One Hundred Years of Betty by Debra Oswald

 

Do you ever think about writing down your life story, and if you do, do you wonder if anyone else would find it interesting? 

Betty Rankin is looking back on her life as she approaches her 100th birthday, and she is sharing her story directly with the reader, warts and all, almost as if we are sitting down together. There are moments when she pulls back and says there's no need to say anymore about that time, but there are more moments when she shares funny stories about things that happen to her, her love life, her difficult relationships and so much more.

Betty, who at various times throughout her life is also known as Elizabeth and Liz and other variations, started life in the poor streets of East London where life was very tough. There were lots of brothers and sisters but also a father who tending to drink. We see what the impact of loss was on the family as the Blitz and other events take their toll and drive the family apart rather than together.

Betty is very bright and she hopes that maybe she might be able to continue her schooling but it wasn't to be. Instead we follow her from the streets of London across the oceans to Australia where she hopes for a better life as a ten pound pom. On the boat, she meets people who will be important to her throughout her life. Pearl is a glamourous girl with a very sweet nature, Athena is a Greek girl who is moving to Australia to marry a man she has never met, and Leo is a German Jew who has no-one left.

Once in Australia she meets the man who will become her husband. From the outside, it appears that life is looking up for Betty but appearances can be deceptive, and she is soon having to make ends meet and raise her kids doing whatever work she can find from working in bars to working as an artist's model. 

Betty has lived a long life and during her story she shares how many of the big world events and very personal events have shaped her, ranging from being a single parent, domestic abuse, feminism, misogyny, the Vietnam War, the AIDS epidemic, multiculturalism, her travels around the world and so much more. 

The author, Debra Oswald, is a very successful TV writer and has written some major Australian TV shows including shows like The Secret Life of Us and Offspring. It is probably no surprise then that Betty finds her way into the world of television and writing, and those parts of the book feel very authentic.

Betty isn't always likeable, and you can see why there are times when she has difficult relationships with the people around her. I guess, like all of us, she does what she thinks is right in order to be able to survive. She's doing the best she can given the scars she carries with her and the restrictions of the times that she lives in. At times, it almost feels like she is breaking the fourth wall as she gives the readers asides and commentary around the events of her own life. 

This is a fabulous read with a memorable main character who leaps off the page. I don't know that I would be friends with Betty but I will remember her for a long time!

I am sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here, and with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. It also counts for Aussie August 2025 on Bookstagram. It was also one of the books that I nominated to read for the Big Books of Winter.

Rating 4.5/5

Top Ten Tuesday: Aussie August 2025

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Non-bookish Freebie (The sky is the limit here. Make a top ten list on any topic of your choosing, bookish or not!)

When we have had this kind of theme before I have come up with something but this time I am going rogue. August is Aussie August 2025 on Instagram which is a chance to celebrate Australian authors. So this week I am going to share the last 10 books I have read by Aussie authors. To be transparent, I have read two books by Amanda Hampson so I only included one in my list! One of my goals for this year was to review all of the historical fiction and Aussie author books I read, and from this list I am pleased that I have reviewed all of them except for two. For one, the review will be up tomorrow and the other is the book I only finished a couple of days ago. I will be reviewing that one soon because it was so good!

The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks - I am kicking myself that I have not previously read Karen Brooks. I own several of her books and now that I enjoyed this one so much I am going to have to move this one up the list!

One Hundred Years of Betty by Debra Oswald - This one featured a really interesting main character that I won't forget for a while! My review will be up tomorrow for this book!

Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - I find this author's books really relaxing! I have read a lot of them now! (My review)

Your Friend and Mine by Jessica Dettman - This one featured a fun almost treasure hunt like quest across London! (My review)

Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee - A foodie romance set predominantly in the south of France? Yes please! (My review)

The Deadly Dispute by Amanda Hampson - I read all three books in this series this year and loved them all. Looking forward to the next one. (My review)

The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Claire van Ryn - I have read both of this author's books so far over the last couple of month. Really enjoyable. (My review)

The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary - This novel is set in Melbourne during the gold rush and features four women all connected with the brothels in an area called Little Lon. (My review)

The Girl from Normandy by Rachel Sweasey - WWII France is a setting I will always be attracted to! (My review)

Half-Truth by Nadia Mahjouri - This is a semi-autobiographical story about a woman who heads to Morocco with her young child to find her family. So good! (My review)

So there we have the last ten Aussie authors I have read in honour of #aussieaugust2025

Spell the Month in Books: August

 

Reviews From the Stacks

For 2025 I have decided to have a go at Spell the Month in Books which is hosted at Reviews From the Stacks. The link party opens on the first Saturday of the month, but I won't be posting until after that as I already have other things scheduled every Saturday and for the first two Sundays of the month. I will be sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz.

The idea is that you use the titles of books to spell the month name. The theme for August is Written by your favorite author(s). To be honest, the two U's in this month have made this a bit tricky. Thankfully these are the last U months for the year. 

It is also Aussie August 2025 and so I have chosen to use only Australian authors. So here are my choices for August

Addition by Toni Jordan - I always love the sound of Toni Jordan's books. She has a new book coming out soon and again it sounds great! (My review)

Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood - This is book number 8 in the Phryne Fisher mystery series. (My review)

Glitter Rose by Marianne de Pierres - This is a bit out of left field for me as I don't remember much about this short story collection. When I did read it, I gave it a 4.5 rating. (My review)

Undercover Billionaire by Amy Andrews - I had a lot of fun reading this book earlier this year. (My review)

Silver Wattle by Belinda Alexandra - I have really enjoyed the Belinda Alexandra books I have read! (My review)

The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson - I have read all three books in this series this year and I gave them all 4.5/5! (My review)

September's theme is Something to savor – longer books (define as you will) OR ones that have been on your TBR for a long time. The challenge for September is going to be finding three E books. That is three titles beginning with E, not three ebooks as I have hundreds of them on my Kindle

Will you be joining us?

Weekend Cooking: The Deadly Dispute by Amanda Hampson

 

Hazel, Irene, Betty and the other tea ladies are back and trouble isn't far behind!

In the previous book in the series, which I reviewed here, Hazel Bates had just lost her job as a tea lady at Empire Fashion after being replaced by a coffee machine. After months out of work, she is excited to finally have a new job working as a tea lady at a union office on the docks in Sydney. It's 1967, and the docks are dangerous for anyone, let alone a tea lady. On her first day at work, Hazel even sees a dead body being hauled out of the harbour. 

The docks are under the spotlight due to the ongoing issues with theft, unionism and a very large theft of South African Krugerand (gold coins) which seems to have disappeared into thin air. It's not really a place for someone as eagle eyed and curious as Hazel, and she soon finds herself embroiled in the mystery. 

Betty is now boarding with Hazel which is a much better arrangement than when Irene had moved in. Betty is feeling a bit disillusioned with life, which didn't quite work out the way that she thought it might when she was younger. She meets a much younger woman at work who seems to see her rather than see through her and Betty is drawn into a different world which she doesn't quite understand.

As for Irene, she is still living in the high class brothel but she is beginning to see that the Maltese Mafia is taking an interest in what is going on. When she tries to warn her boss that there might be a turf war coming, her fears are dismissed. However, Irene knows what she knows, and she takes matters into her own hands.  

When things get dangerous and one of them disappears, it is up to the others to use all their detective skills to work out where she and to save her before it is too late!

I really enjoy the fact that our three main characters all get their own storylines to shine in. As always I do find Irene to be a complete hoot! She is definitely a rough diamond, although I am not sure I would want to cross her. 

One of the things that was a bit different in this book is that the ladies don't get to spend as much time together given that they no longer work in such proximity. Snooty Merl also doesn't get as much page time after she gets upset with the way that the Tea Ladies Guild is being run. There is also less food and drink in this book, but the series as a whole does feature lots of cake, home made fruit wine and, of course, tea!

Fashion is still an important part of this story. Young Pixie is trying to get out of her parent's business and set up on her own. With Hazel's help she finds a location, and the assistance she needs to set up a boutique where she can be free to design what she wants, including groovy jumpsuits like the one on the cover.

Another of the secondary characters who are an important part of the story is Hazel's next door neighbour, Maud, who is now training to be a policewoman, which her Catholic parents are not all that happy with. It's always useful to have a policewoman to call upon when needed!

This is the first series in forever that I have read in such quick succession and rated so consistently high. I went to see the author at an event at my local library in April and I have subsequently read all three books in the series. Getting through them so quickly is partially because I read them through the library and I couldn't renew them but it is mostly because I just really enjoyed the stories, especially the characters. I am already looking forward to the next book. Hopefully it will be out next year. 

I am sharing this review with the Foodies Read challenge hosted at Based on a True Story with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, and with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. It also counts for Aussie August 2025 on Bookstagram.

Rating 4.5/5

Weekly meals

Saturday - Spaghetti Bolognaise
Sunday - Beef and Broccoli Noodles
Monday - tuscan Chicken Pasta bake
Tuesday - Baked beans and eggs on toast
Wednesday - Cajun Chicken Rice (new/)
Thursday - Out for dinner
Friday - Pork Nachos

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Claire van Ryn

 

Earlier this year I read and loved Claire van Ryn's second novel Where the Birds Called Her Name which I reviewed here. I knew then that I was going to have to go back and read this book, which was her debut novel.

Allira is a journalist who works for Folk magazine, a quality publication that focuses on people and history of the area. One day, she is sent to a nursing home to interview a man only to find out that he had passed away. One of the nursing staff suggested instead that she speak to Nora, a dementia patient who never has any visitors. Nora spends her days looking after her baby, a doll that she dresses and takes care of. Allira finds herself returning over and over to spend time with Nora, and hears disturbing snippets which makes her want to unravel the truth of what happened to Nora.

