumbuster or Bugalugs: Bum Thief, all of them fun. And upstairs in Language Book Centre you will find Weite Welt: Australische Geschichten or Singende Baum (Dirt Music in German) or Atem (Breath in German) or Respiro (Breath in Italian). What a treasure he is.

Donna Leon has come good again. Her latest is The Waters of Eternal Youth which is the twenty fifth book in her series featuring Commissario Brunetti and his colleagues and family. This is an unusual tale because Brunetti is asked to find out more about a tragic accident which happened many years ago. One which left the beautiful young Venetian woman brain-damaged, captured in eternal youth. It’s a good story and gives Donna Leon room to talk about the changes in Venice over the past years and what is happening now. Perhaps she doesn’t allow her books to be translated into Italian so she feels free to criticise the Government.

Who Bombed the Hilton has proved to be an unanswerable question. We certainly would like to know. When this outrage took place Abbey’s still operated Henry Lawson’s Bookshop in the Royal Arcade beneath the Hilton which meant we had to staff the little tobacco kiosk which sold the newspapers in the foyer of the Hotel. After the explosion the whole place was locked down. Peter Milne had to run across the road from Abbey’s in the Queen Victoria Building and, after being cleared by security, take the daily papers which had been dropped off in George Street, up the escalator to the kiosk.

Some people still wonder about this event in 1978 when a bomb was exploded in a street rubbish bin outside the Sydney Hilton while the Commonwealth Heads of Government were meeting inside. What was the object of the bomb? Who let it off?

Thirty years later there is no answer but Rachel Landers who has spent years searching the archives has put together an intriguing possibility. Some readers will remember the passionate seventies for Vietnam War protests, or the dismissal of the Whitlam Government. The Hilton Bombing was part of that scene. Of course there was the usual outbreak of nutters, all claiming to either be the bomber or to know the bomber. If you were out protesting in the seventies you will certainly enjoy this book.

Awfully pleased that Magda Szubanski’s Reckoning: A Memoir has won the NSW Premier’s Award for Non Fiction. It is beautifully written. Was her Polish father really an assassin (as he called himself)?



I recently read the latest novel from Marion Halligan called Goodbye Sweetheart. She has more than twenty to her credit and many of them have won awards or been short-listed for awards. All are eminently readable and display a positive view of the world. Goodbye Sweetheart is about a prominent lawyer in Canberra who dies suddenly while swimming in the hotel pool. And then… we have separate chapters about the various people who loved him. This could be called an Entertainment with a capital E! Such fun. Everyone has their own life to get on with but Marion tells us delightful details. Nothing is missed. Enjoy.

Grantchester has finished on TV but there is a new, fifth episode due soon in the series written by James Runcie (which seems a very appropriate name). It will be Sydney Chambers and The Dangers of Temptation. Earlier titles are Sydney Chambers and the Perils of the Night; Sydney Chambers and the Problem of Evil; Sydney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins; and Sydney Chambers and the Shadow of Death.

I am looking forward to reading Michael Wilding’s new memoir called, appropriately, Growing Wild. Such good reviews we ran out of stock but good to see it's come back in.

Keep well,

Eve

Since 1968 ~ Abbey's 131 York Street Sydney ~ An Aladdin's cave for readers

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ~ AFTER DARKNESS by CHRISTINE PIPER

AFTER DARKNESS by Christine Piper

WINNER – The 2014 Australian/Vogel's Literary Award

The Vogel is always an interesting award, going as it does to an unpublished manuscript by a writer under 35. Over its 30-something years, it has had its share of controversy (The Hand that Signed the Paper, anyone?) and launched a number of important authors (hello Tim Winton/Kate Grenville/Gillian Mears!). Changes in the award structure a few years ago meant the book was published and released the day after the announcement of the winning story. Or, if you are lucky enough to attend the announcement ceremony, the showbag you leave with contains a couple of boxes of Vogel's breakfast cereals, and a copy of the winning book. So, I went home on Tuesday night and thought I'd better have a look - and four hours later had to put it down half-finished to be resumed and greedily finished the next day.

