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my_odd_books's review
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but know that Judy Nunn writes interesting historical fiction, so I figured I would give it a go. What I didn't expect was a book that is probably my favourite from this year! This was a complex tale of a family based on a cane farm in Bundaberg, Qld, a town I have visited many times. A walk back in history, it was interesting to consider how some of the social factors of the day would have been playing out at a local level. The main premise of the book sees the main character, Kate, finding her grandmothers "scribblings", a diary carefully written in French so no one else can read her deepest thoughts, she decides to read it to learn more about this women she has heard so many stories about. While I thought I knew where the story was going, nothing prepared me for the final hundred pages. While this was not a light read, it was certainly one worthy of my time.
hannahmayreads's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book gets good about 200 pages in. Up until then, I'd had my doubts about whether there was a story here that I could really sink my teeth into. It has all the right elements, but something doesn't quite add up. Whether this extended introduction is necessary depends on the perceptiveness of the reader as the story flits through time and place, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow.
Those breadcrumbs are fairly large, and the surprising things that Kate discovers about her great grandmother's life don't shock in the way they were intended too. It's all a bit obvious.
None of this takes away from the wonderful, sweeping narrative that Judy Nunn has created - the book is a joy to read and at the end of the day, that's why we do it.
Those breadcrumbs are fairly large, and the surprising things that Kate discovers about her great grandmother's life don't shock in the way they were intended too. It's all a bit obvious.
None of this takes away from the wonderful, sweeping narrative that Judy Nunn has created - the book is a joy to read and at the end of the day, that's why we do it.
kathryn08's review against another edition
4.0
It was only fairly recently that I realised that Judy Nunn (who I knew was an actor on the TV show Home and Away) wrote books. And she’s been quite prolific, as well.
I was interested to read Elianne, as it’s set in my home state of Queensland, although I have never been to Bundaberg. There were some parts set in Brisbane, and it was nice to recognise local places.
This was a very interesting read about life in the cane fields around the turn of the 19th to 20th century and about how what we see of people’s relationships, or what we are told, is not necessarily all there is to the story.
I’m giving this 4.5★ and I look forward to reading more of Judy Nunn’s plentiful work.
I was interested to read Elianne, as it’s set in my home state of Queensland, although I have never been to Bundaberg. There were some parts set in Brisbane, and it was nice to recognise local places.
This was a very interesting read about life in the cane fields around the turn of the 19th to 20th century and about how what we see of people’s relationships, or what we are told, is not necessarily all there is to the story.
I’m giving this 4.5★ and I look forward to reading more of Judy Nunn’s plentiful work.
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