kathryn08's review
2.0
I liked the premise of this book. I liked the descriptions of Melbourne and the Australian bush in the beginning. And having been a medical scientist years ago, I liked the fact that the main character was also in that profession. So the idea was good, in theory. In practice, however, I didn’t understand what was going on for a lot of the time. Perhaps this was a kind of device used because the main character also felt as though people were not telling her the truth, but from a reader’s point of view, I prefer to have a better idea of what’s happening and not be flicking back and forth to try and work out whether I’ve missed something. 2.5★
taphophile's review
4.0
Sparse and elegant prose but for a novel about passion and betrayal, strangely devoid of emotional connection.
14/02/2014
Changing my score from 3 stars to 4. I continue to think about this novel and divine why I couldn't connect. I talk to friends and colleagues about it and wonder out loud to them why that was - should it have been a series of novellas to explore the effects of the political environments in which they find themselves and the significant issues such as scientific ethics, the effects of the Depression. WWII and the war in Asia in particular.
It's a very, very accomplished first novel.
I keep comparing Bill to Dorrigo from Flanagan's Narrow Road to the Deep North. Similar experiences, similarly flawed but Bill just isn't sympathetic.
Also, the suspense which might have built in the Cold War period just didn't get there.
Perhaps I wasn't meant to connect. Annabel and Bill save their passion for each other and their work, and in Bill's case, a political cause. Annabel is a perpetual outsider, even in her marriage, and theirs is a very exclusive club so maybe I was meant to feel excluded.
I would recommend this book, but if you enjoy the emotional connection to character, you might not find it. You will, however, have food for thought.
14/02/2014
Changing my score from 3 stars to 4. I continue to think about this novel and divine why I couldn't connect. I talk to friends and colleagues about it and wonder out loud to them why that was - should it have been a series of novellas to explore the effects of the political environments in which they find themselves and the significant issues such as scientific ethics, the effects of the Depression. WWII and the war in Asia in particular.
It's a very, very accomplished first novel.
I keep comparing Bill to Dorrigo from Flanagan's Narrow Road to the Deep North. Similar experiences, similarly flawed but Bill just isn't sympathetic.
Also, the suspense which might have built in the Cold War period just didn't get there.
Perhaps I wasn't meant to connect. Annabel and Bill save their passion for each other and their work, and in Bill's case, a political cause. Annabel is a perpetual outsider, even in her marriage, and theirs is a very exclusive club so maybe I was meant to feel excluded.
I would recommend this book, but if you enjoy the emotional connection to character, you might not find it. You will, however, have food for thought.
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