Tomakazu Ibaraki is the main character. The story starts in 1942 as he is on his way to an internment camp in South Australia. He had been working as a doctor in Broome, before being detained and sent to Loveday camp where a number of resident Japanese nationals (as distinct from prisoners-of-war) are interned. Many of the men had lived and worked in Australia for years, but some of them are locked up merely for having a Japanese parent, even though they are Australian-born and bred, and it is the anger these men feel at being treated as enemy aliens that is one of the most interesting themes of the book. As the reserved Tomakazu struggles to fit in, it becomes apparent that he is suffering from a sadness and guilt that predates his arrival in Broome in 1938. The novel moves in time, from 1942 back to 1938 and also 1934, when as a new medical intern Tomakazu is offered the chance to pursue microbiology research at the Army Medical College. Only gradually does he learn what the aim of the research truly is, and the internal conflict between his moral integrity and the need to retain honour by keeping to his commitment of confidentiality creates insurmountable difficulties that affect the rest of his life choices.

After Darkness is a compelling and finely written book. It reveals a little-known aspect of World War II history through a character who has not been able to reconcile societal expectations and personal experience. I truly think Christine Piper is an author to watch, and I won’t be surprised if in years to come her name is in the list of great Australian authors launched by the Vogel Award.

Lindy Jones


‘A brave, profound meditation on identity, trauma, loss and courage… reminds us that there are two sides to every war and that history never ceases to be written… A novel that demands its place alongside Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Mark Dapin’s Spirit House.’ – Stephen Romei, The Australian

~O~

Christine Piper's short fiction has been published in Seizure, SWAMP and Things That Are Found in Trees and Other Stories. She was the 2013 Alice Hayes writing fellow at Ragdale in the United States. She has studied creative writing at Macquarie University, the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the University of Technology, Sydney, where she wrote a version of this novel as part of her doctoral degree. She has also worked as a magazine editor and writer for more than a decade.

Buy these books at Abbey's (131 York Street Sydney) ~ An Aladdin's cave for readers

Notes from Eve Abbey ~ December 2013

Heaven Forbid! One of Donna Leon’s latest books turns out not to be a Commissario Brunetti mystery. I fell into this trap when I chose her new novel, The Jewels of Paradise. In this story about a musicologist employed by two jealous cousins to find the real heir to Agostino Steffani, a now-forgotten baroque composer, Donna Leon is having lots of fun. She indulges her enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, baroque music, and lets off some steam about faith and greed and Italian governance.  After all, Leon’s very first Brunetti story was Death at La Fenice, set in the famous Venetian Opera House. She has also written, amongst other non-fiction and essays, Handel’s Bestiary: In Search of Animals in Handel’s Operas. However, I hope it’s not the beginning of a new series as Brunetti and partners are hard to replace.

Fortunately there is another new title, The Golden Egg, #22 in the series, in which Donna Leon makes some modernising moves. There is now a female Commissaria (and Brunetti is worried how Signorina Eletra will accept her) and Ispettore Vianello is moving upwards.

Language Book Centre, upstairs, has some Donna Leon stories in German and Spanish, such as Cuestion de Fe or Testamento Mortal, and I noticed a DVD, Libranos del Bien, in Spanish. It is worth browsing there. The fiction in other languages is very reasonably priced and much cheaper than you might expect. Certainly not what I found to be true about English books in Paris.

There have been several brilliantly written books by young Australian women this year, not least Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites. This unlikely bestseller is about a crime committed several hundred years ago in Iceland. Don’t miss it.

Now we have The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane. This is a fable and a psychological thriller, and a very sensitive portrayal of old age. Ruth, now a widow, is living alone near a South Coast beach. She imagines she hears a tiger in the lounge room at night and a large, efficient woman arrives to take care of her. Neither of them are what they seem. Perfectly written. Every word falls neatly into place.

I went to see the anthology of short films made from Tim Winton’s book of short stories, The Turning. I thought it was terrific and I’m sure it will encourage many people to go back and re-read the stories. In a way, the wonderful images have hijacked Winton’s wonderful words so that they work very well as films. You just have to remember they are indeed short stories, so don’t look too hard for continuity. It doesn’t hurt to read the short resumes before each film, but as you don’t get the booklet until you enter the cinema, you may need to read them by the light of your mobile phone!

