SHEARWATER, a novel (Penguin 2007, second edition: Penguin 2008)
Cassie Callinan is a dutiful corporate wife, carefully preserving the safety of the status quo and her husband’s camellias. When she learns she has lost her husband to a younger woman, she panics. Who is she, without the familiar props of her marriage? Fleeing her own life, Cassie finds herself amongst the eccentric inhabitants of Shearwater, an isolated coastal village. Against her will, she is gradually drawn into the life of the town with all its dramas, joy and secrets, and begins to discover who she really is. A delicious story of self-discovery that illuminates life's infinite possibilities; a story of love, hope and human frailty that will make you laugh and cry.
Reviews: ‘Quirky, small-town characters abound…but rather than presenting us with more paper-cut-out crazies, Mayes has drawn some well-rounded characters with sufficient mystery to keep readers interested. There is a lot of heart in this novel. Andrea Mayes writes with an assured voice. Her prose is taut, well-paced and, at times, quite poetic. This is a novel for women of all ages.’ Bookseller and Publisher
'Like judging a book by its cover, making an assessment on the basis of a blurb is a sin sometimes too hard to resist. In the case of Andrea Mayes's Shearwater - "A delicious story of self-discovery that will make you laugh and cry" - you would be bang on the money. Weekend Australian - Review
'This is a passionate poignant portrait of a woman trying to discover who she really is after spending 28 years as a dutiful wife.’ Carol George, Australian Women’s Weekly – Book of the Month
‘Andrea Mayes has a witty, engrossing style that pulls you into the fictional world of Cassie, hook, line and sinker. This book will have you experiencing the full gamut of human emotion from sorrowful tears to cheeky laughter. Rebecca Hyde, Let’sShop.com/ninemsn ‘Most of all, it was the mystery of the strange Biddle family that kept me staying up at night saying “just one more chapter”…If you have some time on your hands this weekend and are not sure how to fill it, I recommend picking up a copy of Shearwater.’ Morning Bulletin, Queensland ‘Shearwater is a gently twisted tale with a creepy undercurrent. A satisfying read.’Sun Herald, Sydney
‘Author Andrea Mayes builds the intrigue gently and subtly, creating an emotional story that is as easy to read as it is difficult to put down.’ Newcastle Herald
‘It’s clear Andrea Mayes has fun with her characters. They all have their foibles – some normal, some strange and some a little sinister. These grow stronger as Mayes throws them all together in a churn of forlorn love interests, lesbianism, parental grief, dope-smoking, locals balls and some spooky, even supernatural, surprises. The result is a seachange style tale that tugs at the heartstrings.’ Noel Murphy, Geelong Advertiser
‘The descriptions of the uniquely Australian scenery, landscapes and coastal surroundings are vivid and imaginative. Shearwater is witty and engaging and entertaining enough to keep you reading right through to the end …’ The Weekly Times
‘Shearwater is a finely honed book from a talented writer.’ Jean Ferguson, Illawarra Mercury
‘While Shearwater can be read as a tale of suspense, it is likely that for most readers, the exploration of Cassie’s character is where the strength of the story will be found. Mayes, whose first novel, The Rose Notes, was published in 2005, says Cassie “took me two years to develop.” It was time well spent….How this is made clear is in a relationship Cassie establishes with Jack, a wonderfully surprising and vulnerable character…’Christopher Bantick, Sunday Tasmanian
'Shearwater is a satisfying, engaging novel, thoughtful without being pretentious, funny without being satirical, and warm without being sentimental.' Gillian Dooley, Writers' Radio - Radio Adelaide
THE ROSE NOTES, a novel Listed for VCE Literature Studies (Penguin 2005)
The Rose Notes tells the story of Pearl and her widowed father, Dobie Kinnear, a farmer who is struggling with his fear of growing old. Deeply entrenched in Australian rural landscape and culture, the story unwinds with many twists and surprises, as Pearl and Dobie learn that the past is not what they have believed in, and the future can never be the way they imagined it would be.
“Territory, you see, is not necessarily the place you feed in. It’s the place in which you stay … where you know every nook and cranny … where you know by heart every refuge … where you are invincible to the pursuer. I’ve even measured it with sticklebacks.” Konrad Lorenz, comment made to Bruce Chatwin
The region of Coolabarradin with its outlying farms, including Mamerbrook, is a fictional place, modelled on the southern Riverina in New South Wales. All of the characters in the book, with the exception of the Southern Bell Frog and the Plains Wanderer, are fictional and bear no relation to any person, living or dead.
Reviews:
'Andrea Mayes creates her characters with a crusty tenderness that is hard to resist.' Sydney Morning Herald
'…impressive first novel by an Australian writer…this story of a family secret has great charm, with its deft and subtle plot, memorably rounded characters and convincing dialogue. There’s a deliciously quirky flavour in this parade of edgy characters and the way their lives echo across the years.'Sunday Canberra Times
'The book is polished, wry and acutely observed…its author skilfully weaves subject matter and style, shifting her reader’s sympathies with deft portrayals of complex people who all deserve our attention.' Cate Kennedy, author of Dark Roots
'The Rose Notes is a novel rich in poetry and a deep understanding of the intimate connection between the human and the natural world… a beautifully crafted novel, worth reading once for its fast paced, relaxing story, and again for its narrative skill and the beauty of its language.' The Compulsive Reader
'The Rose Notes is like a Shakespearian romance, with its heightened reality - its shortish time span - and its sense of things out of joint being set to rights at the end. And there are a couple of slightly odd characters who have a knack of appearing as if by magic just when they're needed.' Gillian Dooley, Writers' Radio, Radio Adelaide
The following questions may be of use to those considering the book as a study topic.
Dobie and Pearl are both struggling with the frustrations and fears that accompany growing older. How successfully are they dealing with these problems?
The role of ‘housekeeper’ is presented in several ways throughout the novel. What do you think this says about rural life and freedom of choice, particularly for women? Have things changed a great deal in Pearl’s lifetime?
In what way is the landscape important to each of the major characters?
What factors do you think have contributed to Thomas’ solitary life and his obsession with the study of frogs?
Henry believes in his love for his Australian home, for Nora and the boys and for his roses. How are the lives of other characters in the novel shaped by the beliefs they hold?
Sheila advises Thomas to ‘forgive him [Henry] his realities.’ What do you think she means?
Pearl puts up with a lot from her father. What are some of the reasons she has stayed at Mamerbrook all these years?
What do you think of the advice Pearl receives from her hairdresser? What effect does this advice have on Pearl?
What does Dobie’s infatuation with Dr Mac tell us about his needs and how he relates to people?
Is the issue of Dobie’s missing boots ever resolved? Do you think this episode illustrates a flaw in Dobie’s character? How is it used to signal his eventual downfall?
For excerpts from both novels, and book group questions, please visit:
The Rose Notes tells the story of Pearl and her widowed father, Dobie Kinnear, a farmer who is struggling with his fear of growing old. Deeply entrenched in Australian rural landscape and culture, the story unwinds with many twists and surprises, as Pearl and Dobie learn that the past is not what they have believed in, and the future can never be the way they imagined it would be.
