BRIDE OF AN ANZAC: My Life Story

by Queenie Sunderland

This is the extraordinary story of Queenie Sunderland spanning her life from 1897 to 2000. This account, written in her 100th year, glows with wit, humour and insight that only ten decades of living and a love of learning can deliver. Her amazingf memory brings to life in detail the struggles, the hardships, the journeys and the joys of a century of progress through several generations of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her courage, intelligence and humour shine through on every page and her memories touch all of us with a nostalgic empathy for those small and momentous events that happen in families.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

Published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The delightful story of an ordinary Aussie couple and their life post-WW1.

I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book. Queenie has a fantastic memory and really painted a picture of how tough life in the first half of the 20th century was. Living in the bush with no telephones, no cars, no running water, no electricity, no convenience foods. Young deaths and other tragedies were common. A trip home to England was a 6 month voyage, and who knew how long it would be until you could sail back. They took pleasure in the simple things.

I fell in love with Queenie. The number of parties and gatherings she recounts tell me that she was the type of person that everyone loved.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read, particularly, the first half, where with incredible detail, she was able to describe her early life in Australia. It seemed such a simple existence then, if you were short of money you took one of the plentiful jobs on offer and if things became too much you just took a break. Some parts were delightful but towards the end it became a bit like a travel blog. Notwithstanding that, it is worthwhile reading if you are interested in early European history in Australia and the way things used to be.