Accessibility Tools

  • Content scaling 100%
  • Font size 100%
  • Line height 100%
  • Letter spacing 100%
Skip to main content
Absolutely Revolting

November 1985, no. 76

Welcome to the November 1985 issue of Australian Book Review!

Subscribe
Buy this issue
Read the facsimile edition
Marian Eldridge reviews Lilians Story and Bearded Ladies by Kate Grenville
Free Article: No
Contents Category: Fiction
Review Article: Yes
Show Author Link: Yes
Show Byline: Yes
Article Title: Special Women
Article Subtitle: And superb storytelling
Online Only: No
Custom Highlight Text:

What a pleasure to be reviewing Kate Grenville’s collection of stories and her novel!

First, Bearded Ladies: The stories are a delight. Ranging with ease over four continents, they portray women in a variety of relationships – girls brought face-to-face with a sexual world, women coping with men, without men, women learning to be. The writing is witty, satirical, compassionate, clear as a rock pool and as full of treasures.
Book 1 Title: Lilian’s Story
Book Author: Kate Grenville
Book 1 Biblio: Allen & Unwin, 212pp, $14.95
Book 1 Author Type: Author
Book 2 Title: Bearded Ladies
Book 2 Author: Kate Grenville
Book 2 Biblio: University of Queensland Press, 176pp, $8.95 pb
Book 2 Author Type: Author
Book 2 Cover Small (400 x 600):
Book 2 Cover (800 x 1200):
Book 2 Cover Path (no longer required): images/ABR_Digitising_2021/Archives_and_Online_Exclusives/breaded ladies.jpg
Display Review Rating: No

What a pleasure to be reviewing Kate Grenville’s collection of stories and her novel!

First, Bearded Ladies: The stories are a delight. Ranging with ease over four continents, they portray women in a variety of relationships – girls brought face-to-face with a sexual world, women coping with men, without men, women learning to be. The writing is witty, satirical, compassionate, clear as a rock pool and as full of treasures.

Read more: Marian Eldridge reviews 'Lilian's Story' and 'Bearded Ladies' by Kate Grenville

Write comment (0 Comments)
Gerard Windsor reviews Zooing by Peter Goldsworthy and Going Home by Archie Weller
Free Article: No
Contents Category: Short Stories
Review Article: Yes
Show Author Link: Yes
Show Byline: Yes
Online Only: No
Custom Highlight Text:

A reviewer’s prejudices are rarely so obvious to him as are mine in the case of these two books. I have an instinct of sympathy with Peter Goldsworthy. Our first books of stories received a joint review from John Tranter in the Sydney Morning Herald. The venerable poet was, let us say, splendidly discouraging: Windsor’s and Goldsworthy’s joint faults made them ‘like so many hundreds of forgotten Australian short story writers before them’. We have been victims together. In the case of Archie Weller, I have to admit to negative prejudices. Weller is promoted as someone who nearly won the Vogel Prize, and I am suspicious of all the media hype and puff that surrounds that award. The price of greater publicity, runs my prejudice (conviction?), should be sharper critical attention.
Book 1 Title: Zooing
Book 1 Subtitle: Peter Goldsworthy
Book 1 Biblio: Angus and Robertson, 116 pp, $6.95 pb
Book 2 Title: Going Home
Book 2 Author: Archie Weller
Book 2 Biblio: Allen & Unwin, 222 pp, $15.95 pb
Book 2 Cover Small (400 x 600):
Book 2 Cover (800 x 1200):
Book 2 Cover Path (no longer required): images/1_SocialMedia/2021/Jan_2021/META/original_9780044423164.jpg
Book 2 Readings Link: booktopia.kh4ffx.net/P1Prj
Display Review Rating: No

A reviewer’s prejudices are rarely so obvious to him as are mine in the case of these two books. I have an instinct of sympathy with Peter Goldsworthy. Our first books of stories received a joint review from John Tranter in the Sydney Morning Herald. The venerable poet was, let us say, splendidly discouraging: Windsor’s and Goldsworthy’s joint faults made them ‘like so many hundreds of forgotten Australian short story writers before them’. We have been victims together. In the case of Archie Weller, I have to admit to negative prejudices. Weller is promoted as someone who nearly won the Vogel Prize, and I am suspicious of all the media hype and puff that surrounds that award. The price of greater publicity, runs my prejudice (conviction?), should be sharper critical attention.

I’m not sure where this solicitude has got me, for I find myself actually disappointed in both these volumes of stories. Weller’s failings are the more obvious, but in each collection there is an over-simplicity, a lack of room for the reader’s own imagination to expand and frolic in. They are not challenging, not seductive, not suggestive of mystery or more and more delights to be opened up.

Read more: Gerard Windsor reviews 'Zooing' by Peter Goldsworthy and 'Going Home' by Archie Weller

Write comment (0 Comments)