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gloriadog's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
caramay's review against another edition
DNF @ 1/3 of the way through. Wasn’t grasping & hooking my attention. The focus was not as focussed on Marie and her journey as I’d hoped (based upon and compared to the description of the book) and other characters weren’t as likeable.
wendoxford's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the first half of this very Aussie novel despite coarse language. Great writing, characters and fantastic use of language - however felt book faded and lost its edge on the plotline as it moved towards its conclusion
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘For the first time in years, the children were all at Sirius Cove for their mother’s birthday.’
Set in Sydney, shifting between Mosman and Surry Hills, this is the story of a segment of Marie King’s life. Marie, aged 59 and divorced, is unsatisfied with aspects of her life. Sure, she lives in a beautiful home in Mosman, and appears to have led a relatively privileged life. But somewhere along the way, Marie seems to have lost her sense of self. Increasingly, she is aware that she can no longer support the lifestyle she’s become used to on the allowance her ex-husband Ross pays. One day, bolstered by the bravery bestowed by alcohol, Marie wanders into a tattoo parlour. Her first tattoo leads to others, and introduces Marie (or sometimes reminds her) of other aspects of life.
Marie’s friends, and her children Clark, Blanche and Leon do not understand Marie’s need for (or is it an obsession with?) tattoos. For a while, it seems as though Marie is in control of her life, but is she?
I found this novel challenging, and interesting. Challenging because I found it very difficult to feel much sympathy for any of the characters. I don’t recognise much of the world that Marie, her friends and children inhabit. And yet, despite the privilege and opportunity conferred by wealth, few of the characters seemed comfortable or happy either with themselves or the world. I found the novel interesting because of the way Ms McGregor depicts Marie’s search for her own sense of life and what is important to her. There’s something about Marie’s desire to define herself separate from her family and her environment, about her appreciation of beauty in nature which held my attention. It is mid-summer, and Sydney is in drought. Many of the lives of those in the novel are also ‘in drought’, needing nourishment to meet their potential.
There is no happy ending in this novel, no chance for a happy new beginning. Life is often like that. But, to me at least, the Marie with whom we end the novel is a more fulfilled woman than the Marie with whom we commenced it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Set in Sydney, shifting between Mosman and Surry Hills, this is the story of a segment of Marie King’s life. Marie, aged 59 and divorced, is unsatisfied with aspects of her life. Sure, she lives in a beautiful home in Mosman, and appears to have led a relatively privileged life. But somewhere along the way, Marie seems to have lost her sense of self. Increasingly, she is aware that she can no longer support the lifestyle she’s become used to on the allowance her ex-husband Ross pays. One day, bolstered by the bravery bestowed by alcohol, Marie wanders into a tattoo parlour. Her first tattoo leads to others, and introduces Marie (or sometimes reminds her) of other aspects of life.
Marie’s friends, and her children Clark, Blanche and Leon do not understand Marie’s need for (or is it an obsession with?) tattoos. For a while, it seems as though Marie is in control of her life, but is she?
I found this novel challenging, and interesting. Challenging because I found it very difficult to feel much sympathy for any of the characters. I don’t recognise much of the world that Marie, her friends and children inhabit. And yet, despite the privilege and opportunity conferred by wealth, few of the characters seemed comfortable or happy either with themselves or the world. I found the novel interesting because of the way Ms McGregor depicts Marie’s search for her own sense of life and what is important to her. There’s something about Marie’s desire to define herself separate from her family and her environment, about her appreciation of beauty in nature which held my attention. It is mid-summer, and Sydney is in drought. Many of the lives of those in the novel are also ‘in drought’, needing nourishment to meet their potential.
There is no happy ending in this novel, no chance for a happy new beginning. Life is often like that. But, to me at least, the Marie with whom we end the novel is a more fulfilled woman than the Marie with whom we commenced it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
hcube3's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a while since I've read a book like this - one that reckons with the complex, latticed nature of ordinary life. Marie King has three children and at the age of 50 finds new freedom in tattoo art. Her character reverberates within her children and their relationships, and we see how their specific way of seeing the world gently confronts against anything different through a meandering catalogue of everyday situations.
bookdancing's review
4.0
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Indelible_Ink_by_Fiona_McGregor
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