3 Stars | Lost in a Good Book

Long Lost Review: The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham

11 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Long Lost Reviews Tags: #llr, aussie books, australian women writers challenge, aww, long lost review, Long Lost Reviews, rosalie ham, three stars

Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all.

Published: 01 September 2000
Publisher: Duffy & Snellgrove
Pages: 296
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fiction
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

Tilly Dunnage has come home to care for her mad old mother. She left the small Victorian town of Dungatar years before, and became an accomplished couturier in Paris. Now she earns her living making exquisite frocks for the people who drove her away when she was ten. Through the long Dungatar nights, she sits at her sewing machine, planning revenge.

The Dressmaker is a modern Australian classic, much loved for its bittersweet humour. Set in the 1950s, its subjects include haute couture, love and hate, and a cast of engagingly eccentric characters.

I don’t think I saw the movie, or if I did I retained as much of it as I did the book.

I recall it being about a lady going home to her small town, there being rumours about her or a scandal from the past. And maybe a lot of references to the quiet and/or the vastness of the secluded town.

That’s it.

I gave it three stars though so I enjoyed it on some level, but I also have no desire to reread it to find out why. I might find some reviews that mention more detail, or read the wiki to kick start my memory but this is definitely a long lost review if ever there was one.

You can purchase The Dressmaker via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon Aust | Audible

Want to Play Trucks? by Ann Stott

05 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: ann stott, bob graham, children's picture book, picture book, three stars

Published: 7 August 2018
Publisher: Candlewick
Illustrator: Bob Graham
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

Jack likes trucks. Alex likes dolls. What will they play together? Their new favorite game, of course!

Jack and Alex meet almost every morning in the sandbox at the playground. Jack likes trucks — big ones, the kind that can wreck things. Alex likes dolls — pink ones, with sparkles. And tutus. But Jack doesn’t want to play dolls, and Alex doesn’t want to play trucks. Luckily for Jack and Alex, the day is saved with a little bit of compromise — what about dolls who drive trucks?

I like this book because it’s a great story that easily demonstrates that everyone has different interests, and even if they aren’t what you like, or what society thinks you should like, it doesn’t make it bad or wrong.

The best part is there is no explicit social commentary on it at all. Stott’s story about two kids playing in the park is just that. But in showing these two kids with different interests it’s a wonderful story that reminds people kids (and adults) are allowed to like a lot of things, there are no rules. And it isn’t wrong to like different things from other people.

The faux conflict is great because it sets you up to think there’s going to be an issue but there isn’t (funnily enough it’s all about communication and not just yelling at one another). Stott shows readers once again that kids are accepting and have no predetermined ideas about anything. It’s all about what they are taught and what they are exposed to.

It’s also a great book that shows despite having different interests, you can still get along with someone, and you may even find you have other things in common.

Graham’s illustrations are classic and realistic. The colours and subdued but varied and he captures the feeling of intimacy and playing side by side in a sand pit. There’s enough background detail to make up a full scene but I liked the focus on the two kids for most of the book, especially as it meant they could sort out their own issues without the adults getting involved.

There is nothing to suggest this is an LGBTQIA book, but I love that because it is as a simple reminder that gender nonconforming covers a lot of things, and if that means people understand boys can like dolls and tutus then that is a great lesson learnt.

You can purchase Want to Play Trucks? via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

I Don’t Want to Read this Book Aloud by Max Greenfield

11 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, max greenfield, mike lowery, picture book, three stars

Published: 19 September 2023
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Illustrator: Mike Lowery
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ – 3.5 Stars

Nobody in the world actually enjoys reading aloud, do they? Impossible! After all, any number of terrible things could happen: you might come across a word you don’t know how to pronounce. Or get distracted by a volcano eruption and lose your place. Even worse, you might accidentally hear the sound of your own voice!

With a nice plaque on the first page telling us this book is meant to be read aloud it then begins the story of someone who emphatically will not read it out loud.

In a meta kind of ‘this is not the song this is just a tribute’ you don’t know what the book is the narrator doesn’t want to read aloud, but the story we do get is enjoyable and clever. Their pontifications and protestations are great and I loved how the text and formatting worked together to help exaggerate the woes of our narrator.

