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Careful He Might Hear You
It's the Great Depression. Six-year-old PS is an orphan. He lives in Sydney with his Aunt Lila. But all that is about to change. Now his Aunt Vanessa has decided to take proper care of him. Careful, He Might Hear You is one of the most extraordinary portraits of childhood in Australian fiction.
271 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
23 people are currently reading
552 people want to read
About the author
Sumner Locke Elliott
30 books15 followersElliott was born in Sydney in 1917 to the writer Helena Sumner Locke and the journalist Henry Logan Elliott. His mother died of eclampsia one day after his birth. Elliott was raised by his aunts, who had a fierce custody battle over him, fictionalized in Elliott's autobiographical novel, Careful, He Might Hear You. Elliott was educated at Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill, Sydney.
Elliott began acting and writing for radio during his teens, and showed signs of a promising career during his twenties before he was called for administrative military service in World War II. In 1948, Elliott relocated to the United States where he became a highly regarded television scriptwriter. As a fiercely intelligent and bold person, he made a name for himself, until the era of live television drama ended in the early 1960s.
Elliott remained in the United States for the remainder of his life, commencing a literary career in 1963 with his autobiographical novel "Careful He Might Hear You", which won the Miles Franklin Award and was subsequently made into a film. He published ten novels in total, several of which dealt with issues from his own childhood and experiences in Australia before the War. Although he increasingly developed a following among Australian readers, Elliott remained uncomfortable with his country of birth, in no small part due to his homosexuality, which had marked him out for difference during his youth. He spent his final years in New York City, dying of cancer in 1991.
For the final six years of his life, Elliott lived with the American writer Whitfield Cook. The two men had been close for several years, although the exact nature of their relationship has been disputed. Cook was a widower from a heterosexual marriage, however his most notable works included the homoerotic Alfred Hitchcock film "Strangers on a Train". Cook cared for Elliott until his death.
Elliott began acting and writing for radio during his teens, and showed signs of a promising career during his twenties before he was called for administrative military service in World War II. In 1948, Elliott relocated to the United States where he became a highly regarded television scriptwriter. As a fiercely intelligent and bold person, he made a name for himself, until the era of live television drama ended in the early 1960s.
Elliott remained in the United States for the remainder of his life, commencing a literary career in 1963 with his autobiographical novel "Careful He Might Hear You", which won the Miles Franklin Award and was subsequently made into a film. He published ten novels in total, several of which dealt with issues from his own childhood and experiences in Australia before the War. Although he increasingly developed a following among Australian readers, Elliott remained uncomfortable with his country of birth, in no small part due to his homosexuality, which had marked him out for difference during his youth. He spent his final years in New York City, dying of cancer in 1991.
For the final six years of his life, Elliott lived with the American writer Whitfield Cook. The two men had been close for several years, although the exact nature of their relationship has been disputed. Cook was a widower from a heterosexual marriage, however his most notable works included the homoerotic Alfred Hitchcock film "Strangers on a Train". Cook cared for Elliott until his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 5, 2012
I bought this as an airport read. I had seen the movie as a kid and it surprised me how much of the movie had stayed with me (hold me Logan, hold me).
Anyway, I loved this novel. I want to sieze strangers in the street and convert them to this novel. I love the porous nature of reality, the lightning crackle of otherworldliness, and the aunts, oh, I loved the aunts.
You know whenever people talk about place being a character in novels I always think, oh, what rubbish, places can't be characters. But in this case, brooding Sydney seems to surge up with intentions of its own in the poetic climax - poetic in that there is a certain cryptic ambivalence about it, and yet it entirely satisfies.
This novel belongs to an Australian tradition that in my mind includes Gillian Mears, Rodney Hall, Henry Lawson - a "placey" sort of novel where the landscape is unsettled and unsettling, so identity too is a shifting sort of thing. Society is stitched together, layers of pretense, and civilisation and the city seem at odds with nature trying to reassert itself in a magical sort of way.
