Debbie Robson

Alerted to the publication of this slim novella by Bill's review at The Australian Legend, I acquired a copy ASAP and read it overnight. Author, screenwriter and poet Debbie Robson has been a longtime contributor to comments here at ANZLitLovers, and I admire her initiatives to support writers in her community.

At the same time, as you can see rel="nofollow" target="_top">at her own blog, Debbie has been diversifying into writing short stories and an historical novel, with a venture into the genre-bending novella which became The Hermitage.

Set in 1937, The Hermitage features time travel but it's not SF as you know it. The characterisation features three visitors to a mansion on Sydney's (posh) North Shore, where their hosts Celeste and Bernard know what's going on while Vere, Roger and John don't. It is Vere who is first to notice discrepancies in the set-up: Celeste's dress is not quite of her era nor from the recent past — while John's clothing places him from around 1917-1918. There are books in the library with publication dates after 1937...

What makes this story interesting is the reason why these visitors have been summoned by a mysterious invitation and why their memories fail them.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/09/15/the-hermitage-2023-by-debbie-robson/… (plus d'informations)

A very strange book. A book about BookCrossing, which the author compares to "a parallel universe." I joined BC a year ago and it's a lot of fun and the community is great, but it's much more *normal* in the reality. I still haven't caught any wild releases and I knew only one other bookcrosser in Tbilisi. In the book, they stumble upon bookcrossers and wild releases all the time, they fall in love with each other after a couple of messages, they confess love in journal entries, they pass the same book back and forth to each other several times, the books seem to follow them, books travel from the US to Europe in less than a week and other unbelievable things happen.

Furthermore, I could not feel Jane's grief and she often really acted like a mad woman. Her obsession with her father seemed disproportionate to her other traumatic life experiences, which were barely mentioned. And what was so special about her that all the men were falling head over heels over her? And finally, all that new age stuff was getting too much for my liking towards the end - signs, coincidences, visions, dreams, ghosts, sinchronicity.

Is it a self-published book? Anyways, it is quite rare and somebody on BC got a hold of it and offered it as a ray. It's rather Australia-centric because many book references were from AUS/NZ and I also noticed that a lot of bookcrossers were from Australia in the book. Unfortunately, there were quite a few typos - misspelled words, mixed up names, mixed up time - PM mixed up with AM.

What I liked about the book - BC references, travel (I often Googled up pictures of locations and discovered some nice ones on the way) and bookish references (most literature seemed too depressing for my liking, but maybe I will note down some AUS/NZ related books and authors).… (plus d'informations)

Back in 2008 I met the author and had the opportunity to read Tomaree. The review was written in September 2008.

This is the story of Peggy who meets and falls in love with an American serviceman stationed in Australia during the Second World War. At the war end, after they had married Peggy leaves for America to start a new life. Some thirty years later, Peggy returns to Australia for her mother's funeral. Sorting through her mother's belongings allows Peggy to cast her mind back over the years, as she relives the romance with her husband, her relationship with her late mother and the coming to terms with her relationships with them both, and how she deals with the journey of discovery and the secrets she finds along the way.

This is a beautiful and gentle story with rich characters that came to life on the page.… (plus d'informations)

Peggy Lockwood returns to Nelson Bay in NSW after living overseas for 30 years. Her mother has died and it is up to Peggy to pack her whole life away. As she tidies things up she slowly learns about her mothers past and the bearing it had on her own life. As she digs into the issues in her mother’s past, Peggy is also working out the present day issues she has with her husband back in the USA.

A very gentle read, a wonderful sense of place as I know the Nelson Bay area very well having spent many a summer at the nearby Fingal Bay. Was a little slow to start with, but once I got into it was a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I was aware of the influx of American military personnel into the area during WWII – but got a much great insight into the impact on the local community. Very well portrayed.

… (plus d'informations)