I really enjoyed the lyrical language and gently unfolding story. a sentence I noted early in the book was, 'The night garden was thick with dreams. Beneath the earth, beneath the eyelids of birds, in the air that came like an exhalation from the sea.'
I had no prior knowledge of the construction of the opera house and the politics surrounding it, so I found this informative.
I am amused that Utzon's design was related to an orange. I would never have guessed that. So why when an author has researched her topic and is basing it on a fact, would she then infer that his concept was a shell and use that as the book's title?
I found that a more dominant theme is the conscription of young soldiers for the Vietnam war, the rise of feminism,as well as both Pearl and Axel's background stories. Overall a very good enjoyable read portraying the social and political climate of Sydney in the 1960's. ( )

As I wrote when I posted a Sensational Snippet from Kristina Olsson’s new novel Shell, (https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/10/24/sensational-snippets-shell-by-kristina-olsson/) I have fallen in love with this book so it’s not going to be easy to write an objective review. I have mulled over the book for two days since I finished reading it, and I still feel a frisson of pleasure when I set eyes on it. It’s my Book of the Year, and it might even be the Book of the Decade, in the same way that Kim Scott’s That Deadman Dance turned out to be a Book of the Decade, for me.

For starters, it is beautifully published. Designed by Christabella Designs to mark the first book published by Scribner Australia (an imprint of Simon and Schuster), the hardback edition has creamy pale-pink textured boards imprinted with the same glorious image as the dustcover—it’s a photograph called Red Storm Day by Jean-Pierre Bratanoff-Firgoff. The endpaper images are a sketch and a site plan from the Red Book of Jørn Utzon, the architect of the Sydney Opera House. This is a book which heralds its status as a masterpiece even as the reader holds it in the hand.

I am not the only one utterly captivated by Shell: it has had glowing reviews in the print media, and its impressive list of blurbers includes this comment from Ashley Hay, author of The Railwayman’s Wife and A Hundred Little Lessons:

Shell sanctifies the greatest of our ideas and being, from love, courage and betrayal to creation and dissent… It’s the kind of book that opens out its readers, making them think and feel. It’s the kind of book I’ll carry with me for all time.

What Ashley Hay says is true. On almost every page, there’s something to make the reader pause to think, because the book explores fundamental truths and issues that still resonate now in the 21st century. Although it’s set in an historical period, it’s not historical fiction of the genre variety. It’s a book that explores history in a new and reflective way.

To see the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/10/27/shell-by-kristina-olsson-bookreview/ ( )

A book like Shell doesn’t come around every day, nor every year. This book is beautifully, tenderly written with every word crafted with an eye for detail. It is as admirable as the Sydney Opera House (the building of which is a major plot device) and as breathtaking as the glass sculptures crafted by Axel, one of the main characters. I can’t think of a better story to launch the Scribner Australia imprint. This is going to be an imprint to devour if Shell is any indication of the beauty and quality of the storytelling.

Shell describes two major occasions in Australian history, neither of which have been deeply explored in fiction to date. The first is the building of the Sydney Opera House, which for many Australians has just been there forever (myself included). It’s amazing to think that in the 1960s that it wasn’t finished with both the media and government attacking the project daily (and that was before social media). The second is the anti-war movement as Australia sends troops to Vietnam with protesters organising large scale disruption. Through the eyes of the two main characters, Pearl and Axel, both become personal.

Pearl is involved in the anti-war campaigns, but has had to take a backseat after being photographed during a protest has moved her career backwards from news journalists to the women’s pages. She’s still secretly involved, with a link on ‘the inside’ but her main motivation is much more personal. Her two brothers, who she feels she failed after they were placed in an orphanage, are of drafting age. Pearl doesn’t know where they are, but she wants to protect them at all costs. Axel has come from Sweden to work of glass sculptures for the Opera House. His hero is the architect, Jørn Utzon. He is desperate to meet Utzon and explain how his design for the Opera House makes him feel. Axel can’t understand the controversy and resistance against the project. This extends to the way some Australians act – it’s foreign to him. When he meets Pearl, little do either of them realise they have a lot in common. Missing, broken families and a desire for change.

Kristina Olsson’s writing is exquisite. Like how Axel sees the Opera House, it is art. Every detail of this novel is planned and executed to the finest detail. You will want to savour every single word, picture every scene and reflect on the conversations between characters. Although it’s not a long book, Shell should not be skimmed over quickly. This is a novel that reminds us of why we read – for the beauty and creation of worlds in our mind. Simply put, I loved this novel. I hungered for every detail about Pearl’s family and Axel’s sculptures. I loved the glimpses into a Sydney that is so different – slower and simpler - than today’s speedy metropolis.

Shell will not disappoint. I’ve overjoyed that this beautiful, Australian story will be shared with the world.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

I won an ARC in a GOODREADS giveaway. ( )