The Bean Patch: A Memoir

by Shirley Painter

Told in the third person, this is the story of how a young girl survived growing up in a volatile household in the 1920s and 1930s. How school and later university became her escape route from a family filled with secrets and violence. It is also a story of how, as a mature woman and a mother herself, she came to face what had happened to her as a child. How she had to bring long-buried memories into the light in order to move on.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

310 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2002

Reviews

[Ellen Eckhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find it interesting that a lot of readers have said they did not enjoy the way the book was written - with jumping through time and space, many characters that all blur into one so you can't remember which did what, and often being unclear as to what actually happened. I think this is perfect because it puts you in the shoes of the character. You never remember your life in a straight line and I can imagine how you would not trust your own recollection when everyone tells you it's wrong so therefore there are always fuzzy bits so you just get the overriding emotion. It also left me in a sort of dumbstruck horror as you have guessed what happened but can't quite believe that it did because it's so terrible and you never know what horrible thing might be alluded to next. There are also the odd paragraphs which suggest something about a character which is never mentioned again which (for me) helps build up the complexity of the story and leaves me wondering what else don't I know. Even if these events never did occur it still leaves me thinking what a horrible life some people have.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is really hard to say what I think about this one. It will certainly stay with me for a while. A gruelling and disturbing story. At times confusing, it mapped a life full of sad and terrifying events and memories mixed with moments of resilience and sheer guts and determination. Like the author herself, as a reader there were parts that you really hoped hadn't happened. Her recollections, even after she wrote this novel, were questioned. I just can't fathom how she was able to put pen to paper and recall the harsh, cruel and horrifying events of her early life. It must have been a gruelling effort to allow herself to reveal what had occurred and am not surprised that it was it written later in her life. Have been reading her tributes after her passing last year, she was a much loved and respected teacher for most of her life and no doubt made it her aim to ensure children reached their potential. Perhaps it was a way for her to repay the debt she had to her own teachers who often provided the lifeline she needed.
Vale Shirley Painter,

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping memoir as a young woman slowly allows horrific memories of murder & abuse to return. She suppresses what she can not deal with but triggers are everywhere and often come at the most busy and seemingly inappropriate times, but with wise counseling and mature decisions, she is able to cope and deal with the horrors. One of the better books I've read on recalling memories and managing the out-fall. Sensitively written and not hugely graphic.

[Cheryl Schwab · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the beginning and even up until I was half way through this book I was questioning if there was more or reasons other than her simple explanations as to the decisions and reasons for the author's behaviour and actions. I continued to feel she was writing and exploring her past at a surface level and I wanted to delve in and ask more complex questions to break open the story behind the story. Finally, the last few chapters provided a detailed and at times incomprehensible explanation that I felt were slightly inferred through the book. Whilst the story was sad and delved into such a shocking and, at the moment prevalent issue of domestic violence there is a story of inspiration and hope and how one woman was able to live a life and work through the demons of her past. Even though the topic of domestic violence weaved in and out of the story line this book was easy to read.

[Yvonne Sanders]

A devastating account of a child's life. Confronting and honest. An excellent read.

[Rachael Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sad and confronting memoir

[Iamshadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this today. It's not about multiplicity, but it is about recovered memories and dissociated memory, and the style of writing is very, very good at evoking the way those of us who struggle with disconnected memories feel, how those memories have a quality about them that is difficult to express. Painter does very well at building her life story from the fragments she has, and drawing a very clear picture of life in a family where violence, abuse, and even murder aren't secrets within, just secrets to be kept from outsiders at all costs.

[Kelv · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is nothing without the Prologue/Epilogue. To many characters at the start - easy not follow who was who. The dialogue initially was a bit rough with poor sentence flow.

All of the above aside, the story is nothing short of harrowing and needed to be written. I could easy see this story come together as a horror flick. I could see Stockholm syndrome as clear as day once the cat is out, I could also see the determination to live and fight and get control.

[Judith Yeabsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was frustratingly constructed. In trying to build suspense and create intrigue it was not chronological. It made it hard to keep track of everyone and the critical hinges of why who was doing what to whom was not revealed until right at the end. It meant there was no perspective and it just didn't flow for me.

[Literary_Madness (Tonya Allen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not your fault.

[Ms Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brutal.

[Lesley Shears · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bean Patch, by Shirley Painter, is her own story. The blurb on the back of the book reads “Shirley Painter is 83 years old. She shouldn’t be. When she was four years old she was so badly injured she was pronounced dead and taken to the morgue. The man who so severely injured her was her father”.

She lived through horrific abuse as a child; her early life was harsh, cruel and horrifying. Her parents impressed on her the need to be silent and not to talk to people outside the family. If she spoke up to outsiders, her parents said she was making it up. She buried the bad memories deep inside her and didn’t always understand the significance of events and disappearances.

She managed to put the past behind her – education and a few supportive teachers were her escape, and she was a much loved and respected teacher for most of her life.

Years later she saw her own daughter sitting on her father’s lap and had a flashback to her childhood – she knew she could never leave the little girl alone with him. It took painful therapy for her to recover the buried memories and gain an understanding of past events.

A beautifully written memoir, at once confronting and compelling.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dark and disturbing book in parts which does end in some type of triumph but this doesn't necessarily mean it has a happy ending. It challenges the old society rules and roles that some people seem to think were the good old days, but books like this clearly show that they weren't always that good. I seem to say this a lot in books I comment on, but it never ceases to amaze what humans will do to other humans. Finally, at the risk of writing a cliché, the author is a survivor and not a victim.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This is a great read. I read it in less than a week, which is quick for me. Starts slowly and yet it’s intriguing straight away. But really picks in the pace in part 2. I am astounded at this woman’s life. Far out. This will stay with me for a while.

[Jenny Kirkby · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging read. This book is simply written and allowed me to feel confusion yet still understand the truth of her story, told with the incomplete knowledge of a child's perception. My heart goes out to that little girl and is proud of the woman she became.

[Aleisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.4 April haha

[Lyn Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book hard to read. A compelling and somewhat disturbing story but amazing fortitude to bare all to us readers

[Ruth Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most challenging biography to write and handled exceedingly well.

[Sharon McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sad life story of a Melbourne woman and i read it in 4 days so that must have been good

[rudi83 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite literally could not put this book down. I again made the mistake of reading one of my mum's old books, one of her tens of memoirs this time. This book will stick with me forever.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy this book. I kept reading thinking it would all be explained but it wasn't. Is the author psychic? How did she know about all these "murders" committed by her father? Did she make them up? I was disappointed.

[Jenny Holroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book I liked how the author didnt fully explain everything you had to make up your own mind

[Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard for me to get into this book. I kept reading it expecting something good to unfold but was a little disappointed :(

[Kelly Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and very hard to put down, sometimes a little confusing, but overall a good read.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really good book I really enjoyed it