Christopher Morgan- Currawalli Street
Format- Paperback
Source- Review copy
Publisher- Allen and Unwin
Synopsis: We all have secret lives. And we are all pretty good at keeping them secret. With simplicity and great beauty, Currawalli Street reveals the echoes between past and present through the story of one ordinary street and its families, from the pre-war innocence of early 1914 to the painful and grim consequences of the Vietnam War. In 1914, Thomas, the young rector, questions his faith and falls in love; his sister Janet, a dutiful spinster, hides a surprising secret; and their neighbour, Rose, is burdened with visions of the coming hell. In 1972, Jim, a soldier fresh from Vietnam, returns home to Currawalli Street to find that death has a way of seeping in everywhere; Patrick, looked after by his elderly wife, Mary, can’t relinquish his former identity; and always there is the boy up in the tree, watching them all and keeping note. In only three short generations, working horses and wagons are lost to cars, wood-fired ovens are replaced with electric stoves, and the lessons learned at such cost in the Great War seem forgotten. But despite all the changes, the essential human things remain: there will always be families and friends reaching out for connection; people will always have secrets to keep hidden from view; and desire and love are as inevitable as war and violence. Deep, rich and satisfying, Currawalli Street links families and neighbours, their lovers and friends, in a powerful and moving dance through time.
Review: Currawalli Street is a slow read. In the first half of the book, each of the characters who live on Currawalli Street, Melbourne in 1914 are briefly introduced. Their lives intertwine but it is only revealed at surface level. Just as I started to get to know the characters, the second half of the book jumps two- three generations into the future (in 1978) post-Vietnam war and I had to get to know the new protagonist, Jim. It felt a little late in the story to get to know someone knew and I felt a little lost. Jim is the grandson of Kathleen and Johnny (who we meet in 1914, living on Currawalli Street) and he has returned from a stint in the Vietnam War. He battles PTSD along with the recent loss of his parents who were murdered. He returns to his family home and begins to uncover the family secrets.
The author has a wonderful way with language and I have no criticism about the writing style, but I think this book just wasn’t for me. There were too many characters for me to invest in and they disappeared halfway through the book and I felt like I had to start all over again.
2.5/5 rating
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Another cover with a body part lopped off! Can you see a trend here?
Good spot Rosanne!
O, Rosanne. I laughed out loud when I read your comment! Gorgeous! Of course, now you’ve made that observation, I will never be able to look at a book again without checking to see is some body part has been ‘lopped off’!
I’m now going to pick up Currawalli Street from the library and have a look at the cover first-hand.
Happy reading!
Margaret
I have looked at this book on the shelf quite a few times recently. Sorry it didn;t work that well for you!
I know, it’s never satisfying when a book doesn’t quite meet your expectations 🙁
That’s disappointing Jayne. I think given your review I will be giving this one a miss.
I haven’t seen many reviews for this book as yet, so i’d be interested to hear if it resonated with other people. Just wasn’t for me!
It’s always a shame when a book doesn’t connect with you as strongly as you’d hoped but you gave this book a really fair review!
Thanks! It’s difficult to review books that aren’t particularly enjoyable, but i think in this case it was just personal taste.
The synopsis sounds wonderful – a shame when the execution doesn’t live up to expectations.
I’m listening to ‘Love in the Years of Lunacy’ by Aussie author Mandy Sayer right now, and in this case the opposite has occurred – the synopsis, although enough to attract me when I was looking for my next audio book didn’t set really high expectations for me, but I’ve been very impressed by the execution.