The Pea Pickers

by Eve Langley, Lucy Frost (Introduction)

Steve and Blue are two girls who, dressed as men, are taken on as itinerant workers. But their disguise is partial - and their quest is for love. For Blue, the novel ends in marriage; but not for Steve. For her, desire is never straight forward, and love leaves her confused, but independent.

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Historical Fiction, Novels, 20th Century

436 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Eve Langley (1 September 1904 – circa 1 June 1974), born Ethel Jane Langley, was an Australian-New Zealand novelist and poet. Her novels belong to a tradition of Australian women's writing that explores the conflict between being an artist and being a woman.

Langley first made a name for herself as a writer in New Zealand in the 1930s where, with Douglas Stewart, Gloria Rawlinson and Robin Hyde, her poetry was regularly published in magazines.[2] McLeod writes that she was "by the late thirties known in New Zealand literary circles as a promising poet". She continued to be published as a poet after her return to Australia, with her poems appearing in magazines like The Bulletin. One of her poems, "Native-born", regularly appears in Australian anthologies. Her journalism and short stories were also published in the 1930s and 1940s, and occasionally in the 1950s.

While Langley wrote consistently throughout her life, she had only two novels published in her lifetime. Ten other novels are held in the Mitchell Library in manuscript form. She wrote actively during her twenties – journals, letters, poems and stories – and some of these writings were used in her semi-autobiographical novel, The Pea-Pickers, which was published in 1942. The Pea-Pickers has been described as "a fanciful, autobiographical, first-person narrative of the adventures of two young women, 'Steve' and 'Blue' who seek excitement, love and 'poetry' in rural Gippsland". Her second novel, White Topee, is a sequel. Langley often referred to herself as 'Steve' in her journals.

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the most difficult books I have ever read. I really hate poetry, and that is essentially all this is. I persevered with it, because it is also the strangest Australian novel I've ever read. I still can't pinpoint exactly when it was set (my best guess is the late depression, as there is no mention of war at any point), and given the whole "scandalous" cross-dressing theme, it would have really helped to understand why the girls were being chased by police for wearing trousers. Surely it wasn't that weird by then? It was however, utterly fascinating to read a book that actually mentioned the interesting ethnic makeup of Australian society early last century, I was under the entirely mistaken impression that the White Australia policy had been in full swing by then, and was very surprised to have so many Indian, Italian, Afghan and even Chinese characters feature so prominently. This is countered by some really lavish doses of racist white superiority, which, sadly was more in keeping with my expectations. Steve is an insufferable bore, and if we'd met in real life there is no way I could tolerate her histrionic, tragic romanticising. I do feel sorry for her, like she's been born in the wrong time. She'd probably be a damn sight happier now, without the ridiculous social restrictions to hamper her. The simple action of being able to wear a pair of trousers without fear of being socially ostracised or even run out of town is definitely something to be grateful for!

I've been meaning to read this book for many years. Ruth Park was friends with Eve Langley, and mentioned the book and Eve's tragic end in her autobiography. I absolutely adore Ruth Park, so I was very curious to see what this one was about. If (like me) you skip over the poems, you're left with beautiful, earthy depictions of Australian rural life and landscapes. The story is full of eccentric larrikin characters and offers a really interesting insight to the grinding poverty experienced by migrant and itinerant workers, as well as the simple pleasures and joys of their daily lives. I don't regret persevering with it, even though it was a really go-nowhere kind of book. I doubt there will ever be a greater love-letter written about Gippsland.

[Glenn Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - I'm still not sure if this is utterly brilliant, or utter rubbish. I gave up on this before the end as this was far too strange for my liking - full of conflicting and contradicting statements without explanation and seemingly without connection, leaving the reader scratching his head trying to make sense of it all. Perhaps that was the intention - ambiguity, or maybe it was merely a product of Langley's turbulent mind.

It was definitely poetic, but for me that wasn't enough to overcome this very odd book.

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a very poetic style (think Virginia Woolf) this is the story of two girls who travel country Australia working on farms and living rough. My mother's family came from the Gippsland country where a large chunk of this book is set so I really enjoyed all the descriptions of the land and the people on it. The style is not for everyone and takes a little getting used to but if you're prepared to stick with it this is a rewarding read.

[Michelle Hickey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tiring novel. I struggled to read it and almost gave up on it many times. I did enjoy some of the descriptions but overall found it to be too heavy on the poetry. Some of it was good, but other parts were over indulged. I sometimes wondered if they were stoned the way this rambled on at times. I found this novel difficult as it was written from the point of view of a young woman starting out in the world, looking for a cause to fight. In some ways this made the novel ahead of its time but the long descriptions an odes to Gippsland firmly cement it in the era it is based.

[Shani Hartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every sentence of this book is poetry, beautifully and painfully constructed. However, the plot was slow and drawn out, consisting mainly of a lament of unrequited love. Also, the sad real life story of the author hung over the melancholy tale as a depressingly dark shadow. I appreciate the experience of the writing and an insight into the life in the time and place it depicts but admit to skim reading in places to reduce the heavy load.

[Mardi Reardon-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

it took me a while to get into the cadence of this but when I did I found it meditative & a comfort - a classic for a reason, made all the more precious when held up to the broader context of Eve/oscar’s life

[Chris Freudenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a copy of The Pea Pickers after much searching and am very glad I did. Often describeed as an Australian classic, it's an intriguing book. Its incredibly rich descriptive language tells of two sisters, who adopted the names Steve and Blue and travelled in Gippsland as itinerant fruit or vegetable pickers. There’s pathos and humour as we follow the girls on their travels and meet the characters they encounter. I found Langley's writing style too forceful and theatrical at times and her treatment of the issue of race very challenging. But then it was first published in 1942.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve and Blue are two sisters who are trying to make ends meet in a man’s world. They disguise themselves as men so they can work on different Australian farms picking vegetables and fruit. The book follows their trials and tribulations.
It is not often I read a book and find myself scratching my head trying to understand the complexities that have been presented before me. With the ‘Pea Pickers’, that is exactly what I found myself doing. In this book you have two sisters dressing as men trying to make a living in a man’s world. The two sisters are both looking to find love, Steve the narrator, is desperate to fall completely head over heels. There is the sprawling Australian bush that invades the story with its brutality and beauty. A love affair with Gippsland shines through as Steve serenades us with why it is the most wondrous place in the world. The characters the sisters meet in their journeys are diverse and it shows Australia’s multicultural heritage and the racism that accompanies. There is poetry, swathes of poetry created and quoted throughout the book. Then there is the central question is it fiction or memoir or a combination of both?
Langley’s writing is beautifully descriptive; her ability to sum up a character in a couple of lines is superb and transport you into the Australian bush is masterful. At times she can be overly grandiose in style, almost Shakespearean in tone. Langley’s life reflected a great deal of the novel and a bit of research reveals what a remarkable and tragic woman she was.
The Pea Pickers draws out a slice of Australian history told by a woman that is often overlooked or underappreciated. It is a remarkable but sometimes confounding book to read.

[Terri Giffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talking to my bff Jeanette about books to read while she's vacationing in Oz reminded me of this book, which I borrowed from the local library in North Sydney, Australia when I was living there in 1995/96.

It is a piece of classic Australian literature and though it was often difficult to read - very dense with descriptions, long epic journeys, and sometimes confusing Aussie slang - it is an absolutely amazing book and one that will stick with me forever.

I have tried many times without success to find a copy of this book in print -- even the booksellers in Australia don't seem to carry it anymore. Hopefully someday I'll come across it, somewhere!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Australian Classic, I adored Eve Langley's writing and experiences that she was describing. The aussie scenery she evokes was perfection. Highly recommended.

[Sarah Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was good but I think I had to high an expectation for it. The amount of poetry within is a bit off putting for me but I did enjoy the book overall.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave up on this. Quirky but ultimately very hard for me to engage with. I can quite beleive the author spent 7 years in a psychiatric hospital. Hers is a most unusual mind.

[Andrew Tasker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great continuation to the shark net.

[Lorraine]

Eve and her sister June set out to discover the Gippsland of their parent's memory. Dressed as boys, Steve and Blue, they follow the seasonal fruit picking, living in derelict huts and scrounging for food, competing with European migrants for scarce work. Steve's obsession to find love is countered by her fear of being trapped in motherhood and housewifery and undermined by her comically intense romanticism and intellectualising. Some gems of lyrical expression but a bit of a feat to read.
Quotes:
The house is lost to us now, but yet, how mysteriously satisfying it is to know that in the minds of my mother, my sister and myself the old house is embalmed, so that one may render to a forgetful other, a fine correction of some intricate detail that has escaped her memory. It is a thought as sweet as heaven to know that in the minds of each of us, the May bush by the fence still blooms in an eternal springtime, that the snowdrop has in hearts, a triple birth, and blooms in three separate minds faultlessly. The river-weed by the tap may not, in this season of dehiscence split the purse that holds its seeds and fling them far and wide, but the ghosts of its ripeness spring up seasonally in our minds and sow a ghostly seed, so that if all the flowers and grasses and hollows of the old house were razed ... we keep them in tact in three minds, the delicate minutiae of remembrance.