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While The Sun Sets: Australian Short Stories
The stories in this collection are mainly young adult fiction based upon the author's observations and experiences in a long career as a teacher and Principal in Western Australian schools.
Some of them are set in small, isolated towns and others in larger urban areas.
Coming of age issues include dealing with violence in junior sport and the acceptance of sexual diversity while "The Pendant" highlights the importance of the early recognition of mental illness.
Two of the stories ("The Chicken Train Girl" and "From Failing Hands") are related to the impact that WWII had on those growing up in the 1950's.
An earlier version of the collection was shortlisted for the prestigious T.A.G. Hungerford Literary Award in 2008.
Some of them are set in small, isolated towns and others in larger urban areas.
Coming of age issues include dealing with violence in junior sport and the acceptance of sexual diversity while "The Pendant" highlights the importance of the early recognition of mental illness.
Two of the stories ("The Chicken Train Girl" and "From Failing Hands") are related to the impact that WWII had on those growing up in the 1950's.
An earlier version of the collection was shortlisted for the prestigious T.A.G. Hungerford Literary Award in 2008.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 24, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
September 13, 2026
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - Not a single flop!
I really enjoyed ‘While the Sun Sets’. There’s an earnestness to each of these stories that I found quite touching, and a real sense of sentimentality running through them. They explore a nice range of experiences, depict rural life, childhood innocence and growing up in a quieter time, and I was often left wishing to live even longer in each particular story. However, in saying that, they all still felt complete and satisfying in their own way.
Powell’s prose is economical without feeling bare. There’s some nice figurative language, but he doesn’t get so caught up in being abstract or poetic that the story itself gets lost in the reeds. He keeps things moving, and I found that quite refreshing. Each character also feels quite distinct, often having their own manner of speaking that suits their context. It was easy to pick up and read a couple of tales at a time.
Knowing that Powell is a retired Western Australian school Principal gave the book an added familiarity for me. Having spent many years working in schools myself, including as a teacher, and also now living in WA after driving across the expansive country land, many locations and settings felt particularly familiar.
I don’t write reviews but feel genuinely honoured, and a little surprised, to be the first person to review this one! It’s a sincere, heartfelt collection of stories, and I hope it finds plenty more readers.
Particular favourites (though I enjoyed every single one):
‘Eclipse’, ‘A Dying Breed’, ‘Catching Bunnies’, ‘Bumper Cars’, ‘The Pendant’ & ‘Blood Brothers’.
I really enjoyed ‘While the Sun Sets’. There’s an earnestness to each of these stories that I found quite touching, and a real sense of sentimentality running through them. They explore a nice range of experiences, depict rural life, childhood innocence and growing up in a quieter time, and I was often left wishing to live even longer in each particular story. However, in saying that, they all still felt complete and satisfying in their own way.
Powell’s prose is economical without feeling bare. There’s some nice figurative language, but he doesn’t get so caught up in being abstract or poetic that the story itself gets lost in the reeds. He keeps things moving, and I found that quite refreshing. Each character also feels quite distinct, often having their own manner of speaking that suits their context. It was easy to pick up and read a couple of tales at a time.
Knowing that Powell is a retired Western Australian school Principal gave the book an added familiarity for me. Having spent many years working in schools myself, including as a teacher, and also now living in WA after driving across the expansive country land, many locations and settings felt particularly familiar.
I don’t write reviews but feel genuinely honoured, and a little surprised, to be the first person to review this one! It’s a sincere, heartfelt collection of stories, and I hope it finds plenty more readers.
Particular favourites (though I enjoyed every single one):
‘Eclipse’, ‘A Dying Breed’, ‘Catching Bunnies’, ‘Bumper Cars’, ‘The Pendant’ & ‘Blood Brothers’.
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