Obviously, if you do choose to read this aloud it is super fun. The creative format and fonts let you play with pronunciation and emphasis, and the interaction between the narrator and the literal elephant in the room is a great way to have a conversation without it being to the reader directly.

The illustrations and the layout is bright and colourful, there are a lot of busy pages that are reminiscent of a kid illustrating the various issues they have and it matches the voice perfectly. It’s easy to picture someone standing before you proclaiming how they will not read this book aloud and the various reasons why.

For those who may be wary or unsure about reading aloud this is a great book to help quell any fears. As our narrator works through their issues (both serious and humorous) it shows that reading out loud can be fun and not as intimidating as it first appears.

You can purchase I Don’t Want to Read this Book Aloud via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy

08 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Junior Fiction, LGBTQIA Tags: Audiobook, julie murphy, junior fiction, phoebe strole, three stars

Published: 1 October 2019 (print)/1 October 2019 (audio)
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins
Pages: 273/6 hours, 20 minutes
Narrator: Phoebe Strole
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

Patricia “Sweet Pea” DiMarco wasn’t sure what to expect when her parents announced they were getting a divorce. She never could have imagined that they would have the “brilliant” idea of living in nearly identical houses on the same street. In the one house between them lives their eccentric neighbour Miss Flora Mae, the famed local advice columnist behind “Miss Flora Mae I?”

Dividing her time between two homes is not easy. And it doesn’t help that at school, Sweet Pea is now sitting right next to her ex-best friend, Kiera, a daily reminder of the friendship that once was. Things might be unbearable if Sweet Pea didn’t have Oscar–her new best friend–and her fifteen-pound cat, Cheese.

Then one day Flora leaves for a trip and asks Sweet Pea to forward her the letters for the column. And Sweet Pea happens to recognize the handwriting on one of the envelopes.

What she decides to do with that letter sets off a chain of events that will forever change the lives of Sweet Pea DiMarco, her family, and many of the readers of “Miss Flora Mae I?”

This book was enjoyable, had a few issues, but for a book kids will read it was a nice story. There was a lot of diversity and insights into being a kid, body issues and friend dramas, as well as big family changes.

Being in year seven I think Sweet Pea is around 13, which explains the lack of critical thinking and the impulsive actions. But while she is sensible in some areas, and has a well-rounded view on others, she is still quite selfish and judgemental of those around her. Having a character like this is good because why should a kid be perfect when they are still growing, and hopefully this story is the start of her growth. She has a lot of important things happening in her life and her good intentions don’t always work out.

One things I thought was curious was there are no consequences for Sweet Pea hiding her father’s important mail or deleting phone messages. I felt that was the wrong message to send that even if Sweet Pea felt bad, no adult found out what she did and even when it was clear there would have been major consequences nothing seemed to come of it.

Opening all the mail was magically forgotten about too, as was reading everyone’s private letters to Flora Mae and then resealing them (perfectly somehow) and sending them on. Even though there are consequences for the ones she does deal with, it was a weird thing to leave unmentioned.

The way characters are described aren’t blended well, there is a lot of “there is a guy behind the counter, he looks like this and is wearing this” but imagine this for every person Sweet Pea sees. It’s takes you from the story a little, especially in audio form when you stop to describe someone then the story continues. It shows off good representation and shows diversity, even if it’s a one off background character, but the writing needed to make it more streamlined.

Another unrealistic thing is I cannot imagine her school calling her Sweet Pea, even if it has Patricia on her forms. What kind of awkward thirteen year old wants everyone calling her Sweet Pea, I feel that is prime humiliation, even in a small town and a small school. She can’t be awkward and anxious while also being on having everyone call her a personal nickname.

Strole does a good job as narrator, I liked her voice for Sweet Pea and aside from the clunky descriptions I fell into the story easily.

Overall I liked the story, even with the flaws. Murphy writes these characters who are imperfect and finding their way in the world. It’s a bold adventure and a lot of change for Sweet Pea but one I think would resonate with a lot of kids around the same age.

