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
