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Product Description
The Spells of an Ordinary Twilight (Donald Rawley); Red Underwear (Charles W. Harvey); Astonishing the Blind (Jack Hodgins); Life in the World and Out of It (Jeff MacGregor); Night Sky (Bernard Cooper); The 5:22 (George Harrar); The Ramble (Dika Lam); Killing Stonewall Jackson (Michael Knight); From Where We've Fallen (Hester Kaplan); Name of Love (Janice Daugharty); Africans (Sheila Kohler); The Jewel (Evan Harris); Dochera (Edmundo Paz-Soldan); ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An introduction to superb writers!
My son, bless him, dropped this gem into my Christmas stocking when it was first published.With no idea where he'd found it, this book was gleefully snapped up and read tothe last page.It was my introduction to Jack Hodgins, who has produced some terrificwork; too little considered even in his native Canada.Central Canadian urban-based criticshave foolishly panned him as a 'regional' author since he places most of his work onVancouver Island.Strange you rarely hear such appellations applied to writers stuck in theconcrete canyons of New York.Whatever 'regional' qualities Hodgins carries, he's certainlybroken that mould with this book.

With a background in wet, forested and sea-girt Vancouver Island,Hodgins confronts the vast, sparse deserts of western New South Walesand Queensland, Australia.He brings to light some of the wonders of theAustralian language and culture.He feels exposed as a stranger: "Jacko,there's a Canadian boofhead out there begging for trouble!".Afterdiscovering a pick-up truck is a "ute" and a "bound" roast has had the boneremoved, he even seeks to identify a row of trees.Surely, there's anAustralian term for Weeping Willows."Oh, those?They're WeepingWillows."He goes crook.

Hodgins isn't a stranger to Australia.He'd been there before, often enough to becomeacquainted with the Australian literary scene.This book is a dual tour: the physical one offollowing the desert roads to Outback towns and villages is joined with the literary journeyintroducing us to the fine array of Australian authors.While the physical tour of the desert depicted here is an education in environment, bizarre weather and unusual language styles, itis the discussion of writers and writing that captures the attention.Over Forty doesn't referto age, of course, but temperature - a typical desert condition.While the Darling Riveroverflows to lock them in the town.Water can travel a long way in Australia before settlinginto the sand.No matter, it gives Hodgins more time to tell us about writing and authors.He has a book bag full of Australians, and an Itty Bitty Book Lite to illuminate their works.

The physical journey has a bigger purpose than mere tourism.Hodgins' companion is RogerMcDonald.North Americans will raise questioning eyebrows at the name, but anyAustralian can tell you that after Thomas Keneally, McDonald is near the top of the literaryhierarchy in the Lucky Country.Although his MR DARWIN'S SHOOTER brought him intothe North American scene, the purpose of this pilgrimage is the completion of a work neverseen here - SHEARERS' MOTEL.McDonald spent a year as a shearers' cook in researchingfor this book about Maori shearers.It is one of the finest examination of a man and his valuesever put in print.All we see of it here is a taste of who McDonald is and who the people arehe worked with in bringing the book about.Hodgins does a fine job of portraying the peopleand the writer who related their work to us.

Anyone who's read Hodgins will admire his descriptive powers and his ability to portraycharacters.Throughout this book we are given glimpses of the writer's methods of creativity.We see how once a story is begun, it tends to run away with the writer, whose job suddenlytransforms from 'creator' to 'recorder'. This isn't 'journalism' but the ability of a real writer toput his experience and talents into to the written word.The description of a speech byWilliam Golding on 'inventing' characters and plots is an outstanding episode.Jack Hodginshas never been a woman running away from her husband, but he shows us the beginnings ofsuch a tale and how it might develop.I've been waiting to read that book, but it remains inHodgins' notebook.

When imagination meets the Australian Outback.
Over 40 in Broken Hill is probably Hodgins's most original work.It is the account of Hodgins' visit to the outback sheep-shearing stations of Australia.The reader is presented with the colourful world of Kangaroos,sheep-shearers and outback bars.The rare encounter of a novelist from thegreen, wet world of Vancouver Island with the dry, red outback turns out tobevery entertaining. In this novel Hodgins manages to combine magic withrealism, and imagination goes hand in hand with accurate descriptions. Incontrast to in Hodgins' better-known works,we get to know the author,andhis views on the world, in this one. Over 40 in Broken Hill is simply awonderful book with many personalities: it's an autobiography,it's amagical book, and-as Hodgins to his own surprise discovers-it's even atravel book. A very well-written one! ... Read more