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A review by maree_k
Australian Gypsies: Their secret history by Mandy Sayer
4.0
I really like Mandy Sayer's writing and was expecting a lot from this book - perhaps I was expecting a bit too much.
Although interesting, for me this book fell a little flat. While filled with facts and a few insightful interviews, Australian Gypsies: Their Secret History reads more like an an extended anecdote than an in-depth look at this topic. Possibly it is the nature of secrecy, which has held this community safe in Australia for so long, that prevented Sayer from doing much more than scratch the surface. Or perhaps Sayer was being conscious of being an outsider (or Gadje) writing this history, and this made her hold back in her writing. Whatever the reason, the book doesn't fulfill the promise of its enticing title.
I finished the book because it had just enough momentum to keep me reading. Ultimately, however, I was left somewhat disappointed.
Although interesting, for me this book fell a little flat. While filled with facts and a few insightful interviews, Australian Gypsies: Their Secret History reads more like an an extended anecdote than an in-depth look at this topic. Possibly it is the nature of secrecy, which has held this community safe in Australia for so long, that prevented Sayer from doing much more than scratch the surface. Or perhaps Sayer was being conscious of being an outsider (or Gadje) writing this history, and this made her hold back in her writing. Whatever the reason, the book doesn't fulfill the promise of its enticing title.
I finished the book because it had just enough momentum to keep me reading. Ultimately, however, I was left somewhat disappointed.