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Lunch with... #4
Lunch With a Soldier
Once again, four friends gather to share lunch and their mutual passion for storytelling. It's Neil's turn, and this time the story is distinctly Australian. His admission that it is a true story is the first of many shocks in a story that begins in the Red Ridge country of Northwest NSW, when a city woman rents a farmhouse.
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
9 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Derek Hansen
31 books46 followersDerek was born in London in June 1944 about the same time Hitler thought London was a great place to send his V1 flying bombs.
At the age of four he convinced his parents to emigrate and spent the next sixteen years in Auckland being called a Pommy and a wimp for playing soccer and not rugby.
His first published short story appeared in his grammar school yearbook.
Equipped with a million ideas for novels he approached the leading national newspaper for a traineeship and was told he was too undisciplined; approached publishers and was told he was too young; approached an advertising agency and was welcomed into their embrace – they knew a fast, facile, fashionably glib mind when they saw one.
His talent took him London in the sixties where his quirky style and commercial instincts brought a rapid rise through the ranks to the country’s top advertising agency, accumulating many international awards along the way.
Derek was lured to Australia by the usual inducements – money, sunshine, money, lifestyle, money, etc – and spent the next twenty-five years doing ads and wishing he was writing novels instead.
About the time Bryce Courtenay wrote The Power of One and Peter Carey wrote Bliss, Derek and his partners sold their advertising agency and three years later he was free to pursue his true writing ambitions.
Having spent a lifetime reducing masses of information to less than 100 words or thirty seconds of TV time, working in exactly the opposite direction did not come easy.
An idea for a novel can be written on a folded napkin. What follows takes thousands of tablecloths.
One day over lunch Derek had the bright idea of breaking his novel down into more easily managed bite-sized pieces and so the idea for the Lunch series was born.
Lunch with the Generals became an instant bestseller in Australasia and was sold into Britain, Scandinavia, France and Germany. Lunch with Mussolini followed but it was Sole Survivor that piqued American interest.
Simon and Schuster decided to publish an American edition and Kennedy-Marshall (Sixth Sense, Snow Falling on Cedars) bought the rights to the movie on behalf of Disney in a $US750,000 deal.
Three weeks before the movie was due to go into production, shooting began on Castaway with Tom Hanks. Two movies about a man on an island surrounded by salt water was deemed one too many, and Sole Survivor the movie bit the dust. How typical of Hollywood to choose to make the wrong movie.
Derek has subsequently published a further five novels and three collections of short stories, but nothing quite as quirky or funny as his latest novel, A Man You Can Bank On.
Derek is married, has two grown-up children and lives most of the time in Avalon on Pittwater, and some of the time in Doonan on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Kingfish, salmon, bonito, bream and flathead live just outside his back door and the surf rises a short walk from the front door.
Someone had to have this life and Derek is just so glad that someone is him.
At the age of four he convinced his parents to emigrate and spent the next sixteen years in Auckland being called a Pommy and a wimp for playing soccer and not rugby.
His first published short story appeared in his grammar school yearbook.
Equipped with a million ideas for novels he approached the leading national newspaper for a traineeship and was told he was too undisciplined; approached publishers and was told he was too young; approached an advertising agency and was welcomed into their embrace – they knew a fast, facile, fashionably glib mind when they saw one.
His talent took him London in the sixties where his quirky style and commercial instincts brought a rapid rise through the ranks to the country’s top advertising agency, accumulating many international awards along the way.
Derek was lured to Australia by the usual inducements – money, sunshine, money, lifestyle, money, etc – and spent the next twenty-five years doing ads and wishing he was writing novels instead.
About the time Bryce Courtenay wrote The Power of One and Peter Carey wrote Bliss, Derek and his partners sold their advertising agency and three years later he was free to pursue his true writing ambitions.
Having spent a lifetime reducing masses of information to less than 100 words or thirty seconds of TV time, working in exactly the opposite direction did not come easy.
An idea for a novel can be written on a folded napkin. What follows takes thousands of tablecloths.
One day over lunch Derek had the bright idea of breaking his novel down into more easily managed bite-sized pieces and so the idea for the Lunch series was born.
Lunch with the Generals became an instant bestseller in Australasia and was sold into Britain, Scandinavia, France and Germany. Lunch with Mussolini followed but it was Sole Survivor that piqued American interest.
Simon and Schuster decided to publish an American edition and Kennedy-Marshall (Sixth Sense, Snow Falling on Cedars) bought the rights to the movie on behalf of Disney in a $US750,000 deal.
Three weeks before the movie was due to go into production, shooting began on Castaway with Tom Hanks. Two movies about a man on an island surrounded by salt water was deemed one too many, and Sole Survivor the movie bit the dust. How typical of Hollywood to choose to make the wrong movie.
