Showing results by narrator "Sarah Bacaller" in All Categories

Sybylla Melvin is a misfit. She barely endures the dreary life of dairy farming in a family that can hardly make ends meet. Out of the blue, she is invited to move back to the family property, Caddagat, to live with Grannie, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Jay Jay. With a cast of interesting neighbors and friends, Sybylla finally seems to discover hope in the world. She is nourished by thoughtful conversation, books, and music. Harold Beecham's love, however, throws her into indecision and painful tension.

The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke is a classic Australian work of poetry composed by renowned poet, C.J. Dennis (1876-1938). This verse-novel chronicles Bill's coming-of-age through romance, love, and fatherhood. From rambunctious street-strolling youth to settled, responsible father, Bill's story unfolds with keen Aussie larrikinism and humour. This work is narrated as a duet by Denis Daly (Bill) and Sarah Bacaller (Doreen).

This grimly picturesque novel by Arthur Morrison was first published in 1897. The central character is Dicky Perrott, an urchin living in the Jago, an extremely squalid district of London's East End. The Jago is based on the Old Nichol slum, which lay at the back of Shoreditch High Street, and which has since been demolished. The novel describes Dicky's futile attempts to escape from the soul-destroying environment of the Jago, with the support of the Reverend Henry Sturt, who was based on the historical East End crusader, Arthur Osborne Jay, to whom the book is dedicated.

The Dove’s Nest and Other Stories is a collection of both finished and unfinished short stories written by Katherine Mansfield. The collection was published posthumously, not long after Mansfield’s death in 1923, by her husband, John Middleton Murry.

In this essay, originally published anonymously in The Westminster Review (1856), George Eliot examines the state of women’s fiction in her time. She lamentingly argues that absurd and banal novels, written by well-to-do women of her time, do great disservice for the overall appreciation of women’s intellectual capacities within society.

Sometimes feeling bored is just the beginning. My name is Evie and I'm making plans. Actual plans. I'm going to build my own house. I'm not talking about some silly treehouse either. I'm going to build a real house. Only it seems everyone else who lives in Turtle Place has an opinion they'd like to share. Frog and Milo want to build something totally different, Mr Santos is grumpy, Mrs Katz is spying on us, my sister is the most annoying person on earth and my parents don't believe in me at all. But I have a plan! I have big dreams when I'm bored.

Unlike the other verse novels of C. J. Dennis, this collection of 13 poems is focused on political satire. The action is set in the society of an arboreal race, known as Glugs, and described by the author "stupid race of docile folk". Among the targets of Dennis's mocking scrutiny are free trade, social conformity, and extravagant bureaucracy.

One day, the King and Queen of a fairy kingdom receive an unfamiliar gift. That gift is a little daughter who is unlike anyone else in the kingdom. They all love her and celebrate her arrival. But then, a Shadow crosses the land and places a curse upon the little daughter, causing her to be different, delayed, unable to speak or walk. Three magic fairies try to overcome this curse by giving gifts to the girl. But the curse can only be broken when the girl herself discovers her unique powers.

In an old house with "too many windows and women", high in the Indian hills, young Hannah lives with her older sister Gloria; her two older brothers; her mother - the Magician; a colorful assortment of aunts, blow-ins and misfits; and her father - the Historian. It is a world of secrets, jealousies and lies, ruled by the Historian but smoothed over by the Magician, whose kindnesses and wisdom bring homely comfort and all-enveloping love to a ramshackle building that seems destined for chaos.

This short biographical work describes the experiences of Chimezie Ihekuna, a Nigerian man born with a facial deformity. From one scenario to the next, Chimezie encounters ostracisation and indifference from peers and elders alike. He reflects candidly here on the impact this has had on his life. His story is an invitation to empathy for all those who listen.

Little Tommy the koala bear is sad and lonely in his gumtree in the country. The doctor recommends a trip to the city to brighten him up. While Tommy is in the city, he tries lots of different activities — but those funny Zookie creatures seem to follow him everywhere! This short story was written by Dorothy Wall, the New-Zealand born Australian author who created that famous koala character, Blinky Bill.

The Fault Lines Founding Liberty explores the tensions inherent in growing up and moving on from faith, family, and past versions of ourselves. With unanswered questions and hovering guilt, a young woman comes to confront the specters of her past through dialogue with an unexpected companion. This process is as uncomfortable as it is transformative.

Greybeards at Play is a short collection of humorous poetry by celebrated British writer and social commentator, Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936). Published in 1900, it was Chesterton's first publication. These rhymes and sketches spin witty lyrics around themes such as aestheticism, the philosopher's love of nature, and ill-directed altruism, in true Chestertonian style. 

Ginger Mick has fallen amongst the ANZACS of Gallipoli - but not before entreating his mate Bill to take care of his sweetheart, Rose. Bill sets out with a local minister to 'rescue' Rose from a life of moral and material poverty, unbeknownst to his wife Doreen (or so he thinks!). The adventure unfolds with the humour, larrikinism, Aussie colloquialisms and pathos characteristic of C.J. Dennis.

A Comic Wake: Extrapolations from Acts' offers two essays exploring themes from the New Testament writings known as Acts. The first essay, "Comedy of Christian Faith" explores the nature of comedy, finding parallels in many dynamics of Christian faith and identity. The second essay, "In the Wake of Acts" explores an absence of mourning as a cultural phenomenon in the early Christian community in Acts, and asks what this might indicate regarding Christian faith and hope.

The 36 poems, many of which are written in Aussie vernacular, highlight the extraordinary, the comic, and the tragic of daily life in Australia. Quirks of culture, geography, and language are simultaneously caricatured and celebrated, while the challenges and ironies of human experience are touched upon with humor and pathos. Many of these poems first appeared in Australian periodicals during the early 20th century. As a collection, Backblock Ballads and Later Verses was first published in 1918 and includes the notorious mock anthem, "The Austra-laise".

Jim of the Hills is a verse novel written by celebrated Australian poet, C.J. Dennis (1876-1938). It is narrated by shy, hard-working Jim, who works for a sawmill in the Australian bush. With characteristic pathos and wit, the story unfolds in twists and turns as Jim encounters Ben Murray, the Widow, Old Bob Blair, and the angel with the sunlit hair. This Australian classic, originally published in 1919, is a true delight.

Digger Smith is an Australian soldier who has fought at Gallipoli. An old mate of Ginger Mick's (The Moods of Ginger Mick), he returns from the war to visit the family of a fellow solder, Jim Flood. Narrated by Bill (the protagonist of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke and a neighbour of the Floods), the story is woven together with sobering reflections and emotive dynamics expressed within a community of neighbours - friends and families of Australia's soldiers.

Stirling addresses themes including ethical relationality, religious language, biblical hermeneutics, political engagement, and Restoration Movement heritage and ethos. This engagement is fuelled by his conviction that the good news of Christian faith can and must speak deeply into the most pressing issues and concerns of human life.

This is is the second of the verse novels by C.J. Dennis and was published in 1916. It describes the adventures of Ginger Mick, a rough and ready associate of Bill, the major character of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. After starting life on the criminal fringes of the dubious neighbourhood of Spadger's Lane, Mick signs up for service in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign, where he dies a hero's death.