The Water Bag

by Jenny Kroonstuiver

Jenny Kroonstuiver has lived and worked in most states of Australia, predominantly in remote areas, from the pastoral industry in Western Australia, to Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory, to the mining towns of Mt Isa and Kalgoorlie. The final stages of her working life saw her working Australia-wide. In The Water Bag she recalls stories from her relatively unusual childhood and many varied careers.

In many ways, her life has been a series of unique experiences across the vast Australian landscape. Often faced with challenges and tragedy, Jenny’s innate ability to value the positives in life and learn from her experiences is reflected in her story telling. She records with delight, humour and compassion many of the colourful characters and experiences which have affected her life.

The Water Bag is essentially a series of stories and reflections, roughly following the sequence of Jenny’s life. She takes the reader on an entertaining journey across the length and breadth of Australia

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

299 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2023

Reviews

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a strong sense of place, which was perfect as pairing to my Australia travels. The memoir covered the phases and geography of Jenny's life. This included childhood (on a sheep ranch in the middle of nowhere), motherhood, and a career ranging from teacher to CEO of a meat industry training department. The book was created from a series of blog posts and read that way, a series of anecdotes. It wasn't the most polished but felt like an enjoyable conversation with an interesting woman. It gave me a deeper appreciation for a country that my travels only gave me slight glimpses of.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 read Started out good but then got a bit clogged down.