Anyway, I loved this novel. I want to sieze strangers in the street and convert them to this novel. I love the porous nature of reality, the lightning crackle of otherworldliness, and the aunts, oh, I loved the aunts.
You know whenever people talk about place being a character in novels I always think, oh, what rubbish, places can't be characters. But in this case, brooding Sydney seems to surge up with intentions of its own in the poetic climax - poetic in that there is a certain cryptic ambivalence about it, and yet it entirely satisfies.
This novel belongs to an Australian tradition that in my mind includes Gillian Mears, Rodney Hall, Henry Lawson - a "placey" sort of novel where the landscape is unsettled and unsettling, so identity too is a shifting sort of thing. Society is stitched together, layers of pretense, and civilisation and the city seem at odds with nature trying to reassert itself in a magical sort of way.
January 6, 2021
Astonishing work, about which many words have already been written. I don’t really want to add to them other than to point out it’s hard to believe that these rivetting 500 pages are all true. More or less, and closer to more than less, that is.
Here is a link to a 1995 PhD by Sharon Clarke which is the most information we have about his life and work.
Sumner Locke Elliott: Writing Life
https://alittleteaalittlechat.files.w...
There is a movie, which is available on Youtube at the moment. Not sure how to see it otherwise.
Here is a link to a 1995 PhD by Sharon Clarke which is the most information we have about his life and work.
Sumner Locke Elliott: Writing Life
https://alittleteaalittlechat.files.w...
There is a movie, which is available on Youtube at the moment. Not sure how to see it otherwise.
March 19, 2014
Sometimes you read about a book's brilliance so much that it taints your impression of it when you finally read it. No so with Sumner Locke Elliott's classic Australian novel "Careful He Might Hear You".
PS lives with his aunt and uncle after his mother's death. Six years pass, and his other aunt from England comes to Australia to 'civilise' him. The clash between the two aunts, who both feel that PS's mother chose them to be responsible for his upbringing, leads to a split existence and eventually a trial.
This is one of the most fully realised child characters I have ever read. It comes as no surprise that this novel is largely autobiographical, as there is so much emotion (and repression of emotion) contained within. Elliott has masterfully written from PS's perspective in scenes so that we experience his confusion and angst, while at the same time dropping enough hints and coded messages to let us in on what is actually going on in the 'adult' world. It means we know things PS does not, but we still feel his innocence and confusion.
Truly a classic of Australian literature.
PS lives with his aunt and uncle after his mother's death. Six years pass, and his other aunt from England comes to Australia to 'civilise' him. The clash between the two aunts, who both feel that PS's mother chose them to be responsible for his upbringing, leads to a split existence and eventually a trial.
This is one of the most fully realised child characters I have ever read. It comes as no surprise that this novel is largely autobiographical, as there is so much emotion (and repression of emotion) contained within. Elliott has masterfully written from PS's perspective in scenes so that we experience his confusion and angst, while at the same time dropping enough hints and coded messages to let us in on what is actually going on in the 'adult' world. It means we know things PS does not, but we still feel his innocence and confusion.
Truly a classic of Australian literature.
July 27, 2016
I had to read this for uni and I loved it! I couldn't hate Vanessa because she reminded me of Heathcliff (from Wuthering Heights ) and don't get me started about him! No, I haven't romanticised Heathcliff but I don't hate him either. To me, both characters (Vanessa and Heathcliff) act they way they do because of influences/ incidents in their lives (in Vanessa's case her mother and in Heathcliff's, that bitch Catherine)!!!
October 12, 2015
A fascinating look at family dynamics. Multiple POVs ensure that, interestingly, no character is "the bad guy".
April 12, 2024
"In resignation, there is honesty and purity of the soul. At bedrock there is a peculiar peace"
If you've seen the 1983 film version, do yourself a favour and read the book. If you haven't, do yourself a favour and read the book as well. There are some truly genius scenes throughout, marvellously written (such as at Central Station, in the courtroom, and of course, on the ferry). An Australian classic worthy of renewed attention.
If you've seen the 1983 film version, do yourself a favour and read the book. If you haven't, do yourself a favour and read the book as well. There are some truly genius scenes throughout, marvellously written (such as at Central Station, in the courtroom, and of course, on the ferry). An Australian classic worthy of renewed attention.
November 23, 2022
I think this is the third time I've read this in my life. Once probably about 40 years ago, another time about 10 years ago, and now. It becomes deeper and more poignant with every reread. It has a lot of autobiographical moments, apparently - the author was also raised by his aunts, and I think his mother is buried in Woronora Cemetery, fairly close to where I live, like 'Dear One' in the book. I also know the hotel mentioned in the book, Como Hotel, and now always watch for stingrays in the water when I travel by train across Tom Ugly's Point. I remember watching the 1983 movie and finding it absolutely wonderful (and devastating). This book is a true Australian classic.
November 24, 2022
“Careful, he might hear you” draws from the author’s memories of his own childhood, being stuck in the middle of a custody battle between two aunts after the death of his mother. It is a slice of life set in an Australia the author clearly never forgot after relocating permanently to America.
I loved the mention of places I know in Sydney - Circular Quay, the ferries, the Harbour Bridge, the Blue Mountains - and the vivid descriptions of an Australian summer, “Here it was harsh and abrupt, assaulting one with sudden sharp, salt, seaweed smells, aromatic eucalyptus and the sickly sweetness of wattle. It rang with the laughter of kookaburras and the squawks of galahs”.
This novel explores the messy relationships in families, and the complexity of human emotions and motivations. I wanted PS to be with George and Lila right from the start, but somehow I ended up feeling sorry for Vanessa in the end, too.
The ending of the novel is bittersweet, with the central character PS choosing to throw off his childhood nickname, rejecting his legacy as being the post script to his mother’s life. I hope the author Sumner Locke Eliot, on whom the character of PS is based, eventually found some of his own kind of peace.
I loved the mention of places I know in Sydney - Circular Quay, the ferries, the Harbour Bridge, the Blue Mountains - and the vivid descriptions of an Australian summer, “Here it was harsh and abrupt, assaulting one with sudden sharp, salt, seaweed smells, aromatic eucalyptus and the sickly sweetness of wattle. It rang with the laughter of kookaburras and the squawks of galahs”.
This novel explores the messy relationships in families, and the complexity of human emotions and motivations. I wanted PS to be with George and Lila right from the start, but somehow I ended up feeling sorry for Vanessa in the end, too.
The ending of the novel is bittersweet, with the central character PS choosing to throw off his childhood nickname, rejecting his legacy as being the post script to his mother’s life. I hope the author Sumner Locke Eliot, on whom the character of PS is based, eventually found some of his own kind of peace.
June 27, 2021
This was a debut novel by Elliott and it won the 1963 Miles Franklin award. I don't know how it is that I have lived so long and not read anything by Elliot - his writing is masterful. Thank goodness Text republished it so we can still enjoy it.
Based on his own experiences as a young boy who's mother died in childbirth, this novel is told through the eyes of six year old PS. It is set in the Great Depression. Sinden married the charismatic Logan and for a week they were deliciously besotted. Logan went to war, Sinden died in childbirth declaring the child's name to be PS - a postscript to her ridiculous life. Sinden had written to two of her sisters, down to earth Lila and exotic Vanessa asking them both to care of PS. Lila and George have raised PS for 6 years when Vanessa returns from England to claim him. The novel unfolds as a custody battle between the sisters, told through the innocent eyes of PS.
The story is compelling and the characters wonderful. I absolutley loved this book and have now been trying to source other books by Elliott
Based on his own experiences as a young boy who's mother died in childbirth, this novel is told through the eyes of six year old PS. It is set in the Great Depression. Sinden married the charismatic Logan and for a week they were deliciously besotted. Logan went to war, Sinden died in childbirth declaring the child's name to be PS - a postscript to her ridiculous life. Sinden had written to two of her sisters, down to earth Lila and exotic Vanessa asking them both to care of PS. Lila and George have raised PS for 6 years when Vanessa returns from England to claim him. The novel unfolds as a custody battle between the sisters, told through the innocent eyes of PS.
The story is compelling and the characters wonderful. I absolutley loved this book and have now been trying to source other books by Elliott
December 11, 2014
an excellent book, evocative not only of Australia but of human attitudes & prejudices, the misunderstandings of communication, and family relationships. The progenitor, perhaps, of Tsolkias' "The Slap" - only infinitely more subtle. Incredibly moving, especially as you see through the eyes of PS, the boy caught in the middle. It is also a rare snapshot of Sydney in the 1930s, different yet alike.
July 1, 2010
Surprisingly good!
I got this book from a book flea market and didn't know a thing about it, what it was about, neither did I know the author. It stood in my to-read shelf for years and finally I took it and gave it a try - and read it in two days.
Without a huge storyline, it still did tell much and I found the ending surprising. I liked it.
I got this book from a book flea market and didn't know a thing about it, what it was about, neither did I know the author. It stood in my to-read shelf for years and finally I took it and gave it a try - and read it in two days.
Without a huge storyline, it still did tell much and I found the ending surprising. I liked it.
December 21, 2016
This is an outstanding book. It captures so much emotion and perspective of each character and also captures the essence of Sydney in the 1930's. So many geographical references strike a chord for my home town and much of the language typifies the memories of stories related to us by grandparents who grew up in the era. Possibly the best Australian novel I've read.
November 22, 2017
It took me about a hundred pages to get into the novel, but once I did I felt connected to the characters in a way that surprised me. Generally I don't much care for omniscient narration, but I was able to set that distaste aside and focus instead on PS's quiet presence in what is essentially a study of control and family dynamics. Very nicely put together.
December 27, 2021
Everyone should read this.
January 8, 2013
This is actually my first read for 2013. We were going to the beach on New Year’s Day and I took the couple of days before to consider which book I’d like to start the year with. I still didn’t quite decide ‘til nearly the last minute. We went to Balmoral Beach and when I cracked this book open, by happy coincidence, it was set around that area (Balmoral Beach / Neutral Bay). I was stoked!
I made a mistake by reading the Introduction though for it told me more of the story that I’d like to know and I continued reading with a hesitant spirit. I wanted to get it over it but I kinda already knew that will happen and I hated that feeling! I resolve from now on to skip Introductions (maybe to save it til after the reading).
The Child and the Mother in me protest at calling a child PS (short for Postscript). Understandably, whilst it was the mother who began the nickname whilst bub is still peanut-size, I found it unbelievable that it would carry on for years! To read, in the Introduction, that “the painful struggles of PS…is based on his [the author’s] own experiences in childhood”, made this story especially painful knowing that it was partially, mostly true.
PS had 4 aunties (his mother’s sisters): one whom he lived with & mothers him so, one who adores him but only when convenient, one who believes the end of the world is coming in a few months’ time, and one who lives half a world away but is on her way to take charge of him. I did not find any of these aunties to be endearing and hence, my not liking this book so much.
Aunt Lila is basically the mother he knows but she is overly protective among other annoying habits. Spelling every inconvenient not-so-happy thing / someone or even disguising ‘unhappy’ bits to make them sound innocent and lovely was a bit much for me. Reading it was smothering and I can just imagine what effects it would have on a child who is now old enough to understand if some adult will take the time to explain things to him.
Aunt Vanessa wants him for reasons she herself doesn’t quite realise. She’s determined to change him, to mould him to what she wants him to be. PS is fascinated by her and at the same time, frightened of her and is disliked her for the changes she’s wrought in his life. Being pulled in 2 directions with family politics and machinations of which he isn’t aware of the details of but could understand enough from the moods of his aunties, that things aren’t well, distressed him. Aunt Vanessa’s silent treatment and moodiness upset him.
I’m not a perfect or the best mother around but the mothering in this book irks me so! It might have been typical of the time to assume that a child just will not understand many of the issues however it never does well to underestimate what a child will understand. In the end (as most of the book is told from PS’ perspective), it is PS who is empowered –who grasped the knowledge of self and grabbed hold of it, looking forward.
I made a mistake by reading the Introduction though for it told me more of the story that I’d like to know and I continued reading with a hesitant spirit. I wanted to get it over it but I kinda already knew that will happen and I hated that feeling! I resolve from now on to skip Introductions (maybe to save it til after the reading).
The Child and the Mother in me protest at calling a child PS (short for Postscript). Understandably, whilst it was the mother who began the nickname whilst bub is still peanut-size, I found it unbelievable that it would carry on for years! To read, in the Introduction, that “the painful struggles of PS…is based on his [the author’s] own experiences in childhood”, made this story especially painful knowing that it was partially, mostly true.
PS had 4 aunties (his mother’s sisters): one whom he lived with & mothers him so, one who adores him but only when convenient, one who believes the end of the world is coming in a few months’ time, and one who lives half a world away but is on her way to take charge of him. I did not find any of these aunties to be endearing and hence, my not liking this book so much.
Aunt Lila is basically the mother he knows but she is overly protective among other annoying habits. Spelling every inconvenient not-so-happy thing / someone or even disguising ‘unhappy’ bits to make them sound innocent and lovely was a bit much for me. Reading it was smothering and I can just imagine what effects it would have on a child who is now old enough to understand if some adult will take the time to explain things to him.
Aunt Vanessa wants him for reasons she herself doesn’t quite realise. She’s determined to change him, to mould him to what she wants him to be. PS is fascinated by her and at the same time, frightened of her and is disliked her for the changes she’s wrought in his life. Being pulled in 2 directions with family politics and machinations of which he isn’t aware of the details of but could understand enough from the moods of his aunties, that things aren’t well, distressed him. Aunt Vanessa’s silent treatment and moodiness upset him.
I’m not a perfect or the best mother around but the mothering in this book irks me so! It might have been typical of the time to assume that a child just will not understand many of the issues however it never does well to underestimate what a child will understand. In the end (as most of the book is told from PS’ perspective), it is PS who is empowered –who grasped the knowledge of self and grabbed hold of it, looking forward.
March 5, 2013
Set in Australia in the 1930s, this is a good but very soapy novel about two sisters fighting for custody of their dead sister's son. As a newborn, P.S. (so called because he's the postscript to his novelist mother's life) goes to live with his Aunt Lila and her husband George after his mother dies giving birth to him and his father is nowhere to be found. Though Lila and George are the only parents P.S. has ever known, when he's six-years-old, his aunt Vanessa arrives from London and carries out a methodical plan to take P.S. away from her sister Lila. Though Vanessa initially assures Lila that she only wants weekend visits with P.S., eventually she assumes primary custody of him and it's Lila and George who are relegated to weekend visitation. After manipulating both P.S. and Lila into acting out, Vanessa sues for full custody with the intention of taking P.S. to London permanently.
I enjoyed this book a lot, but it does tend towards melodrama. Vanessa as a villain is both monstrous and pathetic. Her reasons for wanting P.S. are never entirely clear, and there are a few incidents where I thought her interactions with him might take a much more disturbing turn. By contrast Lila is perhaps a bit too angelic as the financially strapped but loving and sensible aunt, especially when you throw the other two sisters into the mix: Agnes, the religious fanatic and doomsday cultist, and Vere, the aging party girl and hoarder. P.S. as a character is a little inconsistent as well; for the most part he's a believable 6-year-old but there are crucial plot turns that require him to behave as though he has the understanding of an adult. Overall, it's a satisfying read, but a little suspension of disbelief helps.