Colin Friels reads T S Eliot’s poem Ash Wednesday at the start of the program. It is interesting that another of Australia’s great writers, Steven Carroll, also references T S Eliot. Carroll’s novel The Lost Life imagines two young lovers visiting a country house where Eliot and his wife stayed earlier in their lives. A World of Other People is set in blitz-bombed London in 1941, where the heroine is on firewatcher duty with T S Eliot on top of the Faber publisher’s building when they both witness a plane coming down. The young woman, and future writer, later meets and loves the Australian pilot, whilst one of T S Eliot’s poems about this plane crash becomes famous. Both recommended. I am also a fan of Carroll’s series set in Melbourne in the 50s, 60s and 70s - The Art of the Engine Driver, The Gift of Speed, The Time We Have Taken (which won the Miles Franklin Award in 2008) and The Spirit of Progress (longlisted for the 2012 Miles Franklin). Of course you will also find T S Eliot’s Complete Poems and Plays in stock at Abbey’s.

I re-read Elizabeth Harrower’s The Watch Tower, first published in 1966. My edition is the Sirius edition from 1987. Text Publishing have republished two of the four novels from this great Australian writer, with The Long Prospect also now in stock, as is Down in the City. The Catherine Wheel will follow later. Don’t miss any of these absorbing, psychological stories full of observation and memories. The Watch Tower depicts two motherless girls trying to find their way in Sydney just after the war. They fall into the clutches of a seemingly kind, but nonetheless ruthless, dictator who delights in dominating them. It is not an easy read, but you can’t bear to miss a word. I doubt he could do it today!

Enjoy. Eve


Buy these books at Abbey's (131 York Street Sydney) ~ An Aladdin's cave for readers

Tim Winton ~ EYRIE ~ Abbey's Bookseller Reviews

LINDY JONES...
I have been reading Tim Winton since he won the Vogel back in 1981, and I am a great admirer of his writing. In his new book, his powers of description are very apparent - the only other person who comes close to his descriptions of the western coasts for me is the poet John Kinsella. I dare say anyone familiar with Fremantle will see the area faithfully depicted in all its hybrid vigour.

The main character, Tom Keely, is holed up in a faded apartment block with million dollar views; he has no plans for the future, a pretty disturbing present, and a past which is only sketchily understood by the reader. When a new resident turns out to be a girl from his old neighbourhood, with custody over her detached and fey grandson, Keely finds himself reluctantly connecting with them.

I took a while to get into the story, and I came away unsatisfied with the narrative. Winton spins a believable world populated with people on the edge, but unlike every other vaguely annoying book of his where the story just ends without resolution, I found myself annoyed that I had followed the characters through to yet another non-conclusion, and not understood what had happened. I also wondered if Winton's involvement in conservation causes had shaken him so much that he had to unload some of the negativity into this novel? This is not to say it isn't full of fine writing, but as a librarian friend of mine says, "Winton can sure write, but he can't end a story for peanuts!". This time, I have to agree with her!

GREG WALDRON...

Tom Keely is a broken man. Failed marriage and career, he is searching for redemption. When a woman from his past resurfaces with her enigmatic grandson, Keely finds both his past and present colliding with explosive consequences. Winton’s new book has divided opinion in the shop, but from my perspective I found this an incredibly disturbing and powerful read. The author demands the reader's participation, hence there are definitely loose ends in the story. For me this adds to the book's power and I found myself unable to put it down. Highly recommended.

EVE ABBEY...

Written in a very staccato way - quite disturbing. Well done, but not for me.

MEG SHOOTER...

Tim Winton has been one my favourite authors for many years.  I love his ability to intricately capture humanity on all levels, and images and environments that conjure such rich memories and familiarities that you just KNOW even if it is simply off his prose and not experience. Winton has certainly used that skill in every way in Eyrie. You can nearly feel the heat oozing out of the page, you can nearly taste the acrid wine and you can darn well empathise with every single character you meet.

