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Desire Lines
Are you still a liar? The crafting of those five words, even without dispatch, left her chilled.
Arctic Circle, 2012. On a lightless day at the end of the polar winter, landscape architect Evie Waddell finds herself exhuming the past as she buries Australian seeds in a frozen mountain vault - insurance against catastrophe.
Molong, 1953. Catastrophe is all seven-year-old Paddy O'Connor has known. Shipped from institutional care in London to an Australian farm school, his world is a shadowy place where lies scaffold fragile truths and painful memories. To Paddy's south in Canberra, young Evie is safe in her family's embrace, yet soon learns there are some paths from which you can't turn back; impulses and threats that she only half understands but seems to have known forever.
Blue Mountains, 1962. From their first meeting as teenagers at a country market, Paddy and Evie grow a compulsive, unconventional love that spans decades and crosses continents, taking them in directions neither could have foreseen.
Set against the uneasy relationship society has with its own truth-telling in history, war and politics, DESIRE LINES is an epic story of love and the lies we tell ourselves to survive - and a moving reminder that even truths which seem lost forever can find their way home.
'Felicity Volk is the real deal' - NIKKI GEMMELL
'Epic, tender, heart-rending - a story resonating in its spectacular landscapes' - INGA SIMPSON
Arctic Circle, 2012. On a lightless day at the end of the polar winter, landscape architect Evie Waddell finds herself exhuming the past as she buries Australian seeds in a frozen mountain vault - insurance against catastrophe.
Molong, 1953. Catastrophe is all seven-year-old Paddy O'Connor has known. Shipped from institutional care in London to an Australian farm school, his world is a shadowy place where lies scaffold fragile truths and painful memories. To Paddy's south in Canberra, young Evie is safe in her family's embrace, yet soon learns there are some paths from which you can't turn back; impulses and threats that she only half understands but seems to have known forever.
Blue Mountains, 1962. From their first meeting as teenagers at a country market, Paddy and Evie grow a compulsive, unconventional love that spans decades and crosses continents, taking them in directions neither could have foreseen.
Set against the uneasy relationship society has with its own truth-telling in history, war and politics, DESIRE LINES is an epic story of love and the lies we tell ourselves to survive - and a moving reminder that even truths which seem lost forever can find their way home.
'Felicity Volk is the real deal' - NIKKI GEMMELL
'Epic, tender, heart-rending - a story resonating in its spectacular landscapes' - INGA SIMPSON
448 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 2020
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February 18, 2020
“When you lie to protect other people, it’s a good lie and you don’t have to confess.”
Desire Lines is the second novel by Australian author, Felicity Volk. “Are you still a liar?” What could lead to this spite-filled annual text, temporarily unsent, from an arctic ice cave? Almost sixty years earlier, the intended recipient was the seven-year-old son of a sadistic, vicious, controlling father and a helpless mother, living in the poorest parts of mid-twentieth century London; the sender, a botanist’s granddaughter from the suburbs of Australia’s fledgling national capital.
The distance between these two extremes, traversing orphans transplanted, the polar seed vault, and the architecture of buildings and landscapes, is one filled with love and lust, cruelty and kindness, history and heartache, and, yes, many lies.
As the daughter of a solicitor and a school teacher, Evelyn Waddell was taught the importance of telling the truth from an early age, even if her grandmother introduced her to the nuances of that sometimes-woolly concept - “Evie concluded that God’s truths were as slippery as the algae growing on the stones in Grandma’s fishpond” - so she feels entitled to honesty.
For all of his early life, Padraig Ciaran O’Connor has been lied to, and made complicit in lies; the expectation of being served falsehood comes naturally to him, and lying, for the purpose of impressing others, or rationalising his actions (even to himself), is virtually innate. “It wasn’t just that people found truth inconvenient, it was that they found truth painful for the way it took an apparently solid thing and exposed it as a facade.”
Until a high school teacher recognised his potential, Paddy’s life was a catalogue of cruelty, such that he was convinced of “the inherently untrustworthy nature of happiness.” This disillusionment with life and resignation to misery taints his every decision, and despite his career success, he seems incapable of believing in a happy future.
Alternating narratives describe significant life events for these two strong but flawed characters: childhood, adolescence, first love, marriage and, eventually, a passionate affair. Volk is a master wordsmith, able to evoke a scene: “From a distance, the undulating lavender rows ran into each other, like purple corduroy, ribbed and velvety” and “Molong and its dry fields, where aspiration was thin-sown, ambition was seldom watered and expectation grew stunted and cowed” and “With her head resting on one of Daddy’s books, she inhaled its grave oldness”; or an emotion like heartbreak: “Da – he said we were millstones around his neck. I asked Father Murray what that meant. He said a millstone is a heavy burden. If I don’t eat cake, I won’t be so heavy.” Beautifully written, this is a moving and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Better Reading Preview and NetGalley and Hachette Australia.
Desire Lines is the second novel by Australian author, Felicity Volk. “Are you still a liar?” What could lead to this spite-filled annual text, temporarily unsent, from an arctic ice cave? Almost sixty years earlier, the intended recipient was the seven-year-old son of a sadistic, vicious, controlling father and a helpless mother, living in the poorest parts of mid-twentieth century London; the sender, a botanist’s granddaughter from the suburbs of Australia’s fledgling national capital.
The distance between these two extremes, traversing orphans transplanted, the polar seed vault, and the architecture of buildings and landscapes, is one filled with love and lust, cruelty and kindness, history and heartache, and, yes, many lies.
As the daughter of a solicitor and a school teacher, Evelyn Waddell was taught the importance of telling the truth from an early age, even if her grandmother introduced her to the nuances of that sometimes-woolly concept - “Evie concluded that God’s truths were as slippery as the algae growing on the stones in Grandma’s fishpond” - so she feels entitled to honesty.
For all of his early life, Padraig Ciaran O’Connor has been lied to, and made complicit in lies; the expectation of being served falsehood comes naturally to him, and lying, for the purpose of impressing others, or rationalising his actions (even to himself), is virtually innate. “It wasn’t just that people found truth inconvenient, it was that they found truth painful for the way it took an apparently solid thing and exposed it as a facade.”
Until a high school teacher recognised his potential, Paddy’s life was a catalogue of cruelty, such that he was convinced of “the inherently untrustworthy nature of happiness.” This disillusionment with life and resignation to misery taints his every decision, and despite his career success, he seems incapable of believing in a happy future.
Alternating narratives describe significant life events for these two strong but flawed characters: childhood, adolescence, first love, marriage and, eventually, a passionate affair. Volk is a master wordsmith, able to evoke a scene: “From a distance, the undulating lavender rows ran into each other, like purple corduroy, ribbed and velvety” and “Molong and its dry fields, where aspiration was thin-sown, ambition was seldom watered and expectation grew stunted and cowed” and “With her head resting on one of Daddy’s books, she inhaled its grave oldness”; or an emotion like heartbreak: “Da – he said we were millstones around his neck. I asked Father Murray what that meant. He said a millstone is a heavy burden. If I don’t eat cake, I won’t be so heavy.” Beautifully written, this is a moving and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Better Reading Preview and NetGalley and Hachette Australia.
February 23, 2020
Desire Lines is an epic story of love, politics, history and the lies you will tell to protect others. It’s a thought provoking read and is set over five decades beginning in 1952.
A troubled & traumatised seven-year old boy Paddy O’Connor is shipped from Nazareth House, a cruel institution in London to an Australian farm school.
Some years later as a teenager, Paddy meets Evie at a market in Leura, NSW and falls in love. Desire Lines tells the story of Evie and Paddy and their compulsive and unconventional love story.
The writing is heavily descriptive and lyrical, the characters complex and believable. The plot also delves into some of Australia’s burning political issues at the time.
A captivating story that will leave you wanting more.
A troubled & traumatised seven-year old boy Paddy O’Connor is shipped from Nazareth House, a cruel institution in London to an Australian farm school.
Some years later as a teenager, Paddy meets Evie at a market in Leura, NSW and falls in love. Desire Lines tells the story of Evie and Paddy and their compulsive and unconventional love story.
The writing is heavily descriptive and lyrical, the characters complex and believable. The plot also delves into some of Australia’s burning political issues at the time.
A captivating story that will leave you wanting more.
July 14, 2022
A complex historical story that starts in the Arctic Circle in 2012 before going back to 1952 and introducing the reader to Paddy O' Conner. Paddy and Evie are the two main characters in a story that skips around in different time frames, clearly marked. Paddy is coming from a harsh home life with an abusive father and a helpless mother. And sent to a home run by nuns which is also a harsh abusive situation. Then he is sent to Australia and ends up in an Australian farm school in 1953. Evie meanwhile is in Canberra with her family. As teenagers these two meet in the Blue Mountains of NSW in 1962. From there it traces their love and a relationship that is unconventional and takes them in directions neither foresaw.
The areas of Paddy's home life and that of the treatment by the nuns in London are hard to read. The historical research covers a wide area and also a lot of the information about plants is interesting. The first sentence of the book, "Are you still a liar?" captures interest but despite the opening line which is great, this story never captured me as I expected it would. Although I could empathise with the young Paddy, given his background I found I was not enamoured of either main character. I also found it just seemed to go on too long. More than one I considered giving up on it.
I know a lot of other people have loved this book which was why I wanted to read it, but in the end I was left with very mixed feelings on this read. It could be me and the frame of mind at present, so maybe my review should be taken with a grain of salt. Best idea is try it yourself and see what you think as you may well be among those who love it. For me, I think I just want a lighter read at this point in time.
The areas of Paddy's home life and that of the treatment by the nuns in London are hard to read. The historical research covers a wide area and also a lot of the information about plants is interesting. The first sentence of the book, "Are you still a liar?" captures interest but despite the opening line which is great, this story never captured me as I expected it would. Although I could empathise with the young Paddy, given his background I found I was not enamoured of either main character. I also found it just seemed to go on too long. More than one I considered giving up on it.
I know a lot of other people have loved this book which was why I wanted to read it, but in the end I was left with very mixed feelings on this read. It could be me and the frame of mind at present, so maybe my review should be taken with a grain of salt. Best idea is try it yourself and see what you think as you may well be among those who love it. For me, I think I just want a lighter read at this point in time.
October 6, 2020
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Desire Lines by Felicity Volk. (2020).
Arctic Circle, 2012. Landscape architect Evie finds herself exhuming the past as she buries Australian seeds in a frozen mountain vault. Molong, 1953. 7 year old Paddy has been shipped from London institutional care to an Australian farm school, his world has fragile truths and painful memories. Meanwhile in Canberra young Evie is safe in her family's embrace but soon learns there are some paths you can't turn back from. Blue Mountains, 1962. Paddy and Evie meet and grow a compulsive and unconventional love that takes them in directions neither could have foreseen.
At 435 pages, I would classify this as a big book. We start in 2012 before jumping back to 1952, and then we jump forward in time ranging between roughly 2 to 10 years before hitting 2012 at the end again. The book explores Paddy and Evie's lives, both when they are separate and together. While I had a lot of sympathy for child Paddy, I didn't really like adult Paddy to be honest. I felt he was a weak man, who while he clearly loved Evie he was happy for her to sacrifice so much to be with him whereas he wasn't willing to make those same sacrifices. And while Evie eventually made her stand, I thought she let him get away with it for a really long time. I guess for me never having been in situations like that, I found it quite hard to relate to their relationship when they were adults. I think a lot of important issues were explored throughout this novel, including some that may be triggering for some readers.
Overall: an exploration of an unconventional love between two people who had a lot of emotional baggage related to other relationships and historical events. I think some readers would find this a beautiful read, for me personally it was an average read.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
Desire Lines by Felicity Volk. (2020).
Arctic Circle, 2012. Landscape architect Evie finds herself exhuming the past as she buries Australian seeds in a frozen mountain vault. Molong, 1953. 7 year old Paddy has been shipped from London institutional care to an Australian farm school, his world has fragile truths and painful memories. Meanwhile in Canberra young Evie is safe in her family's embrace but soon learns there are some paths you can't turn back from. Blue Mountains, 1962. Paddy and Evie meet and grow a compulsive and unconventional love that takes them in directions neither could have foreseen.
At 435 pages, I would classify this as a big book. We start in 2012 before jumping back to 1952, and then we jump forward in time ranging between roughly 2 to 10 years before hitting 2012 at the end again. The book explores Paddy and Evie's lives, both when they are separate and together. While I had a lot of sympathy for child Paddy, I didn't really like adult Paddy to be honest. I felt he was a weak man, who while he clearly loved Evie he was happy for her to sacrifice so much to be with him whereas he wasn't willing to make those same sacrifices. And while Evie eventually made her stand, I thought she let him get away with it for a really long time. I guess for me never having been in situations like that, I found it quite hard to relate to their relationship when they were adults. I think a lot of important issues were explored throughout this novel, including some that may be triggering for some readers.
Overall: an exploration of an unconventional love between two people who had a lot of emotional baggage related to other relationships and historical events. I think some readers would find this a beautiful read, for me personally it was an average read.
February 12, 2020
Desire Lines is a wonderful but heartbreaking story set over many decades. The two main characters, Evie and Paddy come from completely different backgrounds but their lives become entwined. The secrets and lies that follow change both their lives forever. I thought this was a beautiful book and especially enjoyed the parts about native flora and architecture and found our brutal history regarding orphans very shocking. Thanks to Better Reading Preview for my ARC.
February 25, 2020
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
'There was no right life and there was no wrong one either. There was just life. You did the best you could. You made the best decisions possible with what you knew at the time. It didn’t mean you lived without regrets, but it was necessary to keep these in tolerable proportion, to be prepared to let them go after they had served their purpose.’
