bookkat's review against another edition
1.0
I read half of this book and then just could not take it any more. And I only stuck with it that long, because it was for a book club. I just didn't connect with any of the characters and they didn't really seem to connect with each other. About the only thing going for it was some evocative descriptive phrases.
alcyon_alcyon's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Perfect novel, without the time commitment of Tim Winton. Australians are such excellent writers ....
jenkiefer53's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
leannep's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Perth polio home 1950s. Frank Gold from Hungary, escaped WWII with parents. I like how we get Frank, the poet's story, as well as his parents, the nurses, other polio victims. A picture of Perth and a diverse range of experiences. A good book.
spiderfelt's review against another edition
3.0
When my husband went to our indie bookseller looking for a Christmas gift, he asked for something not too sappy with good characters. This was the recommendation, and I agree with the assessment. I was close to the end before I felt truly invested in the characters. The author described the immigrant experience and the common struggles faced by both the patients and the parents as they each faced loneliness, judgment and misunderstanding.
milksop's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I read this for school and it wasn't horrible, but I found it hard to connect to the characters and the switching perspectives was slightly confusing at times.
edit: studying it now and aaargh liking it less and less :(
edit: studying it now and aaargh liking it less and less :(
drakey's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting story for interesting period of time in Australian history. This was a creative story to tell.
bri1510's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Once you get used to your condition, he said, your imagination becomes free again.’
The Golden Age is set in a convalescent home for children who were victims of poliomyelitis in Perth, Western Australia in the early 1950s. (The Golden Age Convalescent Home for Polio Children which operated in Leederville from 1949 to 1959, really existed. It was once a hotel, and has since been demolished.) This novel tells the story of a twelve year boy, Frank Gold. Frank and his parents Ida and Meyer were Hungarian refugees who had wanted to go to America but had reluctantly come to Australia. Meyer has adapted, Ida has not. And when Frank contracts polio after they settle in Perth, she has even less reason to be happy. Ida was once a concert pianist, but once Frank became ill she no longer played.
‘Once you have tasted meaninglessness, you lose any idea of reward, or punishment, or conventional virtue.’
Frank has been moved from the adult polio hospital (where he was the youngest patient) to The Golden Age (where he is the oldest). At first he is not happy about this move, coming soon after the death of Sullivan (aged 18) whom he’d met in the iron lung ward. Sullivan had composed poetry, which Frank transcribed for him, and the two of them had become close.
At The Golden Age, Frank explores the corridors in his wheelchair, trying to catch a glimpse of Elsa, the only other child of his age. The two become friends. The reader learns more about each of them, about Elsa’s strength and sense of self, about Frank’s intense desire to belong and to write poetry. There’s an encounter which changes both their lives, and quite soon after the story moves (abruptly) to the present day and we learn a little about the intervening years of their lives.
The story is told in the third-person, and moves through a number of different points of view. I enjoyed this, as it gave an opportunity to see events through the lives of some of the other characters including Frank’s father, Elsa’s mother and Sister Olive Penny who is in charge at The Golden Age. Through Frank and Elsa, Ms London describes the onset, impact and isolation caused by polio. Through their parents (particularly Elsa’s mother and Frank’s parents) she describes the post-war world in Australia, the impacts of difference, disease and war. It’s a rich world, shaped but not destroyed by events. I read this novel accompanied by memories of my father, who contracted polio as a young man (in Tasmania) during this epidemic.
This is the kind of story that stays with you, long after you’ve finished reading it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The Golden Age is set in a convalescent home for children who were victims of poliomyelitis in Perth, Western Australia in the early 1950s. (The Golden Age Convalescent Home for Polio Children which operated in Leederville from 1949 to 1959, really existed. It was once a hotel, and has since been demolished.) This novel tells the story of a twelve year boy, Frank Gold. Frank and his parents Ida and Meyer were Hungarian refugees who had wanted to go to America but had reluctantly come to Australia. Meyer has adapted, Ida has not. And when Frank contracts polio after they settle in Perth, she has even less reason to be happy. Ida was once a concert pianist, but once Frank became ill she no longer played.
‘Once you have tasted meaninglessness, you lose any idea of reward, or punishment, or conventional virtue.’
Frank has been moved from the adult polio hospital (where he was the youngest patient) to The Golden Age (where he is the oldest). At first he is not happy about this move, coming soon after the death of Sullivan (aged 18) whom he’d met in the iron lung ward. Sullivan had composed poetry, which Frank transcribed for him, and the two of them had become close.
At The Golden Age, Frank explores the corridors in his wheelchair, trying to catch a glimpse of Elsa, the only other child of his age. The two become friends. The reader learns more about each of them, about Elsa’s strength and sense of self, about Frank’s intense desire to belong and to write poetry. There’s an encounter which changes both their lives, and quite soon after the story moves (abruptly) to the present day and we learn a little about the intervening years of their lives.
The story is told in the third-person, and moves through a number of different points of view. I enjoyed this, as it gave an opportunity to see events through the lives of some of the other characters including Frank’s father, Elsa’s mother and Sister Olive Penny who is in charge at The Golden Age. Through Frank and Elsa, Ms London describes the onset, impact and isolation caused by polio. Through their parents (particularly Elsa’s mother and Frank’s parents) she describes the post-war world in Australia, the impacts of difference, disease and war. It’s a rich world, shaped but not destroyed by events. I read this novel accompanied by memories of my father, who contracted polio as a young man (in Tasmania) during this epidemic.
This is the kind of story that stays with you, long after you’ve finished reading it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith