What do you think?
Her Name was Violet
Evan awakes from a coma in a hospital, having no idea how he has arrived there. His life feels over. Then he meets a physiotherapist named Violet who helps him on the road to recovery.
Available - March 2020
billycurry.com.au
--- warning --- reviews below contain spoilers ---
Available - March 2020
billycurry.com.au
--- warning --- reviews below contain spoilers ---
215 pages, Paperback
Published March 2, 2020
About the author
Billy Curry
3 books2 followersBilly Curry is the author of Unlonely Planet, No Time for Postcards, and Her Name Was Violet. He grew up in Bairnsdale, Australia. Later he moved to Melbourne where he completed high school and a business degree. He has represented his state and country in surf lifesaving and sprint kayaking. Curry has also worked as a corporate marketing manager. Currently, he is working on getting his first feature film made and spends his weekends surfing and writing near Pottsville.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 11, 2019
This is an unusual story that differs from the blurb, a young Australian guy who loves to drive fast cars and does so for a living, has an accident and comes across an unusual girl named Violet, who works as a physiotherapist. Evan decides he’d like her to be on his recovery team as he will need some ongoing physiotherapy to an injured thumb. He offers Violet a spot on his team. Evan is one of the country’s top race car drivers and is very popular; being spotted while out and about, he’s quite the celebrity. I noticed a few inconsistencies plot wise, I did read an early version that was contained spelling mistakes, so this was noticeable and a little distracting. Violet was seemingly an alcoholic that was able to stop her dangerous drinking ‘just like that’ this isn’t plausible. She was the type of drinker that had her water bottle with her 24/7, she drank an awful lot and just stopped. This is a quick read of a review copy, provided by the author in exchange for my review.
November 18, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Her Name Was Violet is a contemporary fiction novel from Australian author Billy Curry. A story of love, survival, chance, risk and endurance, this novel is expected to make its debut in the publishing world in early 2020.
Set in 2020, Her Name Was Violet follows the lives of two key protagonists. Evan is the country’s revered professional race car driver. While Violet is a quirky physiotherapist. The lives of these two very different individuals cross when Evan is treated by Violet in a Melbourne Hospital. Violet is later privately recruited to be a part of Evan’s recovery team, as he makes his triumphant comeback to the racing car world. What follows is a whirlwind story of trust, revelations, recovery, aspirations and love.
I was intrigued by the premise of Her Name Was Violet, which states ‘A young man awakes from a coma in a Melbourne hospital, he has no idea how he arrived there. It’s here he meets Violet a physiotherapist who helps him to get back to his life quest.’ I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for story wise, but I was happy to go with the flow.
To wake from a coma and not know what happened is always a fascinating topic to tackle. Billy Curry approaches this scenario with insight in his latest novel. With plenty of grey areas and swirling questions around this situation, I appreciated the way this story unfolded. Offsetting this aspect of the novel is the interesting relationship that sparks between two leads, who are really polar opposites. I think this couple worked well on the pages of Her Name Was Violet. Both have backstories and baggage, which is touched on within the narrative, but I definitely craved more of this aspect of the book. The accompanying dialogue was authentic, which supported the narrative. The characterisation of both the primary and third party characters was approached well. I felt like I got to know both Evan and Violet on their own terms.
Her Name Was Violet was a quick read, which I appreciated, but I did feel that some areas of this story were underdeveloped. There is an opportunity to extend upon a few areas of the novel and flesh out the plot further. I felt that Violet’s past history, alcoholism and what drove her to her line of work could have been examined further. Likewise, there are references made to Evan’s fairly wild antics and famed life prior to his accident, which I would have liked to have gleaned a little more about.
Thematically, Her Name Was Violet addresses a range of areas. From relationships, alcoholism, professional race car driving, rehabilitation, health recovery, celebrity lives, career management and fame. The ending had me on edge and it was a surprise the way in which it all culminated
Her Name Was Violet is a story of love, life, career, ambition, rehabilitation and drive. It will appeal to readers of contemporary fiction novels and I wish the author, Billy Curry, all the very best in the lead up to this book’s release in 2020.
Her Name Was Violet by Billy Curry is expected to be published in April 2020.
*Thanks extended to the author, Billy Curry, for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Her Name Was Violet is a contemporary fiction novel from Australian author Billy Curry. A story of love, survival, chance, risk and endurance, this novel is expected to make its debut in the publishing world in early 2020.