You can purchase Dear Sweet Pea via the following

QBD | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Points of Departure by Emily O’Beirne

03 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, angela dawe, Audiobook, aussie books, australian women writers challenge, emily o'beirne, loveozya, young adult

Published: 15 June 2016 (print)/28 June 2022 (audio)
Publisher: Ylva Publishing/Tantor Media, Inc
Pages: 274/8 hrs and 43 mins
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

In this young adult novel, best friends Kit and Liza have been looking forward to this trip forever.
Five girls, five tickets overseas. It’s exactly what they all need after the final slog of high school. But when Kit’s suddenly forced to drop out, Liza’s left with three girls she barely knows.

There’s Mai, committed only to partying. There’s Tam, who already has her doubts about leaving her sick father behind. And there’s Olivia, so miserable about screwing up exams she’s not even sure she wants to get out of bed, let alone on a plane. Meanwhile Kit’s stuck working double shifts to pay off a debt, wondering if she’ll ever get it together.

All Liza wants from this trip is to discover a new version of herself. She just hadn’t planned on doing it without Kit by her side.
And they’re all learning that travel isn’t just about the places you go, but who you’re with at the time.

I am no stranger to having a subpar narrator for audiobooks, it’s rare but not unheard of. There have only been maybe two books I couldn’t listen to at all because of the narrator, other times there are narrators who aren’t great at the start but I can get used to by the end of the book. This one, however, annoyed me right until the final minutes. The nasal imitation Australian accent was bad enough when there was dialogue, but the fact the rest of the book was spoken in an American accent was annoying. The main things I kept thinking were why was an American narrating this Australian book and why would you switch between accents?

When I had a small whinge online I did see one response that said audiobooks should be narrated by people who are the nationality of the characters, which would be ideal, support local talent and all that, but if we can’t have that at least can they be vetted that they can do a decent Australian accent that doesn’t make you cringe every time a character spoke? I have to be careful here and not spend the entire time ragging on the narrator, it’s probably not her fault, but it goes to show that the narrator can influence a book’s enjoyment.

I enjoyed that the characters were older teens; they’d finished their schooling and were looking at their open ended future trying to decide what to do with the rest of their lives. It was a great dynamic having the five of them plan this trip with really one person being a key connector between them all. When you remove that connecting point it was interesting to see the interactions these near strangers have as a result.

The story follows multiple points of view but the problem is some characters are a lot more interesting than others. I liked Kit’s story best, and I enjoyed Olivia and Liza, but overall it was a little bit boring. Maybe not boring exactly, but definitely slow. And considering I never got used to the narrator I was very conscious of not letting it impact my enjoyment. Even with an Australian narrator I feel it would still have been slow, under developed, and slightly repetitive.

With multiple points of view you got a little bit of their lives, but their narrative voices mixed together. Kit’s story was the only one that felt separate and her voice unique, and not only because of her isolation at home made her easy to identify. Keeping track of who was who was easier by remember their one defining narrative feature – Liza was a former runner, Olivia worried about her uni scores, and Tam had a sick father. There wasn’t any other way to distinguish them and their voices were non-descript, I don’t think I even got a picture of any of them in my head. The similarities in written voice especially between Liza and Olivia weren’t helped by ?? barely altering her voice either as she switched between the two, and there was definitely an imbalance between perspectives. Olivia and Liza dominated, Kit did as well, Tam barely gets a look in so much I kept forgetting about her, and poor Mai didn’t get a voice at all.

The exploration of European countries, hostels, different approaches and appreciations to each country was a nice insight into how to travel around the world (and how easy it is to jump from country to country when you aren’t girt by sea). Seeing each girl grow and develop friendships through the book and overcome their insecurities, find themselves, and work out who they want to be was nice too.

Overall a nice read, probably one that could have been expanded further in terms of character and balanced better in terms of pace, but it was enjoyable and an interesting look at the older side of young adult and teen lives: not quite complete adults but not bound by schoolyard antics.

You can purchase Points of Departure via the following

Blackwell’s | Wordery | Angus & Robertson

Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible