What do you think?
Rate this book
A Distant Prospect
In 1928 Sydney, Australia, an Irish school girl finds new hope, after polio and personal tragedy, while playing cello in a string quartet.
“The author’s … love for and extensive knowledge of music, fine arts and literature shines through” ... “The landscapes are vast and vivid, the seasons sensory and real, and the emotional journey heart-wrenching.” ... “some of the most profound considerations on the meaning of suffering and understanding others, making allowances for their faults” - GoodReadingGuide.com
Publisher description:
Australia promised a fresh start for Lucy Straughan and her father when they fled war-torn Ireland. Instead, Lucy was stricken by polio.
Having mastered the cello during her prolonged confinement, Lucy is now fifteen, lonely and full of questions. Suddenly she is thrust into a string quartet and meets quixotic Della Sotheby, hot-headed Pim Connolly and precocious Phoebe Raye. The experience transforms each of their lives as they forge friendships and share not a few family secrets.
Set against the vivid background of 1920s Sydney, A Distant Prospect is an intimate, hilarious and ultimately deeply moving coming-of-age adventure told with a touch of poetry by a quintessentially Irish narrator.
“The author’s … love for and extensive knowledge of music, fine arts and literature shines through” ... “The landscapes are vast and vivid, the seasons sensory and real, and the emotional journey heart-wrenching.” ... “some of the most profound considerations on the meaning of suffering and understanding others, making allowances for their faults” - GoodReadingGuide.com
Publisher description:
Australia promised a fresh start for Lucy Straughan and her father when they fled war-torn Ireland. Instead, Lucy was stricken by polio.
Having mastered the cello during her prolonged confinement, Lucy is now fifteen, lonely and full of questions. Suddenly she is thrust into a string quartet and meets quixotic Della Sotheby, hot-headed Pim Connolly and precocious Phoebe Raye. The experience transforms each of their lives as they forge friendships and share not a few family secrets.
Set against the vivid background of 1920s Sydney, A Distant Prospect is an intimate, hilarious and ultimately deeply moving coming-of-age adventure told with a touch of poetry by a quintessentially Irish narrator.
- GenresFiction
610 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Annette Young
2 books13 followersAnnette Young holds a BA (Honours) degree in History from the University of Sydney, and a Doctorate in English Literature from the University of New South Wales. She currently divides her time between research, piano and violin, raising four gentlemen, and writing her World War II trilogy, 'In the Hearts of Kings', volume one of which has been published as 'By Violence Unavenged'.
---
It started with Sporky, a flying purple giraffe.
Since she was three, Annette Young has had imaginary friends, most of whom are human; and over the years, those friends have been her solace.
That they should make their way into novels, however, was unimaginable.
Annette first wanted to be an actor, especially after she played Nancy in a school production of 'Oliver!' when aged eleven.
But being a petite five foot two inches doesn't always get you the parts you prefer. And Annette doesn't always appreciate being told what to do. Besides, it's much more fun playing out in your head, except when your imaginary world takes over your life.
So, Annette made her imaginary world her life and began to write. That's when her soul-searching found a voice. For, over the years, imaginary friends have not only been Annette's means of retreat, they've been her means of problem solving, of understanding others, of making sense of life's joys and sorrows, of healing the heart's wounds.
For Annette, writing is life-transforming.
She first wrote what eventually became 'A Distant Prospect' back in 1996, in response to her grandmother's death. Writing that book laid bare her troubles, her loves, and her dreams. Then she changed her life to fit her dreams, and later rewrote 'A Distant Prospect' which she published in 2012.
After 'A Distant Prospect' which is set in the nineteen twenties, Annette began a trilogy sequel, 'In the Hearts of Kings', which covers the years leading up to and during World War Two. The first volume, 'By Violence Unavenged', was published in 2019.
In writing historical fiction, Annette tends to live more in the past than the present, but has mastered time travel quite well. Her family and non-imagined friends have learned to make allowances.
When she is not writing, Annette plays piano and violin. She also enjoys long walks, especially if there is a beach involved. Her imaginary friends (that is, next novel's characters) usually accompany her.
And wherever she might imagine she lives, be it Vienna, Paris, or Oxford, she actually lives in an increasingly messy and dilapidated house in Maitland NSW, Australia with her husband Francis and their four boys. She tries to clean the house, but it doesn't work.
The house is now beautifully renovated and much easier to keep. Keeping house is now a distraction from writing 'Outside Heaven's Sway', the second volume of 'In the Hearts of Kings', already delayed by Covid and family deaths.
Hopefully, 'Outside Heaven's Sway' will see the bookshelves in 2025, with the third volume, 'A Balanced Wheel', following shortly after.
---
It started with Sporky, a flying purple giraffe.
Since she was three, Annette Young has had imaginary friends, most of whom are human; and over the years, those friends have been her solace.
That they should make their way into novels, however, was unimaginable.
Annette first wanted to be an actor, especially after she played Nancy in a school production of 'Oliver!' when aged eleven.
But being a petite five foot two inches doesn't always get you the parts you prefer. And Annette doesn't always appreciate being told what to do. Besides, it's much more fun playing out in your head, except when your imaginary world takes over your life.
So, Annette made her imaginary world her life and began to write. That's when her soul-searching found a voice. For, over the years, imaginary friends have not only been Annette's means of retreat, they've been her means of problem solving, of understanding others, of making sense of life's joys and sorrows, of healing the heart's wounds.
For Annette, writing is life-transforming.
She first wrote what eventually became 'A Distant Prospect' back in 1996, in response to her grandmother's death. Writing that book laid bare her troubles, her loves, and her dreams. Then she changed her life to fit her dreams, and later rewrote 'A Distant Prospect' which she published in 2012.
After 'A Distant Prospect' which is set in the nineteen twenties, Annette began a trilogy sequel, 'In the Hearts of Kings', which covers the years leading up to and during World War Two. The first volume, 'By Violence Unavenged', was published in 2019.
In writing historical fiction, Annette tends to live more in the past than the present, but has mastered time travel quite well. Her family and non-imagined friends have learned to make allowances.
When she is not writing, Annette plays piano and violin. She also enjoys long walks, especially if there is a beach involved. Her imaginary friends (that is, next novel's characters) usually accompany her.
And wherever she might imagine she lives, be it Vienna, Paris, or Oxford, she actually lives in an increasingly messy and dilapidated house in Maitland NSW, Australia with her husband Francis and their four boys. She tries to clean the house, but it doesn't work.
The house is now beautifully renovated and much easier to keep. Keeping house is now a distraction from writing 'Outside Heaven's Sway', the second volume of 'In the Hearts of Kings', already delayed by Covid and family deaths.
Hopefully, 'Outside Heaven's Sway' will see the bookshelves in 2025, with the third volume, 'A Balanced Wheel', following shortly after.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 6, 2012
Rich historical fiction that feeds the heart and mind with friendship and family, music and fine arts, and lives afflicted by suffering made whole through understanding.
We land in 1920s Sydney, in the humble home of fifteen year old Luighseach (Lucy) and her father, originally migrants from Ireland. Somewhat crippled from polio, Luighseach is about to recommence school, and she braces herself for the taunts and jeers she knows her condition will provoke.
When Mrs Epstein proposes a string quartet for Luighseach and three other unwilling musicians from her school, we don't hear much from them except complaints and bickering. Their dialogue would almost be tedious if we weren't gradually getting to know four very distinct characters with diverse and complicated pasts. [One note about the dialogue: Luighseach's Irish is meticulously consistent from beginning to end of the novel, and it could read a little stiltedly for those not familiar with its sound.]
These characters' pasts were complicated indeed. We learn about Luighseach's mother and all that her father has been through, and Della's father and what she and her brother find out. Some characters' situations become almost melodramatic, with neglectful aunts participating in 1920s orgies and abandoned children struggling out of abusive situations to be reconciled with their parents. There's even the suggestion of a murder.
Of course, the girls' friendships—as unlikely as they seemed at the start—blossom into deep-rooted bonds that will stand the test of time. A gentle romance, suited to the protagonist's age and character, adds another layer to the rich web of relationships. In these two we see a natural affection develop as they talk freely about everything, each one helping the other through their particular difficulties.
The author—who happens to have been a high school teacher of mine—is talented across all The Arts, and her love for and extensive knowledge of music, fine arts and literature shines through this first novel. The poetic description of the girls' rendition of Haydn's Fifths, for example, takes you to another world. The landscapes are vast and vivid, the seasons sensory and real, and the emotional journey heart-wrenching.
So too do we see the author's love for history and cultural customs, language written and spoken, and her valuing of family and friendships, of parent-child relationships, and of the profession of teaching. Though the wisdom imparted by some of the adult characters verges on the didactic in parts, these passages offer some of the most profound considerations on the meaning of suffering and understanding others, making allowances for their faults by acknowledging all they have been through.
What is certain is that by the end of the almost five hundred pages you really come to love these characters, and at that point it is difficult to remain dry-eyed. www.GoodReadingGuide.com
July 28, 2016
This is an absolutely beautiful novel, showing the importance of true friendships. It is a very long book, but worth every page! Highly recommended!
January 19, 2022
I can't say I've ever read anything quite like this before.
Sure, I have some minor stylistic quibbles, mainly around pacing on a scene-to-scene level, and the sheer number of plotlines that wander in until you half-think this is two or three books condensed to one, but it was Good. The consistently Irish voice of the narrator, the unique setting in 1920s Australia, the struggles of faith undergone by Luighseach and how she grows (note that the main faith throughout is Catholicism, which I'm not an adherent of, but that's not to say that there weren't many statements made that I could agree with along with the aspects I differ in), the relationships among all the characters, the importance and power of music--it's just Good okay? okay
apparently there's another book following one of the most colorful side characters ten years later so I'll probably tackle that at some point too
brief content warning:
Sure, I have some minor stylistic quibbles, mainly around pacing on a scene-to-scene level, and the sheer number of plotlines that wander in until you half-think this is two or three books condensed to one, but it was Good. The consistently Irish voice of the narrator, the unique setting in 1920s Australia, the struggles of faith undergone by Luighseach and how she grows (note that the main faith throughout is Catholicism, which I'm not an adherent of, but that's not to say that there weren't many statements made that I could agree with along with the aspects I differ in), the relationships among all the characters, the importance and power of music--it's just Good okay? okay
apparently there's another book following one of the most colorful side characters ten years later so I'll probably tackle that at some point too
brief content warning:
February 16, 2021
Words cannot describe how amazingly touching this book is. You get so connected with the characters and you just get to view them live their life. I'm disabled as well (not in the same way she is), so I was able to understand the character on such a level that really touched my heart. The book does draw on, and doesn't really seem to have a major plot, so if you don't like long drawn out books, I'd avoid this one.
January 12, 2022
This book was magnificent. I could truly hear the voices of the characters as I journeyed through this story.
October 21, 2022
An amazing book to read. Inspiring us to have wonderful friendships. Sad but beautiful. It’s one of my favourite books! So I definitely recommend.
November 5, 2025
It started quite well, halfway it became boring, digressive, overflowing, plagued with the ussually tropes that cling to every ya book.
March 24, 2016
I can’t remember the last time I was as mesmerized by a book as I was by Annette Young’s debut work, a meticulously researched and beautifully written coming-of-age novel titled A Distant Prospect. The story is set in Australia in the 1920's, when there is not a person alive whose world has not been somehow rocked (and more often than not, shattered) by the horrors of WWI. While this historical novel would make an excellent choice for young adult readers, it also held this not-so-young reader captive, I can tell you that! Over the course of a few days, I had trouble putting it down.
Young has created a world to get lost in here, populated by a large cast of exceedingly well-developed and utterly endearing characters. When the story opens we are introduced to a fifteen-year-old Irish lass named Lucy Straughan, a polio survivor and talented cellist, and her altogether wonderful father, a gentle soul and devout Catholic whom she lovingly calls “Daid.” Years ago, they fled war-torn Northern Ireland after Lucy’s mother was tragically killed, and they moved to Sydney to forge a new life for themselves. After arriving, Lucy was struck with polio. She was one of the lucky ones who survived, but now she cannot walk without the help of leg braces and crutches (and on bad days, she’s confined to a wheelchair). Lucy feels like an outsider at the posh Catholic girls’ school she attends on scholarship. Bespectacled, shy, and still shell-shocked from the loss of her beloved mother, she also has an enormous chip on her shoulder due to the disease that has left her a cripple.
Lucy’s life changes for the better when she meets Della Sotheby, a sweet-natured girl who comes from a privileged home. Della’s friendly persistence finally breaks down Lucy’s defenses, and the two girls become dear friends. Then when Mrs. Epstein, from whom Lucy is taking cello lessons, decides to form a quartet made up of Della and Lucy and two other talented girls with whom they go to school, Lucy becomes acquainted with fiery Pim Connolly and enigmatic Pheobe Raye.
The four girls bond musically—with Della playing first violin, Pheobe playing second violin, Pim playing viola, and Lucy playing cello—and eventually, they become much more than just musical partners. All four of them have unique crosses that they’re carrying and suffer under the weight of family secrets and tragedies powerful enough to destroy anyone. As they help each other through trials and share each other’s sorrows and joys, each girl’s life is forever changed by their friendship.
There was so much that I loved about this book. Young’s prose is impeccable, and the dialogue between her characters rings utterly true-to-life. There is a large cast of characters in the story, but each has been so deftly created by the author that it’s not hard to keep track of them all (and to fall in love with them all as well). There is the Irish component, too, which invariably delights me. (I absolutely love that Young has Lucy and her dad conversing in Irish—although I don’t understand a word of it!) If you’re a musician, you’ll probably devour all the scenes where the girls are learning how to play together. But even if you’re not musical at all (like yours truly), those parts of the novel are nonetheless captivating and inspiring.
A Distant Prospect is a Catholic novel, to be sure, with references to nuns and Rosaries and sacraments and whatnot, and it tenderly reveals the way the Faith can impact souls; but it is not just for Catholics. I think this book would appeal to a reader of any faith, as its themes are universal. Throughout this engaging tale, Young illustrates the complexity of the human condition—because no one in this book is perfect (with the possible exceptions of Della Sotheby and Lucy’s dad, Morgan, who are as close to saints as any human can hope to be); like all people, they have strengths and weaknesses, and they don’t always behave the way they should. But running throughout the story is the message that no matter what has come before, there is always the opportunity for forgiveness and redemption. And even after enormous suffering, there can be happiness.
It was a joy to see Lucy grow and evolve by the end of the story, from a somewhat bitter girl who has put up a wall around herself and judges books by their covers to an empathetic and charitable young woman who can see beyond the surface and find the good in others. And I don’t want to give any spoilers here...but there just might be a sweet love story, to boot—a chaste one that is perfectly appropriate for teen readers, but even made my middle-aged heart go pitter-pat. But that’s all I’m going to say about that—because I want you to read this book!
A Distant Prospect is now on my list of all-time favorite novels that need to be re-read and re-enjoyed, so I unhesitatingly give it five out of five stars. Highly recommended.
Young has created a world to get lost in here, populated by a large cast of exceedingly well-developed and utterly endearing characters. When the story opens we are introduced to a fifteen-year-old Irish lass named Lucy Straughan, a polio survivor and talented cellist, and her altogether wonderful father, a gentle soul and devout Catholic whom she lovingly calls “Daid.” Years ago, they fled war-torn Northern Ireland after Lucy’s mother was tragically killed, and they moved to Sydney to forge a new life for themselves. After arriving, Lucy was struck with polio. She was one of the lucky ones who survived, but now she cannot walk without the help of leg braces and crutches (and on bad days, she’s confined to a wheelchair). Lucy feels like an outsider at the posh Catholic girls’ school she attends on scholarship. Bespectacled, shy, and still shell-shocked from the loss of her beloved mother, she also has an enormous chip on her shoulder due to the disease that has left her a cripple.
Lucy’s life changes for the better when she meets Della Sotheby, a sweet-natured girl who comes from a privileged home. Della’s friendly persistence finally breaks down Lucy’s defenses, and the two girls become dear friends. Then when Mrs. Epstein, from whom Lucy is taking cello lessons, decides to form a quartet made up of Della and Lucy and two other talented girls with whom they go to school, Lucy becomes acquainted with fiery Pim Connolly and enigmatic Pheobe Raye.
The four girls bond musically—with Della playing first violin, Pheobe playing second violin, Pim playing viola, and Lucy playing cello—and eventually, they become much more than just musical partners. All four of them have unique crosses that they’re carrying and suffer under the weight of family secrets and tragedies powerful enough to destroy anyone. As they help each other through trials and share each other’s sorrows and joys, each girl’s life is forever changed by their friendship.
There was so much that I loved about this book. Young’s prose is impeccable, and the dialogue between her characters rings utterly true-to-life. There is a large cast of characters in the story, but each has been so deftly created by the author that it’s not hard to keep track of them all (and to fall in love with them all as well). There is the Irish component, too, which invariably delights me. (I absolutely love that Young has Lucy and her dad conversing in Irish—although I don’t understand a word of it!) If you’re a musician, you’ll probably devour all the scenes where the girls are learning how to play together. But even if you’re not musical at all (like yours truly), those parts of the novel are nonetheless captivating and inspiring.
A Distant Prospect is a Catholic novel, to be sure, with references to nuns and Rosaries and sacraments and whatnot, and it tenderly reveals the way the Faith can impact souls; but it is not just for Catholics. I think this book would appeal to a reader of any faith, as its themes are universal. Throughout this engaging tale, Young illustrates the complexity of the human condition—because no one in this book is perfect (with the possible exceptions of Della Sotheby and Lucy’s dad, Morgan, who are as close to saints as any human can hope to be); like all people, they have strengths and weaknesses, and they don’t always behave the way they should. But running throughout the story is the message that no matter what has come before, there is always the opportunity for forgiveness and redemption. And even after enormous suffering, there can be happiness.
It was a joy to see Lucy grow and evolve by the end of the story, from a somewhat bitter girl who has put up a wall around herself and judges books by their covers to an empathetic and charitable young woman who can see beyond the surface and find the good in others. And I don’t want to give any spoilers here...but there just might be a sweet love story, to boot—a chaste one that is perfectly appropriate for teen readers, but even made my middle-aged heart go pitter-pat. But that’s all I’m going to say about that—because I want you to read this book!
A Distant Prospect is now on my list of all-time favorite novels that need to be re-read and re-enjoyed, so I unhesitatingly give it five out of five stars. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews