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Echoes - Distant Voices : Distant Lives
It is 1961 and Malta is in the middle of an unprecedented social upheaval. The Labour Party is at loggerheads with the Nationalist Party and the Catholic Church. Maltese society is tearing itself apart. The private world of individuals is wracked by vengeful acts. Fear, lack of trust, and hate divide families and neighbourhoods.
Migration is at its height. Two families are waiting for the guarantee papers to arrive so they would migrate to Australia. Will Australia fulfil Ninette Muscat’s dream of living happily with the husband she loves? Will Australia give seventeen-year-old Rosie Farrugia a better life than the one she has on the island? Will she find the security and freedom she craves, and will she be able to reach her full potential?
Mental illness, passion and tragedy combine to make ECHOES an unforgettable and emotional story. Shortlisted for the 2020 National Book Prize this is a tender, thoughtful novel, rich in character and detail. It transports us to the drama of migration, and takes us straight inside the struggle individuals face during the first years of settlement in a new country.
Migration is at its height. Two families are waiting for the guarantee papers to arrive so they would migrate to Australia. Will Australia fulfil Ninette Muscat’s dream of living happily with the husband she loves? Will Australia give seventeen-year-old Rosie Farrugia a better life than the one she has on the island? Will she find the security and freedom she craves, and will she be able to reach her full potential?
Mental illness, passion and tragedy combine to make ECHOES an unforgettable and emotional story. Shortlisted for the 2020 National Book Prize this is a tender, thoughtful novel, rich in character and detail. It transports us to the drama of migration, and takes us straight inside the struggle individuals face during the first years of settlement in a new country.
464 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 25, 2021
I could not put it down. V well written and depicting life in a bygone era after World War 2. Also dealing with the issue of emigration to Australia and how life in Malta was set in so many ways that today, in spite of everything, it is clear that we have made great strides ahead and life is so much different.
May 7, 2025
Sadly my rating didnt match the really high average. Yes, I enjoyed it but the depth of storytelling was a bit "shallow".
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews