THE BLUE DRESS

by Libby Hathorn (Editor)

A selection of stories by some of Australia's best-known and best-loved authors inspired by a Brian Dunlop painting of a young girl in a blue dress, standing on a beach.

Genres: Short Stories, Young Adult, Australia

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Libby Hathorn is an Australian writer who produces poetry, picture books, drama, novels, short stories, and nonfiction for children, young adults, and adults. Best known in the United States for her critically acclaimed novel Thunderwith, Hathorn has created works ranging from serious stories of troubled youth to lighthearted, fast-paced comedies. She writes of powerful female characters in her novels for junior readers, such as the protagonists in All about Anna and The Extraordinary Magics of Emma McDade; or of lonely, misunderstood teenagers in novels such as Feral Kid, Love Me Tender, and Valley under the Rock. As Maurice Saxby noted in St. James Guide to Children's Writers, "In her novels for teenagers especially, Hathorn exposes, with compassion, sensitivity, and poetry the universal and ongoing struggle of humanity to heal hurts, establish meaningful relationships, and to learn to accept one's self—and ultimately—those who have wronged us."

Reviews

[Genevieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories are good, some are ****

i don't like short story collections and had to read it for VCE 😃😃😃

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this collection hard to rate because it is quite a mixed bag. Some stories were incredibly powerful, completely captivating me despite the brevity of the tale. And they varied widely - uplifting, suspenseful, sad, even chilling and haunting. But at the other end of the spectrum, there were some tales that I found rather ordinary. There were even a couple that I found it hard to work out why they were even part of this collection, as they seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with the blue dress, or at best the connection was very tenuous.

If you enjoy Australian fiction, and in particular some of the authors that feature in this book, I think you will find something to enjoy, even though there are a few not-so-wonderful stories.

[Annette Heslin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second book read by Author Libby Hathorn, and she sure doesn't disappoint.

Brian Dunlop has painted Libby's daughter in a blue dress on the beach at Port Fairy in Victoria. A painting brought by Australia Post and produced on a 43-cent stamp.

Libby has invited 15 Authors to write a series of stories about the girl in the blue dress and compiled them into this book. They varied in genre of Romance, Joy, Secrets, Disappointment and Fate, just to name a few.

A great collection of stories that was interesting and enjoyable to read.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the whole idea around the book, which is based on the Australian post stamp and different authors creating stories based around it. There are a few stories which I enjoyed, such as The Last Cabinet and Blue Beards Daughter, but some of the stories are boring, like Farewell. Some are creepy too and completely off topic. Overall, it’s a good read that’s quick and easy.

[Glenys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, several authors were giving a picture which had been printed on a postage stamp and they were asked to write a story about the picture. There are a variety of emotions and themes in the stories, Love, Romance, Mystery and Violence. All inspired by the one picture.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this is the book i think it is....

I read this (or at least sections of it) in High school.

we had to write a short story as an extension to one of the short stories in the book. a kind of what happens next kind of scenario.
i also think this is the one where i got a bad grade only because i wrote horror, and made the teacher sick (he even called me a sicko - which if anyone knows me i'm anything but!).

a couple of years later i showed another teacher who thought it was a masterpeice (he knew me).

i had been looking for this book scince then. so i can have the book that goes with my stories (we had to write 3).

so i'm off to find a copy of this book. i'll be back to let you know more about it!

[Liz]

I read this book in school. I enjoyed the fact that the stories are all based on one image. I remember some of the stories being haunting and beautiful and having a distinctly Australian feel to them.
I would like to read this again one day.

[A G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was allocated for Victorian VCE reading. The typical student, I didn't much out of it. On re-read I love it. Most of the stories leave me with some feeling of discomfort after - love it!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in high school and enjoyed it. I've been trying to find my copy lately so I can re-read it...

[Amanda Meehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it just as much now as I did in VCE.