Set in 2020, Her Name Was Violet follows the lives of two key protagonists. Evan is the country’s revered professional race car driver. While Violet is a quirky physiotherapist. The lives of these two very different individuals cross when Evan is treated by Violet in a Melbourne Hospital. Violet is later privately recruited to be a part of Evan’s recovery team, as he makes his triumphant comeback to the racing car world. What follows is a whirlwind story of trust, revelations, recovery, aspirations and love.
I was intrigued by the premise of Her Name Was Violet, which states ‘A young man awakes from a coma in a Melbourne hospital, he has no idea how he arrived there. It’s here he meets Violet a physiotherapist who helps him to get back to his life quest.’ I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for story wise, but I was happy to go with the flow.
To wake from a coma and not know what happened is always a fascinating topic to tackle. Billy Curry approaches this scenario with insight in his latest novel. With plenty of grey areas and swirling questions around this situation, I appreciated the way this story unfolded. Offsetting this aspect of the novel is the interesting relationship that sparks between two leads, who are really polar opposites. I think this couple worked well on the pages of Her Name Was Violet. Both have backstories and baggage, which is touched on within the narrative, but I definitely craved more of this aspect of the book. The accompanying dialogue was authentic, which supported the narrative. The characterisation of both the primary and third party characters was approached well. I felt like I got to know both Evan and Violet on their own terms.
Her Name Was Violet was a quick read, which I appreciated, but I did feel that some areas of this story were underdeveloped. There is an opportunity to extend upon a few areas of the novel and flesh out the plot further. I felt that Violet’s past history, alcoholism and what drove her to her line of work could have been examined further. Likewise, there are references made to Evan’s fairly wild antics and famed life prior to his accident, which I would have liked to have gleaned a little more about.
Thematically, Her Name Was Violet addresses a range of areas. From relationships, alcoholism, professional race car driving, rehabilitation, health recovery, celebrity lives, career management and fame. The ending had me on edge and it was a surprise the way in which it all culminated
Her Name Was Violet is a story of love, life, career, ambition, rehabilitation and drive. It will appeal to readers of contemporary fiction novels and I wish the author, Billy Curry, all the very best in the lead up to this book’s release in 2020.
Her Name Was Violet by Billy Curry is expected to be published in April 2020.
*Thanks extended to the author, Billy Curry, for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
March 3, 2020
A very enjoyable read. A story about a relationship that begun in unusual circumstances and then advanced from there. The Author has well researched the world of Formula One racing which was interesting. The story looks at how a famous person (the driver) handles his relationships with others and how he responds to adversity. From the outset Violet appears sweet and innocent however, she uncovers a sad past which is managed in a very expected way from a high performance athlete.
What lingers after the last page of this terrific novel is not laughter or thunderbolts or the endless resilience but something far more unsettling: grief, like the sound of many waters, wide, dark, deep.
Written far more conventionally but similarly immersive, it has been set up to have broad commercial appeal. Well done to the Author Billy Curry for the research, imagination and application on writing the book. Her Name was Violet
What lingers after the last page of this terrific novel is not laughter or thunderbolts or the endless resilience but something far more unsettling: grief, like the sound of many waters, wide, dark, deep.
Written far more conventionally but similarly immersive, it has been set up to have broad commercial appeal. Well done to the Author Billy Curry for the research, imagination and application on writing the book. Her Name was Violet
February 28, 2020
Gripping read with unexpected twists. Authentic Australian voice. Highly recommend.
March 2, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It flowed, was uncomplicated and pleasurable. I cried at the end, then was surprised.
April 9, 2020
'Her Name was Violet' is an entertaining and enjoyable read. It grabs your interest and attention from the opening chapters and continues to take you along on the journey with the two main characters Evan and Violet as the different layers of their personal and professional relationship develops as well as going through their own individual challenges, struggles and growth. I really enjoyed the descriptive changes of scenery/settings in which I could picture the places mentioned as well as the climatic and hooking ending to the story.
April 22, 2020
I finished this book in two days-couldn’t put it down. Page turner with unexpected twists and turns. Also, very interesting insight into some subcultures I knew nothing about and probably wouldn’t have explored on my own. Super excited to see that the author, Billy Curry, has other books available!
August 25, 2019
I normally stick to SFF, but every now and then, I branch out. Her Name Was Violet was a pleasant break from my normal genres. It's a story about love and recovery. There are many stories with a similar premise, but the author cleverly avoided some common tropes while embracing others. This masterful mix amplified the fun of the novel. The ending was powerful and memorable. There were some issues in the middle act, specifically the ease of Violet's successful sobriety, but I'd definitely read more by this author. The awesome ending re-earned the fifth star that was lost in the middle portion of the story.
May 24, 2019
I could not put this book down! I was laughing, crying and thoroughly enjoying Her Name was Violet - I already can’t wait to read it again!
I was reading an second edit of the story, and had to stop editing and just enjoy the story and then go back and read it again for edits.
The characters are relatable, the storyline is engaging and that ending - talk about cliff hanger!!
Absolutely read it - you’ll enjoy it!!
I was reading an second edit of the story, and had to stop editing and just enjoy the story and then go back and read it again for edits.
The characters are relatable, the storyline is engaging and that ending - talk about cliff hanger!!
Absolutely read it - you’ll enjoy it!!
May 9, 2019
Received a ARC version of this book from the author for honest review.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book and while it wasn't quite what I thought it would be based on the synopsis. But, having said that, I did enjoy it, even despite it not being my usual read. It follows Evan, an elite sportsman with the ego to match, and Violet, a pysiotherapist working in a Melbourne hospital when Evan is brought in. For some reason Evan decides that he needs Violet on his team and manages to convince her to join him during his recuperation time in the France and to move on with him as he rejoins his team as he returns to the track. This is a very character driven story that uncovers the history and secrets of both Evan and Violet as they get to know each other and work through their own emotions and issues. I did find there were moments where both came across a little flat and/or shallow and I would've happily had a longer book to build on some aspects of each of them and their backstories in order to give more truth to some of their actions, particularly Evan's and his track rivalries and Violet's seemingly sudden reliance on alcohol which did surprise me given how strong she had been up to that point.
I did like Violet's characters from the outset although there was the odd moment where I just wanted to throttle her or get her to stand up for herself a little more, especially as their work moves from one location to another, she seems to just go with it a bit which for me felt didn't quite fit what I knew of her. Most of the time though she is a great character, showing herself to be independent while open-minded and willing to take a chance on life, certainly not a woman to be pushed if she doesn't want to be. Evan, on the other hand, is the perfect example of the arrogant racer convinced of his own superiority and is the ideal antagonist and irritant (and irritate he does!). The question is, does he crash and burn or does he realise that he is not everything he believes himself to be but could be so much more. You'll just have to read it to find out...
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book and while it wasn't quite what I thought it would be based on the synopsis. But, having said that, I did enjoy it, even despite it not being my usual read. It follows Evan, an elite sportsman with the ego to match, and Violet, a pysiotherapist working in a Melbourne hospital when Evan is brought in. For some reason Evan decides that he needs Violet on his team and manages to convince her to join him during his recuperation time in the France and to move on with him as he rejoins his team as he returns to the track. This is a very character driven story that uncovers the history and secrets of both Evan and Violet as they get to know each other and work through their own emotions and issues. I did find there were moments where both came across a little flat and/or shallow and I would've happily had a longer book to build on some aspects of each of them and their backstories in order to give more truth to some of their actions, particularly Evan's and his track rivalries and Violet's seemingly sudden reliance on alcohol which did surprise me given how strong she had been up to that point.
I did like Violet's characters from the outset although there was the odd moment where I just wanted to throttle her or get her to stand up for herself a little more, especially as their work moves from one location to another, she seems to just go with it a bit which for me felt didn't quite fit what I knew of her. Most of the time though she is a great character, showing herself to be independent while open-minded and willing to take a chance on life, certainly not a woman to be pushed if she doesn't want to be. Evan, on the other hand, is the perfect example of the arrogant racer convinced of his own superiority and is the ideal antagonist and irritant (and irritate he does!). The question is, does he crash and burn or does he realise that he is not everything he believes himself to be but could be so much more. You'll just have to read it to find out...
January 23, 2026
What a let down. It felt like I was reading a creative writing piece from a 12-year-old for his English class. There are so many problems with this story, not to mention the out-of-nowhere cliffhanger that felt like the author couldn’t successfully close out his own novel. I don’t know who’s crying to this story but it’s not me. I ain’t the one.
“What died didn’t stay dead.”
“What died didn’t stay dead.”
July 18, 2020
I loved this book. It was easy to read and a real page-turner, I kept telling myself “I’ll read one more chapter” and before I knew it I’d read the whole book. It was a great book of endurance and love, set in some beautiful locations. I’m looking forward to reading Billy’s other books :)
July 21, 2020
What a dreadful book - don't believe the 5 star reviews, most of which are written by people who have only ever reviewed this book (suspicious, much?). The writing is juvenile, the characters one-dimensional, the dialogue woeful. Avoid.
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April 10, 2020Great read, unique storyline and descriptive writing! 5 stars.
April 23, 2020
An enjoyable and fast pasted book about an unusual relationship between two very different people with a twist at the end.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews