The Swooping Magpie

by Liza Perrat

The thunderclap of sexual revolution collides with the black cloud of illegitimacy.

Sixteen-year-old Lindsay Townsend is pretty and popular at school. At home, it’s a different story. Dad belts her and Mum’s either busy or battling a migraine. So when sexy school-teacher Jon Halliwell finds her irresistible, Lindsay believes life is about to change.

She’s not wrong.

Lindsay and Jon pursue their affair in secret, because if the school finds out, Jon will lose his job. If Lindsay’s dad finds out, there will be hell to pay. But when a dramatic accident turns her life upside down, Lindsay is separated from the man she loves.

Events spiral beyond her control, emotions conflicting with doubt, loneliness and fear, and Lindsay becomes enmeshed in a shocking true-life Australian scandal. The schoolyard beauty will discover the dangerous games of the adult world. Games that destroy lives.

Lindsay is forced into the toughest choice of her young life. The resulting trauma will forever burden her heart.

Reflecting the social changes of 1970s Australia, The Swooping Magpie is a chilling psychological tale of love, loss and grief, and, through collective memory, finding we are not alone.

Genres: Australia, Drama

351 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2018

About the author

Liza grew up in Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife for fifteen years.
When she met her French husband on a Bangkok bus, she moved to France, where she has been living with her family for twenty years. She works part-time as a French-English medical translator, and as a novelist.
Since completing a creative writing course ten years ago, several of her short stories have won awards, notably the Writers Bureau annual competition of 2004 and her stories have been published widely in anthologies and small press magazines. Her articles on French culture and tradition have been published in international magazines such as France Magazine, France Today and The Good Life France.

Spirit of Lost Angels is the first in the French historical "The Bone Angel" series set against a backdrop of rural France during the French Revolution. The second in the series, Wolfsangel, set during the WWII Nazi Occupation of France, was published in October, 2013. The third, Blood Rose Angel, set during the 14th century Black Plague years was published in November, 2015.
The Silent Kookaburra, a 1970s Australian psychological suspense novel, was published in November, 2016.
The second in this 70s Aussie Family Drama, The Swooping Magpie, was published in October, 2018.
Friends, Family and Other Strangers is a collection of humorous, horrific and entertaining short stories set in Australia.
Liza is a founding member of the Author Collective, Triskele Books and regularly reviews books for Bookmuse.
Sign up for new book releases and receive a FREE copy of Friends & Other Strangers, Liza's award-winning collection of Australian short stories.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Lindsay Townsend, not quite sixteen, was attractive and well liked at school. But her homelife wasn’t good – her cowering and subservient mother and her brutal and controlling father – she was lonely and confused about her feelings. When she and her best friend were sunbathing at the nearby beach over the holidays, they spied the delicious Jon Halliwell, PE teacher at their school, surfing. Lindsay decided she would get his attention through a Rolling Stones T-shirt, which just happened to be Jon’s favourite band. And it worked…

Wollongong, Australia in the 1970s and life wasn’t easy for young, impressionable teenage girls. Lindsay was suddenly forced to grow up when things spiraled out of control and she was forced into a situation she had no say over. The heartbreak, fear, loneliness and desperation that dogged Lindsay’s life would last for decades. Could she ever know true happiness once again?

The Swooping Magpie by Aussie author Liza Perrat is exceptional. So true and reminiscent of the 70s, when we young ones had dreams of a wonderful future where nothing would stand in the way. The friends Lindsay made – especially Bizzie – showed her a kindness which came from the shared understanding of their experiences. The Swooping Magpie is an emotional read which is hard to review without giving away spoilers – but believe me when I say it’s a brilliant book from an author who is definitely at the top of her game. And if you were a teenager in the 70s, you'll feel the familiarity of the words! Highly recommended.

With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Swooping Magpie is the fifth novel by Australian-born author, Liza Perrat. Almost sixteen, somewhat precocious and rather wilful, Lindsay Townsend has set her sights on Wollongong High School’s married Phys Ed teacher, Jon Halliwell. Despite her close friend’s disbelief, the flirtation goes both ways, and soon they are having an affair. The inevitable happens, and because this is 1970, Lindsay is whisked away by her horrified parents to have her baby out of sight of friends and neighbours: it wouldn’t do to sully the Townsend name.

Lindsay is intelligent but psychologically immature, believing herself in love with Jon and because she is quite vain (the vernacular of the time would describe her as having “tickets on herself”), is naïvely convinced, with a little help from Jon, that this is reciprocated. At St Mary’s Home for Unwed Mothers, the stigma attached to being an unmarried mother is just one of the levers that the matron and social workers use when trying to urge these young women to give up their babies for adoption.

Yet Lindsay, certain of her lover’s support, is determined to keep her baby: Of course Jon will divorce his wife, rescue Lindsay from the awful conditions she has to endure there, and they will live happily ever after with their baby in Queensland. But finding she is virtually a prisoner at Mary’s, Lindsay’s resolve is sorely tested as she tries to maintain her stance. The reality, she learns, is not only disappointing but actually quite shocking.

Perrat has given the reader realistic characters, credible dialogue and, with her marvellous descriptive prose, she certainly evokes her setting: the feel of nineteen seventies Wollongong is deftly conveyed with judicious sprinklings of songs, personalities, politics, events, fashions, language and pastimes. The societal attitudes and community mindset will strike a chord with any reader of a certain vintage. Wollongong locals will appreciate the mentions of localities, street names and institutions.

From her setting of the scene alone, it is apparent that Perrat has done extensive research. While the focus is on forced adoptions and the conditions in homes for unwed mothers, domestic violence, reactive depression, suicide and men who take sexual advantage of their position also feature. In her Author’s Note, Perrat offers up some staggering figures for newborns removed from unwed mothers and the brutal adoption industry practices common at the time. This thought-provoking, sobering book is a worthwhile read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by the author.

[Harriet Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the author's Australian series set in the 1970s. Lindsay Townsend, high-school beauty and daughter of wealthy parents, seems to have it all, but appearances are deceptive. Her father is a bully and her mother a bundle of nerves, addicted to her headache powders. On the surface, Lindsay is popular at school, but none of the friendships turn out to go very deep. In truth, she's often lonely. When her school's hunky PE teacher, Jon Halliwell, takes an interest in her, she rapidly falls for him. They begin an affair, and the vista of a happy life opens up. Sadly, it's not long before the inevitable disaster occurs, and Lindsay's dreams are dashed, but along the way, she makes true friends and learns to face life with all its sorrows as well as its joys. The author uses a true-life scandal to add drama and poignancy to the story. She's also excellent at evoking the country with its fascinating wildlife, and the times, from Vietnam war protests and the emergence of women's lib to swirly orange wallpaper and lime green sofas. At the start of the book, Lindsay isn't the most endearing of heroines. She's vain and arrogant, but the way she changes over the course of the story is part of what made this book such a success for me. I recommend it if you're interested in books with strong psychological insights into their characters’ lives and a serious underlying theme.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: New South Wales, Australia; mostly 1970s. Lindsay Townsend is a clever and popular girl at school but suffers at home due to an abusive father and an ineffective mother. At just 15, she is drawn to the school's New P.E. teacher and throws herself at him. Surprisingly, Jon responds and they are soon having an affair - but a naive mistake results in Lindsay being incarcerated in a Sydney Home for Unmarried Mothers, where she is forced to slave in the laundry attached to the hospital and repeatedly pressured to give her baby up for adoption. Lindsay is desperate to keep her baby, convinced that Jon will leave his solicitor wife and set up home with her. When she finally makes a decision, she finds that she has been the victim of a deception which affected hundreds of unmarried mothers in Australia at the time - but also has suffered from a personal deception that affects her for the rest of her life.
A good story with excellent characters but personally I preferred The Silent Kookaburra - 8/10.

[Cathy Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay Townsend, a pretty and popular sixteen year old, has set her sights on Jon Halliwell, the P.E. teacher at her school, regardless of the fact he is married. Although she is the daughter of wealthy parents, Lindsay’s home life leaves much to be desired. Her father is a controlling bully who thinks nothing of physical or verbal abuse and his long suffering wife has been cowed into submission. Despite her seeming popularity, Lindsay is vulnerable, lonely and desperate for affection. When her interest in Jon is reciprocated, it develops into a secretive affair.

Naively, Lindsay dreams of a future with Jon but is brought down to earth when her life changes drastically. She has no control over the events which overtake her and is forced into a hopeless situation no-one should have to endure, especially in the so called liberated world of the 1970s.

The story is narrated in the first person from Lindsay’s perspective and Liza Perrat captures the plight of girls in the same circumstances exceptionally well, the detailed research bringing it all to vivid, if sometimes horrific, life. Their shared experience forced the girls, who all had tragic backgrounds, to grow up quickly and they forged lasting friendships.

The Swooping Magpie is a fictional story based on fact. It’s hard to imagine the forced incarceration and cruelty young unmarried girls, who found themselves pregnant, suffered. The circumstances of the pregnancy didn’t matter, the girls had disgraced their families, sometimes through no fault of their own, and were ostracised. No thought or compassion for the trauma suffered was forthcoming and they were told in no uncertain terms to forget it and get on with their lives. In most cases the pain of loss and regret never left them. It’s also incredible, thought not totally unexpected, that the perpetrators of the scandalous conduct meted out to the girls at every level, including the parents, never had to answer for their actions.

A wonderfully written, moving and compelling story with unexpected, sometimes devastating, twists as we follow Lindsay’s journey into adulthood. The characters are realistically drawn and although Lindsay is preoccupied with her own feelings initially, regardless of anyone else, she becomes more sympathetic and likeable as the story unfolds to its satisfying conclusion.

As always, Liza Perrat has created evocative imagery of time and place, including social issues, wildlife, music and decor. And, although this is the second book in the 1970s Australian drama series, like The Silent Kookaburra it is a stand alone novel.

I chose to read and review The Swooping Magpie for Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on a digital copy from the author.

[Terry Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fictional story about the terrible injustices committed towards young, unmarried mothers in Australia until the 1980s, when they were forced into homes and made to sign papers to give their babies up for adoption, often without even seeing them. It's hard to imagine such a crime now, but in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when this book is set, a teenage, out-of-wedlock pregnancy was seen as a disgrace to a family, with the girls made to feel like the lowest of the low. No consideration was given to their feelings, or the resulting trauma they would experience throughout the rest of their lives. Liza Perrat lists her research material at the back of the book.

Headstrong, pretty and popular Lindsay Townsend has an unhappy childhood with a weak mother and a bully for a father, when she begins an affair with Jon Halliwell, a teacher at her school. The first half of the book describes not only the passage of the affair and her belief that Jon truly loved her (I loved this part of the book!), but also her time at the home, during which she is finally beaten down. On a happier note, though, it is there that she made lifelong friends with the other girls who shared her plight.

Jon's treachery is worse than she knows, as the middle of the book shows us, with a truly shocking twist; I was gripped. We then move to the immediate aftermath of Lindsay's loss, and then to the early 1990s and finally to 2013, as she and her friends aim to right the wrongs done to them.

The books is dialogue-led, with much of the story told in conversation. The emotions are real, and well-portrayed, and there is no doubt that Liza Perrat has in no way exaggerated the effect on the women who were at the home with Lindsay; I admit to shedding a tear or two during the final ten per cent of the book. Most of all, though, for anyone who might think, 'well, I wouldn't let that happen to me', Ms Perrat has depicted so well the hopelessness, the reality of being completely trapped and without options, that the girls experienced. It was, indeed, a different world. Well worth a read.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

The swooping Magpie is a beautifully written book depicting the agony and deceit afforded unwed mothers in the 70’s. Liza has written this book with compassion and truth of what these poor women went through, not just at giving birth but for the rest of their lives. A book everyone should read .
Fiona

[Olga Miret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team (author, check here if you are interested in getting your book reviewed) and was provided with an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
This is the fifth of Liza Perrat’s novels I read, so you won’t be surprised to hear that I am a fan. I have read her historical novels in The Bone Angel Series, and also The Silent Kookaburra, set, like this novel, in the 1970s. It seems that the author intends to write a new series of independent novels, set in Australia in the 1970s, reflecting the everyday lives and realities of women in the period, and this is the second one. All of the author’s novels have female protagonists and closely explore their subjectivities and how they adapt to their social circumstances in the different historical periods. They might be fictional but the pay close attention to details and are the result of careful research.
Here, the main character is Lindsay Townsend, who narrates the story in the first person, in three different time periods, the early 1970s, the early 1990s, and the final fragment, set in 2013. The first part, and the longest shows us, Lindsay, when she is about to become 16. She is (at least on the surface), a very confident girl, clever, pretty, with plenty of money, from a good family, although not all is at it seems. She seems to lead a charmed life, but her home life is rather sad, with a violent father more interested in keeping up appearances than in looking after his wife and daughter, and a mother hooked on pills and spending as much time as possible out of the house on her charity work. Despite all that, Lindsay is not a particularly sympathetic character, and I know that might be a problem for readers who are not that keen on first-person narratives, as placing you in the skin of a character you don’t like might make for an uncomfortable reading experience, even if it is for a very good reason. She is a typical teenager, overconfident, and a bit of a bully, showing no sympathy for anybody’s circumstances at the beginning of the book. She dismisses her peers, feeling superior to all of them, and, as usual at that age, she believes she knows better than anybody and is invincible. That lands her in a lot of trouble, as she falls for one of the teachers, with consequences that readers might guess but that, at the time, don’t cross her mind. At a time when society was far less tolerant of alternative families, and women’s liberation had not taken hold, Lindsay is faced with an impossible decision and is suddenly confronted with a reality miles away from her everyday life. Her intelligence (unfortunately not accompanied by common sense) and her stubbornness don’t provide her with any answers when confronted with a teenage pregnancy. Faced with hard work, and thrown in the middle of a group of girls from different walks of life and social classes, she discovers what she is really made off and learns a very bitter lesson.
Although Lindsay herself is not likeable, especially at the beginning of the story, when she goes to St. Mary’s we learn about the varied experiences of other girls in her same circumstances and it is impossible not to feel touched and care for them. We have girls from the rural outback, abused by relatives, others who are the children of immigrant families who have no means to look after their babies, and with Downey, the little aboriginal girl whose story is, perhaps, the most heart-wrenching because she is a child herself, we get a representation of the scale of the problem (and a pointed reminder of the aboriginal experience in Australia). This was not something that only happened to girls of a certain social class or ethnic origin. It happened to everybody. Through the different timelines, we get to follow the historic and social changes that took place, how laws affected adopted children and their biological parents, and we also get a picture of the ongoing effect those events had on those women, the children, and their families. We have women who never want to learn what happened to their babies, others who try but cannot get any information, others who get reunited with their children many years later, some who suffer ongoing negative consequences from their experiences, whilst others manage to create new lives for themselves. But the wound of the loss is always present.
The author deals with the tragic topic skilfully. If at times some of the scenes seem to have come out of a horrific version of a fairy tale (there are characters who are like evil witches, and Lindsay and her friends confront tasks that would put Cinderella to shame), and the degree of corruption and conspiracy stretches the imagination, we only need to read the news and listen to personal accounts of women who have been in such situation to realise that, whatever the concessions to fiction, the writer has done her research and has managed to capture the thoughts and feelings of the many women affected by this issue.
The action is set in Australia, mostly in Wollongong, New South Wales, with some events taking place in Sidney and other areas of the country. I have always admired the author’s talent for recreating the locations of her stories and for making us experience them with all of our senses, submerging us in the smells, the sounds, the tastes (I don’t know some of the foods and labels included, but they do add to the feel of authenticity), the flora and fauna, the clothing, the music, and the language of the time. Although forced adoptions are a widespread problem and it has affected a number of other countries (we might not know its full scale yet), the realistic location (and the family connection and research the author refers to in the author’s note at the back of the book) makes it more immediate and real still.
The story is extremely well-written, with enough description, both of the place and of the period, to ground the action without making it drag, but although it manages to combine action and surprises with reflective passages, the strongest point of the novel is its exploration of the psychological effects of losing a child, especially in those circumstances. The author manages to capture the thoughts and feelings of the character and through her conversations; we also get some insight into the experiences of others. In the first part of the book we have a young girl, and we get to share her thought process, her hesitations, doubts, and we feel trapped with her by a situation she is not in control of, and even though we might not have much in common with her, we do empathise and get to see things from her point of view. We do suffer with her and her friends, and although we might not like everything she says or does, we appreciate her kindness and the way she gets to bond with the other girls at St. Mary’s. Lindsay lives through much heartache, and grows and changes as a result, but people reading this book need to be aware that there are disturbing scenes and the topic of adoptions and depression might hit close home for many.
This is another great novel and although it can be read simply as fiction, I would recommend it in particular to readers interested in adoptions, particularly forced adoptions, and the perspectives of the families involved. I think it would make for a great book club choice, as the subject is one that will interest many readers, and it will bring much discussion, and the author includes a detailed list of some of the resources she has used to research the topic, providing extra material for those interested. Personally, I felt more empathy for other characters than for Lindsay, but no matter how much or how little we like each individual who went through such experiences, this novel will give readers pause and make them reflect upon the horrors that have been enforced in the recent past in the name of morality and decency. A powerful and poignant novel, to add to the catalogue of an accomplished and talented writer.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hugely emotive and important subject and one that deserves to be in the spotlight. While this is fiction, these dreadful thigs really did happen and the way unmarried mothers were treated was absolutely appalling. Anyone who has read about the Magdalene laundries, or watched ‘The Magdalene Sisters’ or ‘Philomena’ (both very much recommended) will be familiar with the issues behind this novel.
Lindsay is naïve though she tries to be a grown up. She’s vulnerable, though she seems to have it all. She’s looking for love, acceptance, acknowledgement. So she’s the perfect target for the slippery, creepy Jon.
This is a very well-written book. Lindsay is a great main character – she’s not perfect, she’s selfish and headstrong and vain. But she doesn’t deserve what happens to her. Her development as a character, the relationships and friendships she forms, all change her. And what happens to her shapes her life. Her story is written with honesty and candour, and feels completely authentic.
The cast of characters are memorable and their own stories are heart-breaking, particularly poor little Dawnie. And these are stories that deserve to be told. Anything that shines a light on the way these girls and women were treated is a good thing and this novel shows their stories so well.
That said, there were a couple of things that prevent me from giving this novel five stars. I felt that some of the historical detail used to give a sense of time and place were a little forced, felt a little shoehorned into the narrative. I also felt that the story’s full potential wasn’t completely realised – it felt like there was so much more to tell. I wanted to know more about the conditions at the home, Lindsay’s emotions and feelings at having to be there, more about her time afterwards. It felt a little rushed at times, and though it’s not a short novel, I felt that the characters and their stories deserved a bit more time.
That said, this is an important novel, well-told and a must read.

[Vanessa Couchman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a great fan of Liza Perrat’s books. I loved her Bone Angel Trilogy, a series of historical novels set in France. I’m also loving her books set in more modern Australia.

The Swooping Magpie is a standalone story, set in Wollongong and Sydney in the late 1960s and 1970s and culminating in the present day. Lindsay Townsend is a spoilt, self-centred girl of sixteen, who decides she’s ready for love, but is unprepared for the consequences. Once they emerge, she is faced with a terrible dilemma and the decision she takes will affect the rest of her life.

Lindsay’s difficulties were experienced by many teenage girls in Australia at that time. She has to grow up fast and finds that the adult world is harsh and unforgiving. The morals of 1960s Australia had yet to be challenged by the sexual revolution.

I started off disliking the self-absorbed Lindsay but ended up having great sympathy for her as her character develops. As in Liza Perrat’s other books, some of the minor characters are hugely engaging, especially the rough-edged but warm-hearted Raelene and the wise and sympathetic Bizzy.

The book is beautifully written and the descriptions of the settings make you feel you are there.

This compelling story comes to a satisfying resolution and will stay in my mind long after I have read it. Highly recommended. I can’t wait to read her next novel.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I may have said it before, but am going to say it again, Liza Perrat is an absolute Gem! Originally falling in love with her Bone Angel Trilogy, I have been amazed at how versatile a writer Liza is – and have come to the conclusion she can write anything. The Swooping Magpie is the 2nd book of an Australian series set in the 1970’s. The first being The Silent Kookaburra and although it has a similar setting and highly emotional and gripping storyline, it is by no means connected to The Swooping Magpie. Liza has the ability to bring a time and place to life. To fully immerse you in a particular place and story. Lindsay is a 16 year old girl, feels unloved and neglected and forms a relationship with her teacher which quickly throws this 16 year old on a very different track to what she had originally anticipated with her life. Without telling you the story of what happens next and giving it away, this book is compelling, shocking and my heart just went out to Lindsay. Set in the beautiful town of Wollongong NSW (which I visited recently) I loved it all from beginning to end. I was provided a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. It is my honest opinion that you will love it also. Highly recommend.

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naive temptation leads to a lifetime of consequences for Lindsay. This book closes the loop on what’s best for Lindsay. As time matures and attitudes change so does the story telling. Great realistic read.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating - 4.5 stars. Review to follow.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the author, Liza Perrat, told me she was writing a novel about an affair between a school teacher and his teenage student, I thought that this topic had been well and truly "done". However, when she asked me if she could refer to my PhD thesis, I was intrigued. Lindsay, the lead character in the book, is 16 when she becomes pregnant to her teacher lothario. Set in Wollongong and Sydney in the 1970s, when the Pill was only available for married women, unmarried motherhood was stigmatized and the supporting mothers' pension was a fantasy, The Swooping Magpie strips back the social mores that led to many young women having their babies taken for adoption. Liza Perrat brings to life Lesley and the other young women she meets in the unmarried mothers' home, as well as the nurses and midwives who work in the these establishments. The novel ends with reference to Prime Minister Julia Gillard's apology for forced adoption practices. Perrat includes an Author's Note where she provides background to these historical events which she has represented faithfully and recounted accurately. My name has never appeared on the Acknowledgements page of a book before, so I am absolutely chuffed to see it here. Thanks Liza.

[Jill's Book Cafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having loved The Silent Kookaburra I was more than happy to return to 1970’s Australia for another emotional dose of psychological drama. The Swooping Magpie, whilst also set in Wollongong (and Sydney) is not linked, so you can safely enjoy it as a stand alone (though make a mental note to investigate The Silent Kookaburra – you won’t be disappointed).

The story is essentially that of sixteen year old Lindsay Townsend, a girl who has everything she wants at home – except love and affection. An abusive father and a submissive mother help to create a girl who is headstrong and confident, and yet also emotionally naive. A fatal combination when she sets her sights on Jon, a relationship seemingly doomed from the outset given that he’s older, and also a teacher at her school. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and maybe, just maybe, this could work, because he loves her, doesn’t he? Things begin to spiral out of control but with a supportive Jon in the background, she’s prepared to face the consequences.

I’m going to leave you to discover exactly how the drama plays out, because while I thought I had it figured, there are twists I didn’t see coming, which makes the outcome even more heartfelt.

I was quickly drawn in to the story because, despite my age, I can still remember the invincibility of being 16. Those teenage emotions that need an outlet, usually found their release in idolising pop stars, actors, and yes, teachers, though thankfully for most of us, that latter wasn’t reciprocated. Following Lindsay on her emotional journey, we were also watching a child become a woman, and her naivety give way to awareness and wisdom. But it isn’t just Lindsay that will have you reading more, her new-found friends in Sydney, will have you rooting for them too.

The characters throughout are all believable and will have you veering between support and opposition, but you will never be indifferent.

This is a thought-provoking book, that makes you consider how society responds to an age-old problem. Illegitimacy is nothing new, and I’d like to think we’re living in a more enlightened age. However when you consider this was only the 1970’s it seems a world away. I was 16 in the 70’s and it really brought the issue home to me. The story that unfolds is heightened not only by the state sanctioned response, but the background story of lies and loss. Not for the first time, it’s no surprise to see that it’s the victims that pay the ultimate price, while the perpetrators escape unpunished. However, don’t be daunted by this strand of the story, because it also reflects the resilience of the human spirit and reaches a resolution that is both realistic and satisfactory.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d been looking forward to the second instalment of Liza Perrat’s 1970s Australia books, and The Swooping Magpie does not disappoint. It’s the gripping story of sixteen-year-old Lindsay, the only child in a dysfunctional family living in a wealthy district of Wollongong, New South Wales. The story is so redolent of its time and place you can practically smell the sea-surf and the coconut oil.
At the start of the story, attractive and clever Lindsay is not entirely likeable: she’s vain, arrogant and has no sympathy for her cowed and acquiescent mother who is no match for her bullying husband. However, it’s hard not to have sympathy for Lindsay despite her spoilt ways, because her home life is relentlessly loveless and miserable, and it’s unsurprising that when the gorgeous sports teacher at school shows interest in her, she is more than willing to find love and comfort in a deeply unsuitable relationship.
The teacher Jon Halliwell is a married man and although Lindsay is told ‘they never leave their wives’, she fantasises about a happy-ever-after future with Jon even after inevitable disaster strikes and her life takes a shocking turn for the worse.
Without giving any spoilers, Lindsay’s experiences, which mirror the sad fate of many teenage girls of that time in Australia, force her to grow up and we see her developing kindness towards others and also for the first time finding true friendship with other girls through their shared trauma. When she returns home she is even able to show some warmth and kindness towards her mother and manages to stand up to the cruel physical violence of her father.
In the first half of the novel, the burgeoning feminism of the era seems to have passed Lindsay by entirely but gradually light begins to dawn when she is befriended by older and wiser Bizzy who encourages her to stand on her own two feet: ‘I won’t have to depend on any husband… women have been walked over, abused and belittled for too long.’ It’s significant, too, that Lindsay has had every material comfort in her sixteen years, and yet it is the girls from the poorer backgrounds whose common-sense words make an impact on her.
I loved the range of unique and memorable characters in this novel, particularly the girls Lindsay befriends, each of whom has her own sad story to tell. And as with all Liza Perrat’s novels, the settings send you straight into the heart of the location, engaging all the senses: the story abounds with lorikeets and cockatoos, the sounds of cicadas and the scent of frangipani, the heat of the Australian sun.
The story’s twists and turns are shocking and yet totally credible and will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Swooping Magpie" is the story of Lindsey, a teen who is lonely at home, who falls for her manipulative P.E. teacher, Jon. Lindsey is thrilled by their secret love and when she gets pregnant, she sees it as a way to run away from her home life. Her parents force her into a home for unwed mothers where Lindsey is surrounded by other girls that have gotten pregnant. Lindsey will have to break out of her self-centered shell in order to protect her heart.

Lindsey is definitely a character that grew on me throughout the book. At first, she annoyed me with her self-centered-ness and her immaturity when it came to her relationship with Jon. She really undergoes a change throughout the book as she has to grow up very quickly. I liked seeing how her decision-making process changes and she determines what really matters to her. I love seeing characters go through transitions like this!

I haven't read a lot of books set in Australia or the 1970s so I really liked the descriptions of the time and the place. I thought the author did a good job of balancing the world of the characters with what was going on around them. I had no context for the feelings against the Vietnam War in Australia. I know there were massive protests and movements in the United States so it was interesting to see the feelings in Australia.

This book is a slow burn and really picks up around the midpoint. I don't want to give anything away but there is a decision that Lindsey has to make in order to move towards what she wants in life that really sped things up. Overall, this was an enjoyable read!

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got into this quickly, drawn in by the promise of suntans and surf, but I soon found an unfamiliar side of Australia in 1970, depicted with Liza Perrat’s wonderful no holds barred yet beautifully descriptive prose, and peopled with a cast of strong individuals.
It’s so tempting to look back on the 1970s as halcyon days for a young girl but The Swooping Magpie shows a seedier side of the end of the swinging 60s and the still early days of the sexual revolution where traditional values and the power of the church were such that young girls were often caught in the middle, and subterfuge and denial robbed them of what was rightfully theirs, affecting them for the rest of their lives.
Lindsay is a sixteen-year-old who is sure she knows her own mind and who has a swagger and arrogance about her, but you are also shown the vulnerability beneath her hard-won confidence. When she is put into a position of complete powerlessness and has to make a choice which will change her life, she fights so hard to find the right way forward it’s quite heartbreaking to see the way she is driven to almost lose her mind. Liza Perrat doesn’t leave it there though, she throws in a new twist, and then shows the consequences of Lindsay’s choice, the effect it has on her life, and we cannot wait to find out whether or not the justice she deserves comes about. A novel that will keep you guessing, painted in full 70s technicolour. Gripping and compelling right to the end. Recommended.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating 4.5.

I highly recommend this book. This book gives a real insight into the injustice and treatment of young girls in Australia during the 1970's who found themselves "in trouble". I was quickly hooked on the story, needing to find out what would happen. It was the unexpected twists that did it for me! It made me angry. It made me sad. Not something any book can do.

**Spoiler alert**
I really enjoyed the character development of Liza's protagonist Lindsay. We meet Lindsay, a spoiled and entitled teen who has real attitude and, throughout her journey, we find a compassionate, kind and loyal 16 year old girl who finds herself banned from her family, bullied into surrendering her child, and years later a successful woman who still harbours a broken heart.

All in all a great read!

[Chris Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

During one sun-baked summer sixteen year old Lindsay Townsend becomes besotted with Jon Halliwell. Confident that she is gorgeous enough to snare him she haunts the beach where he surfs. The fact that he is married and a teacher at her school does nothing to deter her. And when he seems only too eager to be lured away from his wife Lindsay is convinced they can have a life together.
But this is 1970s Australia and she is soon forced to realise that she is totally out of her depth caught between the cynical adults in her life and a hypocritical society.
Beautifully written, the novel combines the shocking twists and reversals of a psychological thriller with a heart-rending drama that is also a searing commentary on a shocking aspect of all too recent history.

[Pepca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sixteen-year-old Lindsey crushes on her teacher, dreaming of escaping a cold home with a violent father and an intimidated, emotionally absent mother.

But when she ‘seduces’ him – although the man, nearly twice her age, who turns out to be a truly despicable character, should very well know better – and gets pregnant, her in many ways sheltered world of wealth comes crashing down along with her dreams.

On the cusp of sexual revolution, pregnancy outside of marriage is still a taboo, unmarried mothers shamed and shunned, sent away to have their children put up for adoption.

In one such home for unmarried mothers, Lindsey is faced with a different reality of poverty and exhausting work, coming face to face with people she used to look down upon but who turn out to become her only friends when everyone else turns their backs on her and from whom she learns not only about the suffering she couldn’t imagine before but also about perseverance.

Initially a deluded girl who stubbornly sticks to her pipe dream with her head in the sand, Lindsey made me pity her, but I soon started empathise with her, being reminded of how hard it must have been for women in the time where they were dependent on men, purposely kept in the dark about the facts of life, with sex education non-existent, and then shamed for the consequences of actions often not of their own design, lied to, manipulated, and finally coerced into giving their children up for adoption.

Set against the backdrop of women’s emancipation movement, Liza Perrat depicts these issues as well as the challenges of the aftermath of losing the children they are not allowed to grieve for as their sole existence is shameful and best to forget in the eyes of society, such as depression and suicide attempts, in a multi-faced way that inspires a whole range of raw emotions in the reader, but most of all an admiration for women like Lindsey and her friends.

Thus, The Swooping Magpie is above all a testimony of women’s strength. With a collection of colourful characters and an exquisite Australian setting, it is a truly gripping and quick read (I finished it in two days) and might be, in my opinion, Liza Perrat’s best work to date.

Thanks to the author for kindly sending me a copy of The Swooping Magpie in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This review was first posted on my book blog, Beyond Strange New Words.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two (long!) sittings as it was hard to put down. It's incredible to think just how different attitudes were towards women just a relatively short time ago, and any wrongdoing was always the woman's fault, even though in this book she was just a child. Good twists in the story, which I hadn't anticipated and I even learned quite a bit about Australian life

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

During a long, hot, Australian summer, Lindsay Townsend attracts the attention of the rather handsome surfer, Jon Halliwell. Lindsay thrives on his attention and before long their relationship develops into something rather more intimate, which complicates matters because Lindsay is only sixteen and Jon is her high school teacher.

The story that follows and Lindsay's journey from girlhood to womanhood embraces all that was wrong with the sexual revolution in the early 1970s. Forced to grow up way before her time, Lindsay realises that she is caught up in events which she really has no control over, and that's where the heart of the story lies and where the writing becomes really compelling.

The author describes what happens to Lindsay, and I'm not about to spoil the story by giving the plot away, but safe to say that a great deal of research has gone into describing a situation which happened to so many girls. and as the story progresses it really makes you stop and consider just how lucky we are that times have changed.

The Swooping Magpie is an emotional story, with some sections so realistic that it's quite hard to read without feeling enormous sympathy for Lindsay and what she endured. Time and place come alive so beautifully that I felt like I walked every step of Lindsay's emotional journey alongside her. The hedonistic days of a 1970s summer which seemed to go on forever, combined with the pain and passion of first love, and the evocative scent of sea and salt which lingers in the air will remain with me for a long time.

The Swooping Magpie is the second book in the Australian series which is set in the 1970s and the author has, once again, delivered an emotional and thought-provoking story, which is both compelling and desperately sad in equal measure.

[Diana Hockley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an adopted person, I had a lot to do with groups who were searching for their adopted children and parents. I can state with full confidence, that the story of The Swooping Magpie is authentic. These injustices did happen with monstrous frequency. Social condemnation was rife - a girl who "got herself" pregnant, was ostracised by society and not only the adults. Their peers were just as cruel, including the fathers of these babies who got off scot-free.
Blackmail, coercion, downright bullying and cruelty played their full part in forcing young girls to give up their babies for adoption. There was no effort to help young women keep their babies for, at the time, there was more profit to be had in farming babies out to people who could pay. Working the girls to the point of exhaustion was a common practice and saved money in wages for the authorities, as was poor nutrition.

The story of Lindsay and the betrayal of her former lover - who should have been charged with interfering with a minor student - is not as rare as one would suppose, except that the outcome of who does what to whom, is a good twist in this sad tale.

Liza Perat has written an excellent novel which will bring memories back to many women of all nationalities. I recommend this as a strong read and will be interested in reading more of her work. Thank God times have changed!

[Bookmuseuk]

It's 1969 and 15 year-old Lindsay Townsend is ready to fall in love. She sets her sights on Jon Halliwell, a young teacher, and does everything she can to snare him. She succeeds in capturing his attention only to discover later that she is the one who has been snared. As the Swinging Sixties slide into the sexually liberated Seventies some things are still taboo.

This is a poignant story which points up the dark underbelly of the rock 'n roll years. Opportunities are opening up and conventions being ignored but for some, the new freedoms are an illusion.

Beautifully written, as is all of Liza Perrat's work, this novel is at times graphic in its exploration of the unpleasant, and lush in its descriptions of natural beauty. The sun, sand and heat of Australia are almost tangible but grime and sordidness are not far away. A gripping and emotional rollercoaster of a novel.

[Ann Duguid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having previously read and enjoyed Liza Perrat's Bone Angel trilogy and The Silent Kookaburra I was looking forward to reading her latest book, The Swooping Magpie.

Set in Australia in the 70s and moving forward to the present day it tells the story of a teenager who falls in love with a teacher at her school and subsequently becomes pregnant.

Sent away to a home for unmarried mothers in Sydney by her violent father and a mother more interested in charity work and her migraine 'powders', she is forced to put her baby up for adoption.

There are some unexpected twists and turns to this story which held my attention and I had to read the book in one sitting!

Can highly recommend!

[Kate Howarth]

I am the author of Ten Hail Marys, a memoir published by the University of Queensland Press 2010.

It came to my attention in 2018 that The Swooping Magpie, published by Liza Perrat, had breached the copyright of Ten Hail Marys.  

A side-by-side comparison of The Swooping Magpie and TenHail Marys found 142 copyright breaches. The copyright breaches spanned narrative themes, verbatim text and dialogue, which chronicles the most challenging period of my life and the pain that has not dimmed over time.

After engaging legal counsel, Ms Perrat had to take The Swooping Magpie down from the shelves and remove all mention of the book from the internet.  

December 2020, after the removal of copyright breaches, The Swooping Magpie was reprinted in Ebook format and for Kindle.  Some narrative themes and characterisations remain akin to moving the deckchairs around on the Titanic, satisfying the legal requirements.

In addition to the theft of my work, Ms Perrat breached the copyright of Gwen Wilson's work "I belong to no one." A profoundly moving and personal account of Ms Wilson's experience as an unwed mother.  It was Ms Wilson who alerted me to what MsPerrat had done.   Ten Hail Marys won the Age Non-fiction book 2010. Ittook over forty-five years to finally find the strength to tell my story and ten years to write it, and then the courage to publish.

As Ms Perrat said, she wanted to add another voice to the story surrounding forced adoptions; she should have used her own words.     

In the main, reviews for The Swooping Magpie refer to the publication in 2018 that breached copyright. It seems unfair and inappropriate that these reviews are allowed to stand.  

What Ms Perrat did was not only a disgraceful literary fraud that duped her readers; she trivialised my experience by plundering an excruciating period of my life and that of Ms Wilson, claiming the work to have come from her imagination and research.  

To quote Gwen Wilson, "To see Liza Perrat praised for words that are mine is like losing my son all over again." I echo that sentiment.

[Jane Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outwardly, Lindsay Townsend appears to be a confident sixteen-year-old, and very much in control as she pursues an attractive young sports teacher. The reader can see the risks she is taking and what the consequences will be before she can. When her parents discover that she is pregnant, their reaction to is ship her to a home for unmarried mothers. Even there, Lindsay knows that she is different from the other girls because her boyfriend loves her and she will be keeping her baby. The depiction of how this young girl is gradually worn down until she is coerced into signing adoption papers is well-told. But the discovery of how she was duped and by whom is truly shocking.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this as I lived in Sydney where the novel was set at the time in question (1970s). I did want to like this book as I thought it an important subject to broach. Everything was well done, the writing style was good and yet I just can't put my finger on why I disliked it. To be honest, I didn't even finish it. I just couldn't relate to the main character and didn't care what happened to her.

[Barbara Scott-Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1969 and 15 year old Lindsay Townsend is ready to fall in love. She sets her sights on Jon Halliwell, a young teacher, and does everything she can to snare him. She succeeds in capturing his attention only to discover later that she is the one who has been snared. As the Swinging Sixties slide into the sexually liberated Seventies some things are still taboo.

This is a poignant story which points up the dark underbelly of the rock 'n roll years. Opportunities are opening up and conventions being ignored but for some, the new freedoms are an illusion. Beautifully written, as is all of Liza Perrat's work, this novel is at times graphic in its exploration of the unpleasant, and lush in its descriptions of natural beauty. The sun, sand and heat of Australia are almost tangible but grime and sordidness are not far away. A gripping and emotional roller-coaster of a novel.