Felicity Volk, an Australian author with a background in foreign policy, presents Desire Lines, which follows the release of her previous novel, Lightning in 2013. Desire Lines is the story of two individuals, Paddy and Evie, who we follow from childhood to adulthood. Each has troubled lives, but Paddy’s story is particularly bleak, truthful and utterly heartbreaking. The leads seem to spin around each other, but they also manage to come together for a time, only to be pulled apart again. The love between the leads traverses place, time, circumstance, position and life’s punishing setbacks. This union left a stain on my heart. Desire Lines is punctuated by poetic prose, which is tempered by strong imagery. I was able to absorb each perfectly formed word supplied by Volk, who is a true literary scholar. Desire Lines issues the reader with insightful references to botany, architecture, government policy, history and world events. I was visibly moved by the themes presented in Volk’s book, from family violence, poverty, parentage, abandonment, child migration, abuse, trauma, infidelity, lust, longing, trust, belief and most importantly, the keynote motif of desire. A few sleepless nights went with my experience of reading Desire Lines, it was haunting, yet deeply profound.
*Thanks is extended to Better Reading Preview/Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Desire Lines is book #17 of the 2020 Australian Women Writers Challenge
'There was no right life and there was no wrong one either. There was just life. You did the best you could. You made the best decisions possible with what you knew at the time. It didn’t mean you lived without regrets, but it was necessary to keep these in tolerable proportion, to be prepared to let them go after they had served their purpose.’
Felicity Volk, an Australian author with a background in foreign policy, presents Desire Lines, which follows the release of her previous novel, Lightning in 2013. Desire Lines is the story of two individuals, Paddy and Evie, who we follow from childhood to adulthood. Each has troubled lives, but Paddy’s story is particularly bleak, truthful and utterly heartbreaking. The leads seem to spin around each other, but they also manage to come together for a time, only to be pulled apart again. The love between the leads traverses place, time, circumstance, position and life’s punishing setbacks. This union left a stain on my heart. Desire Lines is punctuated by poetic prose, which is tempered by strong imagery. I was able to absorb each perfectly formed word supplied by Volk, who is a true literary scholar. Desire Lines issues the reader with insightful references to botany, architecture, government policy, history and world events. I was visibly moved by the themes presented in Volk’s book, from family violence, poverty, parentage, abandonment, child migration, abuse, trauma, infidelity, lust, longing, trust, belief and most importantly, the keynote motif of desire. A few sleepless nights went with my experience of reading Desire Lines, it was haunting, yet deeply profound.
*Thanks is extended to Better Reading Preview/Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Desire Lines is book #17 of the 2020 Australian Women Writers Challenge
February 25, 2020
This is one of those novels where my feelings are all different shades of grey rather than firmly black or white. There are so many parts of the story that I loved and just as many that I didn’t. But when considered in its entirety, it’s a beautifully written story of love, landscape, and history. It’s also a story of fate and consequence, and while I didn’t necessarily like the two main characters – Paddy and Evie – all of the time, I was deeply invested in their journeys, both separately and together. Their story was a vivid example of how love can be both selfish and selfless at the same time.
At the core of this novel is the tragedy of migrant orphans – I don’t even know if this is the correct term for children sent from institutions in Britain to Australia during the mid-20th century, especially given that many of them weren’t even orphans, but rather given up by their parents as a by-product of poverty. While on the one hand, I couldn’t believe that Paddy’s mother would agree to giving him away, it also came as no surprise to discover later that despite how unpleasant and grim his life was as an ‘orphan’, it was far better than what it would have been if he’d stayed in his family home. How grim is that? The best of the worst pick. And yet it stained him permanently, so much so, that no matter how successful he became professionally, personally, he was a mess.
Overall, Paddy’s story interested me a whole lot more than Evie’s, although I did like her marginally more than Paddy, particularly as the novel progressed. Evie’s story followed a familiar narrative, that of the woman who is trying to balance career with family, desire with obligation. I didn’t often approve of her choices and at times I even judged her harshly for them, but in the end, I developed a well of empathy for her that was sustained throughout the story until the end. I was rather conflicted about these two throughout the whole novel, see-sawing between them depending on what they did next and how it made me feel. But I will point out one thing: I did feel a lot, and that is always a sign of a good book.
There is a lot to appreciate within this novel and those who enjoy literary historical fiction won’t regret adding it to their reading lists.
Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing me with a copy of Desire Lines for review.
At the core of this novel is the tragedy of migrant orphans – I don’t even know if this is the correct term for children sent from institutions in Britain to Australia during the mid-20th century, especially given that many of them weren’t even orphans, but rather given up by their parents as a by-product of poverty. While on the one hand, I couldn’t believe that Paddy’s mother would agree to giving him away, it also came as no surprise to discover later that despite how unpleasant and grim his life was as an ‘orphan’, it was far better than what it would have been if he’d stayed in his family home. How grim is that? The best of the worst pick. And yet it stained him permanently, so much so, that no matter how successful he became professionally, personally, he was a mess.
Overall, Paddy’s story interested me a whole lot more than Evie’s, although I did like her marginally more than Paddy, particularly as the novel progressed. Evie’s story followed a familiar narrative, that of the woman who is trying to balance career with family, desire with obligation. I didn’t often approve of her choices and at times I even judged her harshly for them, but in the end, I developed a well of empathy for her that was sustained throughout the story until the end. I was rather conflicted about these two throughout the whole novel, see-sawing between them depending on what they did next and how it made me feel. But I will point out one thing: I did feel a lot, and that is always a sign of a good book.
There is a lot to appreciate within this novel and those who enjoy literary historical fiction won’t regret adding it to their reading lists.
Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing me with a copy of Desire Lines for review.
January 19, 2021
This story started off very strong and I loved the rawness of Paddy's early life. The last half, I found to be a little generic and bland. Overall it is a love story that has been told and written about a million times. I liked the imagery and all the plant references. This appealed to the gardener in me. I think both characters could have been more thoroughly explored and developed.
May 10, 2020
Desire Lines (Hachette 2020) is an epic, sweeping drama spanning more than half a century by author Felicity Volk. Featuring a lifelong relationship between Paddy O’Connor and Evie Waddell, this is a love story that transcends time, place and circumstances. In beautiful, descriptive language, Volk depicts tender romantic unions, traumatic childhoods, the complexities of family dynamics, and the sharp pull of desire, all set against the war, politics and society of Australia from 1952 to 2012.
The first words of the book are Evie’s: ‘Are you still a liar?’, which immediately plunge us into the mystery of who Evie is referring to, and what has happened in her past. The narrative opens with Evie in her sixties as she travels to the frozen Arctic Circle as part of a contingent contributing to a Seed Vault housing precious seeds from all over the world in a frozen mountain cave; a Noah’s Ark-type insurance against catastrophe.
