Review: An enjoyable read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 21, 2013
This book is made up of three short stories, which I didn't realize until I was mid-way through the third story, and was trying to see how they linked. Reading it on my kindle confused me so that when I finished I had to go back to the beginning and separate the three stories."Killing Time" is the first title. Maurice Ambler was an elderly gentleman who loved to ride his bike everywhere. He rode extremely long journeys from the streets of Melbourne and out into the surrounding countryside, sometimes being away as long as a week. His sons worried about his eccentricities but were used to them. With life in the 1960s being very laid back and casual, it seemed to be "just the way he was"..."Spirit of Activity" is the second title. The narrator was also a pushbike rider (hence my confusion) who rode through rural Victoria including Dimboola near Horsham. He was picked up one day while trying to mend a flat tyre, and the fellow who gave him the lift was a World War I soldier who had fought the Japanese in New Guinea. He had volunteered at the age of eighteen, and found himself struggling along the Kokoda Track..."Place of Many Birds" was the third and by far the longest and most detailed of the three titles. "Bimbimbe" is the Aboriginal word meaning place of many birds... Earle narrated this tale which began in 1932 when he was five years old and living in a little country town called Cariboo with his Mum, Dad and brothers Bob and Alan. His dad was a school teacher and was transferred to a school in Melbourne. Bob, who was twelve years old, joined his dad, leaving Mum and the two young boys to manage alone. The story of their struggles, the feeding and giving work to the continual stream of swaggies who ventured into their yard, then culminated in the decision to leave Cariboo and join Dad and Bob in the new place at Sandringham.The long train journey was one of great excitement with Mum telling wonderful stories of life long ago, fascinating not only Earle and Alan, but other passengers on the carriage who were fortunate enough to be within hearing distance.What happened when the family reunited at the new house in Sandringham, Melbourne? How was their future shaped?A very original and unique concept, it was quite enjoyable. The vast Australian countryside with the small country towns was easy to visualise and fun to contemplate.