The modern story is set in 2019 but the heart of the story is in 1953 where we meet Nora as a young girl. She lives with her parents in a small town in Tasmania. Her mother is a very rigid woman with very definite ideas on how Nora should behave, and who Nora can never seem to please. Nora's father is both a carpenter and the town's undertaker. Nora assists her dad by stitching the lining into the coffins, and is beginning to learn some of the undertaker tasks.

One day a young man comes to the family home to deliver some wood and his truck breaks down which means he has to stay in the shed until it can be fixed. Michal is a German-Polish immigrant who has come to Australia for a new start and to provide for his mother and sister back home. Michal sees Nora for who she is and not who her mother expects her to be, and he is skilled at carving. It isn't long before feelings grown between the two young people. He carves Nora a wren from huon pine which becomes a symbol of their love when they are separated.

As Allira begins to piece together Nora's story of love and tragedy, she begins to understand that there is a way forward from her own past traumas, both in her personal and professional lives. I loved the relationships that Allira had with her husband Hamish and her best friend Rae, and of course between Allira and Nora.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the historical time line, and the dementia storyline was very well handled. There are some unlikely coincidences that draw all of the strands of the story to a nice conclusion for many of the characters but that is forgivable. It is a really good debut novel, and now I will be waiting impatiently for Claire van Ryn's next book to come out.

Finally how beautiful is this cover? And the detail of the thread in the bird's beak is very clever too given that it ties in with the story

I am sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host and also counting it for #AussieAugust2025 on Bookstagram

Rating 4.5/5

Blog Tour: Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

 

The other week I had reason to count up just how many Maggie Christensen books I have read. I knew it was a lot, but even I was shocked that this was my 24th book by her in the last 4 years. So what is it that keeps me coming back for each and every book she releases? I think there are several factors. I love the communities that she creates, I enjoy that she focusses on older characters finding love and I find her writing very smooth and easy to read. This book was no exception.

Livvy Grace has been in England for the last year visiting her family, but now it is time to come home to Pelican Crossing. She misses her cottage, her friends and her work. However, when she does arrive home it is a big shock to find out that her former partner has wound up their business and started again, taking all Livvy's counselling clients with her. The town has changed a bit too. The big old church that hadn't been used for years has been turned into a wellness centre. 

Dan Parker has lived in Pelican Crossing for a few years now after moving there  with his daughter following the death of his wife.  As the man behind the wellness centre, he has already left his mark, but he is interested in doing more for the community if he can. When Livvy first approaches him about renting one of the available spaces in the centre, he is not sure if he can trust her or not. The story she has told him seems a little off. 

Livvy doesn't warm to Dan that much either. While she is glad to be getting her new counselling business up and running after weathering the initial shock, she's not sure that she likes Dan all that much. Or maybe she does, but she is fighting it. Her friends are certainly all doing their best to push her in his direction. Things become even more confusing when she starts seeing his daughter in a professional capacity.

Dan is relieved that his daughter is talking to someone. He is finding it difficult to navigate raising a teenage daughter by himself. While he and his wife had still been together they had been living pretty separate lives and he is worried that his wife's family are trying to derail his relationship with his daughter. He isn't that keen for him to spend time with them but he has to balance that against the fact that they are his daughters family too. And she is of an age where she can start to make some of these kind of decisions for herself.

This is another good entry in the Pelican Crossing series. The familiar factors are all still there: community, sun and sea, friendships and more. If I had one niggle, I would have liked to have got more understanding of why Livvy's former partner, Ingrid, was doing the things she was doing all through the book, what her motivation was. It was kind of glossed over I think. 

The next book has already been announced and it is a Christmas book. It is always nice to see an Australian Christmas portrayed in story. The main character is going to Lou who we already have met a few times, and there were a couple of hints in this book about Lou's story. You know I am going to be reading it!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and it counts towards my Aussie Author August reads. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 4/5

About the book

Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing

Sad to leave her daughter and granddaughters behind in England where she has been visiting for the past year, Olivia Grace is excited to return to her hometown of Pelican Crossing and resume her life as a counsellor. But a shock awaits her, threatening to destroy her future and forcing her to make changes she’d never anticipated.

Dan Parker has moved to Pelican Crossing with his teenage daughter after the death of his wife, intent on making a fresh start. Now, having fulfilled his long-held dream of opening a Wellness Centre, he confronts an unexpected challenge

Faced with an unforeseen situation and frustrated by her friends' relentless matchmaking, Olivia finally admits her attraction to Dan and agrees to a date. But real life isn’t a romantic novel, and things don’t go smoothly.

Can these two lonely people find a future together, or are they destined to grow old alone?

For fans of heartwarming small-town romances, this is a must-read. With vibrant descriptions of the charming coastal town and two endearing characters who struggle with loss and loneliness, this book will tug at your heartstrings.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/Wavesofchange

About the Author

After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.

From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!



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