What do you think?
Rate this book
Leather wings
Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize, this novel explores love, obsession and stranger danger.Wallace is a door-to-door salesman. When he meets six-year-old Jania, his life gains a new dimension. He is in love. This is 'pure' adoration. Or is it?Esther, reluctant grandmother, is too self-absorbed to notice the drama that is about to break.Innocence carries its own love grows where least expected. The little girl might have some answers of her own, but who will listen?
167 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
2 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Duckworth
27 books1 followerMarilyn Duckworth OBE (born 10 November 1935 in New Zealand) is a novelist, poet and short story writer. She has published sixteen novels, one novella, a collection of short stories and a collection of poetry. She has also written for television and radio.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 14, 2025
Review published in City Voice, 7 September 1995:
This novel is about the obsession of a Rawleigh's man for a six-year-old girl. Marilyn Duckworth paints a believable picture of Wallace, the stuttering, socially inept salesman. The strength of this novel lies in being able to see his unnatural obsession first-hand (through his eyes).
In passages that read like teenage diaries we find that Wallace is aware that "people like me don't have the right to live" - but what is he to do? He is subject to attacks of "giggly wickedness" which he personifies as Claude.
Jania survived her mother in a car crash and was then sent by her father to live with her grandparents, who are beset by their own problems. She is the perfect target for Wallace's affections. I can imagine this novel as another brooding New Zealand film.
The author has tackled an emotive subject, but avoids sensationalism. Instead, her patient attention to detail and balanced viewpoints take us into the minds and motives of the characters.
This is not a pleasant read, nor could it be, given the subject matter; overall the mood is depressed, with little to lighten it. The momentum makes it hard to put down, but it lacks power and is curiously anti-climactic.
This novel is about the obsession of a Rawleigh's man for a six-year-old girl. Marilyn Duckworth paints a believable picture of Wallace, the stuttering, socially inept salesman. The strength of this novel lies in being able to see his unnatural obsession first-hand (through his eyes).
In passages that read like teenage diaries we find that Wallace is aware that "people like me don't have the right to live" - but what is he to do? He is subject to attacks of "giggly wickedness" which he personifies as Claude.
Jania survived her mother in a car crash and was then sent by her father to live with her grandparents, who are beset by their own problems. She is the perfect target for Wallace's affections. I can imagine this novel as another brooding New Zealand film.
The author has tackled an emotive subject, but avoids sensationalism. Instead, her patient attention to detail and balanced viewpoints take us into the minds and motives of the characters.
This is not a pleasant read, nor could it be, given the subject matter; overall the mood is depressed, with little to lighten it. The momentum makes it hard to put down, but it lacks power and is curiously anti-climactic.
Displaying 1 of 1 review