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Wisdom Tree #5
NoHo: Wisdom Tree 5
NoHo, is about living in the shadows of the famous. Meet Charlie and his would-be-star sister, Cassie, in Hollywood, discover the Wisdom Tree and family #5. NoHo reveals the devotion of mothers, and sons who overcome monsters.
"The standout finale." —The West Australian on Noho
"You can’t write better than this. it’s simply perfect.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love
“One of the most ambitious fiction projects being undertaken in Australian publishing. There are subterranean connections uniting the five novellas that are probably best appreciated by reading the books in the planned monthly sequence rather than devouring them all at once.”—Simon Caterson, The Weekend Australian
“This floored me. The format is a game changer and the linked novellas combine to create the best book I’ve read in 12 years, since David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.” —Chris Flynn, Tiger in Eden and The Glass Kingdom.
"The standout finale." —The West Australian on Noho
"You can’t write better than this. it’s simply perfect.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love
“One of the most ambitious fiction projects being undertaken in Australian publishing. There are subterranean connections uniting the five novellas that are probably best appreciated by reading the books in the planned monthly sequence rather than devouring them all at once.”—Simon Caterson, The Weekend Australian
“This floored me. The format is a game changer and the linked novellas combine to create the best book I’ve read in 12 years, since David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.” —Chris Flynn, Tiger in Eden and The Glass Kingdom.
64 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2016
4 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Nick Earls
74 books173 followersNick Earls is the author of twelve books, including bestselling novels such as Zigzag Street, Bachelor Kisses, Perfect Skin and World of Chickens. His work has been published internationally in English and also in translation, and this led to him being a finalist in the Premier of Queensland’s Awards for Export Achievement in 1999.
Zigzag Street won a Betty Trask Award in the UK in 1998, and is currently being developed into a feature film. Bachelor Kisses was one of Who Weekly’s Books of the Year in 1998. Perfect Skin was the only novel nominated for an Australian Comedy Award in 2003, and has recently been filmed in Italy.
He has written five novels with teenage central characters. 48 Shades of Brown was awarded Book of the Year (older readers) by the Children’s Book Council in 2000, and in the US it was a Kirkus Reviews selection in its books of the year for 2004. A feature film adapted from the novel was released in Australia by Buena Vista International in August 2006, and has subsequently screened at festivals in North America and Europe. His earlier young-adult novel, After January, was also an award-winner.
After January, 48 Shades of Brown, Zigzag Street and Perfect Skin have all been successfully adapted for theatre by La Boite, and the Zigzag Street play toured nationally in 2005.
Nick Earls was the founding chair of the Australian arm of the international aid agency War Child and is now a War Child ambassador. He is or has also been patron of Kids Who Make a Difference and Hands on Art, and an honorary ambassador for both the Mater Foundation and the Abused Child Trust. On top of that, he was the face of Brisbane Marketing’s ‘Downtown Brisbane’ and ‘Experience Brisbane’ campaigns.
His contribution to writing in Queensland led to him being awarded the Queensland Writers Centre’s inaugural Johnno award in 2001 and a Centenary Medal in 2003. His work as a writer, in writing industry development and in support of humanitarian causes led to him being named University of Queensland Alumnus of the Year in 2006. He was also the Queensland Multicultural Champion for 2006.
He has an honours degree in Medicine from the University of Queensland, and has lived in Brisbane since migrating as an eight-year-old from Northern Ireland in 1972. London’s Mirror newspaper has called him ‘the first Aussie to make me laugh out loud since Jason Donovan’. His latest novel is Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with Rebecca Sparrow.
Zigzag Street won a Betty Trask Award in the UK in 1998, and is currently being developed into a feature film. Bachelor Kisses was one of Who Weekly’s Books of the Year in 1998. Perfect Skin was the only novel nominated for an Australian Comedy Award in 2003, and has recently been filmed in Italy.
He has written five novels with teenage central characters. 48 Shades of Brown was awarded Book of the Year (older readers) by the Children’s Book Council in 2000, and in the US it was a Kirkus Reviews selection in its books of the year for 2004. A feature film adapted from the novel was released in Australia by Buena Vista International in August 2006, and has subsequently screened at festivals in North America and Europe. His earlier young-adult novel, After January, was also an award-winner.
