One for the Master

by Dorothy Johnston

The woollen mill has closed. What was once the life-blood of a community—and the centre of Helen Sullivan’s life—lies derelict. Is this loss to be mourned? Or celebrated? In One for the Master, Dorothy Johnston vividly brings to life the hard world of the factory and its workers who endure dangerous, sometimes deadly, conditions but suffer in silence—until Helen and her unionist friend Queenie decide to record what is going on.

‘What I like most about One for the Master is its passion and its mystery.’ — Terri-ann White, Australian Book Review

‘Dorothy Johnston’s is that rare thing, a contemporary Australian novel which draws strength and resonance from one of the oldest novelistic traditions in Australian literature.’ — Ivor Indyk, The Sydney Morning Herald

First published in 1997, One for the Master was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award the following year.

Dorothy Johnston has written eleven novels, and her short stories have appeared in magazines and been included in anthologies. Her crime novel, The Trojan Dog (2000), was joint winner of the ACT Book of the Year. For more information visit www.dorothyjohnston.com.au.

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Dorothy Johnston is the author of eleven novels. Her tenth, and the first in a new sea-change mystery series, was published in April 2016. It is titled Through a Camel's Eye. Dorothy has published a quartet of detective novels set in Canberra. The first of these, The Trojan Dog, was joint winner ACT Book of the Year, and the Age gave it their ‘Best of 2000’ in the crime section. It was published in Australia by Wakefield Press and in the United States by St Martin’s Press. The second, The White Tower, was also published in Australia and North America, and the third, Eden, appeared in 2007. All three feature the cyber-sleuth Sandra Mahoney and her partner, Ivan Semyonov, along with Detective Sergeant Brook, of the ACT police. With Eden, Dorothy returned to the subject of prostitution, which has long interested her and provided inspiration. Her first novel, Tunnel Vision, is set in a Melbourne massage parlour. The House at Number 10 (Wakefield Press 2005) continues this theme. Two of her other literary novels, One for the Master and Ruth, have been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award. She has had numerous short stories published in magazines and anthologies.

Reviews

[Sandra Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remembering older times initially but gets a bit lost later on.

[Glenys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique and insightful

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy Johnston's 'One for the Master' is a rather unusual read. It's journey is vague to say the least, but does generate an interesting mismatched set of characters. The story never really starts or ends, but is uniquely Australia in its telling of life in Geelong and the wool mills.