Come in Spinner

by Dymphna Cusack, Florence James

An acclaimed novel which explores what life on the home-front was like for Australian women in WWII. Come in Spinner was an immediate sensation when it was first published in an abridged version in 1951.

Florence James was the author of Come in Spinner and a book for children. Dymphna Cusack was the author of 12 novels including Pioneers on Parade which she co-authored with Miles Franklin.

Genres: Fiction, Australia, War, Classics, Historical, Historical Fiction, Literature

443 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Dymphna Cusack AM (21 September 1902 — 19 October 1981) was an Australian author. Born in West Wyalong, New South Wales, Dymphna Cusack was educated at St Ursula's College, and graduated from Sydney University with an honours degree in Arts and a diploma in Education. She worked as a teacher until she retired in 1944 for health reasons.

Cusack wrote twelve novels (two of which were collaborations), seven plays, three travel books, two children's books and one non-fiction book. Her collaborative novels were Pioneers on Parade (1939) with Miles Franklin, and Come In Spinner (1951) with Florence James.

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

When people impose the discipline of chastity on themselves it’s usually because they regard it as an important part of a larger loyalty, the basis on which two people can plan a life together – like having a joint bank account and trusting each other. But neither self-discipline nor a bank book are any good unless you are going to have a future. I don’t blame the young people you criticise so harshly; I blame a world that takes away their hope of security and gives them little prospect of life.

This is a sprawling, passionate, alive novel about the experiences of Australian women during the second world war. Clustered around the workers in a beauty salon in a high-end Sydney hotel, the book explores the volatile sexual, financial and emotional worlds of women living in a time of huge uncertainty and change. There's a lot in the book, plenty of politics, buckets of social commentary and huge doses of what is now history, but none of this draws focus from the stories of the women. It seems clear that James and Cusack have much they feel needs to be said, but they think all this is best done simply by telling the stories of women. I found myself contrasting this to Katherine Susannah Prichard and Eleanor Dark, for example, who both use stories as a structure to hang discussion, debate and polemic around. Come in Spinner is all sound and fury, and little structure, and the characters are believably absorbed in their own personal dilemmas, to the exclusion of speechifying or musing on the state of the world.
But their dilemmas are pointed, and it must be said, the single week of their lives in the book is one hell of a week. Rape, sex work, abortion, illegal gambling (high and low stakes), and workplace discrimination all feature heavily in the plot lines, scoring with what must have been, at the time, brutal honesty the reality of the dilemmas women face. Underpinning this however is the ongoing preoccupation of the women about their future, with the book set in the waning of the war. Economic destabilisation hangs heavy over their choices: women over 45 expect to be turfed immediately and permanently from work, and all are aware that returning servicemen will be given work in preference to them. The women agonise about matrimonial choices, juggling desires for stability, love, passion, escape. Several weigh choices which offer material advantages, but come with a price of endless servitude of one form or another. Two of the women excel at business, but neither can work out how to break from the situations they are trapped in to become self reliant, defeated by both internal and external factors.
Sex is an abiding theme, and never simple (as the early quote shows). Sex is a contract, and act of passion, part of a game played very carefully with high stakes. Sex work - well, a slavery/rape storyline gives a horrific example of sex trafficking, perpetrated and colluded by women who are cartoonish villains. However, another scene, in which sex workers locked up swap stories about how to get out, gives a brief glimpse of different perspective, and a set of sex workers who are worth respecting.
There is complexity and dissonance in this book, which seeks to present no answers or sharply defined argument, but instead a passionately told set of stories that demand, simply, to be heard.
(Much to my chagrin, I have no idea if I have read this before. I suspect I had seen the mini series in the 80s, as some of the plotlines were familiar and I knew how they would end. I am getting old!)

[Tien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book opens with a stuck lift and an Aussie injured soldier working as a liftman playing a two-up game with some American soldiers (I had to look up this game myself, it’s to do with spinning/throwing coins). Hence, the title Come In Spinner. These soldiers themselves are not the main characters in this novel. In fact, this novel tells of a week in the lives of working class women in Sydney during WWII when the American soldiers were based in Australia.

The book focused on 4 women who worked in the Marie Antoinette, a salon in a prestigious hotel in Sydney. It tells of their struggles with husbands or lack of, their oppression by the snobby upper class and managers, and most especially, lack of money. These women have bonded with each other though these bonds are fraught with some jealousy. They have their own set of troubles, their own unique way of facing (or hiding) their troubles, and yet, what they all wanted is a life where they are not limited to “their class”.

