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Alex Archer #3
Alex in Rome
In Rome to compete in the 1960 Olympics, Alex Archer takes in the sights in the Eternal City, begins a relationship with an expatriate New Zealander, and prepares for the biggest swim meet of her life.
166 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Tessa Duder
56 books37 followersTessa Duder trained as a journalist, and spent fifteen years rearing four daughters before she turned to writing fiction in her late thirties. Her books include the four Alex novels, Jellybean and Night Race to Kawau, as well as ten titles of non-fiction for both adults and young people. She's also an editor, short story writer, playwright and actor. Born in Auckland in 1940, she's lived most of her life there, except for periods spent in England, Pakistan and Malaysia.
Tessa Duder lives in Auckland, New Zealand, where she writes full time.
Tessa Duder lives in Auckland, New Zealand, where she writes full time.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 14, 2013
Alex is fifteen, going on twenty-something. She is the sole swimmer in the NZ team at the Rome Olympic Games of 1960 - a fictional detail of an otherwise factual view of the games.
Her major expectations have already been fulfilled by the very fact of being there. To her surprise, after a mediocre training build up, she swims at her best and beyond. Much later in the book she describes herself as being single-mindedly, ferociously ambitious. But we don’t witness that part of her personality in the earlier stages, even though she is the narrator of her own experiences.
Nor do we see the apparent coldness and contained self possession that her admirer, the Kiwi singing student, Tom, is confused and intrigued by, and which quite possibly constitutes some of her attraction to him. On the contrary, she portrays herself in a realistic mixture of shy naivety, imaginative curiosity, stroppiness, caution, impetuousness and suspicion, as she gradually falls in love with both Tom and Rome. She seems to be as unaware of her physical attractiveness as Tom suspects her to be.
The book falls naturally into two halves: the swim and her subsequent freedom to explore Rome with Tom. In both halves, Tom shares an equal part of the narrative, so that we have the pleasure (and frustration) of witnessing how much they misunderstand each other and also how much of each other they recognise and are forced to accept. Tom is a natural trickster, a talent he employs to get close to her. In the process, he disguises his nationality from his own countrymen (first as an Italian, second as an Australian) as a necessary way to shield himself from a NZ past which he is trying to discard. This amuses her but also serves to confuse and alienate her.
This is a book written about a very young woman, but neither the writer, nor the heroine are interested in talking down to her age or her audience. The prose style is straightforward and avoids cleverness. The switch from Alex’s narrative to Tom’s is initially confusing – perhaps it could have been signalled more clearly – but by the bottom of the first page of Tom’s story, it is possible to sort out what is going on. (How obliging does an author have to be to make sure that every reader knows exactly what is going on at every word?)
As in “Night Race”, the relationship between the two main characters is very real in its messy confusions and poignant touching points. We learn more about Alex as she learns about herself. Taboo subjects - menstruation and private nakedness - are openly described, but there is never any sense of prurience. Tom enters the story as a very self-assured young man with a clear idea of who he is and where he is going.
Her major expectations have already been fulfilled by the very fact of being there. To her surprise, after a mediocre training build up, she swims at her best and beyond. Much later in the book she describes herself as being single-mindedly, ferociously ambitious. But we don’t witness that part of her personality in the earlier stages, even though she is the narrator of her own experiences.
Nor do we see the apparent coldness and contained self possession that her admirer, the Kiwi singing student, Tom, is confused and intrigued by, and which quite possibly constitutes some of her attraction to him. On the contrary, she portrays herself in a realistic mixture of shy naivety, imaginative curiosity, stroppiness, caution, impetuousness and suspicion, as she gradually falls in love with both Tom and Rome. She seems to be as unaware of her physical attractiveness as Tom suspects her to be.
The book falls naturally into two halves: the swim and her subsequent freedom to explore Rome with Tom. In both halves, Tom shares an equal part of the narrative, so that we have the pleasure (and frustration) of witnessing how much they misunderstand each other and also how much of each other they recognise and are forced to accept. Tom is a natural trickster, a talent he employs to get close to her. In the process, he disguises his nationality from his own countrymen (first as an Italian, second as an Australian) as a necessary way to shield himself from a NZ past which he is trying to discard. This amuses her but also serves to confuse and alienate her.
This is a book written about a very young woman, but neither the writer, nor the heroine are interested in talking down to her age or her audience. The prose style is straightforward and avoids cleverness. The switch from Alex’s narrative to Tom’s is initially confusing – perhaps it could have been signalled more clearly – but by the bottom of the first page of Tom’s story, it is possible to sort out what is going on. (How obliging does an author have to be to make sure that every reader knows exactly what is going on at every word?)
As in “Night Race”, the relationship between the two main characters is very real in its messy confusions and poignant touching points. We learn more about Alex as she learns about herself. Taboo subjects - menstruation and private nakedness - are openly described, but there is never any sense of prurience. Tom enters the story as a very self-assured young man with a clear idea of who he is and where he is going.
November 17, 2017
Recently re read the whole series forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Interesting insights into Rome circa 1960 and the Olympics. The thought of having to take 5 days to go from Auckland to Rome reminds me in some ways how far technology has come. Well worth reading.
December 18, 2017
Alex's storyline is just so damn compelling. Can't wait to read the final one!
September 2, 2015
This was not as good as the first book in the Alex series, but better than the second.
September 23, 2018
Really enjoyed this one - the descriptions of Rome and al the adventures that happened in that setting made me feel warm inside
May 5, 2011
This is the second book in the alex series. I love this book so much!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews