Shell (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic)

Olsson, Kristina

ISBN 10: 1432859757 ISBN 13: 9781432859756

Publisher: Thorndike Press Large Print, 2018

Synopsis

In this spellbinding and poignant historical novel--perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Flamethrowers--a Swedish glassmaker and a fiercely independent Australian journalist are thrown together amidst the turmoil of the 1960s and the dawning of a new modern era.

1965: As the United States becomes further embroiled in the Vietnam War, the ripple effects are far-reaching--even to the other side of the world. In Australia, a national military draft has been announced and Pearl Keogh, a headstrong and ambitious newspaper reporter, has put her job in jeopardy to become involved in the anti-war movement. Desperate to locate her two runaway brothers before they're called to serve, Pearl is also hiding a secret shame--the guilt she feels for not doing more for her younger siblings after their mother's untimely death.

Newly arrived from Sweden, Axel Lindquist is set to work as a sculptor on the besieged Sydney Opera House. After a childhood in Europe, where the shadow of WWII loomed large, he seeks to reinvent himself in this utterly foreign landscape, and finds artistic inspiration--and salvation--in the monument to modernity that is being constructed on Sydney's Harbor. But as the nation hurtles towards yet another war, Jørn Utzon, the Opera House's controversial architect, is nowhere to be found--and Axel fears that the past he has tried to outrun may be catching up with him.

As the seas of change swirl around them, Pearl and Axel's lives orbit each other and collide in this sweeping novel of art and culture, love and destiny.

About this title

About the Author

Kristina Olsson is a journalist and the award-winning author of the novels Shell, In One Skin, and The China Garden, and two works of nonfiction, Boy, Lost: A Family Memoir and Kilroy was Here. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

Review

"Exquisitely written and achingly intimate, this is a significant book which sets a new benchmark for memoir."--Judges' comments, Queensland Literary Awards

"A compassionate and sensitive entwined narrative of a lost son and lost mother, this book - by virtue of Olsson's writing - soars above the conventions of its genre. This unflinching story is gripping, moving, and a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit."--Judges' comments, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards

"Much of the power of this book lies in the way that it reflects the fates of all children lost to a parent or parents, and that lifts it beyond the level of merely personal memoir to give it some of the force of fable and folktale."--Judges' comments, Stella Prize

Praise for Shell

"A beguiling, original, and beautifully written imagining of Sydney of the sixties. "--Gail Jones, award-winning author

Praise for The China Garden:

"Olsson is a gifted writer with considerable verbal flair."--The Age

"Olsson takes her time with this story, the characters are lovingly developed, the story carefully unfurled. The landscape and weather are also perfectly captured and are an integral part of the novel, almost as characters in their own right."--The Courier Mail

"Olsson shows great skill and delicacy."--Sydney Morning Herald

"A closely observed, carefully paced and tastefully produced work of fiction."--The Canberra Times

"A heartwarming and realistic tale."--Daily Telegraph

"The China Garden will suit literature lovers who enjoy slow, steady reads with intriguing characters."--The Australian Bookshelf

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Press Large Print
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1432859757
• ISBN 13: 9781432859756
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 415