Author: Mallee Stanley

Michael Christie’s—Greenwood *****

Michael Christie’s—Greenwood *****

What first fascinated me about this book was its structure. Like the rings of a tree, the story begins on the outer ring in the future and heads to the centre—its heartwood—going back in time exploring a key member of the Greenwood clan to 1934. Then the story heads out across the rings to the opposite edge completing Greenwood lives until it ends with Jake in 2038.

Continue reading “Michael Christie’s—Greenwood *****” →
Janice P. Nimura—The doctors Blackwell *****

Janice P. Nimura—The doctors Blackwell *****

When Elizabeth Blackwell was eleven, she and her family left their home town, Bristol and sailed to New York. Their father’s finances centred around sugar refining, but when he died, Elizabeth found work until her two oldest brothers reached an age when they could support the family. Gradually, Elizabeth was determined to become a doctor, but in the 1800s, men did not wish to release their monopoly on the profession and Elizabeth found it difficult to find a university that would accept her. 

Continue reading “Janice P. Nimura—The doctors Blackwell *****” →
Eve J. Chung’s—Daughters of Shandong *****

Eve J. Chung’s—Daughters of Shandong *****

In 1948, when Mao’s army pushes back Chen kia Shek’s Nationalists’ fighters, life becomes increasingly dangerous for rich landowners like the Angs. At a family meeting, the grandmother ruthlessly decides they should all escape except her son’s wife and daughters since his wife has not produced a son. They leave for Qingdao, taking everything of value. When communist cadres arrive on their doorstep, the mother and the three daughters left behind are kicked out of their house and soon their long and treacherous journey begins.

Continue reading “Eve J. Chung’s—Daughters of Shandong *****” →
Kathleen Winter’s—Annabel*****

Kathleen Winter’s—Annabel*****

In a remote Labrador community during the 1960s, Jacinta and Treadway have a child. After the birth, Jacinta and Thomasina, who helped with the birth, decide to keep the baby’s hermaphrodite condition to themselves, but Treadway senses something is wrong with their child. The child, Wayne is taken to the Goose Bay hospital where, at Treadway’s insistence, the baby’s female condition is suppressed through operations and drugs. As Wayne grows, Treadway introduces the boy into his male domain of hunting while Jacinta saddens at the loss of a daughter.

Continue reading “Kathleen Winter’s—Annabel*****” →