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#canberra
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Messiejessie
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Pickpick

A compelling and thoughtful account of trials of the murder of Joe Cinque.
My first Helen Garner book. It took me a little while to become accustomed to her style, but I appreciated her candidness and her thoughtful observations.

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Missusb
Exit, Pursued by a Bear | E.K. Johnston
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I am down in the nation‘s capital #Canberra for a meeting today and this is my view. Except for the book of course, which hasn‘t been readily available in 🇦🇺. I had to go off-shore and online to purchase it. I have heard very good things about it, and seriously that cover. #tbrpile #ekjohnston #yaliterature #highexpectations Not that there‘ll be any time to read today, but maybe the flight home?

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CarolynM
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#MarchInBooks #BorrowedBooks
#MarchMadness #BasedOnATrueStoryCrimeNovel

I don't borrow many books, but a friend pressed this one on me. It's not really a crime novel, it's about the real life murder trial of a young woman who killed her boyfriend in bizarre circumstances and how the trial and the event itself impacted on both their families. Compelling and thought provoking.

MrsMalaprop Oh my, this was a compelling but devastating read. Garner goes where others fear to tread. Did you see the movie? I‘ve not built up the courage yet... 7y
TheBookgeekFrau Oh wow; sounds quite interesting 7y
CarolynM @MrsMalaprop I haven't seen the film and I don't think I want to. I didn't think the book was exploitative, but somehow I feel making a film of it is. I think Garner was trying to honour the Cinque's loss (amongst other things obviously), I can't really see how dramatising the events does that. 7y
CarolynM @C.Perone Yes, interesting and confronting in many ways. 7y
31 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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BibliophileMom
Geekerella | Ashley Poston
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isabellaprimrose Is it goood? 😊 7y
BibliophileMom @isabellaprimrose ok lang sis. D ko masyado nagustuhan ee.😫 7y
isabellaprimrose Ay talaga,. Babasahin ko sana.. hahaha 7y
MrBook Nice pic! 7y
20 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
Joanne1
Pickpick

Garner showcases her sparse, searingly honest and deeply cutting style as she observes the inner workings of a murder trial and the terrifying grief of a family torn apart. There is no claim to objectivity in this account, instead it shines a light on the lost filtered through the devastation of the family and the writers own troubled circumstances. Garner is masterful at observing the human condition and crafting language with utter precision.

44 likes3 stack adds
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Joanne1
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This book is so incredibly compelling I can't put it down. Must. Stop. Reading. And. Do. Some. Work.

SheilaChew Avoid.Work.Keep.Reading.💕 8y
Lindy Stacked. Really enjoyed 8y
Joanne1 @Lindy I've got that one on my bookshelf too. I pretty much love everything Helen Garner writes. 8y
57 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Joanne1
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One of my very favourite #australianauthors in Helen Garner. Her writing is so thoroughly observant of society. This one is my #LetterJ for #LitsyAtoZ and already I've stayed up way too late reading it.

Michelle_mck Helen is one of my favs... that book made me sad, angry, heartbreaking and so many others... hope you enjoy it 8y
Joanne1 @Michelle_mck have you read This House of Grief? All the same feels in that one. 8y
Michelle_mck I have @Joanne1 she has a way of writing about these things like no one else 8y
39 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Brona
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EnidBiteEm
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Pickpick

Some writers write to create worlds, others write to seek the truth. Garner is one of the latter, and one of my favourite writers. A young law student makes a bizarre plan to murder her boyfriend after a dinner party. Garner questions how this can happen, silent bystanders, her own / our need to need to find the truth and explores why, sometimes, the truth can never be known. #lazyphotochallenge #australianlit #happybirthday Helen Garner.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Like a real life Chronicles of a Death Foretold.

Sweettartlaura I've heard Chronicle ... is based on a real event in GGM's life. Not sure where it departs from reality, but it's grounded there as well. 8y
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Sweettartlaura, Wikipedia backs you up on that! This happened in 1997 tho (GGM book is set in the 50s) it just blows my mind that this type of crime is even possible - how different things might have been if only someone had said 'hey, I thought you should know' 8y
margreads I went and saw the movie of this last weekend. Even after having read the book and now seen the movie my reaction is still why didn't anyone say anything 8y
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag @margreads, too right! Bystander effect maybe? 8y
Sweettartlaura I dunno, I feel like this happens a lot, just not with murder. How many times have you not said something, because it's "not your business", or because you don't want to be the bearer of bad news? Think of infidelity - NO ONE wants to tell the wronged spouse, but they (almost) always want to know, & are embarrassed to find out how many people did know. Again, it's not murder. But I think humans default to doing nothing more often than not ? 8y
32 likes2 stack adds6 comments