I enjoyed this book a lot, but it does tend towards melodrama. Vanessa as a villain is both monstrous and pathetic. Her reasons for wanting P.S. are never entirely clear, and there are a few incidents where I thought her interactions with him might take a much more disturbing turn. By contrast Lila is perhaps a bit too angelic as the financially strapped but loving and sensible aunt, especially when you throw the other two sisters into the mix: Agnes, the religious fanatic and doomsday cultist, and Vere, the aging party girl and hoarder. P.S. as a character is a little inconsistent as well; for the most part he's a believable 6-year-old but there are crucial plot turns that require him to behave as though he has the understanding of an adult. Overall, it's a satisfying read, but a little suspension of disbelief helps.
January 24, 2017
‘Graceful and assured.’
New York Times
‘What a surprise, a delight, to recognise my own world, the vivid textures and sounds of my own country, in [Locke Elliott’s] novels…This beautiful story, told with wit, warmth and irony, is one of the most moving and evocative books about childhood I know. Careful, He Might Hear You remains, in my view, among the greatest of our Australian novels.’
Robyn Nevin
New York Times
‘What a surprise, a delight, to recognise my own world, the vivid textures and sounds of my own country, in [Locke Elliott’s] novels…This beautiful story, told with wit, warmth and irony, is one of the most moving and evocative books about childhood I know. Careful, He Might Hear You remains, in my view, among the greatest of our Australian novels.’
Robyn Nevin
May 8, 2021
I loved this book, it's characters, themes and writing style (with the exception of lack of chapters and a shortage of paragraph breaks) until an utterly ridiculous and convenient ending to one of the characters that whilst spun into some poignancy in the final pages ruined the experience of reading the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2015
Thoroughly charming and beguiling read. Sydney as setting was deftly woven through all the emotional turbulence of the story of PS and his Aunts' (and the lovely silent George). Those rainbirds!
I had never heard of this Australian classic and I am glad that I discovered it.
I had never heard of this Australian classic and I am glad that I discovered it.
May 21, 2016
No wonder this book has become a classic of Australian literature. A powerful story of a custody battle from the perspective of a seven year old boy. The story includes uncomfortably vivid insights into Australian culture of the time (when Britain was perceived as the 'home' country).
September 27, 2012
IT WAS GOOD AND KEPT ME GOING I FINISHED IT IN ABOUT 3 OR 4 DAYS...
October 26, 2012
Loved it, I love the vivid descriptions of the heat, the harbour, Lila's garden and Ness' house, PS is such a heart breaking character. Loved reading about the Australia of my Grandparents.
February 12, 2015
This book is so beautifully written it is mesmerising. A classic and I returned to it after many years. A great story about a little boy in the 1930's that will stay with you for a long time.
March 9, 2016
I don't know why I have never even thought about picking up this book. I really enjoyed it and the dynamics between the sisters as they fought for P.S.
November 17, 2020
Questo romanzo non lo conosce nessuno.
Peccato, perché è bellissimo.
Peccato, perché è bellissimo.
September 3, 2025
First published in 1963 but set in the late 1920s, this seems to be a semi-autobiographical tale.
Elliott, whose mother, died of eclampsia shortly after his birth tells the story of an orphaned-at-birth six year old boy.
An aunt and uncle were given shared custody of the boy at the wish of Sinden, his dying mother. The other custodian is Ernest Huxley - one of his mother's many friends.
PS's mother was a 'free spirit' and had a wide-spread circle of acquaintances and casual affairs, it would seem, but married the child's father after a five-day courtship.
He is loved by the otherwise childless couple, Lila and George, and grows up in a world of fantasy surrounded by other maiden aunts aunts. He is taken to visit his mother's grave which is known as "Dear One's garden" We hear the story through the thoughts of this six-year-old when is world is turned upside down. His mother is revered as a published writer and worshiped by her less successful circle of literary friends. Dying young a sure claim to fame with the loss of her potential.
