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Inheritance
Book by Hannie Rayson
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 8, 2015
Ah yes, the dreaded play for English class. Last year we did Romeo and Juliet, and this year we were stuck with whatever the hell Inheritance is meant to be. I think it's supposed to fit into some wider context of Australian identity or something, but I am so bored with this play I can't even be bothered thinkingabout anything that even begins to resemble a wider context. As much as I feel like this book probably was meant to be a good solid commentary on some parts of Australian society, all I could think while reading it was: God do I hope they never let anyone outside Australia read this, it reinforces every single bad stereotype we have ever had pushed at us.
The story follows elderly twin sisters, Dibs and Girlie, as their family gathers to celebrate their eightieth birthday. This in turn brings up the issue of the family farm, to which Dibs and her senile husband, Farley, currently own. Everyone wants it for one reason or another (Except maybe one person, Felix, who I actually liked). In the end, a fair few people die and everyone ends up sufficiently miserable.
The characters in this book are for the most part racist, sexist, homophobic and just plain rude, thank you Miss Hannie Rayson, for once again making all Australian's look like bigoted hicks, because we absolutely needed reminding of the shitty stereotype. For a family, most of the people within really don't like each other. Dibs doesn't like her 'adopted' aboriginal son, Nugget, Farley hates his other son, William, for being gay, Girlie's son, Lyle, seems to hate everyone (But especially Nugget), everyone's angry at Julia for getting knocked up out of wedlock by an Indian guy in Melbourne and just really? Everyone's unpleasant. Especially Maureen. She's literally Pauline Hansen with a name change, I kid you not.
Basically, if I hadn't been required to read this book in order to get an English grade, I probably never would have picked it up (Even if I did like reading plays, which I really don't). So if you too, like me, have been forced to read this book, I recommend just getting it over with quickly, like a bandaid, and trying not to think too hard about this book, because it's probably just going to make you really really mad.
The story follows elderly twin sisters, Dibs and Girlie, as their family gathers to celebrate their eightieth birthday. This in turn brings up the issue of the family farm, to which Dibs and her senile husband, Farley, currently own. Everyone wants it for one reason or another (Except maybe one person, Felix, who I actually liked). In the end, a fair few people die and everyone ends up sufficiently miserable.
The characters in this book are for the most part racist, sexist, homophobic and just plain rude, thank you Miss Hannie Rayson, for once again making all Australian's look like bigoted hicks, because we absolutely needed reminding of the shitty stereotype. For a family, most of the people within really don't like each other. Dibs doesn't like her 'adopted' aboriginal son, Nugget, Farley hates his other son, William, for being gay, Girlie's son, Lyle, seems to hate everyone (But especially Nugget), everyone's angry at Julia for getting knocked up out of wedlock by an Indian guy in Melbourne and just really? Everyone's unpleasant. Especially Maureen. She's literally Pauline Hansen with a name change, I kid you not.
Basically, if I hadn't been required to read this book in order to get an English grade, I probably never would have picked it up (Even if I did like reading plays, which I really don't). So if you too, like me, have been forced to read this book, I recommend just getting it over with quickly, like a bandaid, and trying not to think too hard about this book, because it's probably just going to make you really really mad.
December 28, 2012
I enjoyed it but felt the ending a bit rushed and abrupt.
May 12, 2025
An epic of farmers. Usually I prefer plays composed elegantly with its most constraining and minimum setting (i.e. among a pair or a triad; never like monologues that much cuz I am more interesting in tensions caused by character interactions). Yet Hannie Rayson has done a brilliant job on Inheritance with so many characters, so complex a family tree and so great a temporal scale—so many threads at hand. Such a marionette mastery.
Feeling sorry for the average rating. Didn’t change the fact that this is the best I’ve been reading in my modern drama class. Thank you Hannie Rayson (and my Prof for assigning this text)
Feeling sorry for the average rating. Didn’t change the fact that this is the best I’ve been reading in my modern drama class. Thank you Hannie Rayson (and my Prof for assigning this text)
May 19, 2025
studied this one and it does have a very ironic ending
August 31, 2025
Skewed negativity because i dont typically enjoy reading plays
April 15, 2015
As I started to read "Inheritance" I realised it was quite an easy read. As I got deeper into act one, this play started to make morse sense. By the time I got to the middle of scene two, I wanted to know desperately who was going to get the farm in the end. When I read about what Lyle did to Julia's son, felix, it changed my view on things completely differently. Then as I read the last scene I was utterly disappointed at such a bad ending!
I think nugget should have gotten the farm not a dunked like Lyle.
It is funny as my friend noted, plays seem to always end badly-eg. Romeo and Juliet.
I would give it two stars as it did grip my attention for a while and it was an easy read.
I think nugget should have gotten the farm not a dunked like Lyle.
It is funny as my friend noted, plays seem to always end badly-eg. Romeo and Juliet.
I would give it two stars as it did grip my attention for a while and it was an easy read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2016
I couldn't imagine how to produce this play. The scenes move from one place to another so often.
The premise was a classic across centuries across borders, inheritance. But the underlying issue was very Australian. Whose is this vast continent? But maybe this is applicable in a lot of other issues as well. In most cases, the owner of something is the one with money.
The premise was a classic across centuries across borders, inheritance. But the underlying issue was very Australian. Whose is this vast continent? But maybe this is applicable in a lot of other issues as well. In most cases, the owner of something is the one with money.
March 4, 2013
A gripping story about an age-old dilemma ... who to leave the house to when you're on your last legs. Like all plays, it can't be read only, and I have not seen this play onstage. A great insight into how Australians often jump to knee-jerk politics due to fear.
January 2, 2014
A quick read, quite entertaining, but I do wonder just how many themes have to be crammed into one play: racism, politics, rural issues, suicide, illegitimacy, religious bigotry etc etc. Phew, I feel for the kids who have to study this for VCE!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2009
Actually quite good once you get past the whole bogan dialect thing. I suspect it'll be too alien for people outside Australia though.
July 20, 2017
A ordinary story. The plot is not very interesting, nothing new.
December 6, 2012
Great story about family politics, greed and fate
June 11, 2014
Boooooooring
August 25, 2021
I was wrong, this slaps.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews