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mimster's review against another edition
4.0
Strange to get into at first, but really loved some of the memoir pieces - very moving about her mother for example
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review against another edition
4.0
The essay collection spans 15 years of Garner’s work, and covers an incredibly broad range of content. I have definitely found that my sweet spot for her writing is in her true crime content, so part four of this collection really sung to me. For those in Melbourne, the few essays in this part will evoke memories of Rosie Batty and her domestic violence advocacy work, the city’s reaction to Jill Meagher’s murder, and the unforgettable Father’s Day murder of three sons by their father, Robert Farquharson.
Some other highlights from the collection were her musings about Australian colonial author, Barbara Baynton, and reflections on the post 9/11 world and the way the film United 93 portrayed the day.
This is a stunning collection - the only part that was a total miss for me were the diary essays in part three (though these are very personal so may really connect with some readers).
Highlights from the collection include: Dear Mrs Dunkley, Punishing Karen, The Singular Rosie, The City at Night, Gall and Barefaced Daring, Rules of Engagement, and Dawn Service. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 @text_publishing
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
‘Journeys through life’
‘Everywhere I Look’ is a collection of essays, diary entries and true stories written by Helen Garner. While thirty of the stories in the collection have previously been published (between 1994 and 2015), the other three pieces (‘Whisper and Hum’, ‘Before Whatever Else Happens’ and ‘Suburbia’) have not.
What an interesting and eclectic collection: the first essay is about one about wanting a ukulele, about learning to play it. But the ukulele is part of a wider story: the collapse of a marriage, learning about self. The second essay is about buying a table – ‘to be elegant in my solitude’. And the table is also part of a wider story, including appearances, expectation, and craftsmanship.
There are six parts to this collection. While I enjoyed the entire collection, I particularly enjoyed two parts. Part Two: ‘Notes from a brief friendship’, with its essays ‘Dear Mrs Dunkley’ (about a teacher of Helen’s in 1952), ‘Eight Views of Tim Winton’ (about her friendship with Tim Winton) and ‘From Frogmore, Victoria’ (about Raimond Gaita, and his memoir ‘Romulus, My Father’ and the movie). Part Four: ‘On Darkness’ with its essay about Rosie Batty (‘The Singular Rosie’). ‘Punishing Karen’, about a teenager who killed her newborn baby is unsettling, as is ‘The Man in the Dock’ where a young woman (‘this brave, foolish, big-bosomed girl in her white blouse and chipped nail polish…’) stands in support of a violent young man.
The essays also include one on ageing ‘The Insults of Age’, one about Russell Crowe (‘Hit Me’), others about life with grandchildren close by.
There’s something wonderful about Helen Garner’s writing. Her observations are keen, her words always well-chosen, her meaning clear, if not always comfortable. Events pass into history, but good writing is timeless. These pieces are worth reading, or re-reading.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
‘Everywhere I Look’ is a collection of essays, diary entries and true stories written by Helen Garner. While thirty of the stories in the collection have previously been published (between 1994 and 2015), the other three pieces (‘Whisper and Hum’, ‘Before Whatever Else Happens’ and ‘Suburbia’) have not.
What an interesting and eclectic collection: the first essay is about one about wanting a ukulele, about learning to play it. But the ukulele is part of a wider story: the collapse of a marriage, learning about self. The second essay is about buying a table – ‘to be elegant in my solitude’. And the table is also part of a wider story, including appearances, expectation, and craftsmanship.
There are six parts to this collection. While I enjoyed the entire collection, I particularly enjoyed two parts. Part Two: ‘Notes from a brief friendship’, with its essays ‘Dear Mrs Dunkley’ (about a teacher of Helen’s in 1952), ‘Eight Views of Tim Winton’ (about her friendship with Tim Winton) and ‘From Frogmore, Victoria’ (about Raimond Gaita, and his memoir ‘Romulus, My Father’ and the movie). Part Four: ‘On Darkness’ with its essay about Rosie Batty (‘The Singular Rosie’). ‘Punishing Karen’, about a teenager who killed her newborn baby is unsettling, as is ‘The Man in the Dock’ where a young woman (‘this brave, foolish, big-bosomed girl in her white blouse and chipped nail polish…’) stands in support of a violent young man.
The essays also include one on ageing ‘The Insults of Age’, one about Russell Crowe (‘Hit Me’), others about life with grandchildren close by.
There’s something wonderful about Helen Garner’s writing. Her observations are keen, her words always well-chosen, her meaning clear, if not always comfortable. Events pass into history, but good writing is timeless. These pieces are worth reading, or re-reading.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
jouljet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
corrinda's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book of Helen Garners that I've read and I'm keen to read one of her novels or non-fiction works. This collection reads as a stream of consciousness, with many affecting, poignant, astute and insightful observations. It seems to be her diary entries with short commentaries on recent events. There is some beautiful writing here, and she shows interest and engages with many issues that I feel strongly about. I only gave it three stars as I found it to be quite random, with no real thread and reason for the stories included. Perhaps that's some of its charm but I guess I felt like I would have been more satisfied if the issues she touched on were explored more fully at times.
kimswhims's review against another edition
5.0
Utterly brilliant and insightful short pieces. So easy to listen to her read her own work, far better than reading it myself. One I'll come back to again. Borrowed the audiobook from the local library on Borrowbox.