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Cassandra
Is the future set like concrete or a piece of clay we can mould and change?
On a remote farm in Queensland, Cassie Shultz feels useless. Her perfect brother Alex has an uncanny ability to predict the weather, and the fortunes of the entire family hinge upon his forecasts. However, her own gift for prophecy remains frustratingly obscure. Attempts to help her family usually result in failure.
After meeting with her new genius neighbour Athena, Cassie thinks she has unlocked the secret of her powers. But as her visions grow more vivid, she learns that the cost of honing her gift may be her sanity.
With her family breaking apart, the future hurtles towards Cassie faster than she can comprehend it.
This book was shortlisted for the Best Fantasy Novel 2017 in the Australian Aurealis Awards.
On a remote farm in Queensland, Cassie Shultz feels useless. Her perfect brother Alex has an uncanny ability to predict the weather, and the fortunes of the entire family hinge upon his forecasts. However, her own gift for prophecy remains frustratingly obscure. Attempts to help her family usually result in failure.
After meeting with her new genius neighbour Athena, Cassie thinks she has unlocked the secret of her powers. But as her visions grow more vivid, she learns that the cost of honing her gift may be her sanity.
With her family breaking apart, the future hurtles towards Cassie faster than she can comprehend it.
This book was shortlisted for the Best Fantasy Novel 2017 in the Australian Aurealis Awards.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2017
295 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Gossow
7 books16 followersKathryn Gossow has been writing and publishing short and flash fiction in a variety of genres since 2006.
When Kathryn Gossow started writing she was told to choose a genre and stick to it. In the same way that she ignored her grade 9 science teacher, she ignored this advice. Her first novel Aurelias short-listed Cassandra is mythic fiction retelling, her second book, The Dark Poet is a collection of gritty short stories about the dangers of charismatic men. In real life, Kathryn loves many things. Jonquils, decaying buildings, sarsaparilla, lemon curd, cold winds, warm spring days, music festivals. True Crime. The ordinariness of life meets the extraordinary of crime. From this obsession springs her third book, a small-town thriller, Taking Baby for a Walk.
Kathryn is a co-editor of South of the Sun: Australian Fairy Tales for the 21st Century anthology and a keen explorer of fairy tales. She adores flash fiction and has a number of short stories out in the world.
When Kathryn Gossow started writing she was told to choose a genre and stick to it. In the same way that she ignored her grade 9 science teacher, she ignored this advice. Her first novel Aurelias short-listed Cassandra is mythic fiction retelling, her second book, The Dark Poet is a collection of gritty short stories about the dangers of charismatic men. In real life, Kathryn loves many things. Jonquils, decaying buildings, sarsaparilla, lemon curd, cold winds, warm spring days, music festivals. True Crime. The ordinariness of life meets the extraordinary of crime. From this obsession springs her third book, a small-town thriller, Taking Baby for a Walk.
Kathryn is a co-editor of South of the Sun: Australian Fairy Tales for the 21st Century anthology and a keen explorer of fairy tales. She adores flash fiction and has a number of short stories out in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 18, 2017
Kathryn Gossow is a masterful story teller who displays great insight and sensitivity in her handling of difficult themes. The result, her debut novel Cassandra, is an extraordinary and engaging read.
There is much to love in this novel. The reader is enchanted from the opening scenes, of a very young Cassie playing where she isn’t meant to, under the house; of her encounter with a snake and the nightmare that follows; of her innocent curiosity. “A crackle of excitement pops in her belly. Like Coco-Pops when the milk first goes on.”
Through the early chapters, Cassie soon grows into a teenager, and it is this lonely, rebellious, confused girl eager to belong, who experiments with her own abilities in an attempt to understand them.
Cassandra is laced with evocative descriptions of rural Queensland. Gossow’s characterisations are convincing and her pacing measured. Early suspense shades into a textured exploration of clairvoyance, dreams, trance states and the predictive powers of Tarot, as Cassie tries to get a handle on her own inner powers; her friend, the ever doubtful Athena, egging her on. These moments are convincingly portrayed, never overplayed, each adding another dimension to the fabric of the paranormal. In this fashion, tinges of Jungian psychology and Greek mythology are blended seamlessly into a family drama.
Cassandra rises and flows, rises and flows, the reader held in a deep ocean swell. When the end of the novel is sensed on the horizon, this swell breaks into great waves that eventually deposit the reader on the shore of normality, somewhat transformed by the experience.
A novel with broad appeal, Cassandra is told in well-crafted, elegant prose. The reliance on simile to create a childlike atmosphere works well in my view. Think Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things.
Gossow’s literary skills shine in her portrayal of Cassie’s altered states of awareness. It is in these scenes that the author demonstrates much empathy, empathy needed in order to render authentic the inner experiences of the protagonist. In this aspect, I am reminded more of Madeleine Thien’s Booker-shortlisted Do Not Say We Have Nothing than I am Paula Hawkins’ bestselling The Girl on The Train. Through all of the numerous scenes of other-wordly introspection, Kathryn Gossow reveals a fine literary talent.
The reader is gifted a gem of a story in Cassandra. Highly recommended.
There is much to love in this novel. The reader is enchanted from the opening scenes, of a very young Cassie playing where she isn’t meant to, under the house; of her encounter with a snake and the nightmare that follows; of her innocent curiosity. “A crackle of excitement pops in her belly. Like Coco-Pops when the milk first goes on.”
Through the early chapters, Cassie soon grows into a teenager, and it is this lonely, rebellious, confused girl eager to belong, who experiments with her own abilities in an attempt to understand them.
Cassandra is laced with evocative descriptions of rural Queensland. Gossow’s characterisations are convincing and her pacing measured. Early suspense shades into a textured exploration of clairvoyance, dreams, trance states and the predictive powers of Tarot, as Cassie tries to get a handle on her own inner powers; her friend, the ever doubtful Athena, egging her on. These moments are convincingly portrayed, never overplayed, each adding another dimension to the fabric of the paranormal. In this fashion, tinges of Jungian psychology and Greek mythology are blended seamlessly into a family drama.
Cassandra rises and flows, rises and flows, the reader held in a deep ocean swell. When the end of the novel is sensed on the horizon, this swell breaks into great waves that eventually deposit the reader on the shore of normality, somewhat transformed by the experience.
A novel with broad appeal, Cassandra is told in well-crafted, elegant prose. The reliance on simile to create a childlike atmosphere works well in my view. Think Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things.
Gossow’s literary skills shine in her portrayal of Cassie’s altered states of awareness. It is in these scenes that the author demonstrates much empathy, empathy needed in order to render authentic the inner experiences of the protagonist. In this aspect, I am reminded more of Madeleine Thien’s Booker-shortlisted Do Not Say We Have Nothing than I am Paula Hawkins’ bestselling The Girl on The Train. Through all of the numerous scenes of other-wordly introspection, Kathryn Gossow reveals a fine literary talent.
The reader is gifted a gem of a story in Cassandra. Highly recommended.
July 9, 2017
Cassandra by Kathryn Gossow is a modern take on the myth of Cassandra of Troy, a woman who had the gift of prophecy but was cursed so that no one would believe her.
Cassie Shultz lives on a farm in remote Queensland. She is plagued by, in waking dreams and momentary visions, flashes of the future. Cassie struggles to understand these visions. Her gift and any attempts to explain it to others or to warn them result in her ridicule, and her being labelled as a “freak” amongst her peers - even her parents treat her as being a bit odd.
The novel opens with Cassie as a young child – she crawls under the house to play and is bitten by a snake. (There is a link here to one of the interpretations of the Greek myth regarding Cassandra. She and her brother fell asleep in the temple of Apollo were said to have been found surrounded by serpents in the morning.) Gossow’s portrayal of the young Cassie is very good. There is obviously a complex family dynamic happening around her that Cassie does not fully understand and this depiction is engaging.
Later, when Cassie is a teenager, she has all the attendant growing pains that most teenagers do – she is uncertain of her place in the world, desperate for friends, desperate to feel loved and desired and yet her visions have isolated her. What is worse is that her brother has a knack for predicting the weather and is labelled as a prodigy! The section where Cassie is a teen is particularly well written. Gossow evokes her loneliness and longing with seeming ease and Cassie is a character that evolves beautifully as the story progresses. There are moments where you’ll loathe the teen brat and others where your heart will ache for her.
I honestly didn’t think that I was going to enjoy this book. The reason for it was very simple – the novel is written in the third person present tense, which is unusual. I think for majority of authors this is a problematic choice in that it, at least for me, serves to remind readers of the presence of a narrator and that we are being told a story. This irked me and often repeatedly pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me in it.
However, I kept reading and I was very glad I did because by the end I thought the choice, stylistically, suited the tale. Cassie goes through her life as a spectator, unable to change events and is isolated from those around her, so choosing the third person present meant the reader almost walked in Cassie’s shoes. We were the same powerless observer of her life that she was and this served to heighten the tragic elements of the story. By about half way through the book I had become accustomed this stylistic choice and was enjoying so much else about Gossow’s prose, that I was immersed in the novel anyway.
This is a book with a broad appeal. I’d label it as a YA crossover novel – though I think the notions that many automatically attach to the YA category would do it a disservice. It’s part coming of age story, part fantasy, part Aussie battler family drama dealing with the grim reality of life on the land.
Simply put it’s great new Aussie fiction.
Four Stars.
Cassie Shultz lives on a farm in remote Queensland. She is plagued by, in waking dreams and momentary visions, flashes of the future. Cassie struggles to understand these visions. Her gift and any attempts to explain it to others or to warn them result in her ridicule, and her being labelled as a “freak” amongst her peers - even her parents treat her as being a bit odd.
The novel opens with Cassie as a young child – she crawls under the house to play and is bitten by a snake. (There is a link here to one of the interpretations of the Greek myth regarding Cassandra. She and her brother fell asleep in the temple of Apollo were said to have been found surrounded by serpents in the morning.) Gossow’s portrayal of the young Cassie is very good. There is obviously a complex family dynamic happening around her that Cassie does not fully understand and this depiction is engaging.
Later, when Cassie is a teenager, she has all the attendant growing pains that most teenagers do – she is uncertain of her place in the world, desperate for friends, desperate to feel loved and desired and yet her visions have isolated her. What is worse is that her brother has a knack for predicting the weather and is labelled as a prodigy! The section where Cassie is a teen is particularly well written. Gossow evokes her loneliness and longing with seeming ease and Cassie is a character that evolves beautifully as the story progresses. There are moments where you’ll loathe the teen brat and others where your heart will ache for her.
I honestly didn’t think that I was going to enjoy this book. The reason for it was very simple – the novel is written in the third person present tense, which is unusual. I think for majority of authors this is a problematic choice in that it, at least for me, serves to remind readers of the presence of a narrator and that we are being told a story. This irked me and often repeatedly pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me in it.
However, I kept reading and I was very glad I did because by the end I thought the choice, stylistically, suited the tale. Cassie goes through her life as a spectator, unable to change events and is isolated from those around her, so choosing the third person present meant the reader almost walked in Cassie’s shoes. We were the same powerless observer of her life that she was and this served to heighten the tragic elements of the story. By about half way through the book I had become accustomed this stylistic choice and was enjoying so much else about Gossow’s prose, that I was immersed in the novel anyway.
This is a book with a broad appeal. I’d label it as a YA crossover novel – though I think the notions that many automatically attach to the YA category would do it a disservice. It’s part coming of age story, part fantasy, part Aussie battler family drama dealing with the grim reality of life on the land.
Simply put it’s great new Aussie fiction.
Four Stars.
