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'When Char's older brother goes to war, it is her responsibility to take on his job as farm assistant to their father. With the men away at war, many women are filling the positions which had previously been in male-dominated areas.
'Another example of this is Miss Playfair, who arrives from the city as the first female to teach at the local Kanyul school. Her arrival coincides with, and in many ways contributes to, the prevailing disruption in the formerly close-knit community.
'Char discovers that in war time, there are not only the natural disasters of drought and shortage to contend with. There are also personal hatreds and prejudices which sweep through the community, overriding the coherence and cooperation the war should bring to the lives of her people.
'Deepwater is a moving account of the experience of war for those at home, through the eyes of a young girl.'
Source:
'Australian and Special' [review], The Canberra Times, 23 July 1989, p.33.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Braille.
Works about this Work
-
No-Man's-Land Has Two Sides : A View for Children of Gallipoli, 1915, from the Turkish and Australian Trenches
2003
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Bookbird , vol. 41 no. 4 2003; (p. 21-27) Examines books dealing with the same campaign, reflecting the feelings of people whose ancestors fought that battle nearly ninety years ago -
Novel Teachers : The Image of Teachers in Australian Children's Literature
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , September vol. 9 no. 4 1994; (p. 5-8) -
Know the Author : Judith O'Neill
1992
single work
column
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , November vol. 7 no. 5 1992; (p. 5-6) -
Advocating Multiculturalism: Migrants in Australian Children's Literature After 1972
1990
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature Association Quarterly , vol. 15 no. 4 1990; (p. 180-188) This article is concerned with a major shift in Australian ideology and values that Stephens argues occurred during the 1970s. He argues that 'within a decade during the 1970s Australian political and educational institutions underwent a palpable shift towards an ideology of multiculturalism and Australian Children's Literature shifted with it' (180). By the mid-seventies multiculturalism in children's literature was advocated as 'a desirable social value and one to be inculcated in child readers' (180). Multiculturalism in children's fiction was conceived as 'acceptance of difference and heterogeneity' which was in accordance with the general principles expressed by the Australian Council on population and Ethnic Affairs (1982). Stephens critiques a number of contemporary novels that deal with issues of multiculturalism and identity formation: On Loan (Anne Brooksbank), The Boys from Bondi (Alan Collins), Moving Out (Helen Garner & Jennifer Giles), New Patches for Old (Christobel Mattingly), Deepwater (Judith O'Neill), The Other Side of the Family (Maureen Pople), The Seventh Pebble (Eleanor Spence), Five Times Dizzy and Dancing in the Anzac Deli (Nadia Wheatley). He makes three pertinent claims regarding representations of multicultural identity and/or community in Australia: that the representation of multiculturalism is questionable in these novels as most of the authors do not come from a non-Anglo background; that there is a general subordination of the themes of migration and culture to the theme of personal identity development (a common thematic concern of children's literature); while the novels 'pivot on aspects of difference' the narratives are generally focalized through members of the majority culture and 'hence the privilege of narrative subjectivity is rarely bestowed upon minority groups' (181). Stephens posits that within the genre of children's fiction, 'the absence of significant migrant voices...leads to a partial and hence false, representation of the Australian experience of migration and the development of multiculturalism' (181). -
The Children's Book Council of Australia Awards 1989
1989
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , vol. 33 no. 3 1989; (p. 3-8) The judges' report for the 1989 Australian Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards.
-
Untitled
1988
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , September vol. 3 no. 4 1988; (p. 32)
— Review of Deepwater 1987 single work novel -
The Book of the Year Award Shortlists
1989
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , May vol. 4 no. 2 1989; (p. 16-17)
— Review of Wiggy and Boa 1988 single work children's fiction ; Megan's Star 1988 single work novel ; The Lake at the End of the World 1988 single work novel ; Deepwater 1987 single work novel ; You Take the High Road 1988 single work novel ; Answers to Brut 1988 single work children's fiction ; Beyond the Labyrinth 1988 single work novel ; The Split Creek Kids 1988 single work children's fiction ; The Australopedia : How Australia Works After 200 Years of Other People Living Here 1988 reference non-fiction ; Callie's Family 1988 single work children's fiction ; The Best-Kept Secret 1988 single work children's fiction ; Melanie and the Night Animal 1988 single work children's fiction ; The Eleventh Hour : A Curious Mystery 1988 single work picture book ; Edward the Emu 1988 single work picture book children's fiction ; Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves 1988 single work picture book ; My Place in Space 1988 single work picture book ; Mr Nick's Knitting 1988 single work picture book ; Drac and the Gremlin 1988 single work picture book -
Untitled
1988
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , vol. 32 no. 4 1988; (p. 49-50)
— Review of Deepwater 1987 single work novel -
Know the Author : Judith O'Neill
1992
single work
column
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , November vol. 7 no. 5 1992; (p. 5-6) -
Novel Teachers : The Image of Teachers in Australian Children's Literature
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , September vol. 9 no. 4 1994; (p. 5-8) -
No-Man's-Land Has Two Sides : A View for Children of Gallipoli, 1915, from the Turkish and Australian Trenches
2003
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Bookbird , vol. 41 no. 4 2003; (p. 21-27) Examines books dealing with the same campaign, reflecting the feelings of people whose ancestors fought that battle nearly ninety years ago -
Advocating Multiculturalism: Migrants in Australian Children's Literature After 1972
1990
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature Association Quarterly , vol. 15 no. 4 1990; (p. 180-188) This article is concerned with a major shift in Australian ideology and values that Stephens argues occurred during the 1970s. He argues that 'within a decade during the 1970s Australian political and educational institutions underwent a palpable shift towards an ideology of multiculturalism and Australian Children's Literature shifted with it' (180). By the mid-seventies multiculturalism in children's literature was advocated as 'a desirable social value and one to be inculcated in child readers' (180). Multiculturalism in children's fiction was conceived as 'acceptance of difference and heterogeneity' which was in accordance with the general principles expressed by the Australian Council on population and Ethnic Affairs (1982). Stephens critiques a number of contemporary novels that deal with issues of multiculturalism and identity formation: On Loan (Anne Brooksbank), The Boys from Bondi (Alan Collins), Moving Out (Helen Garner & Jennifer Giles), New Patches for Old (Christobel Mattingly), Deepwater (Judith O'Neill), The Other Side of the Family (Maureen Pople), The Seventh Pebble (Eleanor Spence), Five Times Dizzy and Dancing in the Anzac Deli (Nadia Wheatley). He makes three pertinent claims regarding representations of multicultural identity and/or community in Australia: that the representation of multiculturalism is questionable in these novels as most of the authors do not come from a non-Anglo background; that there is a general subordination of the themes of migration and culture to the theme of personal identity development (a common thematic concern of children's literature); while the novels 'pivot on aspects of difference' the narratives are generally focalized through members of the majority culture and 'hence the privilege of narrative subjectivity is rarely bestowed upon minority groups' (181). Stephens posits that within the genre of children's fiction, 'the absence of significant migrant voices...leads to a partial and hence false, representation of the Australian experience of migration and the development of multiculturalism' (181). -
The Children's Book Council of Australia Awards 1989
1989
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , vol. 33 no. 3 1989; (p. 3-8) The judges' report for the 1989 Australian Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards.
Awards
- North East Victoria, Victoria,
- 1910s