This book was a truly fascinating insight to women in that particular era and I found it absolutely admirable how courageous they are. Different sort of courage for each and despite the rather un-decisive ending (ie. there are some indications what they’ll do but there wasn’t the actual executions nor consequences being told), I gathered from the book that these 2 female Aussie authors know exactly what they’re talking about (note that the book was published in 1951 in an abridged version due to content and in 1987 in unabridged original version). Reading it now in 2017, I didn’t find anything controversial… I guess there were some ‘unpleasantness’ but nothing that I haven’t come across before. Amazing how time has changed!

[Michael Percy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful piece of Australian literature. It captures the lived experience of Sydney and the "American Occupation" during the Second World War, bringing to life the social history I studied in one of Joan Beaumont's classes at Deakin University. I am rediscovering Australian literature that for some reason is hidden behind the cultural cringe. This 1953 version of the work is apparently heavily abridged, and a later version edited from the original manuscript includes the parts about rape, prostitution, and abortion that were not allowed to be published when first released in 1951. I enjoy discovering great literature at bric-a-brac stores, but it really makes we wonder how such gems escape the Australian education system. The tales of tragedy, glamour, despair, and comeuppance, following the lives of a handful of young women in 1940s Sydney, expose a reality that was well-hidden by my great-grandparents and their facade of morality. Maybe this is why the work has not had its proper place in Australian literature, despite a television series based on the book that seems to have also disappeared into history.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long book. I read this for an Australian Lit. course and I managed to read all 700+ pages! It was fiction, but historical too and taught me a lot about Australian culture during world war II.

[Faye Oppitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to miss these characters, especially Guinea. A wonderful glimpse at the lives and voices of women in wartime Sydney.

[Val H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this when I was about 12/13 (early 1960s) and thought it was very racey! Of course, it isn't, but it does deal with many of the issues facing women during WWII - unwanted pregnancy, houses of disrepute, going out with the glamorous Yanks, enjoying working and wondering what would happen after the war, having to work in order to survive, etc. It is a genuine piece of Australiana and deserves a higher place in the literary pantheon and to be more widely read today. (As does Eileen Finlays' "The Hills Of Home"). For a book first published in 1951 (although highly abridged to protect moral sensibilities), it is extremely readable today and addresses many issues which still face young women. It is also a marvellous snapshot of Sydney towards the end of the war. Very enjoyable - I loved re-acquainting myself with Guinea, Deb and Claire. I have the DVD and next step is to re-acquaint myself with that!

[Angus Mcfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regarded by some as a 'classic' Australian novel, I initially thought it was going to be a "New Idea" novel of gossiping women in a salon of little interest to me (despite begninning with my nearly namesake). I realised in the end that the salon gossip was instead a clever satire of the airs and prejudices held by various 'classes' of Australian society during the 1940's (and thereabouts). Expresses well the disdain held in Australia to those who would seek to place themselves above the 'everyday' man.

[Jülie ☼♄  · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was loaned a copy of this book many years ago and found it so thoroughly absorbing that the characters stayed with me long after the story had ended. I remember telling everyone to read it! It was hard to find any copies of it around, so when I recently saw a new release of it on the shelves again with a new cover, and promptly bought it to keep with my collection of favorite "Aussie" books. I will read it again.

[Ethna Brave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. What an amazing insight into Australia, the class system and the lives of women at the end of WWII. A beautifully written, insightful and all round must read!

[Sammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thinking about it, this may be one of the only occasions where a book's initial score managed to go up as I read it. Initially, it was a one, both in stars and out of ten. Just something about it really didn’t engage me, and I grew weary of all these characters that were honestly pretty forgettable, melding into one another. It was bleakly boring. Then, after a hundred pages or so, it did pick up; there was Monnie and her horrible experience being sex trafficked, Deb and her drama being stuck between two men, and Mary trying to navigate getting an abortion in the midst of WWII. I did not really care for Guinea, or anyone else besides those mentioned before, really...Blue was a treat whenever he came up, though. I’d say Monnie’s story was the most engaging to read, though she sort of fades into the background after her arrest and is unconscious most of the book. Deb was interesting to read, especially with her (almost!) self-awareness of how she melds herself to a man's beliefs without having any of her own, though I did not care for her. In all honesty, despite it being over seven hundred pages... a lot of it felt unfinished. Not rushed, but incomplete. We do not know what happens with the fallout of Monnie’s death, we do not see a final confrontation between Deb and her husband whom she plans to leave. We have two women going into the open arms of men who have gambling problems and have been unfaithful to them in the past (separately). There is no conclusion, really, more so a final lesson; it is better for a woman to be within the security of a man than become a harlot, or worse, dead. And while it seems more like the reality of its time than a statement the book itself is trying to make, it just falls somewhat short for me.

