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Reviews for Visions of Joe

By : nuit
  • From ANON - nuit on May 20, 2005
    ok a few definitions:
    Larrikin-Soaring over them all is the larrikin; almost archly self conscious- to smart for his own good, witty rather than humorous, exceeding limits, bending rules and sailing close to the wind, avoiding rather than evading responsibility, playing to an audience, mocking pomposity and smugness, taking the piss out of people, cutting down tall poppies, born of a Wednesday, looking both ways for a Sunday, larger than life, sceptical, iconoclastic, egalitarian yet suffering fools badly, and, above all, defiant.' Manning Clark,
    Copper- 'the biggest thieves and liars the sun ever shone on- the Victoria police' Ned

    Squatters-In Australian history, the term refers to early farmers who occupied huge tracts of largely undeveloped land on which they ran large numbers of sheep and cattle.
    Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first (and often the only) Europeans in the area. It is known that many squatters fought battles with advanced European weapons against the local Aboriginal communities in the areas they occupied, though such battles were rarely investigated and modern historians resort to much guesswork in estimating the numbers of Aborigines killed in these skirmishes.

    Whilst life was initially tough for the squatters, with their huge landholdings many of them became very wealthy and were often described as the "squattocracy". The descendants of these squatters often still own significant tracts of land in rural Australia, though most of the larger holdings have been broken up, or, in more isolated areas, have been sold to corporate interests.

    Their iron grip on Australia's agricultural land was broken up in the 1860s with the passing of "selection acts" that allowed ex-miners from the 1850s gold rush to claim areas of farmland at no cost. Whilst squatters tried tactics legal and illegal to discourage "the selectors" (for instance, taking out selections of their own which covered vital land such as watercourses) eventually wider settlement took place and smaller farms (though still huge by European and even U.S. standards) became the norm in more fertile parts of Australia.
    The power of the squatters, including their affinity with the police, is alluded to in "Waltzing Matilda", Australia's archetypal folksong.

    Selectors-In 1861,a law was passed opening up free selection of Crown land by permitting any person to select up to 320 acres, on the condition of paying a deposit of one-quarter of the purchase price after survey, and of living on the land for three years..you KNOW who got the land that would grow stuff...




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  • From ANON - heatherb on May 20, 2005
    I've been reading your story on Lizzy's recommendation and enjoy it. It took me awhile to get used to the stream-of-consciousness narrative style of your story, however once I got passed the first few pages I was engulfed. Your descriptions are excellent, I have a clear picture of the time and place. Can't wait to read more and meet the author in person! ;-)
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  • From ANON - Kaliani on May 19, 2005
    Captivating! Help the ignorant out, will you? What's a copper?
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  • From ANON - theoriginalvicki on May 19, 2005
    I love it! "...stop being so beautiful in the sun..." your words invoke mind-pictures. I'm a light-side lassie, you musn't pull me to the dark side!! LOL!!
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  • From ANON - Tabitha\'s cat on May 14, 2005
    What can I say Nuit? Just brilliant the way you write this and I look forward to reading more soon. Joe seems as sexy and cute as ever.
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  • From ANON - vicki on May 13, 2005
    Ooo-Wee! Great job, my friend. I knew you could do it. Sitting on the edge of my chair, waiting for Chapter 2. LOL!
    Some more nekkid Joe perhaps?!! ~begs quietly~ Maybe a bath scene?!! ~swooning~
    Oh gosh, I better stop now... :)
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  • From ANON - blue magic on May 12, 2005
    There is so much to be admired about this story, but what in my mind truly distinguishes it is Evie's voice. It is compelling and powerful and rings in my head as clear as a bell. Her history, her hopes her dreams all come across in that unique voice.
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  • From ANON - Just me on May 12, 2005
    Its very good. I like the style you chose to write it in, makes it very personal. The historical era comes across very well in your descriptions and langauge. From the first amusing paragraph and those following, there is a sense of Evie's personality and the community she lives in.

    I like her relationship with her family and her Dad especially, some tender moments between them there, quite poignant as it shows the contrast as she grows up from his little girl into her own woman.

    Your dialogue and the bar scenes, particularly with her balancing the tray and swapping glasses at the Copper's table are vivid and really make the reader feel as if they are there and experiencing this through her eyes.

    Now to Joe. "turned to let fly the mixture of history and anger and embarrassment that was fuelling that colour when me mouth just fell open. This was no copper, and if me heart was pounding before, it just took up dancing a jig."
    Great line that was full of so many strong emotions powering over her quickly... and then the descriptions of Joe up until after he kisses Maggie's neck. Well I don't need to say do I? We are all on the deck!

    Nice how you have added Aaron into the mix too. "A shake of the head from Mr. O’Leary and the sort of self-satisfied grin from Aaron that meant, I hoped, that he saw the drag of the line in the sand I had just drawn, a churn in my stomach in the seconds that it took to realise the step I had taken. In one sentence a mile from me Da and Mr. O’Leary and a mile into who knows where." Wonderful way writing how one moment and one sentence can change a whole life.

    "Me heart still felt like it was being squeezed and wrung out, like I watched me Ma’s strong wrists do on a Monday washday"
    Brilliant image.

    A good ending too.
    This is great. You have made a fantastic start. One of those stories where each chapter probably needs reading over and over so as not to miss anything. It's full of humanity and feeling. look forward to reading more and am excited to see where the plotline goes with the character's. Really well done.




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  • From ANON - Kaliani on May 11, 2005
    So glad you said f#&k it and posted anyway. Love it ~ especially the sweetness of Evie's da carrying her to the carriage the first night. More, more!
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  • From ANON - unplugged32 on May 11, 2005
    A wonderful beginning! You have an incredible talent for setting the scene, making the reader feel like they are actually there. I'm so excited to see that you finally posted:) Simply brilliant!
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