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sunspot's review against another edition
4.0
Another "First Reads" win; another gem I likely wouldn't have picked up otherwise, given that it's not technically my normal fare; and another author whose future work I will certainly seek out.
"The Paperbark Shoe" is a the story of Gin Toad (née Boyle), an Australian albino woman just turned thirty. At the opening of the book, she has given birth to three children (one already deceased) with her dwarfish, decidedly uncouth husband Agrippas Toad (known throughout most of the book simply as "Toad"), with whom she lives on a subsistence farm in Wyalkatchem, Western Australia. Scarred both physically and emotionally from years of abuse at the hands of children and adults, and a distinct lack of love, romantic and otherwise, Gin has resigned herself to her life, having given up the hopes and dreams she once had. It isn't the life she planned, and he isn't the husband she would have chosen had she managed that life she'd wanted, but he wanted her, and that was enough.
Enter John and Antonio, two of the many Italian prisoners of war sent to Australia to serve as farmhands. These four quickly find themselves entangled in more ways than one. 1940s Wyalkatchem provides a harsh backdrop to the drama of the Toads and the Italians and Goldbloom uses it to its full potential, painting the landscape and the lives of the main characters -- the adult Toads, the Toad children, and the Italian POWs -- in vivid detail. Indeed, Goldbloom pulls very few punches as she describes the harsh reality of life on the Toad land, describing Gin "beating maggots" off a piece of meat on one page and a rabbit with a broken back crawling toward the edge of the road on another.
My only "gripe" with the book as a whole is its fairly unsatisfying ending (I say "ending" for it in no way feels like a "conclusion"), but, to be fair, without taking the cliched "and they lived happily ever after" or "s/he broke his/her heart" routes (I won't say which, as I don't wish to spoil), it does feel fitting, in a way.
As I said, it's not my normal fare -- a bit too romance-y for my usual tastes -- but I did enjoy it, and I wouldn't hesitate to check out Goldbloom's future efforts.
"The Paperbark Shoe" is a the story of Gin Toad (née Boyle), an Australian albino woman just turned thirty. At the opening of the book, she has given birth to three children (one already deceased) with her dwarfish, decidedly uncouth husband Agrippas Toad (known throughout most of the book simply as "Toad"), with whom she lives on a subsistence farm in Wyalkatchem, Western Australia. Scarred both physically and emotionally from years of abuse at the hands of children and adults, and a distinct lack of love, romantic and otherwise, Gin has resigned herself to her life, having given up the hopes and dreams she once had. It isn't the life she planned, and he isn't the husband she would have chosen had she managed that life she'd wanted, but he wanted her, and that was enough.
Enter John and Antonio, two of the many Italian prisoners of war sent to Australia to serve as farmhands. These four quickly find themselves entangled in more ways than one. 1940s Wyalkatchem provides a harsh backdrop to the drama of the Toads and the Italians and Goldbloom uses it to its full potential, painting the landscape and the lives of the main characters -- the adult Toads, the Toad children, and the Italian POWs -- in vivid detail. Indeed, Goldbloom pulls very few punches as she describes the harsh reality of life on the Toad land, describing Gin "beating maggots" off a piece of meat on one page and a rabbit with a broken back crawling toward the edge of the road on another.
My only "gripe" with the book as a whole is its fairly unsatisfying ending (I say "ending" for it in no way feels like a "conclusion"), but, to be fair, without taking the cliched "and they lived happily ever after" or "s/he broke his/her heart" routes (I won't say which, as I don't wish to spoil), it does feel fitting, in a way.
As I said, it's not my normal fare -- a bit too romance-y for my usual tastes -- but I did enjoy it, and I wouldn't hesitate to check out Goldbloom's future efforts.
blbstorey's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting book I picked up on a whim from a shelf in my library. Beautifully and brutally written novel about displacement in the Australian outback during WWII. The narrator, Gin - an albino; her husband, Toad - an odd dwarf of a man with repressed homosexual urges; the Italian POW, Antonio - longing for his family and fascinated by Gin. The three come together in a collision of wants and desires that are never going to be fulfilled.
It IS very well-written, though I was a bit confused by the last twenty pages or so, what the point was. I feel it was a weak ending, but otherwise, the book was amazing in its descriptions and characters and the sense of being in the middle of nowhere, with few options, in a time of desperation and confusion.
Recommended, but not five stars.
It IS very well-written, though I was a bit confused by the last twenty pages or so, what the point was. I feel it was a weak ending, but otherwise, the book was amazing in its descriptions and characters and the sense of being in the middle of nowhere, with few options, in a time of desperation and confusion.
Recommended, but not five stars.
cooks4eleven's review
1.0
The characters were a little too exaggerated for ease of reading. I never could get a feel for the relationship between the husband and wife. The coldness of the main character towards her children made it very difficult for me to sympathize with her. I was frustrated by her choice to be unfaithful to her husband. She excused herself saying that his conduct had 'forced' her to it. I received this book at a goodreads giveaway and felt compelled to read it. I only made it halfway through.
I was interested in a main character with albinism. I did not know that Italian POW's were put to work in Australia in the 1940s. I'd like to find something else to read about this.
I was interested in a main character with albinism. I did not know that Italian POW's were put to work in Australia in the 1940s. I'd like to find something else to read about this.
missflamingo's review against another edition
4.0
This book review was published in the Noosa Today paper 15 June 2017.
Gin Toad’s life has been shaped by escape. From hateful parents to asylum; from asylum to sheep farmer’s wife, Gin has traded the possibility of a life with her music for untidy children, fetid foot smells and an uncultured husband who reads the dictionary in the dunny.
Friendless and isolated, she’s lost all hope until 2 Italian prisoners of war begin work at their farm. Before long their presence becomes another kind of escape for Gin. They may be prisoners from Europe but they speak her language of music and art and beauty.
Now Gin sees the ultimate escape for herself: to flee to Italy with the prisoner Antonio."
Gin Toad’s life has been shaped by escape. From hateful parents to asylum; from asylum to sheep farmer’s wife, Gin has traded the possibility of a life with her music for untidy children, fetid foot smells and an uncultured husband who reads the dictionary in the dunny.
Friendless and isolated, she’s lost all hope until 2 Italian prisoners of war begin work at their farm. Before long their presence becomes another kind of escape for Gin. They may be prisoners from Europe but they speak her language of music and art and beauty.
Now Gin sees the ultimate escape for herself: to flee to Italy with the prisoner Antonio."
syebba's review
3.0
Yeah, and there's this one.
Hopefully, at some point, I will come out of this book-induced "everybody and everything sucks" funk and I will write a more thoughtful review.
Hopefully, at some point, I will come out of this book-induced "everybody and everything sucks" funk and I will write a more thoughtful review.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
3.0
Goldie Goldbloom crafts some striking and original prose, which earned her the 2008 AWP Prize for this novel. She can also be wickedly funny at the most unexpected moments in the narrative. Those moments when her humor sneaks up on you are welcome refreshment in this mostly sorrowful story.
Simply put, this is a story of misfits, misfortunes, and misunderstandings. Gin and Agrippas Toad are misfits by birth, she an albino and he, well, a Toad. They're married to each other because they believe no one else will have them. After ten years of marriage, Gin focuses mostly on her two small children, Mudsey(Maud) and Alf. Toad occupies himself with his collection of antique corsets(yes!) and running the ranch.
Enter Antonio and John, who are misfits by misfortune---Italians POWs brought to Australia during WWII to serve as laborers. They are sent to work on Toad's remote ranch in Western Australia. Long-term isolation, personality clashes, and emotional miscalculations lead to what Gin terms "an unholy entanglement" among the four adults. There's a lot of infidelity of a sexual nature, but much more destructive are the emotional and intellectual infidelities.
Goldbloom's writing shines most brightly in her descriptions of the harsh Wyalkatchem landscape, its weather, and the fragmentary beauty that can be found there in the various seasons. She has a lovely feel for atmosphere, sharing sounds, smells, tastes, and colors that bring the reader into her world.
This is a novel most suitable for readers who enjoy beautiful prose for its own sake and don't mind a looser plot construction, with the possibility that a lot of questions will be left unanswered. Gin Toad as narrator suffers from some attention deficit, myopia, and perhaps even a little madness. As a result, it's somewhat difficult to fully connect with the characters. I was left wanting more background to understand their motivations for the choices they made, or failed to make.
On balance, this is a fine first effort which I give 3.5 stars.
Simply put, this is a story of misfits, misfortunes, and misunderstandings. Gin and Agrippas Toad are misfits by birth, she an albino and he, well, a Toad. They're married to each other because they believe no one else will have them. After ten years of marriage, Gin focuses mostly on her two small children, Mudsey(Maud) and Alf. Toad occupies himself with his collection of antique corsets(yes!) and running the ranch.
Enter Antonio and John, who are misfits by misfortune---Italians POWs brought to Australia during WWII to serve as laborers. They are sent to work on Toad's remote ranch in Western Australia. Long-term isolation, personality clashes, and emotional miscalculations lead to what Gin terms "an unholy entanglement" among the four adults. There's a lot of infidelity of a sexual nature, but much more destructive are the emotional and intellectual infidelities.
Goldbloom's writing shines most brightly in her descriptions of the harsh Wyalkatchem landscape, its weather, and the fragmentary beauty that can be found there in the various seasons. She has a lovely feel for atmosphere, sharing sounds, smells, tastes, and colors that bring the reader into her world.
This is a novel most suitable for readers who enjoy beautiful prose for its own sake and don't mind a looser plot construction, with the possibility that a lot of questions will be left unanswered. Gin Toad as narrator suffers from some attention deficit, myopia, and perhaps even a little madness. As a result, it's somewhat difficult to fully connect with the characters. I was left wanting more background to understand their motivations for the choices they made, or failed to make.
On balance, this is a fine first effort which I give 3.5 stars.
emilypaull's review
5.0
Goldbloom has this amazing, unpretentious, stripped back and yet poetic style. This book kept me reading and reading and reading.
sybilla's review
4.0
Aside from being a really great story, this book describes the hardships faced by rural Australians.
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