4/10 – because even though it is boring in some parts, and the characters can get a bit muddled, its really more of an average novel with some small kinks in it than anything too horrendous.

[Glenys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 1948, it is easy to understand how this book shocked the middle classes.
Unlike many novels written about these times, this was a "modern" book of its day. The style and language was typically Australian. I smiled to read many expressions that were familiar when I was growing up used as everyday language.
'Come in Spinner' paints a picture of Sydney during WWII with soldiers, sailors and airmen on leave. For some it was home, coming back to find their wives and girlfriends had changed. They had taken jobs, become independent and kept the country running, many with an eye to a better future for themselves after the war. The American troops on leave on Australia had money to burn and many advantages that the Aussies did not. These are facts of the times.
This novel is set in the beauty salon of a hotel where the clientele have the staff on call for pampering - hair and make-up for the many functions held for the 'elite'. It pays well and the tips are generous so there is gambling (baccarat and horse racing), illegal drinking and abortions. With this glimpse of how others live, it was little wonder that hard-working women's heads were turned. This tale of Sydney's war-time underbelly was no doubt shocking to many readers of the day.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am pleased to see many very appreciative reviews of this novel. I knew of it from long ago and got the impression it was a too-frank slice of society thing, probably a slender book of cringingly larrikin language and action, barely adequately written. It is a too-frank slice of society thing but is a huge book of fierce feminist and socialist concern so well written these only support the character-driven plots and its hundreds of pages fly past. It's quite a work of genius wit in how broadly yet pointedly the author (and re-author) lay into every level and corner of a society of a certain place and time which itself is clearly evoked with concise but complete descriptive flourish. The vernacular high and low is defined in the dialogue without strain. Having read many 'social realist' post-war lauded classics, mostly American, plus all of Patrick White and a few other Australian authors, I rate this as much less pretentious, more astute and honest, especially from the female perspective, and more captivatingly readable than any of them.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an audiobook and I was disappointed. The writing gave a fair view of Sydney lifestyles and the status of women in Australia during the years of WW2 especially the influence of American soldiers on R&R. When a 16 year old being found in a brothel is not as alarming as a 16 year old unmarried pregnancy, one wonders at the vulnerability of girls in the world today being trafficked for sex in similar ways. While other social conventions are also addressed such as abortion, the lack of male accountability, the work choices available to women and the preoccupation with marriage as the ultimate goal for all women, the story at times seemed disjointed. I liked the weaving of the penny spinning - the luck - wing woven in, but it wasn’t developed well in my view. The book finished too quickly…I felt I had missed somethings. Another review on the audiobook makes me wonder if it was an abridged version- if it was,then it wasn’t done well.

[Yvette Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written in 1946 and won the Daily Telegraph novel competition. It was published five years later in an abridged version. A radio serial was produced in the 1950s and, despite its popularity, was axed after two episodes due to viewer complaints. I mean adultery, rape, prostitution, promiscuity, abortion... I watched the 1990 mini series, which has an awesome soundtrack, and introduced me to those old standards as a teenager. Basically, all i remember is the soundtrack and the abortion. Anyway, the story (abridged was a good length for me!)... Set in Sydney at the end of WW2, young women work in a beauty salon in a luxury hotel. This paints a believable picture, the women had to work and become independent, and loved their time to socialise. They were a completely different generation to their parents. An aussie classic.

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love my Australian Classics.
This one is set in Sydney during the second world war. The city is full of American servicemen who are cashed up and looking for fun. The local women navigate their way through this pressure-cooker atmosphere in a city that has never been so free and so dangerous.
Hugely controversial when it was published because of the refences to abortion and prostitution, this is a dead set classic that needs to be read much more widely than it is.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know much about this book before reading but I was astonished by it. It delves into the Australian experience during WW2 of restrictions, lack of housing and grog. It focuses on women’s experience and writes starkly about abortion, prostitution, greed and the ugly side of Sydney. It was amazing this was written in 1951. I struggled with the racist references in the book though, these were stark and distressing.

[Mary Monks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It is set in a beauty salon in a Sydney hotel during WWII. It tells the story of 3 women and their lives and loves.
It was an interesting view into those times and how life was affected by the hardships, the scarcities and the presence of the Americans who always seemed to be able to access resources better than the Aussie soldiers.

[Louise McOrmond-Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished this epic book and loved it. I realise that it was already a huge book, but I would have loved to hear more about Dallas and Nolly, as well as a big come-uppance for the horrible Angus MacFarland and Denise D'Arcy-Twining. Loved Guinea, liked Claire and loathed Deb.

[Mark O'donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling and intriguing glimpse of Sydney during World War II. We get to experience a week with the women of the Hotel South Pacific. Great read, not easy to get hold of the printed book, but worth the effort.

[Wendy Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 to 4 stars. An interesting slice of Australian literary and social history. A little long in some places but the women characters were engaging and their stories moving, as well as surprisingly relevant.

[Sharon Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. I read Chines Women Speak, had to find out who Dymphna Cusack was and then discovered I had Come in Spinner on the shelf.

[K.V. Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an Aussie classic! Wonderful to read it again and be whizzed back to Sydney in the 1940s.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Australian story.

[Dulcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic for a reason

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding, heartbreaking, and gloriously compelling, I never knew anything about this book before someone suggested it as a companion for our book club, and I was blown away.

[Elaine Schroller · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Australian classic - the lives of several women navigating life, work, men, and wartime deprivation and perks - in Sydney towards the end of WWII.

[Dani Ringrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is this not a best-selling Australian classic? Was absolutely intrigued when I read about this in a "lost classics" blog. It's a novel authored by 2 women in the late 1940s (which in itself just feels wonderful), capturing a brilliant microcosm of how women came out second-best during WW2 in Sydney, and the level of blatant corruption that went on. I was astounded to find out this novel had won a competition, but had to be censored for its content (and removed 50,000 words) before initial publication. It has subsequently been republished in its original form, and the intro by one of the authors is a must-read.
The three women at the core of the novel are brilliant sketches, and pack a lot into the single week of their lives this novel focuses on. It was censored for its depiction of prostitution and abortion, both issues which were treated in the least salacious manner possible. The girl seeking an illegal abortion after an affair with a married man, and the maneuvres she takes to procure her abortion, the hushed but guaranteed support from all the women around her, and bravery and fallout during the actual procedure, broke my heart. This is a wonderful, strong feminist piece of work.
The most astonishing section, for me, was Kim's scathing critique of the RSL - to hear a serving member lay into the Returned Services League is quite jarring, as it's considered to be such a sacred organisation in our society - especially written in situ. "From what I can see of returned men between the two wars - my own dad and yours among them - they joined up these clubs just to get a chance of drinking their beer and fighting their battles over again. While they had enough money to buy any beer, that was. But once the depression hit them, it was a bloody fat lot the League did for returned men. You want to hear my dad on it. The clubs were only an excuse to keep the men leg-roped with their baloney about Lone Pines and mam'selles. Keep the boys out of politics."
Another awfully prescient observation, on how this country treats bushfires, turns up early in the novel: "It's always the same with those blokes. They sit round a council table quibbling over a few thousand pounds until they shined the seats off their pants and the fires have burnt out thousands of acres of bush and a dozen orchards or so, and then they make speeches to the firefighters about their heroic efforts, and damned well sit down and do nothing for another year."
Almost every class in society is examined and captured wonderfully - Americans based in Sydney, upper-class, gamblers, working class in the bush. This is a genuine, hefty time capsule, and I adored every minute I spent with the girls who worked in the beauty salon.

[Alexandra Daw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must be getting to be a sour puss in my old age. I'm only giving this three stars. I'm not sure the fault is all the book or whether it is just the audio production. I suspect the latter. The cheesy musical interludes did nothing to help the listener enter the story world. I found myself being increasingly amazed at how awful they were and aggravated because I don't think they were really necessary. The narrators were well cast I think but there were a few annoying errors (to my mind at any rate) in the narration e.g. mispronouncing both Wynyard and grimace. The accent as far as I know is on the first syllable in each word - not the second. Just jarring when it would be so easy to ring a Sydney-sider up and ask them - "How do you pronounce Wynyard?" Maybe the poor old ABC's budget has been slashed so much that there is no producer to over-see the whole production. The story itself was a quite interesting window into the world of WW2 in Sydney. The characters invested heavily in love and Lady Luck for entirely comprehensible reasons given the uncertain times. I knocked this over in about week. It's probably an easy read but I don't recommend the audio version.

[Jillian]

I don't know how a miniseries could ever have done this justice. I haven't seen the original abridged version so I have no idea how much and what parts were cut. There were several rather irritating moralising sections (I found Deb's character overall quite irritating) but I think they were probably important to show the views and social tensions in place the the time. It's amazing to think that all this really went on, and even more impressive that a pair of young women were brave enough to write and publish it!

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sydney during the Second World War. The men are away fighting. The women are getting by as best they can. The whole city is overrun with foreign, mostly American, servicemen.
This was a controversial novel at the time it was written because it spoke frankly about things like rape, abortion, prostitution and marital infidelity but these things were realities in the lives of Australian women during wartime.
The author spins a story very well and keeps you emotionally involved despite the length of the book.
A true Australian classic that deserves a wider readership.