December 15, 2017
Sometimes a rare book comes along that draws you in to the lives of its characters so fully that you feel, at the end, as though you have walked alongside them in reality. Cassandra is one such book. Exquisitely written with excellent characterisation, it highlights Odyssey Books' expertise in discovering hidden gems that breakdown genre expectations. Though classified as young adult, it is literary and spiritual in nature, with a compelling story.
Set in rural Australia in the 1980s, it beautifully captures this era in a moving coming of age story about teenager Cassie, who, like her mythological namesake Cassandra, catches glimpses of the future, but finds this to be more of a curse than a blessing. There is a sense that the three fates of Greek myth are watching over the story as it unfolds. Cassie's visions are fascinating and obscure and her relationships with her friends typical of a confused young teen who has more reason than most to feel she doesn't fit in. The events that unfold in the book are difficult enough to deal with, without the added complications her visions cause.
Highly recommended.
Set in rural Australia in the 1980s, it beautifully captures this era in a moving coming of age story about teenager Cassie, who, like her mythological namesake Cassandra, catches glimpses of the future, but finds this to be more of a curse than a blessing. There is a sense that the three fates of Greek myth are watching over the story as it unfolds. Cassie's visions are fascinating and obscure and her relationships with her friends typical of a confused young teen who has more reason than most to feel she doesn't fit in. The events that unfold in the book are difficult enough to deal with, without the added complications her visions cause.
Highly recommended.
June 8, 2020
'She dreams of plane crashes, earthquakes, tsunamis, bloody coups. She dreams of the stallion sweeping down the hill ... . P. 197'.
Early on in this book, author Kathryn Gossow had instilled into me as a reader a sense of 'foreboding'. But like Cassie trying to clarify her visions, I struggled to discern what the feeling of impending doom was about? Would it concern Paulo, or Athena, or a secret in the family, or Cassie herself? The possibilities thicken and darken and thunder down on Cassie's life like the ominous horse in her nightmares.
Cassandra: A princess of Troy and priestess of Apollo. She was cursed to utter true prophecies but to never be believed.' (Wiki)
Cassie seems like an ordinary girl who gets bitten by a snake on a farm in Queensland. Her little brother predicts a drought, she grows to be a grumpy teenager troubled by visions, she scowls at her mother in the ordinary teenage way, she worries about her great-aunt and her Poppy .. Wait a minute. Bitten by a snake? Visions? Her brother foretells a drought?
'The Snake: Some versions of the legend have Cassandra falling asleep in a temple, where the snakes licked her ears so that she could hear the future. According some versions, Cassandra had a brother Helenus. Like her, Helenus was always correct whenever he had made his predictions, but he was believed.' (Wiki)
She clumsily attempts to fit in with the cool kids, she experiments with alcohol and dope, her visions worsen. She tries to make one true friend, Athena, who introduces her to the Tarot. ('Her thoughts swirl with colour and the patterns and the meanings of the cards'. P. 77). She 's keen on a boy named Paulo .. Wait, wait. Athena? And 'Paulo' .. or 'Apollo'? Didn't Apollo's priestesses take hallucinogens to enhance their visions?
'Apollo: Many versions of the myth relate that Cassandra incurred the god Apollo's wrath by refusing him sex, after promising herself to him in exchange for the power of prophecy.' (Wiki).
What if you could foresee people's futures, for instance, that one kid on the school bus will die of bowel cancer, another will briefly shine on the stage but never become famous? A wonderful ability, yes? What if you fill with dread but you cannot make out why. Your visions swirl without a clear meaning. The Thing happens. If you had warned people, and if they had believed you, surely you could have diverted the accident or illness or mistake from happening. Is this a 'super-power' or a curse?
This can be read is a 'coming of age' novel in the sense in that it concerns teenage insecurities and self-doubts, the cruel cut and thrust of cliques and friendships, and the tensions within families. But I think you will also soon be reading it, as I did, mindful of the big questions about fate and destiny, and mulling over the extent to which every one of one's own decisions cuts away previous possibilities and opens up lines of new ones.
Early on in this book, author Kathryn Gossow had instilled into me as a reader a sense of 'foreboding'. But like Cassie trying to clarify her visions, I struggled to discern what the feeling of impending doom was about? Would it concern Paulo, or Athena, or a secret in the family, or Cassie herself? The possibilities thicken and darken and thunder down on Cassie's life like the ominous horse in her nightmares.
Cassandra: A princess of Troy and priestess of Apollo. She was cursed to utter true prophecies but to never be believed.' (Wiki)
Cassie seems like an ordinary girl who gets bitten by a snake on a farm in Queensland. Her little brother predicts a drought, she grows to be a grumpy teenager troubled by visions, she scowls at her mother in the ordinary teenage way, she worries about her great-aunt and her Poppy .. Wait a minute. Bitten by a snake? Visions? Her brother foretells a drought?
'The Snake: Some versions of the legend have Cassandra falling asleep in a temple, where the snakes licked her ears so that she could hear the future. According some versions, Cassandra had a brother Helenus. Like her, Helenus was always correct whenever he had made his predictions, but he was believed.' (Wiki)
She clumsily attempts to fit in with the cool kids, she experiments with alcohol and dope, her visions worsen. She tries to make one true friend, Athena, who introduces her to the Tarot. ('Her thoughts swirl with colour and the patterns and the meanings of the cards'. P. 77). She 's keen on a boy named Paulo .. Wait, wait. Athena? And 'Paulo' .. or 'Apollo'? Didn't Apollo's priestesses take hallucinogens to enhance their visions?
'Apollo: Many versions of the myth relate that Cassandra incurred the god Apollo's wrath by refusing him sex, after promising herself to him in exchange for the power of prophecy.' (Wiki).
What if you could foresee people's futures, for instance, that one kid on the school bus will die of bowel cancer, another will briefly shine on the stage but never become famous? A wonderful ability, yes? What if you fill with dread but you cannot make out why. Your visions swirl without a clear meaning. The Thing happens. If you had warned people, and if they had believed you, surely you could have diverted the accident or illness or mistake from happening. Is this a 'super-power' or a curse?
This can be read is a 'coming of age' novel in the sense in that it concerns teenage insecurities and self-doubts, the cruel cut and thrust of cliques and friendships, and the tensions within families. But I think you will also soon be reading it, as I did, mindful of the big questions about fate and destiny, and mulling over the extent to which every one of one's own decisions cuts away previous possibilities and opens up lines of new ones.
March 24, 2017
This is a fantastic book. Based on the Greek myth of Casandra - the main character, Cassandra (like her namesake), can see the future, but no-one believes her. In addition, without a context for her visions, she sometimes has difficulty interpreting them. There are multiple layers to the story, there is the obvious call back to the Greek myth, what happens to people who seem different, gender issues, manipulation, and the question of whether the fates control our lives, or I we can determine our own futures.
To get the most from this book, do a quick brush-up on the Cassandra myth - particularly the various ways in which she may have got her powers, the role of Apollo, Athena, and Zeus, Cassandra's role in the beginning and ending of the Trojan war, and her brother. Also, read it twice, the prophecies are much clearer the second time.
To get the most from this book, do a quick brush-up on the Cassandra myth - particularly the various ways in which she may have got her powers, the role of Apollo, Athena, and Zeus, Cassandra's role in the beginning and ending of the Trojan war, and her brother. Also, read it twice, the prophecies are much clearer the second time.
September 23, 2017
I found this book intriguing, gritty and absorbing. Cassandra has a lot going on; she's dealing with all the normal teenage issues of wanting to be accepted and loved; while also trying to understand her gift of prophecy so that she can stop bad things from happening. There was some beautiful prose and I particularly liked the faster paced rhythms the author created to help us get inside Cassie's head.
The author put us in the setting. I was there and could see the farm, the river, the hill.
I loved the themes; tarot cards, family, dreams, intuition, tea leaves... magical and mind-bending, and well contrasted against the harsh Australian backdrop of a chook farm.
I gave it five stars as it was different and brave and the author did well to tackle the complex themes of fate and mythology through the eyes of an inquiring and often troubled teen.
The author put us in the setting. I was there and could see the farm, the river, the hill.
I loved the themes; tarot cards, family, dreams, intuition, tea leaves... magical and mind-bending, and well contrasted against the harsh Australian backdrop of a chook farm.
I gave it five stars as it was different and brave and the author did well to tackle the complex themes of fate and mythology through the eyes of an inquiring and often troubled teen.
May 1, 2017
Beautiful imagery
Cassandra is an immaculately written coming of age story. Gritty, disturbing and scarily relateable. The author's attention to detail sets a vivid atmosphere for this moving story.
Cassandra is an immaculately written coming of age story. Gritty, disturbing and scarily relateable. The author's attention to detail sets a vivid atmosphere for this moving story.
February 23, 2018
Cassie Shultz bears on her young shoulders an unusual gift and this story explores its effect on herself and her family in modern times. Gossow's portrayal of Cassie's family and friendships is raw and honest and the picture of life in an isolated community drawn so well I could easily imagine myself in the remote Queensland location. The present moment blurs into the future and portents mount, but Cassie's warnings fall on deaf ears. Questions such as how much of our future is fate and how much is of our own making arise naturally from Cassie’s dilemmas and left me with much to ponder. A masterful reworking of the Cassandra myth.
May 31, 2017
A well written book by new writer, Kathryn Gossow. Easy to read, the prose flowed and the story was hard to put down. I particularly loved the imagery in several vivid scenes where I re-lived the Australia I grew up in, the teenage bush parties, Cassandra under the house as a child and at the show.
October 2, 2017
Cassandra by Kathryn Gossow
Published by odyssey books
The magic of childhood imagination comes to life in this story by Kathryn Gossow. Cassandra is a young girl learning about life, truth, and acceptance as she grows up on her family’s insular farm. Cassandra can also predict the future. Not a bad talent to have though visions are often hazy, open to interpretation, and as we find out, shaped by family secrets. Her younger brother, however, can predict the weather and on a Queensland farm where survival is determined by rainfall or lack thereof, Cassandra’s talent is sidelined.
From the dry dusty landscape around the farmhouse to the snakes in the garden, and the grandparents gently guiding the younger generation, Kathryn Gossow has created a story that will relate to readers through a reminiscence of growing up. Who hasn’t been misunderstood or ignored in favour of a shining sibling, or at least felt that way as a child. The worldview and understanding of a child is narrow and confined to the family unit. It’s no wonder then that Cassandra’s visions of the future are hard for her to put into words.
As she grows, her world expands to include a new neighbour, a girl of similar age and her father. The pair become friends and explore Cassandra’s talent of foretelling in a way that is a help and a hindrance. Visions are expanded upon though meaning is still obscured and with the opening of her mind to accept the visions, she finds that they are less easy to manage, impact on her day-to-day life, and expose her and her family to secrets ripped bare, and an uneasy future.
Kathryn’s descriptions of landscape are spot on and easily transport the reader to the Queensland outback. Her character development is interesting and will carry you from Cassandra’s young childhood to oncoming adulthood. Story will twist and turn, be hazy like Cassandra’s visions, and come clear with sometimes tragic results.
The storytelling here is masterful, woven as it is with the honest, if sometimes faulty, insights of a young child and the feelings of helplessness a young child feels in a world where she has no control or power, and limited understanding of the adult goings-on around her. At the same time, those innocent insights can cut to the bone with their accuracy. Cassandra’s interaction with her visions, the snake, and the Sisters who weave the tapestry of her family’s fate are handled with finesse as is the dive into mental illness and the reactions/fear Cassandra’s visions and behaviour causes the people closest to her.
I could go on and on, but instead, I’ll recommend that you go buy this novel and read it yourself.
Published by odyssey books
The magic of childhood imagination comes to life in this story by Kathryn Gossow. Cassandra is a young girl learning about life, truth, and acceptance as she grows up on her family’s insular farm. Cassandra can also predict the future. Not a bad talent to have though visions are often hazy, open to interpretation, and as we find out, shaped by family secrets. Her younger brother, however, can predict the weather and on a Queensland farm where survival is determined by rainfall or lack thereof, Cassandra’s talent is sidelined.
From the dry dusty landscape around the farmhouse to the snakes in the garden, and the grandparents gently guiding the younger generation, Kathryn Gossow has created a story that will relate to readers through a reminiscence of growing up. Who hasn’t been misunderstood or ignored in favour of a shining sibling, or at least felt that way as a child. The worldview and understanding of a child is narrow and confined to the family unit. It’s no wonder then that Cassandra’s visions of the future are hard for her to put into words.
As she grows, her world expands to include a new neighbour, a girl of similar age and her father. The pair become friends and explore Cassandra’s talent of foretelling in a way that is a help and a hindrance. Visions are expanded upon though meaning is still obscured and with the opening of her mind to accept the visions, she finds that they are less easy to manage, impact on her day-to-day life, and expose her and her family to secrets ripped bare, and an uneasy future.
Kathryn’s descriptions of landscape are spot on and easily transport the reader to the Queensland outback. Her character development is interesting and will carry you from Cassandra’s young childhood to oncoming adulthood. Story will twist and turn, be hazy like Cassandra’s visions, and come clear with sometimes tragic results.
The storytelling here is masterful, woven as it is with the honest, if sometimes faulty, insights of a young child and the feelings of helplessness a young child feels in a world where she has no control or power, and limited understanding of the adult goings-on around her. At the same time, those innocent insights can cut to the bone with their accuracy. Cassandra’s interaction with her visions, the snake, and the Sisters who weave the tapestry of her family’s fate are handled with finesse as is the dive into mental illness and the reactions/fear Cassandra’s visions and behaviour causes the people closest to her.
I could go on and on, but instead, I’ll recommend that you go buy this novel and read it yourself.
September 1, 2020
Cassandra broke my long run of not finishing books because I didn't find the story engaging enough. I devoured this story in three nights. There is so much to love about this work. The evokative language builds a strong sense of time and place. The author has weaved in so much detail of Australian country life through the eyes of the young protagonist, Cassandra. She is stifled by the dreariness of cent sales and show balls, but she is also a hard worker, herding cattle and helping out on the farm. The family dynamics is played like a too tight violin string. You are constantly on edge and you know that it's going to snap, and when it does, it is the most frustrating thing because (is this a spoiler alert?), the reader gets no closure. I think this is the cleverest part of the story. Cassandra is a re-imagining of the Greek myth Cassandra, the priestess who could predict the future but was never believed. Throughout the story, I shared Cassandra's frustration when her warnings come too late, when her family doesn't believe her and her friends reject her. And when Cassandra foretells her family falling apart, I just wanted... some acknowledgement, maybe Poppy saying, 'Gosh, isn't this what Cassie warned us about?' or if her mum had tried to explain everything in person and Cassie be all like ' I KNOW MOTHER!!!' Anyway, I was still left shaking at the end of the story despite the lack of closure (or maybe because of the lack of it?). This gorgeous tale is definitely worth a read.
June 25, 2017
This book was amazing. I was immediately drawn in to Cassie's world, the vivid imagery and breadth of detail allowing me to see and feel as she did. It was like I was watching it all unfold right in front of me. Not only does Cassie have to cope with all the usual stresses involved in being a teenager, she has obscure visions and dreams of the future. I was particularly enthralled by the way the visions were described, seeing their immediate effect on Cassie, and how they were regarded by those around her. Unlike her brother's perfect ability to predict weather changes, her visions are difficult to interpret and slippery to pin down. Betrayal and tragedy strike, pushing Cassie to her utmost limits, and it is up to her to seize back control of her destiny.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is or ever has been a teenager. They will not be disappointed.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is or ever has been a teenager. They will not be disappointed.
June 28, 2018
Imagine for a second....the ability to see the future with the inability to convince anyone or do anything about it. A bit how we've all felt as teens I think. (Misunderstood and not heard) Cassandra is a coming of age story blended beautifully with Greek mythology. Gossow has a gift for imagery that has you visiting other worlds.
My one small critique, if you can call it that...I came across some terms I was unfamiliar with. Some of them I could glean the meaning from, a few others left me stumped. It wasn't until after finishing the book I realized the words/ terms were Australian slang. I personally would love maybe one reference page for those of us not completely familiar with the lingo
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My one small critique, if you can call it that...I came across some terms I was unfamiliar with. Some of them I could glean the meaning from, a few others left me stumped. It wasn't until after finishing the book I realized the words/ terms were Australian slang. I personally would love maybe one reference page for those of us not completely familiar with the lingo
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2017
A waking dream
This book has such a dreamlike sense to it that it's truly enthralling. It makes you wonder about fate and Destiny.
This book has such a dreamlike sense to it that it's truly enthralling. It makes you wonder about fate and Destiny.
February 27, 2017
A gripping read from start to finish. This is a compelling story from an accomplished writer. Highly recommended!
January 6, 2019
This book is an addictive read - once you start, you really have to keep going. Cassie and her future-seeing make for fascinating reading. I found the child and then teenage perspective totally credible, and in fcat it reminded me of my own early years when adults were very annoying and unpredicatble, and the last person you would turn to.
Cassie is fortunate in having her grandfather and great aunt living with her and her family on the farm, because the generation gap allows for more real communication.
Her new and unusual neighbour Athena is a wonderful character, and I would like to know more about her - where she came from, where she went to - and am still wondering at the end of the book. Cassie, her brother Alex, and Athena steal the show for me. Characters I love. Yes, tears were shed ... but you need to read it to find out why!
*spoiler-ish*
I was disappointed in Cassie's mum and her eventual decisions, but I won't go right into that. See what you think. Cassie's perspective on that is completely convincing and made my heart ache for her - but that happened quite a bit in this book.
A page-turning, moving exploration of potential, imagination, and how to deal with everything real life throws at you.
Cassie is fortunate in having her grandfather and great aunt living with her and her family on the farm, because the generation gap allows for more real communication.
Her new and unusual neighbour Athena is a wonderful character, and I would like to know more about her - where she came from, where she went to - and am still wondering at the end of the book. Cassie, her brother Alex, and Athena steal the show for me. Characters I love. Yes, tears were shed ... but you need to read it to find out why!
*spoiler-ish*
I was disappointed in Cassie's mum and her eventual decisions, but I won't go right into that. See what you think. Cassie's perspective on that is completely convincing and made my heart ache for her - but that happened quite a bit in this book.
A page-turning, moving exploration of potential, imagination, and how to deal with everything real life throws at you.
January 14, 2018
I found this book refreshingly original. Although I grew up in the UK and have only lived in Australia since 2001, the portrayal of teen life in 80s rural Australia felt extremely vivid and absorbing.
The interweaving of the themes and ancient myths surrounding prophetic Cassandra and her brother Helenus with the 80s Cassandra and her brother Alex was deftly handled; subtle but clear. Despite the apparent inevitability of Cassandra's dreams and visions coming true, the story contains plenty of tension and surprises.
The characters leap off the page, each with their own motivations, issues and desires. I particularly enjoyed the relationships between teenage Cassandra and her elderly relatives, as well as her eclectic group of friends.
Thank you, Kathryn Gossow, for a very enjoyable read!
The interweaving of the themes and ancient myths surrounding prophetic Cassandra and her brother Helenus with the 80s Cassandra and her brother Alex was deftly handled; subtle but clear. Despite the apparent inevitability of Cassandra's dreams and visions coming true, the story contains plenty of tension and surprises.
The characters leap off the page, each with their own motivations, issues and desires. I particularly enjoyed the relationships between teenage Cassandra and her elderly relatives, as well as her eclectic group of friends.
Thank you, Kathryn Gossow, for a very enjoyable read!
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