17.1.12

Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012

This is my first review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.

After checking my bookshelves I found some books by australian women I still haven´t read.  I also bought a few books when I recently visited Australia so I now have 12 books to read....
I´ll participate in the Franklin-Fantastic level as a dabbler.

I also want to explain that I am swedish and even if I read a lot in english I sometimes get it wrong when I write, so PLEASE excuse me for my mistakes in writing.



A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill 


I must admit that even though my brother has lived in Australia for many many years I know very little of Australian history and politics. Sulari Gentill has based her novel on historical facts and events and she´s written an interesting foreword about how she came to write the novel.

The main character is Rowland Sinclair, a wealthy artist (painter) leading a slightly bohemian life in Sydney during the Great Depression in the 1930s together with his artist- and leftwing friends. His brother and head of the family leads a totally different life, conservative and old-fashioned.

The murder of their uncle and the rather poorly policework, lead Rowland Sinclair to investigate the case. He soon finds himself right in the middle of the conflict between the fascist movement and the left wing people. Can the murder have a political cause ? Is his brother somehow involved?

I really liked the novel. Sulari Gentill has managed to picture the way of life and the atmosphere of the 1930s. There is an interesting conflict between the brothers´ differences and not only Rowland Sinclair but all the characters are well defined and credible. Rowland Sinclair is also a very charming and likeable man whom I very much would like to meet again.

Unfortunately the novel is (not yet) not for sale in Europe. But I will try and get a copy of the sequel "A Decline in Prophets".



5 kommentarer:

  1. This is a popular choice for the challenge. I am glad you enjoyed it!

    Thanks for sharing your review
    Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

    SvaraRadera
  2. Dear Ann-Marie

    Thank you for the lovely review. I'm so glad you'd like to meet Rowland Sinclair again - I feel the same way, which is probably why I keep writing about him. It's like spending time with an old friend. Anyway I'm delighted that you enjoyed it.

    Warmly

    Sulari (Gentill)

    SvaraRadera
  3. Thankyou for your review. I picked your review out at random from the AWW2012 website. Your comments have made me want to read the book.

    SvaraRadera
  4. This is on my 'to read' list for the AWW challenge, just as soon as I can get my hands on it.

    Fabulous to read your take on it, especially as someone from outside the country. I'm only just starting to learn about this period in our history, and it's fascinating.

    Thank you again!

    SvaraRadera
  5. My mother was one of the thousands of school children at the parade opening the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the 1930s and witnessed the 'incident' in Sulari's book, so I grew up hearing about DeGroot. It is lovely to hear that someone outside our country can get a window into our history through a mystery novel.

    It is one of the great aspects of crime fiction that it is always rooted in time and place. So many of us also like to read Swedish crime fiction (in translation) for the same reason -- not only Stieg Larsson & Henning Mankell, but also Hakan Nesser, Mari Jungstedt, Asa Larsson, Kjell Eriksson, right back to Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo (all available in Australia if you look in the right place).

    Happy reading! Cheryl Fairclough, Melbourne Australia

    SvaraRadera