The custody arrangements are challenged when Mr Huxley. who lives in America, assigns his role of guardian to one of Sinden's four sisters, Vanessa, who comes from England to take up her new role.
The characters in this story are many and varied. People of their time and places, cleverly drawn.
How much of this tale is based on his own early childhood experiences cannot be known.
It does make a good story and is rightly considered a modern Australian classic.
Elliott, whose mother, died of eclampsia shortly after his birth tells the story of an orphaned-at-birth six year old boy.
An aunt and uncle were given shared custody of the boy at the wish of Sinden, his dying mother. The other custodian is Ernest Huxley - one of his mother's many friends.
PS's mother was a 'free spirit' and had a wide-spread circle of acquaintances and casual affairs, it would seem, but married the child's father after a five-day courtship.
He is loved by the otherwise childless couple, Lila and George, and grows up in a world of fantasy surrounded by other maiden aunts aunts. He is taken to visit his mother's grave which is known as "Dear One's garden" We hear the story through the thoughts of this six-year-old when is world is turned upside down. His mother is revered as a published writer and worshiped by her less successful circle of literary friends. Dying young a sure claim to fame with the loss of her potential.
The custody arrangements are challenged when Mr Huxley. who lives in America, assigns his role of guardian to one of Sinden's four sisters, Vanessa, who comes from England to take up her new role.
The characters in this story are many and varied. People of their time and places, cleverly drawn.
How much of this tale is based on his own early childhood experiences cannot be known.
It does make a good story and is rightly considered a modern Australian classic.
July 10, 2020
Having looked at the spine of this for most of my life, the pandemic's shut down of our local public libraries led me to finally pick it up to read. Set in 1930s, Great Depression Australia it is a tug-of-war between two sisters, vying for the custody (and love) of their deceased sister's little boy. I found it quite slow to get going but that is more a reflection of changing writing styles in the half-century since it was written than a negative reflection upon the story itself. Once it did 'get going' it definitely drew me in. There were some interesting insights into life in greater Sydney (Australia) in the 1930s, during the Depression, but also a timelessness about some aspects of the story ... we still have a significant divide between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' in our society and a sense of entitlement among the former, irrespective of broader societal experiences. I'm really glad I finally picked this up and read it.
January 26, 2018
When I first started reading this, I thought it might be too outdated. How wrong I was. Absolutely loved it. It is set in Sydney during the depression. The main character is a 6 year old boy, P.S. (short for 'post-script') whose mother dies soon after giving birth to him and his alcoholic father disappears in search of gold. He is brought up by his Aunt Lila, a warm, maternal woman and her husband, George. He is a happy well-adjusted 6 year old, until his Aunt Vanessa, elegant and dominant, arrives from London. Then begins a bitter custody battle between the two aunts. It is written with both tenderness and humour. It is made more poignant by the fact that it is autobiographical. Highly recommended
August 24, 2018
What a beautifully written book with incredible insights into the weird psychologies and motivations of people. It was remarkable too I think to develop such a well-rounded child’s character that felt real and appropriate for his age. I was so on the edge of my seat when it got close to the verdict that I skipped a few pages and then wanted to throw the book across the room when I read the decision...but there was still more. I went from hating Vanessa to having great compassion for her. This is a book that lives long with you. A tragedy it definitely is but this is the stuff of life. Great book club read - should generate much discussion.
September 22, 2024
What a brilliant book. It took me a while to get into as I think I needed a break from reading. A story of love, devotion, heartbreak, revenge and tragedy. I imagined how life was at the time and the disparity between the working class and the elite. PS was a beautiful character and I really felt how confused he must have been. Vanessa was a horrible person but in reality she just wanted to be loved. I really empathised for Lila however towards the last part of the book I’m not sure I was as drawn to her as I was at the beginning. So glad I read this book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews