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The Coachbuilder’s Column: Volume 15: Issue 15: 10th October, 2025: A further selection of recent reads!!

A shorter, but varied selection of recently read books on this occasion,

• East Of Eden by John Steinbeck [1952];
• The Turing Protocol’ by Nick Croydon [2015];
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov  [1955];
• A Beautiful Family’ by Jennifer Trevelyan [2025];
• The Shortest History of Music by Andrew Ford [2024]

7^th September

A book just read, was actually published when I was 6 years old, it’s taken me a while to get to it  –   ‘East of Eden’ written by John Steinbeck, and first published in the USA in 1952, this  a Penguin edition of 602 pages. I’d actually had this story on my bookshelves in another format for some 20 years or so, just never read it!

This was a wonderful story, which was at one time described by The New York Times Book Review as ‘A fantasia of history and myth, a strange and original work of art’. My edition is preceded by an interesting 23 page  introduction and further references by David Wyatt. Many of you may have one of his other great novels – ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ published in 1939.

Essentially, ‘East of Eden’ is a ‘family saga’, the book which has been described as Steinbeck’s most ambitious novel, this sprawling and often brutal novel brings to life the intricate details of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, and their interwoven stories. The Hamilton family in the novel is said to be based on the real-life family of Samuel Hamilton, Steinbeck’s maternal grandfather.

In short, ‘Goodreads’ describes the story as revolving around Adam Trask who came to California from the East to farm and raise his family on the new rich land. But the birth of his twins, Cal and Aaron, brings his wife to the brink of madness, and Adam is left alone to raise his boys to manhood. One boy thrives nurtured by the love of all those around him; the other grows up in loneliness enveloped by a mysterious darkness.
First published in 1952, East of Eden is the work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love’s absence. A masterpiece of Steinbeck’s later years, East of Eden is a powerful and vastly ambitious novel that is at once a family saga and a modern retelling of the Book of Genesis.

More broadly, the book explores themes of depravity, beneficence, love, the struggle for acceptance and greatness, the capacity for self-destruction, and of guilt and freedom. It ties these themes together with references to and many parallels with the biblical Book of Genesis with much of the storyline revolving around a fractious relationship between the two Trask brothers.  Steinbeck’s inspiration for the novel comes from the fourth chapter of Genesis, verses 1 – 16, which recounts the story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck took the title, East of Eden, from Genesis, Chapter 4, verse 16: “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the Land of Nod, on the east of Eden” (King James Version). 

Mind you, as indicated by the above comments, there are many unpleasant lifestyles depicted in the story, which can be a bit off-putting at times, but I was able to never allow that to tarnish my overall enjoyment of the book, which was difficult to put down much of the time.

In the beginning of East of Eden, before introducing his characters, Steinbeck carefully establishes the setting with a description of the Salinas Valley in Central California. The story is primarily set in the Salinas Valley, California, between the beginning of the twentieth century and the end of World War I. The first fourteen chapters, set in Connecticut and Massachusetts, go as far back as the American Civil War and serve as backstory for Adam Trask, his brother Charles, their father Cyrus, and Cathy Ames.

Steinbeck wrote to a friend after completing his manuscript, “I finished my book a week ago…Much the longest and surely the most difficult work I have ever done… I have put all the things I have wanted to write all my life. This is ‘the book.’ If it is not good I have fooled myself all the time. I don’t mean I will stop but this is a definite milestone and I feel released. Having done this I can do anything I want. Always I had this book waiting to be written.”

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, in 1902. He grew up in a fertile agricultural valley about twenty-five miles from the Pacific Coast – and both valley and coast would serve as settings for some of his best fiction. He died in 1968, having won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

A synopsis of the novel  – taken from a Wikipedia article which I felt provides a fair summary of the novel. If you haven’t read the book, but intend to yet but don’t want to have too much revealed about the storyline, perhaps overlook this part…………………

Adam Trask – newly wed with newly inherited wealth from his late father – arrives in California and settles with his pregnant wife Cathy Ames in the Salinas Valley. Without Adam’s knowledge, Cathy had tried to abort the pregnancy with a knitting needle. In their new home, she warns Adam that she had not wanted to move to California and plans to leave as soon as she can. Adam dismisses her, saying “Nonsense!”

Cathy gives birth to twin boys, shoots Adam in the shoulder after convincing him to unlock the bedroom door, and flees. Adam survives and falls into a deep depression. His Chinese-American servant, Lee, and his neighbor, the inventive Irish immigrant Samuel Hamilton, rouse Adam out of it enough for him to name his sons Aaron and Caleb, after biblical characters.

Lee becomes a good friend and adopted family member and has long philosophical talks with Adam and Samuel, particularly about the story of Cain and Abel. Maintaining that it has been imperfectly translated in English-language bibles, Lee tells how his relatives in San Francisco, a group of Chinese scholars, spent two years studying Hebrew so that they might discover the moral of the Cain and Abel story. Their discovery that the Hebrew word timshel means “thou mayest”, which becomes an important symbol in the novel of a person’s power to choose their paths, meaning that human beings are neither compelled to pursue sainthood nor doomed to sin.

Meanwhile, Cathy becomes a prostitute at the most respectable brothel in the city of Salinas. She renames herself “Kate Albey”, ingratiates herself with the madam, murders her, and inherits the business. She makes her new brothel infamous as a den of sexual sadism and a source of blackmail on the rich and powerful of Salinas Valley.

Adam’s sons, Caleb (“Cal”) and Aaron (“Aron”) – echoing Cain and Abel – grow up oblivious of their mother’s situation. They are opposites: Aron is virtuous and dutiful, Cal wild and rebellious. At an early age, Aron meets a girl, Abra Bacon, from a well-to-do family, and the two fall in love. Although there are rumors around town that Cal and Aron’s mother is not dead but is actually still in Salinas, the boys do not yet know that she is Kate.

Inspired by Samuel’s inventiveness, Adam starts an ill-fated business venture and loses almost all of the family fortune. The boys, particularly Aron, are horrified that their father is now the town’s laughingstock and are mocked by their peers for his failure.

As the boys reach the end of their school days, Cal decides to pursue a career in farming, and Aron goes to college to become an Episcopal priest. Cal, restless and tortured by guilt about his very human failings, shuns everyone around him and takes to wandering around town late at night. During one of these ramblings, he discovers that his mother is alive and the madam of a brothel. He goes to see her, and she spitefully tells him they are just alike. Cal replies that she is simply afraid and leaves.

Cal goes into business with Samuel’s son Will, who is now a successful automobile dealer. Cal’s plan is to earn his father’s approval and his money back by capitalizing on World War I and selling beans grown in the Salinas Valley to nations in Europe for a considerable profit. He succeeds beyond his wildest expectations and wraps up a gift of $15,000 in cash which he plans to give to Adam at Thanksgiving.

Aron returns from Stanford University for the holiday. There is tension in the air because Aron has not yet told their father that he intends to drop out of college. Rather than let Aron steal the moment, Cal gives Adam the money at dinner, expecting his father to be proud of him. Adam refuses to accept it, however, and tells Cal to give it back to the poor farmers he exploited.

In a fit of rage and jealousy, Cal takes Aron to see their mother, knowing it will be a shock to him. Sure enough, Aron immediately sees Kate for who she is and recoils from her in disgust. Wracked with self-hatred, Kate signs her estate over to Aron and commits suicide.

Aron, his idealistic worldview shattered, enlists in the Army to fight in World War I. He is killed in action in the last year of the war, and Adam suffers a stroke upon hearing the news from Lee. Cal, who began a relationship with Aron’s girlfriend Abra after Aron went to war, tries to convince her to run away with him. She instead persuades him to return home.

Lee pleads with the bedridden and dying Adam to forgive his only remaining son. Adam responds by non-verbally indicating that he forgives Cal and then says “timshel,” giving Cal the choice to break the cycle and conquer sin.

9^th September

Something rather different  –  ‘The Turing Protocol’ by Nick Croydon, published in 2025, of 314 pages –  probably not a book I would have chosen, were it not a gift  – however, interesting enough from the point of view of the coverage of major world events from prior to World War Two up until the current Ukraine crisis. Where the book lost me a bit – well, I guess it was built into the theme of the story – that of an individual having the power to change history, simply a bit too fanciful for my taste – a good and apt description to describe my reaction was ‘its gripping narrative and intriguing premise, with readers and authors alike highlighting its blend of historical fiction and speculative elements’.  I think it was the ‘speculative elements’ that got this reader offside a little.  This is Croydon’s debut novel.

In short, in the midst of World War II, Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing has created a machine named Nautilus that can send a message back into the recent past. After Turing uses it to help the Allied forces succeed on D-Day, he sees the power (and potential danger) of what he has created. He knows he can only entrust it to one person: Joan, the mother of his secret child.  Over the next seventy years, the Nautilus is passed down through the Turing family, who all must decide for themselves when to use this powerful invention. Will it save the world – or destroy it?

Three words to describe the book –  a ‘romp’ [yes, short, fast-reading chapters, sometimes just a couple of pages]. ‘thought-provoking’ [though too unrealistic to my mind, but then with modern technology who knows what’s ahead of us?], and ‘entertaining’ [well, I couldn’t put it down until I reached the end, which would suggest one wanted to see where it was going to lead us to?].  Other authors have described it as a “smart, gripping thriller with an amazing big idea behind it,” and a “fascinating alternative history with an intriguing ‘what if’ at its core”.  All very good, I just wasn’t keen on the ‘what-ifs’ in the alternative scenarios raised!

A useful summary – “The Turing Protocol” is recognized for its engaging storytelling and thought-provoking themes, making it a compelling read for fans of historical fiction and speculative narratives. The combination of Turing’s legacy and the ethical questions surrounding time travel adds depth to the narrative, appealing to a wide range of readers. A scenario where the past can be changed to save the future!

The man upon which much of the storyline was based was Alan Turing [1912-1954], who was a British mathematician and logician who made major contributions to mathematics, cryptanalysis, logic, philosophy, and mathematical biology and also to the new areas later named computer science, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and artificial life.

28^th September

I’ve just read ‘Lolita’ by Vladimir Nabokov, published in 1955, this book a Penguin edition of 361 pages. I bought this edition on the spur of the moment whilst visiting Dymock’s book store recently. Interesting book – I’m not sure what I was expecting in view of all the publicity on it’s initial publication, and subsequently!

But as noted in the ‘Forward’ by John Ray Jnr – “True, not a single obscene term is to be found in the whole work; indeed the robust philistine who is conditioned by modern conventions into accepting without qualms a lavish array of four-letter words in a banal novel, will be quite shocked by their absence here.” I was actually quite pleased by that missing element, but at the same time, disturbed by much of what I read.

My personal feeling, as I read through the book, that despite those ‘modern conventions’ a novel of this kind would be hard-pressed today to get published [by a reputable publisher anyway] – mainly because of the modern attitude to ‘sexual crimes’ against the under-aged, and the manner in which such crimes are pursued by both the law, and the public in general, as they quite rightly should be. Yet in 1959, Nabolov got away with it – as Ray goes on to say, looking to the time beyond 1959 and today, that ‘Lolita should make all of us – parents, social workers, educators – apply ourselves with still greater vigilance and vision in the task of bringing up a better generation in a safer world’.

On a broader scale, for those interested, I found a very succinct [but also a plot giveaway] from an organisation called ‘sparknotes.com’. But if you don’t want to spoil the storyline before reading, that summary appears at the end of this ‘review’.

Meanwhile, a less revealing synopsis, and comments, follow.

As noted in Wikipedia – ‘Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The book was written in English. It was published in Paris in 1955. It was translated into Russian by Nabokov. The story is about the sexual relationship that develops in the United States between a middle-aged British professor and a 12-year-old girl after he becomes her stepfather. It was a very controversial book. The novel was made into a movie by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, and remade in 1997’. I may have seen the movie, but honestly can’t recall doing so.

In any case, it’s being described as the most famous and controversial novel from one of the [so-called, by some] greatest writers of the twentieth century. It tells the story of Humbert Humbert’s obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze [“The conjunction of a sense of humour with a sense of horror [results in] satire of a very special kind.” [claimed The New Yorker].

Britannica writes: “Lolita, is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, published in 1955 in France. Upon its American publication in 1958, Lolita created a cultural and literary sensation. The novel is presented as the posthumously published memoirs of its antihero, Humbert Humbert. A European intellectual and pedophile, Humbert lusts obsessively after 12-year-old nymphet Lolita (real name, Dolores Haze), who becomes his willing inamorata. The work examines love in the light of lechery

Awe and exhilaration—along with heartbreak and mordant wit—abound in Lolita, which tells the story of the aging Humbert Humbert’s obsession for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America. Most of all, it is a meditation on love—love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation.

Now, from sparknotes.com.

In the novel’s foreword, the fictional John Ray, Jr., Ph.D., explains the strange story that will follow. According to Ray, he received the manuscript, entitled Lolita, or the Confession of a White Widowed Male, from the author’s lawyer. The author himself, known by the pseudonym of Humbert Humbert (or H. H.), died in jail of coronary thrombosis while awaiting a trial. Ray asserts that while the author’s actions are despicable, his writing remains beautiful and persuasive. He also indicates that the novel will become a favorite in psychiatric circles as well as encourage parents to raise better children in a better world.

In the manuscript, Humbert relates his peaceful upbringing on the Riviera, where he encounters his first love, the twelve-year-old Annabel Leigh. Annabel and the thirteen-year-old Humbert never consummate their love, and Annabel’s death from typhus four months later haunts Humbert. Although Humbert goes on to a career as a teacher of English literature, he spends time in a mental institution and works a succession of odd jobs. Despite his marriage to an adult woman, which eventually fails, Humbert remains obsessed with sexually desirable and sexually aware young girls. These nymphets, as he calls them, remind him of Annabel, though he fails to find another like her. Eventually, Humbert comes to the United States and takes a room in the house of widow Charlotte Haze in a sleepy, suburban New England town. He becomes instantly infatuated with her twelve-year-old daughter Dolores, also known as Lolita. Humbert follows Lolita’s moves constantly, occasionally flirts with her, and confides his pedophiliac longings to a journal. Meanwhile, Charlotte Haze, whom Humbert loathes, has fallen in love with him. When Charlotte sends Lolita off to summer camp, Humbert marries Charlotte in order to stay near his true love. Humbert wants to be alone with Lolita and even toys with the idea of killing Charlotte, but he can’t go through with it. However, Charlotte finds his diary and, after learning that he hates her but loves her daughter, confronts him. Humbert denies everything, but Charlotte tells him she is leaving him and storms out of the house. At that moment, a car hits her and she dies instantly.

Humbert goes to the summer camp and picks up Lolita. Only when they arrive at a motel does he tell her that Charlotte has died. In his account of events, Humbert claims that Lolita seduces him, rather than the other way around. The two drive across the country for nearly a year, during which time Humbert becomes increasingly obsessed with Lolita and she learns to manipulate him. When she engages in tantrums or refuses his advances, Humbert threatens to put her in an orphanage. At the same time, a strange man seems to take an interest in Humbert and Lolita and appears to be following them in their travels.

Humbert eventually gets a job at Beardsley College somewhere in the Northeast, and Lolita enrolls in school. Her wish to socialize with boys her own age causes a strain in their relationship, and Humbert becomes more restrictive in his rules. Nonetheless, he allows her to appear in a school play. Lolita begins to behave secretively around Humbert, and he accuses her of being unfaithful and takes her away on another road trip. On the road, Humbert suspects that they are being followed. Lolita doesn’t notice anything, and Humbert accuses her of conspiring with their stalker.

Lolita becomes ill, and Humbert must take her to the hospital. However, when Humbert returns to get her, the nurses tell him that her uncle has already picked her up. Humbert flies into a rage, but then he calms himself and leaves the hospital, heartbroken and angry.

For the next two years, Humbert searches for Lolita, unearthing clues about her kidnapper in order to exact his revenge. He halfheartedly takes up with a woman named Rita, but then he receives a note from Lolita, now married and pregnant, asking for money. Assuming that Lolita has married the man who had followed them on their travels, Humbert becomes determined to kill him. He finds Lolita, poor and pregnant at seventeen. Humbert realizes that Lolita’s husband is not the man who kidnapped her from the hospital. When pressed, Lolita admits that Clare Quilty, a playwright whose presence has been felt from the beginning of the book, had taken her from the hospital. Lolita loved Quilty, but he kicked her out when she refused to participate in a child pornography orgy. Still devoted to Lolita, Humbert begs her to return to him. Lolita gently refuses. Humbert gives her 4,000 dollars and then departs. He tracks down Quilty at his house and shoots him multiple times, killing him. Humbert is arrested and put in jail, where he continues to write his memoir, stipulating that it can only be published upon Lolita’s death. After Lolita dies in childbirth, Humbert dies of heart failure, and the manuscript is sent to John Ray, Jr., Ph.D.

1 October, 2025

Back to 2025 we find   ‘A Beautiful Family’ by Jennifer Trevelyan, published in 2025, of 328 pages  –  one of those light novels I like to turn to now and then as some quick relief from more serious reading.

Easily read, an entertaining enough story, although I was a little disappointed at the way the author finished the story – as though it was assumed the reader would be fully aware of the likely outcome of the various scenarios which arise during the course of the novel. I guess that writing style of a novel appeals to some readers, but I probably would have preferred a ‘tidier’ ending, which I felt a little cheated out of!!

Nevertheless, an entertaining little storyline, and related from the point of view of a 10-year-old girl, and while throughout novel one has a fair indication of how situations are or are going to eventuate, these are generally only hinted out in the absence of any clear actual revelation.

As noted by The Newtown Review of Books   “With sun, swimming, picnics, friends and adventures, A Beautiful Family could be a simple story of a happy family holiday, but Jennifer Trevelyan exploits the adult reader’s awareness of the dangers that Alix, as a naïve ten year old, unknowingly faces; and she allows the underlying tension to build throughout the book until the dramatic and frightening end. We listen to Alix and follow her actions, fearing at times for her safety, but, as in every good mystery, Trevelyan manages to surprise us” in what is apparently her debut novel.

Amazon’s brief summary tells us  –

‘In the past we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different…………………………………………………………………………………… …
As the summer holiday stretches ahead, with her older sister more interested in boys, her mother disappearing on long walks and her father, beer in hand, watching the cricket, the youngest in the family often finds herself alone. At the beach, she meets Kahu, a boy who tells her a tragic story about a little girl who disappeared a couple of years ago, presumed drowned. Suddenly, the summer has purpose-they will find the missing girl and become local heroes.  Between dips in the ocean, afternoon barbecues and lazy sunbaking, their detective work brings to the surface shocking discoveries and dark secrets, even about her own beautiful family …
Jennifer Trevelyan magnificently captures the confusion and frustration of childhood, the fraught but unshakeable bond between sisters, and the dangers that lurk in the white lies we tell-especially about the people we love most.

Liane Moriarty [author of ‘Here One Moment’ ] said ‘I absolutely loved this page-turning family mystery and didn’t want it to end’. Probably that’s why I got through it in a few short hours over a couple of days, but as already admitted, didn’t find it ended in the way I would have preferred!!

10^th October 2025

This afternoon, I finished reading ‘The Shortest History of Music by Andrew Ford, published in 2024, of 233 pages. A very entertaining little book –   apart from most of the second chapter which dealt principally with the technical side of music, notes, structure etc – as a non-musician, most of that I was lost to!!!

As Ford explains, this is not so much a chronological history [although such an approach comes through] but a focus on a  series, five in all of specific themes in the history of music, and these are approached in terms  of how those themes have played out through the ages. ,

Those themes are as follows:

• The tradition of music, from pre-history to the present; BCE to present;
• Music and notation: blueprints for Building in Sound from 1400 BCE to the present [this section I had the most difficulty with];
• Music for sale: Paying the Piper from 1000 BCE to the present;
• Music and Modernism: Reinventing the Art from 1150 to the present; and,
• Recording music, from 1500 to the present.

Throughout the book, many well known musicians [and singers] are brought into the story, from the great classical composers, to the music of Blues, Jazz. Folk, Rock and so on, and it was interesting to read about the origins of much of the music of various that I had played for many years on my community radio station –  had this reader thinking he’d like to return to that medium!!

The book has been described in one way as a ‘thematic’ exploration of music’s evolution, by examining its cultural significance and the human impulse  to create music in various ways and for a multitude of reasons over thousands of years.

In promoting the book, Amazon and others, describe it as a lively, authoritative tour through several thousand years of music. Packed with colourful characters and surprising details, it sets out to understand what exactly music is – and why humans are irresistibly drawn to making it.   How has music interacted with other social forces, such as religion and the economy? How have technological changes shaped the kinds of music humans make? From lullabies to concert halls, songlines to streaming services, what has music meant to humans at different times and in different places?

My lack of comprehension of some aspects, as already noted, could perhaps be explained by the following explanatory comment at the beginning of a review of the book by Ash Brom, as appeared in the Arts Hub on the 31 July 2024 where in one observation he wrote that “Giving this book either one star or five stars is kind of meaningless.  The reason for this is because the book is so thick with musical references, knowledge and vocabulary that, in order to keep up with it, the reader needs to know so many musical references, knowledge and vocabulary that they probably don’t need to be reading the book in the first place. There’s so much assumed knowledge that it feels like Ford is a lecturer in a university, and the audience is a room of seasoned academics “Giving this book either one star or five stars is kind of meaningless.  Your brain needs time to sit and work out what that means, but the narrative bolts ahead, assuming that all is understood”. 

So having said that, I feel I did pretty to have the majority of the contents!!

Brom went on to say that “David Attenborough’s introduction to natural history, Life on Earth, assumed the reader knew little of the topic matter; Stephen Hawking’s introduction to theoretical cosmology, A Brief History of Time, assumed the reader knew next to nothing; Ford’s book assumes the reader has a degree in classical music history with a major in ethnomusicology, an encyclopaedic knowledge of jazz and fluency in music scales. This is why it is hard to give the book a star rating. It just is what it is – that being an academic text written for people who are already in the club”    He also noted that ‘The works of young, living composers are all too often neglected.’ From the probable hundreds of names in Ford’s book, I’d say that less than 5% are still alive.” 

That is true, but this after-all was promoted as a ‘short history’ and I guess there was a limit to covering ‘everything and everyone’ – yes, I did note the absence of contemporary  and currently ‘alive’ performers,  but to be honest, I wasn’t really anticipating or seeking an advancement into the 21^st century, much of which I don’t actually see as ‘history’!! Others may disagree.

On the question of shortness of subject matter  –  in the August 2024 edition of the Australian Book Review, Malcolm Gillies notes that ‘This highly readable ‘shortest’ history contrasts with the ‘longest’ currently available, single-authored history of music Richard Tasruskin’s 4,272-page ‘The Oxford History of Western Music’, [2005], which restricts itself  mostly to the notated tradition  of ‘classical’ music. By contrast, Ford celebrates the music  ‘happening all around us all the time’, whether notated, instrumental, or oral, spontaneous or rehearsed, in infancy or old age, and recorded or just ;vibrating in the memory’”

Returning to Ash Brom, his review was not all negative, as he began  the main body of his review with the following paragraph.

“Despite the points above, which I think are vital to mention, Ford’s book is an extremely well-written introduction to, basically, humans’ relationship with organised noise from the earliest hominids to circa the 1970s. It covers at length the impacts of first, notation, and second, recording, on our relationship with music. Some of this is genuinely fascinating, especially in a society like ours where microphones and music as tradable, portable commodities are commonplace and ubiquitous – Ford shows us the world before them and after them, and it’s a very different place.”

So, in summary, if you like music [and I would guess that most people like ‘some form of music’, give this book a go – Ford introduces us, if only briefly at times, to characters who have featured in a broad genre of music styles at least up until around the 1970’s.  One little point of interest with respect to ‘Blues’ music and it’s relationship in development with Jazz  –  apparently there remains much conjecture as to where and how ‘Blues’ music originated;  that I think would be a fascinating topic on its own!!

As for the author, Andrew Ford has been described as a ‘musical polymath’. On his website he identifies as a ‘composer, writer and broadcaster’., but I think much of the Australian public [well, those that are aware for eg, of the ABC’s Radio National network, would know him best as a broadcaster, given his three decades at the helm of the ABC’s Music Show.

This contribution looks at a variety of reading genres over recent weeks about which I have made a few personal comments together with the views of an occasional more professional writer.  Books covered in this article are as follows:

• The Eye of the Storm by Patrick White [1973];
• The Shortest History of Scandinavia by Mart Kuldkepp [2025];
• Outback Reunion by Rachel Johns [2024];
• Under the Greenwood Tree’ by Thomas Hardy [1972]; and,
• The Shortest History of France’ by Colin Jones [2025]

28^th July

‘The Eye of the Storm’ by Patrick White, published in 1973 [of 608 pages].

This was the 3rd of White’s novels I’ve managed to read – and in truth, all have proved a difficult choice of reading, at times somewhat tedious, and with occasions of long-drawn-out periods of prose. Yet at the same time, in this book as with the others, White’s intuition of life’s realities and human nature, as certainly relevant in his era, kept this reader interested. One frustration to my mind was the ‘annoying’ inclusion of various sections of prose [generally relating to the interpretation of dreams experienced by some the characters] where ‘no punctuation’ at all is used, at one stage near the end of the book, covering nearly two and half pages!!

I also admit that I inherited this book from my late Mother, after giving it to her as a Christmas gift in December 1973. I wonder if she ever actually got around to reading it?

Patrick White [1912-1990] was awarded numerous prizes throughout his career as an author and playwright, the most notable of which was the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1973 after the publication of ‘The Eye of the Storm’, although he pleaded illness as the reason for not attending to accept the award. The Nobel citation praised him “for an epic and psychological narrative art, which has introduced a new continent into literature”. He was also awarded the Australian of the Year in 1973. In his acceptance speech, he said that Australia Day should be “a day of self-searching rather than trumpet blowing” and that historian Manning Clark, comedian Barry Humphries and communist trade union leader Jack Mundey were more worthy of the award.

White was also among the first group of the Companions of the Order of Australia in 1975 but he resigned in June 1976 in protest against the dismissal of the Whitlam government in November 1975 by the Governor-General Sir John Kerr and the subsequent reintroduction of knighthoods as part of the order.

I would imagine that this is not a book that the average modern ‘novel’ reader would take much interest or delight in. ‘The Eye of the Storm’ was apparently written about the meaning of the author’s own mother’s death.

Wikipedia describes White as an Australian novelist and playwright who explored themes of religious experience, personal identity and the conflict between visionary individuals and a materialistic, conformist society…. developing a complex literary style and a body of work which challenged the dominant realist prose tradition of his home country, and was satirical of Australian society, and sharply divided local critics. That kind of description in 2025 is probably a complete turn-off to the modern novel reader!!

In short, the novel tells the story of Elizabeth Hunter, the powerful matriarch of her family, who still maintains a destructive iron grip on those who come to say farewell to her in her final moments upon her deathbed.

From the Patrick White Catalogue

Plot: In her large Sydney home, Elizabeth Hunter is dying, attended by her longtime German Jewish housekeeper, a succession of hired nurses, and a solicitor with a long memory. Elizabeth is a dominating force who heavily influenced her two children, both of whom have lived in Europe for many years and return to be with their mother. Sir Basil, a famous, womanising actor based in London, is down on his luck financially. His sister Dorothy, the Princess de Lascabanes, has long left her colonial past behind to develop a new identity, and a return to Australia is especially confronting for her. Both siblings hope to reconcile with their past – and perhaps gain something from their mother’s death.

Elizabeth is plunged into the past, especially memories of her deceased husband Bill, and a revelatory moment on Brumby Island when she came face to face with the eye of a storm, and an incredible sense of calm and meaning like never before. But the past looms large and has space for everyone: Basil, Dorothy, the housekeeper Lotte who survived the Holocaust, the passionately loyal solicitor Arnold Wyburd, and the three nurses who give in to its demands despite their own personal doubts. Each of these figures must reassess their lives in the wake of this startling woman…. Yet her true complexity will never be understood by those closest to her, especially not her children, who have yet to experience anything as transcendent as has she.

Described as a profound exploration of family dynamics and societal norms, centred around the dying matriarch Elizabeth Hunter and her complex relationships with her children, White dramatizes the universal themes of love, loneliness, old age and death. He reveals the flux of power and dependency, the ultimate nuances of love and hatred that fester beneath the surface of family relationships.

Writing in literopedia.com in 2024, we read the following.

“The Eye of the Storm” is a novel written by the Australian author Patrick White, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973. Published in the same year, the novel is considered one of White’s most significant works and a notable contribution to Australian literature. The narrative is set in post-colonial Australia and revolves around the Vass family, particularly the aging and wealthy matriarch, Elizabeth Hunter.

The story commences with the death of Elizabeth’s husband, Sir Athol Hunter, bringing the family together for the funeral. As the plot unfolds, it exposes the intricate dynamics within the Vass family, revealing strained relationships, power struggles, and hidden secrets. The title, “The Eye of the Storm,” metaphorically reflects the deceptive calm at the centre of tumultuous family and societal dynamics.

Key themes explored in the novel include family relationships, social class distinctions, individual identity, and the impact of the past on the present. White’s narrative technique involves shifting perspectives, providing readers with insights into the thoughts and emotions of various characters.

The plot introduces significant characters such as Basil and Dorothy, Elizabeth’s estranged children, as well as nurses Flora and Nurse Davidson, whose arrival disrupts the family’s established order. The novel masterfully navigates issues of power, control, and the facade of societal respectability.

White’s exploration of complex characters, coupled with his keen observations on societal norms and human psychology, contributes to the novel’s critical acclaim. “The Eye of the Storm” received the prestigious Miles Franklin Award in 1973 and has since remained an important part of the Australian literary canon.

The novel has been praised for its intricate narrative structure, rich character development, and exploration of themes that transcend cultural and geographical boundaries. White’s storytelling prowess and his ability to capture the essence of human relationships make “The Eye of the Storm” a timeless work that continues to be studied and appreciated by readers and scholars alike’.

Whether that ‘description’ would apply to te modern scholar in 2025, I have my doubts.

2^nd August

A touch of history now  –   ‘The Shortest History of Scandinavia’ by Mart Kuldkepp, published in 2025 by Black Inc [of 258 pages]\  –  an abbreviated history, one of a set of three that I purchased a few weeks ago from Swartz Media.

This was an interesting read, although at times, I found the various scenarios between the ‘separate’ Scandinavian nations to be a little confusing and difficult to keep track of, and found myself wishing I had an individual history separately of Sweden, Norway, Denmark Finland [even Iceland].. However, as one reviewer noted, the book was ‘the perfect starting point for anyone interested in Scandinavian history’. The fault most likely remained with myself, in that so often [especially of late], while finding the material I’m reading of essential historical interest, my ability to retain much of that information would probably restrict my passing an examination of the facts just read!!  I had previously read [and reviewed in the Coachbuilder’s Column] the book ‘Saga Land’ by Richard Fidler & Kari Gislason’ published in 2017 which dealt with the stories of Iceland from the time of the Vikings

So, what does this short history cover?  Basically, ‘from the Stone Age to ‘Scandimania’ – a brisk, illuminating journey through 14,000 years of Nordic history’ referencing the five nations mentioned plus Greenland, and the more substantial islands off the Scandinavian coastline.

As noted in one of the reviews, outsiders have long viewed Scandinavia as special, starting with the ancient Greeks and their myths of ultima Thule, a place ‘where the Sun goes to rest’. Today, we admire Scandinavia for its universal welfare, equality, peacefulness and untouched nature – not to mention its interior design, crime literature and love of all things hygge. Yet Nordic history has had its hardships and dark periods too: pandemics, war, the expansionism of the Viking Age and the eighteenth century, alliances with Nazi Germany in World War II and a eugenics movement in the twentieth century.

In The Shortest History of Scandinavia, historian Mart Kuldkepp masterfully sketches the outlines of Scandinavia’s rich history – from the first known peoples of the region, who followed the ice sheet north as it retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, to the Scandinavians living in nations that are among the happiest in the world today. The author, Mart Kuldkdepp, is a professor and researcher of Estonian and Nordic history at University College London, where he specialises in the political history of the Baltic and Nordic regions.

In this short but deeply insightful volume, Kuldkepp illuminates the concept of ‘Nordicness’ – a hard-to-define quality that has nonetheless steered the region to respond to major challenges, actively shaping their history and exerting a considerable influence on European and global history in the process. Throughout their history, there are numerous changes in the relationships and alliances between these nations, and I have to admit that it was the complexity of those alliances which I found hard to kept abreast of at times. Apart from the very early history, and in particular the sections dealing with the Viking and other related invasions of early Britain and continental Europe, I did find the examination of the author’s coverage of the political and economic changes that occurred in the C20th and early C21st centuries of special interest. I’d not also realised the extent of the ‘hold’ or dominance that Russia held over Finland for such a long period in that time, while the supposed ‘neutrality’ of Sweden during WWII and the difficulties faced in trying to ‘satisfy the needs of both sides of the conflict without appearing to favour one over the other, made for interesting reading.

Throughout the book there are various ‘text boxes’ which often provide a more detailed if not brief analysis of a particular aspect of Scandinavian history, lifestyle, culture and artistic successes referred to only sparsely in the main text.

Writing in the August 2025 edition of The Australian Book Review, Margaret Clunies Ross notes ‘That important Scandinavian artists, writers and thinkers are largely confined to the text boxes, while associated cultural movements are mentioned briefly, sometimes obscurely, in the main narrative.  One of the important intellectual movements of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Romantic nationalism, is described briefly in Chapter Eleven, but how this movement was enriched by philosophers like Soren Kierkegaard, poets such as Adam Oehlenschlager, and the multifaceted endeavours of  the influential Danish writer N.F.S. Grundtvig is not clearly explained. Hans Christian Anderson, on the other hand, gets both a picture of his statue in Copenhagen and a whole text box to himself”. That criticism may well simply reflect the personal prejudices of the reviewer [who apparently is a Knight of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon] and her desire for specific features to be covered in a book which the author himself admits in his Preface that  ‘It goes without saying that any short history of a whole region must be selective, in terms of what it covers and how it is structured’ and this limitation should be recognised by any reader.  

I’ll just copy one small section from the closing pages of the book which provides one summary aspect of Scandinavia’s history.

From pages 234-235.

‘It was the Viking Age, with its raids, trade and settler colonialism, that rudely pushed Scandinavia into the centre of European awareness. The pacification of these militant pagans of the north took centuries, and, in the end, the problem did not have a military solution. Instead, gradual and voluntary Christianisation, along with the wealth amassed in the Viking Age, helped to kickstart the successful development of European-style kingdoms in Scandinavia. Going forward, these remained mostly concerned with succession struggles and conflicts with each other, and no longer presented an acute threat to the rich countries of Western Europe.  At the same time, Scandinavia managed to avoid the fate that befell some other parts of the Baltic Sea region, which were targeted by medieval crusades and Christianisation by force, leading to foreign dominance and serfdom of the native population”.

One aspect revealed in the book which I found disturbing – Sweden during the post-war period, as part of that country’s ambitious social-welfare plans, indulged in a philosophy which led Scandinavia down a darker path   involving forced sterilisations of people seen as not ‘productive enough’, a moral failure largely concealed by the overall success story of the Nordic welfare state’ [p.238].

4^th August

For something very different – ‘Outback Reunion’ by Rachel Johns, published in 2024 [of 334 pages]. An easily read, relatively light-hearted ‘Australian rural romance’ novel, read over about 24 hours. Another Aussie female author who writes fictional novels about rural life in her country – I think from memory, this is the first of her books I’ve read, simply chosen at random, as after some fairly heavy recent reading, I felt the need for a quick easily digested story, and this took me exactly to that ‘place’!’  Apparently this story is one of series of novels set in the fictional town of Bunyip Bay in Western Australia.

In basic outline: –

A moving story of lost love, second chances, and the healing power of truth under the big top in a small town.    They spent one magical night together, but when he woke up she was gone …

Eight years later, Gabriela Jimenez is hoping a couple of weeks in Bunyip Bay with the Grand Jimenez Family Circus will give her and Luna, her daughter, the chance to reconnect after the tragic death of Luna’s father. The last thing Gabi expects is to run into the man she once knew. Mark Morgan is still as sweet and sexy as she remembers, but Gabi is harbouring guilt and dealing with the grief of her in-laws. She can’t afford to let him get under her skin again.

After his successful career in AFL was cut short due to a crushing injury, Mark is struggling to readjust to small-town life and working the family farm. As if this isn’t bad enough, his wife’s betrayal means he may never be able to risk his heart to love again. Mark couldn’t be less interested in the circus that has arrived in town … until he discovers that the woman who vanished from his bed all those years ago without saying goodbye is part of it.

Will a chance meeting lead to something more?

As described by the publishers and others – The unforgettable, hotly anticipated return to Bunyip Bay from bestselling Australian romance author Rachael Johns.

So, if it’s the Romance genre your looking for, this is the book for you. I enjoyed the storyline, but generally only turn to this type of fictional story for a bit of occasional light-reading.

AN EXCERPT: [near the beginning]

‘For one crazy moment, she contemplated staying right where she was, never going back to the circus. Maybe there could be something between she and Mark? Could she give up everything she’d ever known and risk a new life?
But then she glanced around Mark’s bedroom, taking in his footy posters and barbell weights in the corner, remembering what he’d said about not really having time for dating, and she knew staying was an even worse idea than what she’d already done.
So, for the second time that night, she snuck out on someone sleeping.
Only this time she wasn’t running away from her life, but back to it’.

13^th August

A bit of a Hardy classic,  ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ by Thomas Hardy [first published in 1972, this a 1982 Penguin edition], of 248 pages.   Presumably passed to my mother from her sister, Jean in the 1980s, and subsequently inherited by myself!  One of the small paperbacks I’ve retained from time to time in the car glovebox reading a few pages at a time while waiting for appointments, etc. I decided to remove it from that location, and complete a reading. An interesting little novel, and in some ways, fairly simple in its construction and storyline once the reader manoeuvres their way through C19th English cadences and accents of some of the characters depicted.

Described as the best-loved, and certainly the happiest of all Hardy’s novels, his second published novel, and a story which led to the writing of a series of ‘Wessex’ novels by Hardy.

The story is best described as a pastoral romantic novel by Thomas Hardy, that explores themes of love, tradition, and change in a rural English village. An interesting little novel, in some ways, fairly simple in its construction and storyline once the reader manoeuvres their way through C19th English cadences and accents of some of the characters depicted, with their mode of talk, described as being full of observation and humour. It was apparently based upon a vivid and authentic recreation of the author’s own childhood environment, and modelled the villagers in the novel, on people he had known intimately. 

In basic summary  –  The novel is set in the fictional village of Mellstock and follows the romantic entanglements of Dick Dewy, a church musician, and Fancy Day, a new schoolmistress. The story begins with the Mellstock parish choir, which includes Dick and his family, as they perform during Christmas festivities. Dick falls in love with Fancy at first sight during a schoolhouse performance. However, Fancy has other suitors, including the wealthy farmer Frederic Shiner and the new vicar, Mr. Maybold, who wishes to replace the choir’s traditional music with a mechanical organ.  As the story unfolds, Dick and Fancy become secretly engaged, but complications arise when Fancy’s father initially opposes their union. Eventually, after a series of events, including a proposal from Maybold, Fancy faces a dilemma between love and social status, leading to a poignant conclusion. 

The novel explores several themes, including:

• Love and Relationships: The love triangle between Dick, Fancy, and Maybold highlights the complexities of romantic relationships and societal expectations.
• Tradition vs. Modernity: The conflict between the traditional choir and the new mechanical organ symbolizes the broader changes occurring in rural society during the Victorian era.
• Community and Identity: The close-knit village life and the characters’ interactions reflect the importance of community in shaping individual identities. 

Thomas Hardy [1840-1928] was himself actually a struggling provincial architect in the mid-1800s, and he began to write novels [and poetry] in order to make money. This novel set him on the way to making a living. During his ‘literary’ life, he wrote up to 18 novels, numerous short stories, poetry [which was his first love], And in his senior years, some drama productions.

17^th August

‘The Shortest History of France’ by Colin Jones, published in 2025, of 260 pages.

Another relatively easily read book, although, as with the Scandinavia short history, there were many aspects of this reading that I would have liked to explore in more detail and depth, eg, France’s 1789 revolution, or the despised role of the Vichy in France and its collaboration with the NAZIS especially in respect of the Jewish situation, during WWII, or the country’s racism and brutality arising from its colonisation of Algeria,  and participation later in the slave trade in various parts of the globe..

This short history covers more than two millennia of France’s history from so-called ‘glorious defeat’ in 52BCE to Julius Caesar to what was described as a somewhat unexpected triumph of the 2024 Paris Olympics shortly after a national election.  A ‘melting pot’ of influences from internal conflicts, European neighbours and international circumstances.

Black Inc, publishers of this book and others in the Shortest History series describe this publication ss follows.

From Roman conquest to Emmanuel Macron, the Gauls to de Gaulle, trade to war, religion to migration, colonialism to slavery, Joan of Arc to Asterix …

France is the most popular tourist destination in the world, thanks to its unsurpassed cultural and historical riches. Gothic architecture, Louis XIV opulence, revolutionary spirit, café society, haute cuisine and couture – what could be more quintessentially French?

Rarely, however, do we think of France as a melting pot, but historian Colin Jones asserts it’s no less a mélange of foreign ingredients than the United States, and by some measures more. As nationalism and anti-immigration rhetoric surge in France (and elsewhere), The Shortest History of France presents a portrait of a nation whose politics and society have always been shaped by global forces.

Clear-eyed and avoiding traps of national exceptionalism, Jones unfolds France’s first millennium of invasions and subjugation by its neighbours and iterations of the Roman Empire, to the Enlightenment, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and The Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, its darker moments have included overseas colonisation, the Vichy regime and the Algerian War, along with persistent racism, police brutality, and civil unrest.  The Shortest History of France is a dynamic, global story enhanced with touches of cultural radiance – truly a retelling for our times.

After reading this book, I must admit that my idyllic view of France as a cultural and in some ways ‘peace-loving’ European nation has somewhat been thwarted by many of the events described and covered in this short history, even up to more recent times.

Barnes & Noble describe the book as – The Shortest History of France reveals a nation whose politics and society have always been shaped by global forces. With up-to-date scholarship that avoids the traps of national exceptionalism, Jones reminds us that it was only after the first millennium of French history—after constant subjugation to the Roman Empire and Germanic tribal forces—that a nation-state began to emerge, while absorbing influences from its European neighbours. Later, the Crusades and subsequent overseas colonization paved the way for cultural exchange with Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, and elsewhere.  France has been home to the Enlightenment, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Paris Agreement . . . but also to the Vichy regime, the Algerian War, and persistent racism and civil unrest. By turns serious and spirited, The Shortest History of France is a dynamic, global story for our times.

Jones himself, as the author, argues that (though his terms aren’t quite so blatant) the French aren’t really French at all. “Scratch a French icon,” he writes about Asterix, “and traces of the wider world are never far beneath the surface.” We are reminded that the cartoon character meant to embody the spirit of the Gaulois resistance was, in fact, created by a Polish Jew.  He also writes at length of the conflicting influences that have shaped France’s hexagonal frontiers and the nation within it. “French borders have always been porous,” Jones writes, suggesting the history of France is truly the history of who most influenced France at any given time. Certainly, this aspect is revealed time and again throughout the book.

Writing for The Standard.co.uk in March, 2025, William Hosier suggests that ‘Jones’ book should appeal to both philistines and experts: it reads as A History of France for Dummies as well as an encyclopedia of erudition. The tone is journalistic and fancy-free, its author darting nimbly from the Aristotelian influence on medieval universities to the differences between Romanesque and Capetian architectural styles. The style is learned, yet unsnobby: it doesn’t matter how much or little you know about the figures mentioned, since all are described in simple monikers (“leading politician Léon Gambetta”, “statesman Jules Ferry”). A bit repetitive, perhaps: but immeasurably more helpful than the opposite’.

As for the author, Colin Jones, CBE, FBA, is Emeritus Professor of History at Queen Mary University of London. He is the author and editor of many works on French history, including The Cambridge Illustrated History of France, The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon, The Fall of Robespierre: 24 Hours in Revolutionary Paris and a host of others.

An interesting read, with perhaps the reservations on brevity mentioned above, where more detail and expansion of the subject matter to be searched out through other avenues.