After January, 48 Shades of Brown, Zigzag Street and Perfect Skin have all been successfully adapted for theatre by La Boite, and the Zigzag Street play toured nationally in 2005.
Nick Earls was the founding chair of the Australian arm of the international aid agency War Child and is now a War Child ambassador. He is or has also been patron of Kids Who Make a Difference and Hands on Art, and an honorary ambassador for both the Mater Foundation and the Abused Child Trust. On top of that, he was the face of Brisbane Marketing’s ‘Downtown Brisbane’ and ‘Experience Brisbane’ campaigns.
His contribution to writing in Queensland led to him being awarded the Queensland Writers Centre’s inaugural Johnno award in 2001 and a Centenary Medal in 2003. His work as a writer, in writing industry development and in support of humanitarian causes led to him being named University of Queensland Alumnus of the Year in 2006. He was also the Queensland Multicultural Champion for 2006.
He has an honours degree in Medicine from the University of Queensland, and has lived in Brisbane since migrating as an eight-year-old from Northern Ireland in 1972. London’s Mirror newspaper has called him ‘the first Aussie to make me laugh out loud since Jason Donovan’. His latest novel is Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with Rebecca Sparrow.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 2, 2024
5★
“‘Those are well on the way to ladyland. We’re looking for 12-year-olds that can play 10, like old-school 12-year-olds. Boobless. What is it with girls now? Even the petite ones. Boobs. I’d buy the height, but you’ll be putting a bra on those before we shoot.’”
This is a Hollywood agent, speaking to the mother of Cassidy, who’s seeking part in a movie. But Cassidy is right there as well as her younger brother Charlie, listening to an agent talking about Cassidy’s developing figure. How awful.
Not only do Mum and the kids suffer through this, they make a point of being polite and grateful for the advice at the end, because you never know when you might meet the guy again.
Mum, Cassidy, and younger brother Charlie have come from Australia to Los Angeles to further Cassidy’s career. Dad is back home working on a big project.
Charlie is perfectly happy to help Cassidy practice her SoCal accent so that whenever she talks to agents or producers she sounds like a natural Southern California girl, not some foreigner. But he’s a serious student, finishing up Grade 6, and he has an art assignment which means spending time in a proper gallery and answering some detailed questions about a work of art.
He searches on his phone for art galleries and finds one that he likes the look of, Gunderson’s. Mum agrees.
“ ‘Seems like a nice area… North Hollywood’ she said. ‘NoHo – lots of galleries and arty types, and the one you picked looks interesting.’”
Cassidy has callbacks, so they drop Charlie off for a couple of hours to stay in the gallery on his own until they get back. He’s a little nervous, but he notices a rich lady across the street and a dentist’s office. He figures that must indicate it isn’t a hotbed of crime, at least.
As with the previous books in this group of five novellas, there is a link, this time to Natalie Landry, the artist sister in book #2, Venice. Charlie finds a fantastical art installation called “Family Number Five” which uses the bones Natalie asked her visiting brother, Ryan (along with her little boy), to collect from a butcher.
This piece of art really captures Charlie’s imagination, and he types furiously on his laptop to answer all the questions. He’s a naturally curious kid and has researched all kinds of things about the area. He knows where lots of things are and loves to go hiking. He talks about the Wisdom Tree Hike and says the tree has its own Instagram account. (There seem to be many with Wisdom Tree in their names).
Flynn Curry, who was still only a child actor at the time this was made, narrates this first person account sounding exactly like the Aussie schoolboy that Charlie is. He sometimes speaks quickly or slurs a word a little just like kids do. It’s very clear, and Charlie’s enthusiasm and love for his family shine all through the story.
It’s a brilliant collection, and all five titles were particularly well-narrated. No two stories are the same, but each has a connection to one (or more) of the others. If you notice what it is, great. If not, it doesn’t matter. I did wish I could search the text for names, but I eventually skipped back and forth in the audio to check.
I must find out what else Nick Earls has written. He’s awfully good.
My reviews of the others:
My review of Gotham- Wisdom Tree #1
My review of Venice-Wisdom Tree #2
My review of Vancouver- Wisdom Tree #3
My review of Juneau- Wisdom Tree #4
“‘Those are well on the way to ladyland. We’re looking for 12-year-olds that can play 10, like old-school 12-year-olds. Boobless. What is it with girls now? Even the petite ones. Boobs. I’d buy the height, but you’ll be putting a bra on those before we shoot.’”
This is a Hollywood agent, speaking to the mother of Cassidy, who’s seeking part in a movie. But Cassidy is right there as well as her younger brother Charlie, listening to an agent talking about Cassidy’s developing figure. How awful.
Not only do Mum and the kids suffer through this, they make a point of being polite and grateful for the advice at the end, because you never know when you might meet the guy again.
Mum, Cassidy, and younger brother Charlie have come from Australia to Los Angeles to further Cassidy’s career. Dad is back home working on a big project.
Charlie is perfectly happy to help Cassidy practice her SoCal accent so that whenever she talks to agents or producers she sounds like a natural Southern California girl, not some foreigner. But he’s a serious student, finishing up Grade 6, and he has an art assignment which means spending time in a proper gallery and answering some detailed questions about a work of art.
He searches on his phone for art galleries and finds one that he likes the look of, Gunderson’s. Mum agrees.
“ ‘Seems like a nice area… North Hollywood’ she said. ‘NoHo – lots of galleries and arty types, and the one you picked looks interesting.’”
Cassidy has callbacks, so they drop Charlie off for a couple of hours to stay in the gallery on his own until they get back. He’s a little nervous, but he notices a rich lady across the street and a dentist’s office. He figures that must indicate it isn’t a hotbed of crime, at least.
As with the previous books in this group of five novellas, there is a link, this time to Natalie Landry, the artist sister in book #2, Venice. Charlie finds a fantastical art installation called “Family Number Five” which uses the bones Natalie asked her visiting brother, Ryan (along with her little boy), to collect from a butcher.
This piece of art really captures Charlie’s imagination, and he types furiously on his laptop to answer all the questions. He’s a naturally curious kid and has researched all kinds of things about the area. He knows where lots of things are and loves to go hiking. He talks about the Wisdom Tree Hike and says the tree has its own Instagram account. (There seem to be many with Wisdom Tree in their names).
Flynn Curry, who was still only a child actor at the time this was made, narrates this first person account sounding exactly like the Aussie schoolboy that Charlie is. He sometimes speaks quickly or slurs a word a little just like kids do. It’s very clear, and Charlie’s enthusiasm and love for his family shine all through the story.
It’s a brilliant collection, and all five titles were particularly well-narrated. No two stories are the same, but each has a connection to one (or more) of the others. If you notice what it is, great. If not, it doesn’t matter. I did wish I could search the text for names, but I eventually skipped back and forth in the audio to check.
I must find out what else Nick Earls has written. He’s awfully good.
My reviews of the others:
My review of Gotham- Wisdom Tree #1
My review of Venice-Wisdom Tree #2
My review of Vancouver- Wisdom Tree #3
My review of Juneau- Wisdom Tree #4
April 25, 2022
Well. I never thought I'd read a hashtag book, let alone hashtag 5. My suspicions go further: this may be a YA book. Yikes, another more or less first. This one is a charming two hour (tops) read. Earl's a highly visual writer - everybody and thing really pops out and into the reader's mind; not surprising that his books get made into movies and stage productions...or maybe that's why he writes them in the first place.
I received this as a Christmas present and, Noela, I can only point out that you are now locked into buying me the other four. Because although I'd like to read the rest, $75 ($15 x 5) for around 112K words is a lot. Just to compare, another book I read recently, a trilogy by Tove is $23 for 120K words. There may be economies of scale for Penguin, but the difference is still huge. If they ever come out as a combined edition, I expect it'll be at a big saving.
Recommended: while anybody might like this, especially recommended for people with very small handbags venturing forth on short trips.
I received this as a Christmas present and, Noela, I can only point out that you are now locked into buying me the other four. Because although I'd like to read the rest, $75 ($15 x 5) for around 112K words is a lot. Just to compare, another book I read recently, a trilogy by Tove is $23 for 120K words. There may be economies of scale for Penguin, but the difference is still huge. If they ever come out as a combined edition, I expect it'll be at a big saving.
Recommended: while anybody might like this, especially recommended for people with very small handbags venturing forth on short trips.
February 7, 2017
Another moving story, the final in the Wisdom Tree series of novellas, this one about Charlie and his sister Cassidy, living temporarily with their mother in Los Angeles so that 12 year old Cassidy can launch her career in the movies. I found this one the most emotionally wrenching, with Charlie's needs not so much neglected as downplayed while his mother and Cassidy are off attending workshops and auditions - even to the extent of being left by himself in an art gallery until after closing time, being looked after by the security guard. Yet Charlie is an accepting and generous-hearted child, and somehow you know that he won't hold any grudges about it, which makes it even more poignant.
A story that stays with you, like all the others in this series.
A story that stays with you, like all the others in this series.
October 6, 2016
The final in Nick Earls’ five novella Wisdom Tree series, “NoHo” tells the story of a Australian child protagonist, Charlie. While his sister Cassidy is taken to yet another aspiring child star audition, he is left at a gallery in North Hollywood to complete a school art project by correspondence. Like others in the collection it explores family, belonging, and human connections, but what makes it the best of the five is the way in which it also features previous themes and motifs, including reference to its Wisdom Tree title.
February 14, 2017
I think the strength of this series is in the whole collection rather than the individual stories.
This one was particularly heartbreaking.
The futile efforts of a family to make their daughter a Hollywood "Star"!
The collection as a whole I rate 5/5 for the entire work. A case where the sum of the parts is greater than each individual story.
This one was particularly heartbreaking.
The futile efforts of a family to make their daughter a Hollywood "Star"!
The collection as a whole I rate 5/5 for the entire work. A case where the sum of the parts is greater than each individual story.
May 23, 2017
Great series of novellas with subtly linked characters and stories. The last one told of family and its challenges and complexity. I also learnt about LA The Wisdom Tree - it really does have its own instagram account.
September 17, 2016
Oh man. Mr Earls, please stop writing books about sad kids. I've had enough of the crying now. But this was just ... Yeah, I've lost my words. Perfect.
April 8, 2022
Charlie is the observer as we see his mother and sister work the Hollywood system for a call back or that elusive break-out role in pilot season. Simple and well written, this is not far off a short story, but it has solid characters and the day in the life style has some interesting revelations. The story is not entirely judgemental because Charlie never judges his mother's focus on his sister but the rebuke is there at the end in Wanda the security guard. A gentle homily on family that offers a brief insight into another world.
September 18, 2016
NoHo is the fifth and final novella in Nick Earls' series Wisdom Tree, a collection of stories that explores family, belonging, yearning and human connections. In NoHo, we meet Charlie, a young boy who spends long periods living in California with his mum and his sister as she does the rounds of casting calls and agents, trying to get her lucky break into the movie business. Charlie's father is home in Australia, and the four live a strange, unreal sort of peripatetic lifestyle in between the two countries. This is another example of the many conforming to the needs of the one, as his sister's dream (and his mother's ambitions for her) play out. Fame is examined in a similar manner to Gotham (novella one) - the dedication of pursuing ambition, the capricious luck, the superficiality of appearance, the necessity of conveying an air of confidence. In a lovely well-rounded narrative, we meet again with Family #5, the anthropomorphic sculpture created by Natalie Landry in the second novella, Venice, and we are also introduced to the Tree of Life Trail, featuring the actual Wisdom Tree, also known as the Magical Tree or the Lonesome Pine. As with all the novellas in the series, NoHo explores the complicated relationships between parents and children, and about what does - and doesn't - make a family. As in each of the books, all is not what it at first appears, and hidden undercurrents run shallowly under the surface.
December 2, 2016
If ever there was a series of novellas to take your breath away the one going under the collective names of the Wisdom Tree by Nick Earls is it. NoHo is the fifth and final in the series and is about a young boy in Los Angeles with his mother and sister waiting for his sister to discovered, to become famous; again beautifully layered character development and observations of a young man waiting to be recognized by his family. Writing at its best. Do yourself a favour and buy the entire series - you'll want to keep them to read again.
November 24, 2016
Family #5 in the Wisdom Tree novella series. Charlie spends his time doing a distance ed assignment in an art gallery, waiting to be picked up by his mother who is busy orchestrating his sister Cassidy's Hollywood career. If they were a sculpture, the family's central focus is Cassidy.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews