AustLit

'A provocative autobiography by the Australian artist and writer who probes the most shameful acts in his early family life. Crabbe grew up in Melbourne in the early 1940s, with a father who has been lost in the jungle of Burma - missing, presumed dead.' (Publication summary)

'Seven Poor Men of Sydney is a brilliant portrayal of a group of men and women living in Sydney in the 1920s amid conditions of poverty and social turmoil.

Set against the vividly drawn backgrounds of Fisherman's (Watson's) Bay and the innercity slums, the various characters seek to resolve their individual spiritual dilemmas; through politics, religion and philosophy.

Their struggles, their pain and their frustrations are portrayed with consummate skill in this memorable evocation of a city and an era.' (Publication summary)

'The year 1788: the very beginning of European settlement. These were times of hardship, cruelty and danger. Above all, they were times of conflict between the Aborigines and the white settlers.

'Eleanor Dark brings alive those bitter years with moments of tenderness and conciliation amid the brutality and hostility. The cast of characters includes figures historical and fictional, black and white, convict and settler. All the while, beneath the veneer of British civilisation, lies the baffling presence of Australia, the 'timeless land'.

'The Storm of Time and No Barrier complete the Timeless Land trilogy. ' (Publication summary)

'A concentration camp—on Australian soil. Men are separated from their families by barbed wire. They have committed no crimes; they try to explain to their children that they're not in prison. It feels like prison. They’re told it’s only temporary, there are processes in train. Nothing changes. There are riots. Plans to escape. It is 1942.

'Garry Disher’s second novel is an unflinching look at an episode in Australia’s past that has become chillingly resonant in recent years. It is a study of prisoners—here internees—driven to desperation by thoughtless bureaucracy, by prejudice, by the arbitrary exercise of power. It is a lesson in the consequences of fear. And it is the story of a man who worries for his children and will do anything—almost anything—to find his way back to them.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Ligature ed.).

"In the 1950s Charmian Clift and her husband decided to escape the cold and routine of London for the warmth of the Greek island, Kalymnos. Far from the tourist trail, Kalymnos was bare and poor - an escape, but by no means paradise. Yet as the months went by, Clift and her family became part of the community. This book captures the essence of island life."

- Bookdepository.com