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Phoeba Crupp is a gal of inconveniently independent tendencies, to the concern of her mother and her sisters although not of her father - an eccentric ex-accountant who moved his family from the city to a small farm in rural Australia in order to establish a vineyard - a decision Phoeba's mother bitterly (and loudly) resents. But Phoeba has loved it since the day they arrived. While her sister makes a play for the local squatter's son, Phoeba is content with her best friend Harriet, until circumstances push her towards the world of men and money.
As a child, Julia Forrester spent many idyllic hours in the hothouse of Wharton Park estate, where her grandfather tended the exotic flowers. So when a family tragedy strikes, Julia returns to the tranquility of Wharton Park and its hothouse. Recently inherited by charismatic Kit Crawford, the estate is undergoing renovation. This leads to the discovery of an old diary, prompting the pair to seek out Julia's grandmother to learn the truth behind a love affair that almost destroyed Wharton Park.
Given a backroom computer job when the beloved Birmingham library she works in turns into a downsized retail complex, Nina misses her old role terribly - dealing with people, greeting her regulars, making sure everyone gets the right books for their needs. Then a new business nobody else wants catches her eye: owning a tiny little bookshop bus up in the Scottish Highlands.
As London goes up in flames during the Blitz, two sisters from Bermondsey find their lives changed out of all recognition.... When a bombing raid destroys nearly everything she holds dear, May joins the ATS and becomes a gunner girl. Peggy, May's elder sister, is trapped in a stifling marriage, yet amid the chaos of war, a route to freedom beckons. From war will come hardship and tragedy as well as new, unexpected friendships and love affairs.
Among millions of Holocaust victims sent to Auschwitz II-Birkenau in 1944, Priska, Rachel and Anka each passed through its infamous gates with a secret. Strangers to each other, they were newly pregnant and facing an uncertain fate without their husbands. Alone, scared and with so many loved ones already lost to the Nazis, these young women were privately determined to hold on to all they had left: their lives and those of their unborn babies.
West Cork, Ireland, 1900. The year marks the start of a new century and the birth of three very different women: Kitty Deverill, the flame-haired Anglo-Irish daughter of the castle; Bridie Doyle, the daughter of the Irish cook; and Celia Deverill, Kitty's flamboyant English cousin. Together they grow up in the dreamy grounds of the family's grand estate, Castle Deverill. Yet their peaceful way of life will soon be threatened by Ireland's struggle for independence.
Phoeba Crupp is a gal of inconveniently independent tendencies, to the concern of her mother and her sisters although not of her father - an eccentric ex-accountant who moved his family from the city to a small farm in rural Australia in order to establish a vineyard - a decision Phoeba's mother bitterly (and loudly) resents. But Phoeba has loved it since the day they arrived. While her sister makes a play for the local squatter's son, Phoeba is content with her best friend Harriet, until circumstances push her towards the world of men and money.
As a child, Julia Forrester spent many idyllic hours in the hothouse of Wharton Park estate, where her grandfather tended the exotic flowers. So when a family tragedy strikes, Julia returns to the tranquility of Wharton Park and its hothouse. Recently inherited by charismatic Kit Crawford, the estate is undergoing renovation. This leads to the discovery of an old diary, prompting the pair to seek out Julia's grandmother to learn the truth behind a love affair that almost destroyed Wharton Park.
Given a backroom computer job when the beloved Birmingham library she works in turns into a downsized retail complex, Nina misses her old role terribly - dealing with people, greeting her regulars, making sure everyone gets the right books for their needs. Then a new business nobody else wants catches her eye: owning a tiny little bookshop bus up in the Scottish Highlands.
As London goes up in flames during the Blitz, two sisters from Bermondsey find their lives changed out of all recognition.... When a bombing raid destroys nearly everything she holds dear, May joins the ATS and becomes a gunner girl. Peggy, May's elder sister, is trapped in a stifling marriage, yet amid the chaos of war, a route to freedom beckons. From war will come hardship and tragedy as well as new, unexpected friendships and love affairs.
Among millions of Holocaust victims sent to Auschwitz II-Birkenau in 1944, Priska, Rachel and Anka each passed through its infamous gates with a secret. Strangers to each other, they were newly pregnant and facing an uncertain fate without their husbands. Alone, scared and with so many loved ones already lost to the Nazis, these young women were privately determined to hold on to all they had left: their lives and those of their unborn babies.
West Cork, Ireland, 1900. The year marks the start of a new century and the birth of three very different women: Kitty Deverill, the flame-haired Anglo-Irish daughter of the castle; Bridie Doyle, the daughter of the Irish cook; and Celia Deverill, Kitty's flamboyant English cousin. Together they grow up in the dreamy grounds of the family's grand estate, Castle Deverill. Yet their peaceful way of life will soon be threatened by Ireland's struggle for independence.
Joy Dettman's compelling saga is set in the rural Australian logging town of Woody Creek in the early 1900s, when Gertrude Foote discovers a pregnant woman near the railroad, unconscious and near death. She doesn't survive, but the child does, and is soon taken in by Gertrude's daughter, Amber, and her husband, Norman, who have recently lost their son in childbirth. The fairy tale turns dark, though, as young Jenny suffers under the neglect and abuse of her new mother. Diedre Rubenstein's performance is sharp and precise, bringing deft characterization and heightening the emotions of this brutal tale.
On a balmy midsummer's evening in 1923, a young woman - foreign, dishevelled, and heavily pregnant - is found unconscious just off the railway tracks in the tiny logging community of Woody Creek. The town midwife, Gertrude Foote, is roused from her bed when the woman is brought to her door. Try as she might, Gertrude is unable to save her, but the baby lives.
When no relatives come forth to claim the infant, Gertrude's daughter, Amber - who has recently lost a son in childbirth - and her husband, Norman, take the child in. In the ensuing weeks, Norman becomes convinced that God has sent the baby to their door, and in an act of reckless compassion and lonely desperation, he names the baby Jennifer and registers her in place of his son.
Loved by some but scorned by more, including her stepmother and sister, Jenny survives her childhood and grows into an exquisite and talented young woman. But who were her parents? And why does she so strongly resemble an old photograph of Gertrude's philandering husband?
Spanning two momentous decades and capturing rural Australia's complex and mysterious heart, Pearl in a Cage is the new novel by one of our most talented storytellers.
19 CD's on one book and then ended in a way that the listener feels dispointed, like something is missing. The book captures your attention to listen, well written and narrated but ends as if a lot can still be said and explained.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I like this book initially, and thought the story sounded hopeful, but found it incredibly depressing. The story spent far too much time the some of the characters who weren’t the main person described in the description details, so the story seems to lie it’s way. Then a sudden change in direction really does bring the book to its lowest point in the later stages, so quite disappointed, it is reasonably well written, but I wouldn’t recommend this book on.
But the reader was brilliant, if not for her I would have persisted with it.
If you could sum up Pearl in a Cage in three words, what would they be?
A bit confusing
Would you recommend Pearl in a Cage to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes I would. It is a saga you need to get into to understand the story around it, but once you get into it you cant put it down.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The narrator was very good.
If you could rename Pearl in a Cage, what would you call it?
I think Pearl in a Cage was the perfect name for this book
Any additional comments?
This book was full of real life. The first book you dont realise that the Pearl in the Cage is Jenny. One has to read the following book to understand more of the first book.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
If you could sum up Pearl in a Cage in three words, what would they be?
I want more
What was one of the most memorable moments of Pearl in a Cage?
I hate this question I've read so many reviews where the whole story line is mapped out including the ending. This book is a really good story it's not a mills and boon type of story so don't buy if you are expecting a romance.
What about Deidre Rubenstein’s performance did you like?
She's believable even narrating the male voices, didn't find her narration grating. However as the story is set in a country town in Victoria, Australia she does sometimes put on a very aussie accent. Don't be put off by this it is in line with the story.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Where dirty linen is on show
Any additional comments?
I discovered Joy Dettman only recently when I purchased "The Silent Inheritance" at the airport. Loved this book and couldn't put it down and wanted more and discovered the Woody Creek series. I was a little worried however as I only generally read crime novels, however not disappointed finished this book and now on the second story. Highly recommend
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Rarely does a story make me laugh, cry, steam with anger, and feel homesick all within its pages. This was just such a story and one of the most touching I have ever heard. Highly, highly recommended!!
What did you love best about Pearl in a Cage?
I love the characters, the story and how everyone is interconnected. I live in a small town, about two hours drive from the approximate area this is set. I find it so true to life I feel like I am there. The description of the town and the houses is what I see in my own town.
What other book might you compare Pearl in a Cage to and why?
Not sure. I had never read an historical family saga before. I am looking for another now.
What about Deidre Rubenstein’s performance did you like?
Deidre is perhaps my all time favourite narrator. I fell in love with her storytelling with this book and have sought out other titles narrated by her. I find she brings a depth and a reality to the characters without overplaying them.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When poor toddler Jenny was assaulted. Just so awful. I felt for her.
Any additional comments?
I'm reviewing this after finishing the last book of the series. I am about to start them all from scratch. They have become like a comfortable old friend.
I have given this book 3 stars based on my PERSONAL response to the book - other readers/listeners may be less idealistic than myself. I found it a little too black - I was hoping to see Jenny rise above the many adversities she encounters - perhaps she does, but this is left entirely to the reader's imagination. For me, a description of her adventures away from the town of her birth - even as a summary in an epilogue - would have been sufficient to satisfy my urge for justice. Perhaps Ms Dettman will outline this in a sequel? If so, I'll definitely be listening to that one :)
The other reason I gave 3 stars is due to Jenny's sudden catapult into a different reality near the end of the book. I felt somewhat disoriented by the dizzying turn of events and was left wondering whether outside pressure forced Ms Dettman to close the story in this way. Conversely, it could just be that I found the altered tense (a rapid transition from present to retrospective) too harsh for my liking. Nonetheless, this is a brilliant tale and a sober depiction of the domestic, social and cultural mores surrounding a disadvantaged individual living between the wars in a remote Australian town.