This month’s review book:
Last Summer by Kylie Ladd:
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, ISBN: 9781742375014, RRP: $29.99
Description:
Rory has it all: looks, talent, charisma - an all around good-guy, he's the centre of every party and a loving father and husband. Then one summer's afternoon tragedy strikes ... and those who closest to him struggle to come to terms with their loss. Friendships are strained, marriages falter and loyalties are tested in a gripping and brilliantly crafted novel about loss, grief and desire.
Cheryl Akle’s review
I liked Last Summer very much. The way we see the story from each characters viewpoint made it totally engaging. It’s a book that reminds one to savour the day!
Some Book Club members’ reviews:
1. Weekend sports, bbqs, swimming pools, family, annual get togethers - suburban Australia is definitely covered here. I felt I really got to know each character whilst reflecting on their life and relationships after the death of a friend/family member. I even got to wishing Rory hadn’t died so I could get to know him personally also. Kelly
2. Last Summer is a deeply engaging novel about the fragility of human relationships. It deals with the way people react to loss and grief. If I’m honest I didn’t really like any of the main characters, perhaps because of how realistically they were portrayed (as shallow as that is!!). However it made for some very interesting reading, because of its authenticity. The characters were well defined, however I thought there may have been too many of them. I sometimes had to check which character I was reading about, though I thought it was a really great concept to follow a group of people. Just when I thought I got to know a character, or became attached to them my opinion of them, or point of view of the situation was changed in the next chapter by another characters story. Kathryn
3. I found this book a bit hard to get into initially. But as I got used to the chopping and changing of characters, the book really drew me in. I found some characters more endearing than others but overall I found they grew on me. The intermittent racy scenes added spice to the book. And I couldn’t predict how the book would end, which is refreshing. I will be passing this on to friends to read.
4. Last Summer by Kylie Ladd is set in suburban Melbourne around a group of friends that have grown up together and have enjoyed the typical upbringing of playing and breathing cricket and football. The story describes how relationships change and falter after one of the friends dies unexpectedly. I found this book easy to read but I thought it ended abruptly or perhaps or was left with wanting more. I will be watching out for more of Kylie's books.
5 . Meh, not quite a page turner but definitely a book that I could relate to. I could identify with the culture, the landmarks, and marriage and parenting lifestyles. I know what it is like to find a new “normal” and how to re establish oneself after the death of a loved one. Overall, not a bad read. Thanks Circle. Amanda
6 . When I first starting reading this book I thought it was a story about death and how those closest to Rory Buchanan, who suddenly had a heart attack on the cricket pitch and died, coped with his death. However, having finished the book now, I realise it was more about life and in particular how 9 of Rory Buchanan’s closest friends and family struggled with living it after losing him.
As the story is told from the perspective of all of the main characters, it was extremely confusing for about the first 6 chapters and I had to constantly refer back to figure out who was married to whom and what relationship they all were to Rory.
I really felt myself getting engrossed in each character and ended up feeling a little disappointed when it had to stop and jumped to another chapter/character. I found myself likening the characters to people I know. This isn’t a bit of light reading and the author definitely managed to bring each of Rory’s friends to life. I was sure Kelly was going to drink too much and come to grief on a roundabout! This book is definitely not for everyone but I loved it. Vanessa
7. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, although it wasn't at all my favourite, I do appreciate the opportunity you and your team continue to extend to me, to broaden my horizons.
Last Summer is a great book, if you're into sex, cricket and not much else. I feel that Kylie Ladd aimed too high and we're left with a jumpy mismatched story-line. If she had followed maybe 5 characters I feel the book would've made much more sense. I found the ending to be terrible, it seemed that the author just gave up and hoped a dully sentimental sentence would tie up her sloppy work. Bernice
8. Here is my review for Last Summer. Last Summer was an accessible read. But I was strangely unmoved by this story of death and grief and loss. I wanted to care about these characters. But, while I felt that splitting the narrative between 9 different protagonists was an interesting choice, I do think it stopped me from really caring about any one of those characters. I felt the female characters were almost caricatures instead of real women I could empathise with. Having recently read 'The Slap' I feel Kylie Ladd was heavily influenced by that book- both in plot and style. Last Summer was a fairly vanilla imitation. Gillian
9. Last Summer is a book about loss, families, relationships, cricket, and sex - exploring nine characters reactions to a catastrophic death. I liked the way Kylie Ladd intricately weaved the distinct lives together, each with their own voice and perspective. The setting is instantly familiar in Melbourne, even Fed Square gets a mention. I could relate to the fallout of losing someone in your life at a young age, and the way this throws everything asunder. The children’s confusion and questions are touching. The rawness of emotions ever present. At times I felt like the author was overly masculine in tone. There was enormous attention given to the character’s physiques, diet, sexual exploits, penis’s and an awful moment where a guy is given oral sex because the woman supposedly “owes him”. Everyone is ogling at each other in a world of beautiful people. The grief feels real and behaviour of its characters rightfully chaotic in a time when your world is torn apart, but I had trouble identifying with the men or women in Last Summer. The book is completely readable, compelling even, but won’t become a favourite. 3/5.’ Kirsty
10. What a truly suburban Australian tale of loss and mateship! Each character trying to cope with their grief in their own ways as individuals, part of a family and as part of the iconic Australian clubhouse. The group dynamic was tested, and in essence dissolves, at the loss of its core character Rory. This story is not unlike many that unfold each day in our busy suburban lives. For me it brought back memories of the loss of someone close to our family and an Aussie rules football club routine that came to an end. I enjoyed the variety and complexities of each character. It’s amazing when your recognize bits of yourself/your life in the pages of a book. The side issues of adoption, single child families and infidelity where nicely included and given just enough attention to leave you contemplating “what would I do?”.
The story is a simple one but evokes a multitude of complex emotions. I loved the last sentence and really felt it summed up life’s journey for us all “At the end of it all you were simply the sum of your scars.” Theresa
11. Last Summer Book Review. The story is about the death of a man named Rory and how his passing affects the people who knew him best. From his wife and children, to his childhood friend, Rory's death proves to be a catapult for change, that inevidably pushes people together and others apart. The book is written in chapters, each carrying the perspective of a character in the book.
While reading I found myself acknowledging how death forces you to reflect upon life. It causes people to recognise the limits of time and determine if they are using their one chance at 'life' to its potential. Am I really happy? seems to be the common question resonating throughout the book, as each person searches for their purpose, while mourning the loss of the friend who seemed to determine so much of their past.
Although I like the idea of getting the insights and thoughts of each character, I found it challenging to keep track of all the names/families. As I closed the novel, I was left somewhat confused. There were several plot elements presented in the final chapters that were not resolved and it left me wondering if I had missed something.
I found the character of Anita the most intriguing, because she makes the biggest transformation (although the least connected to Rory). Anita loses herself in her role as mother and wife and decides that she must redefine her role to encompass more; in order to find personal worth and fulfillment. I think the novel really exploits the idea of routine and assumption and shows how disconnected people can become when the two are in place. Perhaps a good book for someone searching for answers, as they will no doubt be able to relate to at least one of the characters.
Thanks. I look forward to the next book. Maria
Another pick for this month:
The Fix by Nick Earls
Publisher: Vintage, Random House ISBN: 9781864711509, RRP: $32.95
Description:
Josh Lang went to London with investigative journalism on his mind, but he carved out a reputation as a fixer instead and mastered the art of spinning any client out of a crisis. Now he's home in Brisbane, and this time the job is supposed to be good news. The client is a law firm, the talent is Ben Harkin, and the story is the Star of Courage Ben is about to be awarded for his bravery in a siege. But it was Josh's messy past with Ben that was a big part of his move to London in the first place, and the closer he gets to Ben's story the more the cracks start to show. Throw in a law student who's an exotic dancer by night, and a mini-golf tour of the Gold Coast, and Josh's pursuit of the truth becomes way more complicated than he'd ever expected. Written with warmth, humour and a touch of the detective, The Fix will leave you guessing until the very last page.
Cheryl’s review:
The Fix is an enjoyable read. It’s a low-key detective story that’s full of humour. I liked its warm, edgy tone.
Next month’s book:
That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott
Publisher: Picador, ISBN: 9780330404235, RRP: $22.99
Description:
Big-hearted, moving and richly rewarding, That Deadman Dance is set in the first decades of the 19th century in the area around what is now Albany, Western Australia. In playful, musical prose, the book explores the early contact between the Aboriginal Noongar people and the first European settlers.
The novel's hero is a young Noongar man named Bobby Wabalanginy. Clever, resourceful and eager to please, Bobby befriends the new arrivals, joining them hunting whales, tilling the land, exploring the hinterland and establishing the fledgling colony. He is even welcomed into a prosperous local white family where he falls for the daughter, Christine, a beautiful young woman who sees no harm in a liaison with a native. But slowly – by design and by accident – things begin to change. Not everyone is happy with how the colony is developing. Stock mysteriously start to disappear; crops are destroyed; there are "accidents" and injuries on both sides. As the Europeans impose ever stricter rules and regulations in order to keep the peace, Bobby's Elders decide they must respond in kind. A friend to everyone, Bobby is forced to take sides: he must choose between the old world and the new, his ancestors and his new friends. Inexorably, he is drawn into a series of events that will forever change not just the colony but the future of Australia...
