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Book by McCauley, Sue
199 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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About the author
Sue McCauley
17 books3 followersMcCauley, Sue (1941 –), fiction writer, scriptwriter and journalist, was born in Dannevirke, grew up on a farm in rural southern Hawke's Bay and was a boarder at Nelson GC.
She worked as a copywriter and journalist in Napier, Wellington, New Plymouth and Christchurch, beginning her writing career with radio and TV plays and short stories in the 1970s.
Her first novel Other Halves (1982) won both the Wattie Book of the Year Award and the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction. An autobiographically based account of a relationship between a separated Pakeha mother and a much younger Maori man, it explored ethnic, gender, age and class differences. It has been frequently reprinted, selling more than 20,000 copies, and was made into a feature film.
Her second novel, Then Again (1986), is set on an offshore subtropical island and deals with the increasingly intertwined lives of several residents.
Bad Music (1990) focuses on the relationships between an ageing rock musician, a young woman half his age and the girl’s mother.
A Fancy Man (1996) also involves an apparent mismatch between an older man and a much younger woman.
McCauley’s novels are characterised by a mix of humour, realism and compassion, with strong sympathy for the underdog. She has also written many scripts for film, television and radio and has published numerous short stories. She has worked as a teacher of scriptwriting and fiction and as a judge of story competitions.
She edited (with Richard McLachlan) Erotic Writing (1992), and wrote the text of Escape from Bosnia: Aza’s Story (1996), the narrative being worked up from recorded interviews.
She was writer-in-residence at the universities of Auckland (1986) and Canterbury (1993). After living in various parts of the North Island 1970s–80s she moved with her husband to Christchurch in 1990.
She worked as a copywriter and journalist in Napier, Wellington, New Plymouth and Christchurch, beginning her writing career with radio and TV plays and short stories in the 1970s.
Her first novel Other Halves (1982) won both the Wattie Book of the Year Award and the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction. An autobiographically based account of a relationship between a separated Pakeha mother and a much younger Maori man, it explored ethnic, gender, age and class differences. It has been frequently reprinted, selling more than 20,000 copies, and was made into a feature film.
Her second novel, Then Again (1986), is set on an offshore subtropical island and deals with the increasingly intertwined lives of several residents.
Bad Music (1990) focuses on the relationships between an ageing rock musician, a young woman half his age and the girl’s mother.
A Fancy Man (1996) also involves an apparent mismatch between an older man and a much younger woman.
McCauley’s novels are characterised by a mix of humour, realism and compassion, with strong sympathy for the underdog. She has also written many scripts for film, television and radio and has published numerous short stories. She has worked as a teacher of scriptwriting and fiction and as a judge of story competitions.
She edited (with Richard McLachlan) Erotic Writing (1992), and wrote the text of Escape from Bosnia: Aza’s Story (1996), the narrative being worked up from recorded interviews.
She was writer-in-residence at the universities of Auckland (1986) and Canterbury (1993). After living in various parts of the North Island 1970s–80s she moved with her husband to Christchurch in 1990.
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April 29, 2021
Sue McCauley skilfully captures Kiwi characteristics and relationships. I love the way she writes about people, places and experiences that I recognise.
One of my favourite quotes is on p.99 from "Aunt Elly and the Rockbusters" - " ...us with shorts on over our togs because Jan didn't think it proper that people not on the beach should get to see the crease where our legs turned into bottom."
One of my favourite quotes is on p.99 from "Aunt Elly and the Rockbusters" - " ...us with shorts on over our togs because Jan didn't think it proper that people not on the beach should get to see the crease where our legs turned into bottom."
Displaying 1 of 1 review