I’m sick of reading American books. Would love some Aussie recommendations.
I quite enjoyed On the Beach (1957). It’s post apocalyptic, set heavily in Melbourne following a nuclear war.
Author is British though, but he wrote it after moving to Australia.
Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher novels are set in and around Melbourne in the 1920’s.
I never read these books but I loved the TV show adaptation!
I liked the books better than the tv version.
Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy . Based on real people and real events. The Sentimental Bloke by C J Dennis On the Beach by Nevil Shute The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson.
I was going to say Caddy, but checked and it’s Sydney. Oops.
Absolute epic, this book.
Yes, Power Without Glory is great!
Kerry Greenwood - the Corinna Chapman series for a more contemporary take than Phryne Fisher.
I quite liked The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume. The telemovie was good too.
Definitely second the Corinne Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood, so good!!! Also, if you like mysteries with some humour, ‘Brunswuck Street Blues’ by Sally Bothroyd was really enjoyable. Highly recommend
A million votes for the Corinna books. Also Eaglehawk by that author’s not-husband. Resurrection Man by Sean Williams has Melb but not in an especially recognisable way.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Murray Whelanseries by Shane Maloney - Murray is a political aide to a labour MP in state parliament who has to solve a murder before it (generally) brings down the government or he gets murdered. Also a series of films startting David Wenham (and directed by John Clarke)
Death in Brunswick by Boyd Oxlade - it’s set in Brunswick and is a little weird to be honest and the main character is definetly not likable. Movie stars Sam Neill and John Clarke co stars
The Holiday Murders by Robert Gott - set in 1943, there’s 4 books in the series (though by the end of the second book I was done with it). There hasn’t been a movie about this one, presumably because John Clarke didn’t read it
I’ve read death in Brunswick! Classic!
How about young adult fiction set in Melbourne? Any titles we know of?
I remember liking the Tomorrow, When the War Began series as a teenager (set in rural Vic). It’s about a group of Aussie teenagers who return from a bush camping trip to find everyone in the town gone. I remember it gets pretty dark and seemed really grounded for a YA series at the time, but I was 15 so take it with a grain of salt haha
thanks!
The four months I spent in Melbourne last year were absolutely wonderful, so I was also looking for books set in Melbourne to bring home. The one novel that fit this category that I found was Almost a Mirror by Kirsten Krauth:
The Bridge by Enza Gandolfo
