The Home Girls
By
Olga Masters
ISBN: 0702218219
Format: Paperback, 13cm by 20cm
Jacket Condition: ----
Pages: 194
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Pub. year: 1984
Weight: 250 grams
Suitable for Age: Adult
Condition: Very Good, Used, tight binding, clean pages, covers square & straight. Minimal signs of shelf & reading wear.
See our book condition guidelines here.
Synopsis
Realistic details of poverty and family life in rural Australia animate this collection of 20 concise, direct and often ironic short stories by the late, prize-winning author of Amy's Children. Appearance, clothing and such actions as leaving the breakfast dishes unwashed, stepping on a child in a doorway or kicking the dog reveal the emotional states of characters and the dynamics of family relationships. Masters's focus is often on children, who narrate many of these tales: the control they wield over events in the title story and "Leaving Home"; their subordination to their parents' needs, seen in "The Snake and Bad Tom"; their capacity to share parents' traits, as in "The Sea on Sunday," or act as foils to adults, as in "On the Train." In Masters's view, marriage is a fantasy unfulfilled ("A Young Man's Fancy") or a trade-off ("The Done Thing"), with the children essential as observers, go-betweens and the reasons for carrying on.
Thank you for your interest!