Derek has subsequently published a further five novels and three collections of short stories, but nothing quite as quirky or funny as his latest novel, A Man You Can Bank On.
Derek is married, has two grown-up children and lives most of the time in Avalon on Pittwater, and some of the time in Doonan on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Kingfish, salmon, bonito, bream and flathead live just outside his back door and the surf rises a short walk from the front door.
Someone had to have this life and Derek is just so glad that someone is him.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 1, 2022
Great story that keeps you absorbed and reading just 1 more page..... loved the good and bad characters
Read
September 9, 2021Pending
September 18, 2018
I didn't enjoy this last in the series as much as the others. Just didn't hang together as well for me. Wonder if the author was getting a bit bored or something.
August 26, 2020
'Lunch with a Soldier' by Derek Hansen was the first book I read in 2020, and GODDAMN was it fantastic, but what else can I come to expect when reading Derek Hansen? He is a genius. (A master of words, a master of the storyline, a master of characters, master of plot twists).
But moving on. ‘Lunch with a Soldier’ is not the first Derek Hansen novel I’ve read - this book is the final book in his ‘Lunch with…’ series, but I haven’t actually read them chronologically, which I actually can highly recommend to anybody looking to read his books - DO NOT READ THEM IN THE GIVEN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, please! (I will talk about the ‘right’ or, in my opinion, best order later). I actually only ever picked up this series due to a recommendation from my mum. His third novel, ‘Lunch with the Stationmaster’ is her absolute favourite book, so I had ordered it off a second-hand online bookstore for her birthday. After she read it again (after having lost her copy for like 10 years), she practically forced me to read it. And I am very glad she did - it’s really not like anything I’ve ever read in my life. Most books either have an original or interesting storyline or well-written characters that you care about - usually you sacrifice a bit of one for the other. But not in Derek Hansen’s work - he manages to write characters that I care what happens to, and who feel fully tangible. They are interesting characters as well - some are really flawed, yet we still care about them - some are decent, yet we hate them, some are downright awful, yet we still care. But in addition to the epic people that exist in the realm of Derek Hansen, his plotlines and plot-twist (and even style of writing) is absolutely crazy good. I mean, now I’ve read almost everything he’s ever written, when reading his books, I sit on the edge of my chair waiting for all the characters storylines (his books are almost always written from multiple seemingly unconnected perspectives) to suddenly connect in some OH MY GOD! Fireworks of WTF moments. Not gonna say anymore though, since I don’t want to spoil anything.
Okay, I will stop going on about this man’s creative brilliance - and actually start talking about the content of this novel. ‘Lunch with a Soldier’ is set in proper, rural Australia - I’m talking big spiders, verandas, birds and dirt Australia. I thought this set was pretty interesting to start off with since I’m Australian, yet I’ve never had big enough balls to face the spiders or even had the opportunity to go into proper rural Australia. The main character of this book is Neil, who is the youngest of the four men who meet up for coffee, and definitely the most cynical. That definitely set me up with high expectations for what Neil was going to dredge up from his past. The storyline was super interesting, (though at times the protagonist did spend quite a while describing scenery which was a little slow at times), and I really liked the Lindsey = good/bad dilemma. LOVED the ending. Excellenté.
5 STARS.
ps: THE Chronology of the 'Lunch With..' series - I can't be bothered to explain why, but trust me when I say that you should read them in this order:
1. Lunch with the Stationmaster
2. Lunch with the Generals
3. Lunch with the Mussolini
4. Lunch with a Soldier
PPS: That order might be wrong for you, I just thought it was cool to hear the story in that order.
But moving on. ‘Lunch with a Soldier’ is not the first Derek Hansen novel I’ve read - this book is the final book in his ‘Lunch with…’ series, but I haven’t actually read them chronologically, which I actually can highly recommend to anybody looking to read his books - DO NOT READ THEM IN THE GIVEN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, please! (I will talk about the ‘right’ or, in my opinion, best order later). I actually only ever picked up this series due to a recommendation from my mum. His third novel, ‘Lunch with the Stationmaster’ is her absolute favourite book, so I had ordered it off a second-hand online bookstore for her birthday. After she read it again (after having lost her copy for like 10 years), she practically forced me to read it. And I am very glad she did - it’s really not like anything I’ve ever read in my life. Most books either have an original or interesting storyline or well-written characters that you care about - usually you sacrifice a bit of one for the other. But not in Derek Hansen’s work - he manages to write characters that I care what happens to, and who feel fully tangible. They are interesting characters as well - some are really flawed, yet we still care about them - some are decent, yet we hate them, some are downright awful, yet we still care. But in addition to the epic people that exist in the realm of Derek Hansen, his plotlines and plot-twist (and even style of writing) is absolutely crazy good. I mean, now I’ve read almost everything he’s ever written, when reading his books, I sit on the edge of my chair waiting for all the characters storylines (his books are almost always written from multiple seemingly unconnected perspectives) to suddenly connect in some OH MY GOD! Fireworks of WTF moments. Not gonna say anymore though, since I don’t want to spoil anything.
Okay, I will stop going on about this man’s creative brilliance - and actually start talking about the content of this novel. ‘Lunch with a Soldier’ is set in proper, rural Australia - I’m talking big spiders, verandas, birds and dirt Australia. I thought this set was pretty interesting to start off with since I’m Australian, yet I’ve never had big enough balls to face the spiders or even had the opportunity to go into proper rural Australia. The main character of this book is Neil, who is the youngest of the four men who meet up for coffee, and definitely the most cynical. That definitely set me up with high expectations for what Neil was going to dredge up from his past. The storyline was super interesting, (though at times the protagonist did spend quite a while describing scenery which was a little slow at times), and I really liked the Lindsey = good/bad dilemma. LOVED the ending. Excellenté.
5 STARS.
ps: THE Chronology of the 'Lunch With..' series - I can't be bothered to explain why, but trust me when I say that you should read them in this order:
1. Lunch with the Stationmaster
2. Lunch with the Generals
3. Lunch with the Mussolini
4. Lunch with a Soldier
PPS: That order might be wrong for you, I just thought it was cool to hear the story in that order.
July 13, 2009
N.B. My review for Lunch With A Soldier starts the same as Lunch With Mussolini.
Derek Hansen’s ‘lunch with’ series is a compelling read. Four old guys meet every week at the same restaurant for lunch in Sydney and each takes turns at telling a story. The invisible line of fact vs fiction is often blurred with masterful story-telling and the listeners (the mates of whichever old guy is telling his/the story) and readers are often not sure what to believe and what to not.
Well written fiction that is very descriptive and takes you into the world of whichever historical story is being told. The characters are complex - some kind, some evil but often than not in Hansen’s stories a mixture of contradictions.
In Lunch With A Soldier, we see a new twist in the story telling from the old guys. It’s the last in the ‘lunch with’ series but for two important reasons Neil’s story differs. Firstly he is the only Australian in the group so the narration is specifically set in Australia (along with war-time Vietnam in the 60’s), and more importantly he insists the story is true. Like all of Hansen’s stories he takes the reader to the places he is revealing and in this case the Red Ridge country of Northwest NSW with stories of fortunes won and lost from opals and the hardships of farming are compelling.
For me not quite as a stand out as Lunch With Mussolini, hence the 3 star.
Derek Hansen’s ‘lunch with’ series is a compelling read. Four old guys meet every week at the same restaurant for lunch in Sydney and each takes turns at telling a story. The invisible line of fact vs fiction is often blurred with masterful story-telling and the listeners (the mates of whichever old guy is telling his/the story) and readers are often not sure what to believe and what to not.
Well written fiction that is very descriptive and takes you into the world of whichever historical story is being told. The characters are complex - some kind, some evil but often than not in Hansen’s stories a mixture of contradictions.
In Lunch With A Soldier, we see a new twist in the story telling from the old guys. It’s the last in the ‘lunch with’ series but for two important reasons Neil’s story differs. Firstly he is the only Australian in the group so the narration is specifically set in Australia (along with war-time Vietnam in the 60’s), and more importantly he insists the story is true. Like all of Hansen’s stories he takes the reader to the places he is revealing and in this case the Red Ridge country of Northwest NSW with stories of fortunes won and lost from opals and the hardships of farming are compelling.
For me not quite as a stand out as Lunch With Mussolini, hence the 3 star.
December 3, 2021
Lunch With a Soldier
by Derek Hansen
Published originally in 2004 by Harper Collins Publishers Australia Ltd
ISBN 0 7322-7546-6
Lunch with a Soldier was Derek Hansen’s last book in his ‘Lunch’ quartet. The first was Lunch with the Generals (1993) followed by Lunch with Mussolini (1994) and Lunch with the Stationmaster (2002) which I’ve yet to read. I thoroughly enjoyed all the ‘Lunches, the food, the friends at lunch and of course, their page-turning stories.
Gancio, the proprietor of an Italian restaurant in Leichhardt introduced the men to each other by seating them at a common table instead of four. I think he’s a smart restaurateur. As we expect the men became friends through these weekly gatherings where they took turns to out-do each other with their tales. Being migrants from different countries, each story reflected those cultures. The only proviso was that the stories were to be true.
Lunch with a Soldier is Neil’s story, distinctively Australian, it is about his brother Billy. Neil warns, ‘It is our family’s darkest secret.’ When pressed whether perhaps it should not be told. Neil stammers ‘If it is to be told, I must be the one to tell it, because I took my brother’s life.’
Neil’s story takes place in rural NSW. A city woman rents a disused house in an isolated corner of Billy’s vast grazing property. The woman is beautiful, like a diamond in the tall grass. She’s a strong lady, worldly, but secretive and she’s on the run. The story takes many twists and turns culminating in an explosive and unexpected ending.
Hansen takes the reader from the calm countryside into Vietnam, to the opal mines around Grawin and into Long Bay—one of the state’s toughest prisons. His characters are intelligent, insightful, loyal and brave. One of the characters is so well portrayed his persona remains a disturbing reminder for a long while after finishing the book.
I highly recommend this page-turner for its engaging and intriguing style that is sufficiently descriptive for Argentinian, Ramon, who is blind, to enjoy.
by Derek Hansen
Published originally in 2004 by Harper Collins Publishers Australia Ltd
ISBN 0 7322-7546-6
Lunch with a Soldier was Derek Hansen’s last book in his ‘Lunch’ quartet. The first was Lunch with the Generals (1993) followed by Lunch with Mussolini (1994) and Lunch with the Stationmaster (2002) which I’ve yet to read. I thoroughly enjoyed all the ‘Lunches, the food, the friends at lunch and of course, their page-turning stories.
Gancio, the proprietor of an Italian restaurant in Leichhardt introduced the men to each other by seating them at a common table instead of four. I think he’s a smart restaurateur. As we expect the men became friends through these weekly gatherings where they took turns to out-do each other with their tales. Being migrants from different countries, each story reflected those cultures. The only proviso was that the stories were to be true.
Lunch with a Soldier is Neil’s story, distinctively Australian, it is about his brother Billy. Neil warns, ‘It is our family’s darkest secret.’ When pressed whether perhaps it should not be told. Neil stammers ‘If it is to be told, I must be the one to tell it, because I took my brother’s life.’
Neil’s story takes place in rural NSW. A city woman rents a disused house in an isolated corner of Billy’s vast grazing property. The woman is beautiful, like a diamond in the tall grass. She’s a strong lady, worldly, but secretive and she’s on the run. The story takes many twists and turns culminating in an explosive and unexpected ending.
Hansen takes the reader from the calm countryside into Vietnam, to the opal mines around Grawin and into Long Bay—one of the state’s toughest prisons. His characters are intelligent, insightful, loyal and brave. One of the characters is so well portrayed his persona remains a disturbing reminder for a long while after finishing the book.
I highly recommend this page-turner for its engaging and intriguing style that is sufficiently descriptive for Argentinian, Ramon, who is blind, to enjoy.
December 14, 2018
This was good, but not really as good as the other three books in this series. I have to admit that the story of Grant and Linda seemed a bit pointless in the end, and it felt like Billy's actions in the confrontation with Grant were a bit unrealistic. I was left a little bewildered by the tale.
June 6, 2023
Nice to finish this series. Wasn't sure at first, but soon drawn in. Did feel drawn out at times, and I missed the time spent with Milos, Ramon and Lucio. The ending fell flat for me, though I can see what Hansen was trying to do.
February 1, 2021
I enjoyed this book, great twists and turns
April 14, 2015
a recommendation and something I would probably never have read without. This is the last book in a series in lead to believe but that doesn't mean you can't start with this one. There are some great twists in it that you might or might not guess at as the book progresses. The story is told by one of four men sat around a table telling a story each. The previous books in the series detail the other three's story's.
a really enjoyable read.
a really enjoyable read.
April 18, 2014
An amazing end to a highly recommended series. The plot was riveting as always and the interplay between the four friends was entertaining, enlightening and comical in many respects. Very sorry to see this series end but encouraged to read more if Derek Hanson as his storytelling is that good.
January 19, 2017
I enjoyed this book the most in the series I think it resonated with me more being a kiwi.
I loved the way he tells a story in the third person and then twists and turns it , adding the shock factor at the end.
thoroughly enjoyed this series , he really is the master storyteller
I loved the way he tells a story in the third person and then twists and turns it , adding the shock factor at the end.
thoroughly enjoyed this series , he really is the master storyteller
January 28, 2016
A group of men meet for lunch regularly. At each lunch (a book) one of them recounts a significant part of their life or are they just stories?
October 8, 2011
The story continues but each of the series is stand alone.
February 11, 2013
This is a very enjoyable book although I felt it failed to deliver the ending that was promised (or at least strongly hinted at).
May 25, 2015
First of the 'Lunch with' I have read and it was brilliant. Really enjoyed it.
January 14, 2015
Very different to most books I read, hard to put down, very enjoyable. A good Australian yarn.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews