This book...is basically the epitome of supposedly meaningful Australian books that I can't stand. The only way I got through this hideous attempt at literature was to force myself to sit down and read it late one night, on pain of actually writing an assignment. It starts off with something like "...I am wearing a woollen suit - greyish, it doesn't matter." WELL IF IT DOESN'T MATTER, DON'T START THE DAMN BOOK OFF BY SAYING IT! And this is what we are meant to be studying for our final year in high school...yep, our generation will be SO well-educated. But I digress. The "novel" is written in a hazy, Dick-and-Jane-go-to-the-Seaside present tense throughout, which furthermore underlines why this book should not be read by anyone with a higher reading capacity than twelve. The protagonist is a wishy-washy, complaining, unsociable, vague woman that I don't believe any reader could like. She's not even an unpleasant-but-yet-beloved-by-readers type character, like good old Snape (although I suspect the addition of Alan Rickman played a large part in that interpretation) - she's just awful. Throughout, Anderson hints at vague trauma (the young Archie, Colin in bed) in the woman's life, but it is all so vague that I just felt incredibly confused. Apparently, it's supposed to be about "finding one's identity" and "the connection between places we grew up and our identities" but Nora (our charming protagonist) has no personality! Apart from being intolerably boring, and disliking everyone who tries to help her out! And after spending the entire novel basically talking about how much she wanted to get away from "the house", she suddenly decides to return there as an old woman just recovered from pneumonia, and live alone in a house that she claims she hated, aided by a lovely old couple she whinges about the entire time! What is the point? She seemed to be a mighty lot happier in London, a place in which she knows people she actually likes! The best thing about the publication was the inclusion of the Tennyson quote.
I was required to read this book as part of my VCE unit 3&4 English studies which continue next month. I must admit that it being a novel chosen by my board of teachers I had set a concious presumption of low standard, sure that I would not enjoy reading it. This image was preserved once I'd read the blurb and even as I'd begun reading the works. To begin with, the style was quite confusing and as she began the recollection of memories and spoke of characters and situations yet to be introduced or explained, I even began to question the narrator's sanity. (Going as far as suggesting that she maintained imaginary friends.) As I gained an understanding for the styling and order in which the story was told, my mind set developed into a keen interest and I began to really enjoy the novel. I found myself with questions that yearned to be answered, and I assure you, as the character travels through life and country, I learned everything I needed/wanted to know. As she recalls her life through memories (often painful or un-tapped), the narrator embarks on a journey, (with the reader) of self-discovery; filled with pain, confliction, independence and realization of reality. With beautiful technique Jessica Anderson has created such a moving story of reality guided by a poetically-strong character with true vulnerability.
What do You think about Tirra Lirra By The River (1984)?
"Tirra Lirra by the River" is an exciting journey of life, in which the narrator Nora stumbles through her past memories, being not what they once were, to discover who she has become and to question whether her life is set out through destiny or through the choices made. Nora's story is influenced by many factors, but it is the possibility of death that draws her towards the past and what has bought her to her present.Jessica Anderson creates this wonderful world that is so realistic and where the ending doesn't need to be happy or sad, but just the realisation of the life lived, and the story of a life that anyone could have lived if you just asked for their story.
—Jacqui
I wasn't expecting this to feel so contemporary. Perhaps I was thrown by the title!The prose is quietly lovely. The tone is emphatically feminist. That can sometimes amount to a dull and meandering lecture. What saves it, I think, is the narrator, herself: She's so relatable, so painfully human that the book is infused with palpitant life. There's a gentleness, an ever-present undercurrent to the wryly detached narration. And so, the narrative is less a dry lecture and more a moment of quiet contemplation beside a swift, meandering river.
—Sarah
Nora is woman who always wanted to escape and travel, travel and explore to places she considers beautiful. After struggling a harsh marriage and constant agruments with her mother (as a child) Nora finally is able to become what she always wanted. And when returning home she begins to wonder that the things she saw back then had changed.This novel talks about a life of woman and the trials she had to take and deal with in order to achieve her goals. This book is shows and tells a story of a amazing woman.
—Giuliannasuppa