Tom Keely has been unemployed for a while, his money is running out and his once important and beloved career will never be brought back to life. With troubles and headaches lunging at him from every corner, all he needs is for a forgotten piece of his past to come crashing through his door. And of course it does, in a most unlikely and seemingly rewarding way. I simply tore through this book, I drank in every page and the prose restored my lately failing faith in fiction. 

Eyrie is one of my books of the year and I highly recommend it for Winton fans, for lovers of literature and if you haven't yet had the pleasure of being introduced to Winton's eloquent and exact language - start with this one. Please! It is truly a morsel that you will devour and savour all at once.

EYRIE
TIM WINTON

Buy this book at Abbey's (131 York Street Sydney) ~ An Aladdin's cave for readers

A Few Days in the Life of a Bookseller

I'd like a bookshelf for every time I've heard the words, "I'd like to work in a bookshop". As if the job only entails reading books all day, interspersed with the odd literary conversation with customers only too happy to throw money into the open till! It is a wonderful career, which you follow for love, not money, and it certainly has compensations for the hard work of getting books on the shopfloor and into readers' hands(and that's another topic altogether!)

I was pretty damned lucky to attend a booksellers' conference in Alice Springs just recently. Yes! Booksellers have conferences! Likeminded owners and employees of independent bookstores gathered together, discussing and learning about various topics, book and business both. But the highlights are always the authors, who are coerced/cajoled/carefully selected to address the gathering.

This year we started with the inimitable Don Watson regaling us with tales of his travels by train within the USA and the book, American Journeys, which was the result. What an amazing companion he would be (and you know, he's not that bad-looking either...)

Kate Grenville was there, surprising an assortment of interstate booksellers who did not recognise her, when she casually joined in conversations and was generally a warm and witty presence round the tables. Kate is working on a new book concerned with one of the most interesting characters on the First Fleet. I don't know how much I can say, so will leave it there, but suffice to say, it will be eagerly awaited by her many fans (and the booksellers who she so impressed!)

One of my favourites was Thomas H Cook, an author of the most exquisitely unfolding psychological thrillers. Usually in his books, a death has occurred, and it is not the police procedural that is important, but the profound effects of the death upon those around. What a delight to meet him - a charming southern gentleman, with a glorious drawl and courtly manners. His new book will not be out till July (Master of the Delta) and it certainly sounds worth waiting for!

I had the great good fortune to share dinner with Geraldine Brooks one night. She is witty and perceptive, has the most infectious giggle and a great and abiding interest in the people around her. I think each one of us at the dinner table came away feeling we had met one of the most interesting and intelligent of people. I loved her new novel, People of the Book but so have many others, making it a well-deserved number one bestseller.

David Michie took a room full of booksellers and showed them how to do a two-minute meditation. Let's just say there were a lot of people who may not have been open-minded about the subject, but might now see the benefits. Have a look at his new book and you might also be convinced!

One of my favorite historical novels last year was Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani Anita has an interesting personal story herself, born of a Lithuanian mother and an Iranian father, and she was a most interesting speaker. Her book is on the Orange Prize longlist this year.

Tim Winton was the 'surprise' guest speaker this year, but it's pretty hard to disguise someone like Tim in a town like Alice (sorry, I've been dying to slip that allusion in!) We were privileged to hear him read from his new novel due in May, Breath What can I say? It will be something beyond special.

The gala dinner speakers were Judith Lucy who has a new book also due in May, called The Lucy Family Alphabet. I reckon this will be tragi-comedy writ large, and will have the added advantage of showing you your own family, no matter how odd, is nowhere near as eccentric as Judith's. The other big name to drop from the conference is Peter Carey. He also read from his novel His Illegal Self. Not my favourite of his works, I'm beginning to think he should start on topics nearer to his life - or go back to the great imaginings of his earlier stories. But one should be grateful when famous authors acknowledge the booksellers. Shouldn't one?

So, yes, working in the book trade can have its moments of true pleasure. What a shame conferences only come but once a year - thankfully the books come more frequently! Lindy