Review:Where the Birds Call Her Name

Title: Where the Birds Call Her Name

Author: Claire van Ryn

Publisher: 4th March 2025 by Penguin Random House Australia

Pages: 400 pages

Genre: General Fiction | Family | Women’s Fiction

Synopsis:

Broome 2023: When Saskia’s free-spirited mother leaves her a caravan in her will, it doesn’t make sense. Saskia is a schoolteacher, tied to plans and schedules, even if they are beginning to feel restrictive. Then she finds clues in the van about her mother’s mysterious past, setting her on a journey to Tasmania with her young daughter Anouk, who shares her late grandmother’s fascination with birds.

In 1968, teenager Greta De Winter seeks solace in the Stanley wetlands, a swamp that attracts all manner of wildlife. Her father is the local councillor and her mother a taxidermist, working to create bird dioramas for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. But while the De Winter household seems harmless from the outside, a dark secret hides within.

When Saskia and Anouk arrive in Stanley, they search for the missing pieces to the puzzle of Greta’s tragic childhood. In the process of uncovering her family history, Saskia realises that her mother’s final act might also enable her to rediscover who she really is, and what she is truly capable of.

Set in the breathtaking landscape of Tasmania’s majestic north-west, this is a moving and highly evocative novel of family bonds and betrayals, by the bestselling author of The Secrets of the Huon Wren.

My Thoughts

Where the Birds Call Her Name is a dual timeline story set between Broome, Western Australia in 2023 and Stanley, Tasmania in 1968. Claire has seamlessly blended fact and fiction to pen a moving and heartfelt story. 

‘Saskia stood up and walked to the window, stretching her neck, her back, stretching the questions playing on repeat in her head and agitating every fibre of her: Why, Mum? Why give me your caravan?’

Saskia's mother left her a caravan and a ticket on the Spirit of Tasmania in her will.  Within the caravan, Saskia finds her mother's journal which hints at a life Saskia knew nothing about. Feeling unsettled with her life in Broome - hectic life of being a teacher and her seemingly distant husband - Saskia decides to make use of the van. Packing up her life, taking a break from her marriage and job, she takes herself and her daughter in the van heading off on a journey across the country.  Together they travel to Stanley, Tasmania where Saskia slowly unravels the story of her mother Greta 'Kiki' De Winter and what had been her unhappy childhood. It is a wonderful story of four generations of women who are connected by not only family but by the secrets that they carry. The descriptions of the unique Australian birds are both interesting and serve as metaphors within the story itself. Each chapter showcases a particular bird whose attributes are then revealed through the chapter theme - maybe resilience or strength, for examples. 

‘Kiki’s death has given me a wake-up call,’ Saskia spoke with more conviction than she’d had in a long time. ‘I want to feel again, for my life to have meaning and joy.’

Where the Birds Call Her Name is a remarkable story. How understanding the past can lead to self discovery, along with the strong bonds that exist in both families and with nature. Recommended for readers of generational tales who enjoy fabulous storytelling and lyrical prose 

‘The stillness broke and their hearts drank from the place where the birds would always call her name.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

 

Review: The Florence Sisters

Title: The Florence Sisters

Author: Tessa Harris

Publisher: 24th April 2025 by HQ | HQ Digital

Pages: 389 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction | WW2 | Romance | Women's Fiction

Synopsis:

A war-torn city. A stolen masterpiece. Two lives in the balance…Italy, 1940. With Florence on the cusp of war, Il Scorpione, the no-nonsense Englishwomen of the city, find their genteel livelihoods under grave threat by the approach of the Nazis. Tea rooms and bookshops are closed by the Fascists, and the women are forced to join the war effort.

Desperate to help in any way that she can, Angelina Leone, expert art-historian and the half-Italian niece of Il Scorpione’s founder makes a deal with the devil. To guarantee her beloved Aunt Agatha, the only family she has, safe passage across the city, Lina must authenticate the art ruthlessly stolen from Jewish families. But when she comes across a priceless portrait – one that she cannot bear to see seized by the Germans – Lina declares the masterpiece a fake. But in doing so, will she set off a chain of events with consequences more deadly than she could ever imagine …

My Thoughts

My fascination for wartime history continues with another stellar read by Tessa Harris. Of late Great Reads & Tea Leaves has posted a few reviews from this time period,  yet still I found myself drawn to learn and read more. The Florence Sisters were a strong and brave group of expat women (mostly elderly English ladies) who were determined to save Florence’s art from both the destruction of war and the greedy Nazis. 

‘They were heroines. Each and every one of them. True sisters of Florence.’

Expert art historian, Lina (niece of one of the elderly ladies) is coerced to authenticate a priceless Cranach painting but declares it a fake in order to keep it out of the hands of the Nazis. This then sets off a chain of events that lead to a thrilling conclusion. Think of Monuments Men (who also make a guest appearance). Add in the courage of this group of women, a handsome art gallery owner and resistance fighters and you have a highly entertaining and absorbing read. 

If you enjoy reading about Florence and art tied together with suspense and romance you are sure to enjoy this book. The Florence Sisters is another winning read that allows you to be  immersed in this time period. The research is well done and the story is full of detailed drama, laced with love and hope. 

‘When the war’s over, people will somehow rebuild their lives,’ she told him. ‘They always do, but if you destroy their achievements, what they’ve created over the past centuries, then it’s as if they never really existed.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: One Hundred Years of Betty

Title: One Hundred Years of Betty

Author: Debra Oswald

Publisher: 4th March 2025 by Allen & Unwin

Pages: 448 pages

Genre: General Fiction | Historical Fiction | Women’s Fiction

Synopsis:

One ordinary extraordinary woman living through a century of massive change, from the bestselling author of The Family Doctor.

Meet storyteller, feminist, eternally curious and phenomenally old. On the eve of her 100th birthday party, Betty tells us her story.

Born into poverty in pre-war London, and growing up fast during the Blitz, Betty grabs the chance at a bigger life by migrating to Australia. On board the SS Asturias she meets three people who will influence the course of her life – Pearl, a good-hearted party girl, Athena, a Greek woman on her way to marry a man she has never met, and Leo, a German Jew who lost his family in the war.

In Sydney, Betty is making ends meet as a waitress at the famous Trocadero dance hall when she stumbles into a rushed courtship with Donald, a wealthy businessman, and dedicates herself to being the ideal 1950s suburban housewife. But life has other plans for Betty, and soon she must find a way to do more than survive. 

This is the story of a strong, intelligent woman born too early in time to make the most of her talents without having to fight for everything. It's about the defining force of motherhood, the family we make, and how the determination to live life to the hilt, with all the joy and sorrow that entails, can lead to a life beyond one's wildest imaginings.

Set against a century of world events and social upheavals, Betty's story takes us to the frontlines of the anti-war protests and the women's liberation movement of the 1970s, to the AIDS crisis during the 1980s, to living in Mexico and eventually becoming a TVscreenwriter. Even in her nineties. Betty is still passionately engaged with the world, still surprising us.

One Hundred Years of Betty is the sweeping saga of one particular ordinary, fabulous woman living through a century of massive Betty as a child, teenager, lover, worker, friend, mother, activist, writer, recluse, angry woman, loving woman, from the creator of Offspringand bestselling author of The Family Doctor.

My Thoughts

One Hundred Years Of Betty is epic in every sense of the word, an incredible read. Author, Debra Oswald, has taken one seemingly ordinary woman and regaled how her life played out over a century of world events. Each step of Betty’s life from child to teenager, from lover to mother, to recluse and old age, readers hold her hand and embark on an incredible journey. With events of the Blitz, Australian migration, Vietnam war, women’s liberation movement, the AIDS crisis, living in Mexico - Betty does it all! It is an incredible story. 

‘There have been points in my life when I’ve been impulsive, diving in without doing any forward plotting, and there have been junctures like this one, when I mulled over all the likely repercussions of a choice and thought myself to a standstill.’

Told in a conversational way it’s like the reader is sitting at the kitchen table having a cuppa with Betty. It’s so inviting. The blend of historical and personal events is seamless as seen through the eyes of one woman’s humble resilience. As you can well imagine all the emotions are present for this journey of a century. As in each of our lives, there are triumphs and tragedies. The honesty of this story is what will capture your heart and remain there long after you have turned the final page. 

A book that covers history, friendship, family, motherhood, love affair, racism, feminism … I could go on. It is such an amazing story, I adored it. 

‘I could scoop in fistfuls of anger and frustration and shame from my life and gather them into a form I could then reconfigure and understand in a different way. It wasn’t just about my own failings. It wasn’t only me. It was all women. It was the whole damn thing. And it was liberating to envisage that things could be otherwise.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.