The crypt orchid

by Helen Barnes

Genres: Fiction

195 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Annoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

pretty sure calling japanese marine engineers 'midget sailors' is a bit racist lol....

Anyways i only started reading this cause i got it from the school library for free (it was on one of those trash shelves ifykyk) and the whole reason the library had it in the first place im pretty sure is because it was written by a macrrat alumni - and that sure didnt mean the book was good.
My best guess is that she paid for this book to be published. It was so boring. The only interesting bit was that the main character was called Annie. Honestly i don't even remember what happened in the half of the book i read - there were random references to local places like Flinders Station and there was bars because she was a barmaid and then there was this weird party that sounded really really boring like so boring i wanted to go home and im not even in the damn book

[Paul Moder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen's first book offers a glimpse into the razor sharp, visionary outlook of this intelligent and powerfully observational writer. Her prose is snakeskin tight, confronting and darkly humorous. The book is autobiographical in nature and charts the trials and tribulations of the main character, her relationships and misadventures with the odd denizens frequenting Melbourne's iconic Young and Jacksons pub. I've read her follow up novels, The Weather Girl and Killing Aurora, she is an Australian literary treasure.