The Little Company - (The First Year)

Finally finished The Timeless Land. Now reading The Little Company, also by Eleanor Dark.

Further text and illustrations to follow!

Update 3.6.11. At a conference I attended a few years ago, The Secret River was given to the overseas speakers with the indication from the conference organiser that to read the book was to go a long way to understanding the state of our nation today, particularly with respect to the plight of Aboriginal people and race relations; it was some sort of insight into how the nation was born, the book was a clue to the psyche of the nation. I personally feel that The Timeless Land makes an even more powerful statement than Secret River. I found it very moving and Dark's insights into the fatal attraction of alcohol, for example, are compelling.

The Little Company is a much more domestic book, set in a family during WW2, quite political I would say and again, so very insightful and beautifully written. She captures people's "small moments" in such a finely detailed way. A truly wonderful writer, is Eleanor Dark.

Big Thumbs up for Leura Books

These three books arrived today only 4 days (including the weekend) after I ordered them from Leura Books! All three for $30 and free postage. Two of them are hard cover as well and in lovely condition. They are two of the books that have been very difficult to come by. Fantastic service, I am thrilled!


Still reading my way through The Timeless Land and it's an excellent book. Such an awakening for me, to Australia's early white settlement history. And yes, we passed our Citizenship Test. My novel reading is slow going at the moment because of lots of presentations that need to be put together for work... lots of reading of another sort.

The Timeless Land

I plan to buy my own copy of The Book Thief as I think it is a brilliant book. Haunting, beautifully written. Thank you, Markus Zusak. And thanks to Kim for lending me her copy of this marvellous book. I have now started a book written by Eleanor Dark, published in 1941 about the first settlement of Australia in Sydney by Arthur Phillip. Appropriate enough given that Keith and I are doing our Australian Citizenship test in about a week. 26 January 1788 the First Fleet of 11 ships sailed into the harbour which would become Sydney .... and Federation was January 1, 1901!