Then the story jumps backwards in time and we are introduced to Paddy, aged seven, living in poverty with his family in London in 1952. His gambling, philandering and violent father is the antithesis of his loving mother, and with his new brother Russ only three months old, Paddy and his mother are at the mercy of his father’s temper. When he forces Paddy to make a Sophie’s Choice decision, Paddy is separated from them all and placed in an orphanage, and eventually sent to Australia as one of the Stolen Children. This section of the book is tragic and traumatic, and the cruel treatment metered out to Paddy is difficult to read. He is a small boy, alone, completely at the mercy of institutions and the people who have power over him. Whatever friendships or achievements he does make are crushed by the brutality of the time. It is in this highly detailed account of Paddy’s younger years that we see the environment that shapes him, physically and emotionally, into the adult that he becomes, with all of his issues relating to trust, boundaries, loyalty and security.
Meanwhile, Evie’s story is told in tandem. With strong links to her grandmother, and her favourite place being the farm and antique shop her grandma and her husband run in the country of the Blue Mountains, Evie plans her life but realises that her own dreams are different to those of her parents. When she and Paddy meet as teenagers by chance at a country market, their desire is immediate and compelling. But a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications lay various obstacles in their path, and they spend the next fifty years circling in and out of each other’s orbit, with husbands, wives and children determining their relationship. Both are wary of commitment, but especially Paddy, who has a deep-seated need not to rely on anyone in case they let him down. As the story moves from the fifties and sixties into the seventies and beyond, the couple’s impossible to ignore – but impossible to achieve – love story becomes more intricate, more interwoven with complications and obstacles, more tragic. We yearn with the young lovers to find each other; as they get older, we yearn that they will find each other again, or keep hold of each other, or reunite, or make amends, or trust enough to give in to their feelings. As their lives move inexorably onwards, weaving in and out of each other’s stories, we come to feel deeply for both Paddy and Evie, and empathise with them both because of their tragic histories, their sliding doors moments, the strength of their love. This is a story about the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive, and the lies we tell those we love, either to keep them close or to keep them away.
The novel covers architecture of all kinds and features at the centre the building of the new Houses of Parliament and High Court of Australia in the embryonic city of Canberra. It also includes landscape architecture and environmental themes, with the practices of Indigenous Australians threaded throughout the story – their land management regimes, their agriculture, their plant foods, their knowledge.
Desire Lines is an historical romance with depth and nuance, and with compelling characters that will stay with you. And if you’re after a (belated) Mother’s Day present, this would make the perfect gift.
The first words of the book are Evie’s: ‘Are you still a liar?’, which immediately plunge us into the mystery of who Evie is referring to, and what has happened in her past. The narrative opens with Evie in her sixties as she travels to the frozen Arctic Circle as part of a contingent contributing to a Seed Vault housing precious seeds from all over the world in a frozen mountain cave; a Noah’s Ark-type insurance against catastrophe.
Then the story jumps backwards in time and we are introduced to Paddy, aged seven, living in poverty with his family in London in 1952. His gambling, philandering and violent father is the antithesis of his loving mother, and with his new brother Russ only three months old, Paddy and his mother are at the mercy of his father’s temper. When he forces Paddy to make a Sophie’s Choice decision, Paddy is separated from them all and placed in an orphanage, and eventually sent to Australia as one of the Stolen Children. This section of the book is tragic and traumatic, and the cruel treatment metered out to Paddy is difficult to read. He is a small boy, alone, completely at the mercy of institutions and the people who have power over him. Whatever friendships or achievements he does make are crushed by the brutality of the time. It is in this highly detailed account of Paddy’s younger years that we see the environment that shapes him, physically and emotionally, into the adult that he becomes, with all of his issues relating to trust, boundaries, loyalty and security.
Meanwhile, Evie’s story is told in tandem. With strong links to her grandmother, and her favourite place being the farm and antique shop her grandma and her husband run in the country of the Blue Mountains, Evie plans her life but realises that her own dreams are different to those of her parents. When she and Paddy meet as teenagers by chance at a country market, their desire is immediate and compelling. But a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications lay various obstacles in their path, and they spend the next fifty years circling in and out of each other’s orbit, with husbands, wives and children determining their relationship. Both are wary of commitment, but especially Paddy, who has a deep-seated need not to rely on anyone in case they let him down. As the story moves from the fifties and sixties into the seventies and beyond, the couple’s impossible to ignore – but impossible to achieve – love story becomes more intricate, more interwoven with complications and obstacles, more tragic. We yearn with the young lovers to find each other; as they get older, we yearn that they will find each other again, or keep hold of each other, or reunite, or make amends, or trust enough to give in to their feelings. As their lives move inexorably onwards, weaving in and out of each other’s stories, we come to feel deeply for both Paddy and Evie, and empathise with them both because of their tragic histories, their sliding doors moments, the strength of their love. This is a story about the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive, and the lies we tell those we love, either to keep them close or to keep them away.
The novel covers architecture of all kinds and features at the centre the building of the new Houses of Parliament and High Court of Australia in the embryonic city of Canberra. It also includes landscape architecture and environmental themes, with the practices of Indigenous Australians threaded throughout the story – their land management regimes, their agriculture, their plant foods, their knowledge.
Desire Lines is an historical romance with depth and nuance, and with compelling characters that will stay with you. And if you’re after a (belated) Mother’s Day present, this would make the perfect gift.
February 22, 2020
This is the first book that I have read from this author, it is a compelling read that takes us across the seas from England to Australia and from 1952 to 2012, the story of a young boy Paddy who is sent away and what he does with his life, then there is a young girl Evie and their meeting as teenagers in the Blue Mountains and then a lifetime of love, ups and downs and what lies can do to people whether they are good lies or bad you decide.
Paddy O’Connor is seven when he arrives at the farm school in Molong in the Blue Mountains after being sent away from his family, it is 1953 and life as he knew is changed forever, Paddy is a quiet boy who does what he is told and keeps out of trouble he learns that going back is not always the best. He is lucky enough to get a scholarship and spends a lot of time with a family while studying. At the age of sixteen he meets a young girl at the markets and his life again will change forever.
Evie Waddell lives with her family in Canberra, a loving happy family, she is very close to her grandmother, although her father wants her to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer Evie wants to become a landscape artist plants are her world, when she is visiting her grandmother and her partner in the Blue Mountains at sixteen year old Evie meets a young boy the chemistry between them is instant, a meeting that will capture her heart forever even if there are separations and lies that will forever change them both.
I am not sure in some ways how I feel about this book, it is a book that had me changing my views about Paddy and Evie throughout, I am not sure that I always like them and other times my heart went out to them, MS Volk had me feelings lots of emotions, but it was a book that I had to read I had to get to the end and find out how Paddy and Evie worked their lives out and how their love and their lives evolved, what happened with truths, lies and desire as they spanned in their decades together. This book is so well written, MS Volk pulled me in from the start, and I do recommend it.
Paddy O’Connor is seven when he arrives at the farm school in Molong in the Blue Mountains after being sent away from his family, it is 1953 and life as he knew is changed forever, Paddy is a quiet boy who does what he is told and keeps out of trouble he learns that going back is not always the best. He is lucky enough to get a scholarship and spends a lot of time with a family while studying. At the age of sixteen he meets a young girl at the markets and his life again will change forever.
Evie Waddell lives with her family in Canberra, a loving happy family, she is very close to her grandmother, although her father wants her to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer Evie wants to become a landscape artist plants are her world, when she is visiting her grandmother and her partner in the Blue Mountains at sixteen year old Evie meets a young boy the chemistry between them is instant, a meeting that will capture her heart forever even if there are separations and lies that will forever change them both.
I am not sure in some ways how I feel about this book, it is a book that had me changing my views about Paddy and Evie throughout, I am not sure that I always like them and other times my heart went out to them, MS Volk had me feelings lots of emotions, but it was a book that I had to read I had to get to the end and find out how Paddy and Evie worked their lives out and how their love and their lives evolved, what happened with truths, lies and desire as they spanned in their decades together. This book is so well written, MS Volk pulled me in from the start, and I do recommend it.
March 22, 2021
3.5 stars. This book covered a lot of ground and many issues which I think may have been detrimental to my overall enjoyment. There were characters and events I wanted to know more about (like Paddy’s grandfather) and details that really didn’t add value for me (like learning about Ragner’s life and family.) While Paddy became an increasingly unlikable and weak character I actually saw this as good writing because it was provoking an emotion in the reader. I think Evie was the less interesting character as she didn’t really change or develop in a convincing way - she just kind of petered out.
There was some lovely descriptions of scenery but on occasion the descriptions of the relationship between Evie and Paddy felt a bit overdone and saccharine.
I mostly enjoyed the descriptions of how Canberra was constructed and grew through its architecture and landscape. I think the way Volk captured relationships across generations was also a very successful part of this novel.
There was some lovely descriptions of scenery but on occasion the descriptions of the relationship between Evie and Paddy felt a bit overdone and saccharine.
I mostly enjoyed the descriptions of how Canberra was constructed and grew through its architecture and landscape. I think the way Volk captured relationships across generations was also a very successful part of this novel.
February 29, 2020
Desire Lines by Felicity Volk is an interesting read, drawing you in from the first page. While in one aspect it is a sweeping family saga across generations, while simultaneously focusing on the day-to-day experiences of people in the emerging Australian nation.
I was drawn to the characters and places in this story because of my own experiences. Having grown up and lived in the vicinity for a number of years, I could clearly picture the Canberra suburbs, the developing parliamentary district, and even the farm near Molong.
However, as the novel progressed I found myself drifting away from the empathy I had developed for the characters early in the novel. You can’t help but feel for a young Paddy, witnessing the domestic violence directed towards his mother, or for young Evie, finding her way as a woman in a man’s world.
Felicity Volk’s novel is excellent in that it allows readers to look back on their own childhoods, look at their relationships with parents, lovers, children, and it delves deep into the human psyche. The characters develop, just as the young Australian nation is expanding around them. Worth the read but I was looking for a little bit more. 3 stars.
I was drawn to the characters and places in this story because of my own experiences. Having grown up and lived in the vicinity for a number of years, I could clearly picture the Canberra suburbs, the developing parliamentary district, and even the farm near Molong.
However, as the novel progressed I found myself drifting away from the empathy I had developed for the characters early in the novel. You can’t help but feel for a young Paddy, witnessing the domestic violence directed towards his mother, or for young Evie, finding her way as a woman in a man’s world.
Felicity Volk’s novel is excellent in that it allows readers to look back on their own childhoods, look at their relationships with parents, lovers, children, and it delves deep into the human psyche. The characters develop, just as the young Australian nation is expanding around them. Worth the read but I was looking for a little bit more. 3 stars.
March 9, 2020
Desire Lines
I'm not completely sure how I felt about this novel. Overall it was a good story, and the writing was very descriptive and emotive. The beginning third of the novel was very grim, and it pulled me down and made me wonder if there was any hope for Paddy. There were a few scenes that whacked me in the chest and I had to put the book down to deal with my emotions.
The story deals with a lifetime love between Paddy and Evie, at times it is not a positive situation for either of them, at others you can see how much they are drawn to each other and how much they need each other, at others it is destructive, not only to themselves but to the people around the.
This book certainly gave my emotions a run through, it also pushed some buttons in me morally and psychologically, but that is the job of a good storyteller and Felicity Volk certainly does this well.
I'm not completely sure how I felt about this novel. Overall it was a good story, and the writing was very descriptive and emotive. The beginning third of the novel was very grim, and it pulled me down and made me wonder if there was any hope for Paddy. There were a few scenes that whacked me in the chest and I had to put the book down to deal with my emotions.
The story deals with a lifetime love between Paddy and Evie, at times it is not a positive situation for either of them, at others you can see how much they are drawn to each other and how much they need each other, at others it is destructive, not only to themselves but to the people around the.
This book certainly gave my emotions a run through, it also pushed some buttons in me morally and psychologically, but that is the job of a good storyteller and Felicity Volk certainly does this well.
February 4, 2020
This is an outstanding book from a polished and authoritative writer. 'Desire Lines' interweaves two stories, from childhood throughout life, against a background of a changing Australia. Volk involves us deeply in the lives of her two central characters, as their paths meet, part, meet and part again, in a series of criss-crossing lines which invoke the book's title. Paddy, who is brought to Australia as a 'Fairbridge Society' ward', and Evie, from an middle-class Canberra home, seem an unlikely pair, but the bond between them is deep and undeniable. It is a book that is hard to put down, not only because of the poetic beauty of the writing but the fascination of the two protagonists, who are complex and compelling. The writer's style is a delight; scenes leap off the pages in vivid detail, from the frozen wastes of the Arctic Circle where the book starts and ends, to the searing heat of country Australia where young Paddy is landed in an uncaring and often brutal environment. Yet throughout the book, the writer's perceptive eye is tempered by compassion and even, one feels, love of these people she has given such rich and developed life. A book to savour.
February 12, 2020
I wanted to love this book and I can already see that I am in a minority. This is the sort of book that I love to read but I just felt like it was full of too much fluff and not enough of the story lines that piqued my interest. I liked the way the story was constructed with moving between the 2 characters and timelines, but I wanted more about Paddy and his UK family, the way that ended was so disappointing. I love Evie’s storyline with her grandmother but that also fell flat. This book explores the impacts of love ones in our lives and the choices we make to be loved. I just felt that there was so many good storylines that were lazily just cut off, and the bits we did spend time exploring in great depth didn’t add enough value to make me care about this book. 3 stars
June 11, 2020
“Are you still a liar?” What an opening line!
Desire Lines tells the story of Evie and Paddy, from their childhoods in the 1950s to the present. Felicity Volker carefully outlines both lives and masterfully explores their emotions, inner lives and the stories they tell themselves. Whilst this book has a promising set-up and interesting story to tell, I think it is a bit long-winded and I felt that it would have worked better if it were shorter.
Thank you to @betterreadingau and @hachetteaus for providing a preview copy of this book!
Desire Lines tells the story of Evie and Paddy, from their childhoods in the 1950s to the present. Felicity Volker carefully outlines both lives and masterfully explores their emotions, inner lives and the stories they tell themselves. Whilst this book has a promising set-up and interesting story to tell, I think it is a bit long-winded and I felt that it would have worked better if it were shorter.
Thank you to @betterreadingau and @hachetteaus for providing a preview copy of this book!
March 20, 2021
I have very mixed feelings about this book - the first half of the story is beautifully told, about two young people from totally different backgrounds, their initial meeting and the journey each of them takes. The descriptions of Paddy’s tragic life in England, and then his poor existence as an orphan in Australia, are real and vivid. I believe the second half of the book lets it down, it became tedious and went on and on. I lost interest in the two main characters which is unfortunate because initially they were such likeable characters who I cared about.
February 17, 2020
Desire Lines by Felicity Volk
“Are you still a liar” great first line, made me grip the book a little tighter, intrigued. What a wonderful story of love at first sight, Volk captures this beautifully from Evie’s curiosity as to the maker of models at the market and Paddy deciding right at that time this was the girl for him.
I think Paddy had a skewed sense of love though and no wonder from what he’d been through, so much sadness. The first few chapters relating to Paddy’s upbringing served to explain to some degree his reluctance to fight for love and accept abandonment, he wanted Evie but it clearly had to be her choice to be there, he wasn’t going to fight to keep her and in the end he didn’t and I so wanted him to. You could call it arrogance if Paddy was emotionally mature, but he wasn’t.
So many instances where Volk’s writing provided the emotion so vividly but then at times I felt it was describing a lust story rather than a love story, sometimes it read as just an affair for sex and maybe that was all it was to Paddy for a period of time. I felt Evie’s frustration and depth of engagement and then Paddy would do/say something and on the surface, all was good again. I also liked the process of building to the conclusion for example, I didn’t know we were at Margaret’s funeral until Evie began a conversation with Monty – remember when you’d write faster when you thought you were getting to the end of the line and wouldn’t fit the words in.
The story was well structured with enough information that I could easily look up, for example, the SS Oransay was one of many passenger ships bringing migrants to Australia to start a new life, and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault made for interesting reading too. I didn’t think it was necessary to include the plant names but it didn’t bother me either, I could imagine some green fingered readers picturing the plants and imagining they would sit well together in the landscape, I couldn’t but it wasn’t an issue.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I know the marketing hype is there to sell as many as possible however I would disagree with the reference to this being an epic story of love, it is a story of love. I understand the author has another book which I intend to seek out if I can get ahead of my TBR list.
THANKS to Better Reading Preview for an advance reading copy.
“Are you still a liar” great first line, made me grip the book a little tighter, intrigued. What a wonderful story of love at first sight, Volk captures this beautifully from Evie’s curiosity as to the maker of models at the market and Paddy deciding right at that time this was the girl for him.
I think Paddy had a skewed sense of love though and no wonder from what he’d been through, so much sadness. The first few chapters relating to Paddy’s upbringing served to explain to some degree his reluctance to fight for love and accept abandonment, he wanted Evie but it clearly had to be her choice to be there, he wasn’t going to fight to keep her and in the end he didn’t and I so wanted him to. You could call it arrogance if Paddy was emotionally mature, but he wasn’t.
So many instances where Volk’s writing provided the emotion so vividly but then at times I felt it was describing a lust story rather than a love story, sometimes it read as just an affair for sex and maybe that was all it was to Paddy for a period of time. I felt Evie’s frustration and depth of engagement and then Paddy would do/say something and on the surface, all was good again. I also liked the process of building to the conclusion for example, I didn’t know we were at Margaret’s funeral until Evie began a conversation with Monty – remember when you’d write faster when you thought you were getting to the end of the line and wouldn’t fit the words in.
The story was well structured with enough information that I could easily look up, for example, the SS Oransay was one of many passenger ships bringing migrants to Australia to start a new life, and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault made for interesting reading too. I didn’t think it was necessary to include the plant names but it didn’t bother me either, I could imagine some green fingered readers picturing the plants and imagining they would sit well together in the landscape, I couldn’t but it wasn’t an issue.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I know the marketing hype is there to sell as many as possible however I would disagree with the reference to this being an epic story of love, it is a story of love. I understand the author has another book which I intend to seek out if I can get ahead of my TBR list.
THANKS to Better Reading Preview for an advance reading copy.
February 24, 2020
I was sent this by the publisher for an honest and unbiased review.
Desire Lines follows the stories of Evie, an Australian girl growing up in and around Canberra (my old home town!) and Paddy, an English boy sent to an Australian children's farm in the 1950's. Desire lines are those paths that we walk, that feel natural to us, even if they deviate from the paths formally laid down. That bit of worn grass between two points that deviates from the concrete path - that's a desire line. This book explores Evie and Paddy's desire lines in their lives and what happens when they deviate from the expected.
Evie and Paddy's stories start as individual tales that merge and cross from their teenage years through to adulthood. Evie values the truth about all else while Paddy has lead a life of constant lies and half truths. Both Evie and Paddy are beautifully written characters, complex and believable. Events throughout their lives shape them and their beliefs and reactions. At times this makes them incredibly frustrating, but at no point do you lose sight of them as real people.
Desire Lines had the real potential to descend into chick lit fluff, but it didn't. Volk keeps to the path, not giving into to sappy sentimentality which would require one of her characters to betray who they really are. Instead she helps them grow and develop together, discovering new things about themselves and each other.
I particularly loved Volk's interweaving of architecture and landscape design, recognising the importance of both in giving a place meaning. She also gives the reader a glimpse into the dark past of the Australian children farms which we often places of abuse and neglect.
I will be seeking out Felicity Volk's first novel, Lightning. A read I'm looking forward to.
Desire Lines follows the stories of Evie, an Australian girl growing up in and around Canberra (my old home town!) and Paddy, an English boy sent to an Australian children's farm in the 1950's. Desire lines are those paths that we walk, that feel natural to us, even if they deviate from the paths formally laid down. That bit of worn grass between two points that deviates from the concrete path - that's a desire line. This book explores Evie and Paddy's desire lines in their lives and what happens when they deviate from the expected.
Evie and Paddy's stories start as individual tales that merge and cross from their teenage years through to adulthood. Evie values the truth about all else while Paddy has lead a life of constant lies and half truths. Both Evie and Paddy are beautifully written characters, complex and believable. Events throughout their lives shape them and their beliefs and reactions. At times this makes them incredibly frustrating, but at no point do you lose sight of them as real people.
Desire Lines had the real potential to descend into chick lit fluff, but it didn't. Volk keeps to the path, not giving into to sappy sentimentality which would require one of her characters to betray who they really are. Instead she helps them grow and develop together, discovering new things about themselves and each other.
I particularly loved Volk's interweaving of architecture and landscape design, recognising the importance of both in giving a place meaning. She also gives the reader a glimpse into the dark past of the Australian children farms which we often places of abuse and neglect.
I will be seeking out Felicity Volk's first novel, Lightning. A read I'm looking forward to.
February 11, 2020
There isn't much this beautifully crafted and constructed novel doesn't cover...
love, loss, mistakes, poverty, domestic violence, infidelity, choices, lies, regrets, forgiveness, intergenerational connection, landscapes, structures, politics across time and place(s).
Paddy and Evie invite us to consider the complexities of navigating life - born of worlds so inherently different, the randomness of how people’s lives intersect. What holds them? What shapes them? What shackles them and where does it all ultimately land them in time…and at what cost?
It’s the intersection of their decisions and the impacts on one another and those closest to them as they go about their ordinary lives that is examined in these pages - humans fumbling their way through – doing it right and getting it wrong but really just doing the best they can with what they got. A very human condition. Both Evie and Paddy are deeply courageous and deeply flawed and I loved getting to know them because of that. I enjoyed all of the characters on the peripheral of their shared story as well, often pondering what additional perspective they might have added to the Paddy and Evie tale if space was held for that telling. Oh - the webs we weave.
#BRPreview
love, loss, mistakes, poverty, domestic violence, infidelity, choices, lies, regrets, forgiveness, intergenerational connection, landscapes, structures, politics across time and place(s).
Paddy and Evie invite us to consider the complexities of navigating life - born of worlds so inherently different, the randomness of how people’s lives intersect. What holds them? What shapes them? What shackles them and where does it all ultimately land them in time…and at what cost?
It’s the intersection of their decisions and the impacts on one another and those closest to them as they go about their ordinary lives that is examined in these pages - humans fumbling their way through – doing it right and getting it wrong but really just doing the best they can with what they got. A very human condition. Both Evie and Paddy are deeply courageous and deeply flawed and I loved getting to know them because of that. I enjoyed all of the characters on the peripheral of their shared story as well, often pondering what additional perspective they might have added to the Paddy and Evie tale if space was held for that telling. Oh - the webs we weave.
#BRPreview
February 24, 2020
My first thought when I picked up this book was ‘Oh no. Not a back and forth book.’ Books that go back and forth in time can sometimes be confusing but luckily this wasn’t one of those. It followed a story in a timely way and was easy to follow.
The story was of mainly two people who had such different lives; their lives came together, pulled apart and then came together yet again. It was an interesting story of family, hardships, love and loss.
The first part of the book set the scene for both characters (Evie & Paddy) then followed their stories apart and together. It was a bit long winded, overly descriptive in parts and stretched out but it did keep me reading. There was this heart-string inside me that just wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen with these two people in life, in love and in lies and secrets!
The story was of mainly two people who had such different lives; their lives came together, pulled apart and then came together yet again. It was an interesting story of family, hardships, love and loss.
The first part of the book set the scene for both characters (Evie & Paddy) then followed their stories apart and together. It was a bit long winded, overly descriptive in parts and stretched out but it did keep me reading. There was this heart-string inside me that just wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen with these two people in life, in love and in lies and secrets!
June 24, 2020
This is my favourite book of 2020 so far.
Desire Lines is difficult to summarise, it is challenging, beautiful, considered and beautifully crafted. It challenges convention, displays thoughtful insight while untangling the complex fabric of truth and lies, authenticity and sacrifice while weaving throughout beautiful grounding in both place and times.
While at times the brutality of pain we can inflict on others is challenging to face, the story also captures the pure joyful moments that can be experienced through a life, from the grand to the more simple gestures.
Will re read again as I am not ready to let these characters go.
Desire Lines is difficult to summarise, it is challenging, beautiful, considered and beautifully crafted. It challenges convention, displays thoughtful insight while untangling the complex fabric of truth and lies, authenticity and sacrifice while weaving throughout beautiful grounding in both place and times.
While at times the brutality of pain we can inflict on others is challenging to face, the story also captures the pure joyful moments that can be experienced through a life, from the grand to the more simple gestures.
Will re read again as I am not ready to let these characters go.
February 9, 2020
Felicity Volk is a writer that grabs your attention from the moment your eyes hit the first sentence of Desire Lines. Her writing is smooth, engaging and draws you into her intertwined plots throughout the novel. I loved the way she took the two main characters, Evie and Paddy, and started to weave their separate lives together, drawing them close and then drawing them apart again, taunting the reader – will they ever resolve their relationship, what will happen?
I was so drawn into Evie and her longing for a lifetime companion and her ever-present disappointment, but she still could not let go. Paddy’s passiveness grows out of his childhood and seems to influence everything in his life, except his career. As an architect – is he trying to design and build something solid and lasting, something he can’t quite seem to grasp in his own life.
This is an intriguing book that took me on a journey of love, sadness, frustration and joy.
I was so drawn into Evie and her longing for a lifetime companion and her ever-present disappointment, but she still could not let go. Paddy’s passiveness grows out of his childhood and seems to influence everything in his life, except his career. As an architect – is he trying to design and build something solid and lasting, something he can’t quite seem to grasp in his own life.
This is an intriguing book that took me on a journey of love, sadness, frustration and joy.
February 16, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The two main characters, Paddy and Evie, were both likeable and believable. I could feel for them as they went through life’s ups and downs.
Paddy had a tough beginning to life, and grew up the hard way, while Evie had a much happier upbringing, but fate brought them together. The intertwining of their lives is very realistic, as we watch them grapple with competing obligations and needs. I could identify every step of the way.
This book is a breath of fresh air. It encompasses elements of recent history and an insight into life and human failings to produce a story to which anyone could relate.
Edited to add, thanks to Better Reading for this free advance copy.
Paddy had a tough beginning to life, and grew up the hard way, while Evie had a much happier upbringing, but fate brought them together. The intertwining of their lives is very realistic, as we watch them grapple with competing obligations and needs. I could identify every step of the way.
This book is a breath of fresh air. It encompasses elements of recent history and an insight into life and human failings to produce a story to which anyone could relate.
Edited to add, thanks to Better Reading for this free advance copy.
April 2, 2020
What an epic novel! Incredible characters, I got to know not only Evie and Paddy but Charlie, Rusty, Russ and Rod. Watching people grow from children to 60 year old, for me it was a study in humanity. Major Australian events and people are here, but viewed through the characters. The idea of building and creating as well as love and truth. It’s a hard book to review, there was so much happening.
December 28, 2020
Not an easy read but a very interesting one.
February 4, 2020
Have you ever followed a well-worn pathway through the grass instead of the concrete path that you’re supposed to be on? That’s what a desire line is, it’s the pathway people take instead of the trail designed to be followed. Sometimes people take a shortcut because of instinct, sometimes because it’s following others before them.
That’s the premise of this beautiful story of two people whose lives seem destined to be intertwined by the choices they make and the circumstances they have no control over. Set across a broad timeline and various locations across Australia and the world.
I really enjoyed this book and I couldn’t put it down. There are some wonderful passages that I loved and read over and over.
Thank you Better Reading for the advance copy of this book.
That’s the premise of this beautiful story of two people whose lives seem destined to be intertwined by the choices they make and the circumstances they have no control over. Set across a broad timeline and various locations across Australia and the world.
I really enjoyed this book and I couldn’t put it down. There are some wonderful passages that I loved and read over and over.
Thank you Better Reading for the advance copy of this book.
February 5, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed Desire Lines. This beautifully crafted novel explores the effects of childhood trauma, the lies – and truths – we tell ourselves and others, and the many facets of love.
Volk's prose is lyrical, and her characters are complex and believable, suggesting a writer that has a true appreciation of the human condition. I particularly liked the way Volk linked the names and attributes of various plants and trees to the history of the land and the emotions of her characters, so that they become characters in their own right. An original idea for a story, beautifully told.
Thank you to Hachette Australia and Better Reading for this ARC
Volk's prose is lyrical, and her characters are complex and believable, suggesting a writer that has a true appreciation of the human condition. I particularly liked the way Volk linked the names and attributes of various plants and trees to the history of the land and the emotions of her characters, so that they become characters in their own right. An original idea for a story, beautifully told.
Thank you to Hachette Australia and Better Reading for this ARC
March 6, 2020
I would have given this book five stars if it hadn’t been too overly descriptive for my taste and the story made me frustrated and miserable at the characters inability to express what they needed from each other.
There are two main characters who come from poles apart.
Evid grows up in the security of an intact family in the Canberra suburbs. Her father, a solicitor, wanted her to follow in his footsteps. But like most kids she followed her passion and became a famous landscaper.
Paddy comes from an impoverished British family. His drunken violent Irish father beats his Italian wife and when his baby brother comes along, Paddy is sent away from the family to the brutal attention of the nuns at Nazareth House. His luck changed when he is chosen to go to the warmth and sunshine of Australia. On landing he is taken to another violent institution in Molong NSW where children are beaten and sexually abused.
Because Paddy in intelligent he is sent to school in Orange and then to University to become an architect. During a vacation break in the Blue Mountains Paddy and Eve meet and fall passionately in love. Unfortunately they don’t exchange addresses and Paddy lies about his past pretending that the middle class people he boards with are his parents. He even uses their last name making it impossible for Evie’s letter to reach him.
Many years later the two meet again after they had married other people and had children. Their passion is rekindled but Paddy is more comfortable in a relationship where he won’t be too hurt if he is dumped again.
They conduct an illicit furtive relationship which makes neither of them happy until Evie ends her marriage only for Paddy to stay in his, supposedly for the sake of his daughter.
In the final pages the author takes pity on her characters and readers but it left me disappointed.
The children who were sent to Australia from the orphanages of Britain finally received their apology from the nation but if they hoped for compensation, that seems far away as Australia has run out of disposable money because of the drought, the bush fires and the virus.
There are two main characters who come from poles apart.
Evid grows up in the security of an intact family in the Canberra suburbs. Her father, a solicitor, wanted her to follow in his footsteps. But like most kids she followed her passion and became a famous landscaper.
Paddy comes from an impoverished British family. His drunken violent Irish father beats his Italian wife and when his baby brother comes along, Paddy is sent away from the family to the brutal attention of the nuns at Nazareth House. His luck changed when he is chosen to go to the warmth and sunshine of Australia. On landing he is taken to another violent institution in Molong NSW where children are beaten and sexually abused.
Because Paddy in intelligent he is sent to school in Orange and then to University to become an architect. During a vacation break in the Blue Mountains Paddy and Eve meet and fall passionately in love. Unfortunately they don’t exchange addresses and Paddy lies about his past pretending that the middle class people he boards with are his parents. He even uses their last name making it impossible for Evie’s letter to reach him.
Many years later the two meet again after they had married other people and had children. Their passion is rekindled but Paddy is more comfortable in a relationship where he won’t be too hurt if he is dumped again.
They conduct an illicit furtive relationship which makes neither of them happy until Evie ends her marriage only for Paddy to stay in his, supposedly for the sake of his daughter.
In the final pages the author takes pity on her characters and readers but it left me disappointed.
The children who were sent to Australia from the orphanages of Britain finally received their apology from the nation but if they hoped for compensation, that seems far away as Australia has run out of disposable money because of the drought, the bush fires and the virus.
February 27, 2020
‘Arctic Circle, 2012. On a lightless day at the end of the polar winter, landscape architect Evie Waddell finds herself exhuming the past as she buries Australian seeds in a frozen mountain vault – insurance against catastrophe.
Molong, 1953. Catastrophe is all seven-year-old Paddy O’Connor has known. Shipped from institutional care in London to an Australian farm school, his world is a shadowy place where lies scaffold fragile truths and painful memories. To Paddy’s south in Canberra, young Evie is safe in her family’s embrace, yet soon learns there are some paths from which you can’t turn back; impulses and threats that she only half understands but seems to have known forever.
Blue Mountains, 1962. From their first meeting as teenagers at a country market, Paddy and Evie grow a compulsive, unconventional love that spans decades, taking them in directions neither could have foreseen.’
This book was epic.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but I am so glad that I gave it a chance. This epic story spans decades and takes the reader on a truly wonderful journey though love, lies and loss.
The characters is this book were so utterly human; faults and all. I was able to see each characters reasons and thinking as they made their way through the years. Their emotions changed as they did, and their decisions became easier to understand as the story progressed. This made for a wonderful and believable reading experience.
Felicity Volk has done an amazing job with this book. I was completely overwhelmed; in the best possible way by this story. The tenderness and passion that radiated off the pages was breathtaking. Each time I picked this book up I felt like I was going home.
This is definitely a book that will stay with you long after the final page.
Desire Lines by Felicity Volk is a truly spectacular read.
Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com
Molong, 1953. Catastrophe is all seven-year-old Paddy O’Connor has known. Shipped from institutional care in London to an Australian farm school, his world is a shadowy place where lies scaffold fragile truths and painful memories. To Paddy’s south in Canberra, young Evie is safe in her family’s embrace, yet soon learns there are some paths from which you can’t turn back; impulses and threats that she only half understands but seems to have known forever.
Blue Mountains, 1962. From their first meeting as teenagers at a country market, Paddy and Evie grow a compulsive, unconventional love that spans decades, taking them in directions neither could have foreseen.’
This book was epic.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but I am so glad that I gave it a chance. This epic story spans decades and takes the reader on a truly wonderful journey though love, lies and loss.
The characters is this book were so utterly human; faults and all. I was able to see each characters reasons and thinking as they made their way through the years. Their emotions changed as they did, and their decisions became easier to understand as the story progressed. This made for a wonderful and believable reading experience.
Felicity Volk has done an amazing job with this book. I was completely overwhelmed; in the best possible way by this story. The tenderness and passion that radiated off the pages was breathtaking. Each time I picked this book up I felt like I was going home.
This is definitely a book that will stay with you long after the final page.
Desire Lines by Felicity Volk is a truly spectacular read.
Geramie Kate Barker
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