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Tea-Tree Passage
As his arms wrapped her in a tight embrace she swayed against him, savouring the moment. There had been times during the past years when she had wondered if she would ever see him again, would ever be enclosed in those same arms. So many men hadn’t come home. After four years facing the horrors of the trenches in France, Frank Carmody returns to make a life for himself and his wife, Nina. But it’s now 1919 and everything has changed. As Frank and Nina deal with the post-war boom and the bitter blows of the Great Depression, their children seem destined to grow up in a world where nothing is certain. But even as the legacies of war echo down the generations, there remains the possibility of solace in a place called Tea-tree Passage. And perhaps there could still be love …
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2002
18 people want to read
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May 21, 2012
Frank is a fisherman who is married to Nina. They live with Franks’ parents in Tea Tree Passage, a small coastal fishing village. Frank has just returned from the War and his mind remains filled with the horrors he experienced. Nightmares are calmed and soothed by Nina, however they continue to torment him in his waking hours. His fears are not eased or understood by his parents. He returned when their favourite son Bill did not, somehow Frank is to blame, and they let it be known. When he can take no more of this he takes Nina to Sydney to start a new life.
In a flat that Nina dislikes she isolates herself from the outside world. Frank finds work and spends long hours away from her. They are strangers still and Nina finds solace in raising their children. Frank goes into a development opportunity with a man he meets at the pub who becomes his business partner. This leads to longer hours and more time away from his growing family. Nina is often disappointed and hurt by Frank who becomes increasingly dependant on alcohol and has a torrid affair with his business partners’ wife. They become wealthy and move into the home of their dreams while their marriage disintegrates. Frank is still tortured with memories that are too painful from the War. All their newfound wealth is lost almost overnight when the Depression hits. They go back to poor accommodation and living standards and Frank becomes riddled with further guilt and ends up becoming a vagrant, leaving home for lengthy periods while Nina battles on to raise her children. When Frank is finally unable to return, Nina takes her children Claire, Joe and Lydia back to Tea Tree Passage.
Although this section of the book is only a third of the volume, it’s content overshadows every aspect of the new lives Frank’s surviving family strive to overcome. Claire is solid and dependable, Joe becomes a fisherman leaving school early, and Lydia is flighty and vivacious and self-indulgent. Nina doesn’t allow herself the luxury of happiness for her whole life is devoted to her children.
Robyn has masterfully told a sad yet intriguing tale within these pages. It takes the reader through two World Wars and the Great Depression depicting how these monumental events affected the lives of one family. In the first Gold Coast Writers meeting this year Robyn described how she draws from factual information and research to make the fabric of her work. She does this with skill and leaves the reader totally submersed in an era and place. The characters she creates are believable and resilient. Please join me in proudly housing this volume along side the others in a Robyn Lee Burrows collection in your bookshelf.
In a flat that Nina dislikes she isolates herself from the outside world. Frank finds work and spends long hours away from her. They are strangers still and Nina finds solace in raising their children. Frank goes into a development opportunity with a man he meets at the pub who becomes his business partner. This leads to longer hours and more time away from his growing family. Nina is often disappointed and hurt by Frank who becomes increasingly dependant on alcohol and has a torrid affair with his business partners’ wife. They become wealthy and move into the home of their dreams while their marriage disintegrates. Frank is still tortured with memories that are too painful from the War. All their newfound wealth is lost almost overnight when the Depression hits. They go back to poor accommodation and living standards and Frank becomes riddled with further guilt and ends up becoming a vagrant, leaving home for lengthy periods while Nina battles on to raise her children. When Frank is finally unable to return, Nina takes her children Claire, Joe and Lydia back to Tea Tree Passage.
Although this section of the book is only a third of the volume, it’s content overshadows every aspect of the new lives Frank’s surviving family strive to overcome. Claire is solid and dependable, Joe becomes a fisherman leaving school early, and Lydia is flighty and vivacious and self-indulgent. Nina doesn’t allow herself the luxury of happiness for her whole life is devoted to her children.
Robyn has masterfully told a sad yet intriguing tale within these pages. It takes the reader through two World Wars and the Great Depression depicting how these monumental events affected the lives of one family. In the first Gold Coast Writers meeting this year Robyn described how she draws from factual information and research to make the fabric of her work. She does this with skill and leaves the reader totally submersed in an era and place. The characters she creates are believable and resilient. Please join me in proudly housing this volume along side the others in a Robyn Lee Burrows collection in your bookshelf.
Displaying 1 of 1 review