T J Slee

Fantastic book in the vein of Boy in Striped Pyjamas, in that the main protagonist is a child called Jack Murray, and he is semi-oblivious to what is happening around him.
The book begins with Jack and Jennifer Murray learning that their father Tom has made good his promise to the bank, and burned their fore-closed house to the ground. They were dairy farmers but now, with cheap milk prices, they have had to succumb to the financial pressure. Then tragedy, Tom's body is found in the burnt out show more shell.

Dawn, the twins mother decides that she wants to take her husband home to be buried in a Carlton Cemetery. That is over 350kms away and she decides to do it in style, by placing his coffin on a milk cart and having a draft horse pull it the whole way. In this way, she honors her husband's memory but also makes a public statement about what is happening all over rural Australia.

The procession sets off with the twins along as well as the local cop and a few farmers who were Tom's friends but it quickly gains momentum, especially when someone starts fire bombing every bank and big supermarket along the way. More and more people join the slow march, including a pair of hippies, a reporter and a lawyer and a tractor driver.

The twins argue. Jack thinks his father is still alive and doing the bombing - at one stage trying to open the coffin to see what is inside. Jenny thinks it is someone on the convoy even though everyone denies it. They also have to contend with their genetic disorder - a form of analgesia which renders them unable to sweat, cry or even feel pain.

Often hilarious, often deeply moving, this book captures the spirit of the Australian farmer and, as it is set in Victoria and Melbourne was an excellent read. show less

A bankrupt dairy farmer chooses to burn down his house rather than let the bank have it, but sadly dies in the fire. His wife Dawn and their friends decide to stage a huge horse-drawn funeral cortège from the Western District to Melbourne in order to draw attention to the plight of farmers. Their children, who both have analgesia, come along for the ride.

On the way, they encounter many well-wishers, but also frustrated cops and officials who try to thwart their intentions. Their cause takes show more off nationwide, and disturbing incidents of attacks on banks and supermarkets also take off, much to Dawn's chagrin.

This book has a great concept behind it, but is weakened by muddied execution. Much of the time it reads like a YA novel, which I don't think was Slee's intention. The progress of the cortege proceeds in an almost slapstick manner, like a light-hearted caper. The serious business of the farmers' plight is largely confined to the sidelines. There are major issues here that Slee could have addressed, which he ducks in favour of levity. show less

australia, action-adventure, spies, thriller, snarky, humor

Test your language skills while you laugh your way through this spy thriller from Australia. It's an excellent spy novel as current as can be, but sometimes the dialect spins you around as strangely as listening to a cabbie from the Bronx driving in NOLA. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers, but know that this is a fast paced thriller with lots of snarks, situational and verbal humor. Now I have to show more buy the next one! show less

Book Review
Book Title: Queen of America (Freya Eriksdottir #1)
Author: T.J. Slee
Date Read: September 26th - November 4th, 2016
Date Reviewed: November 4th, 2016

Background: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads for an honest review.

Quick Synopsis: This book is all about female vikings, which is a nice change from seeing all men vikings all the time. Freya goes out on a mission and is determined to finish it. You follow her struggles and the adventures that vikings have. show more It's a great read following strong female characters that are also vikings.

Evaluation: This book was a good read, but I felt that the style did not match with me. This book is truly beautifully written and I love the strong female characters, the exciting plot and the incredible adventures, but I just didn't like the writing style. It felt too slow for me, but that's because I really like to read fast paced books. Yet, this book isn't slow by any means - TJ keeps up an amazing pace. I just found it didn't fit well with me as a reader. Other readers will definitely like this book! It gets all my praises and awards, but as a reader I just know the types of writing styles I like to read and TJ's writing style doesn't match with me personally.

That being said, it's time to get into the juicy parts of this book. You follow Freya as she goes on an adventure, but you also meet her brother Leif. Her story was truly inspiring and compelling, which had me continue and finish this book.

For people interested in viking history but want a more interesting read than a history textbook, I would definitely suggest picking this book up. It's a great fiction read that keeps you hooked and gives you some insight into their culture.

There are definitely characters I would have loved to see more of, but other than that there's not much else to improve on in this set of stories. It's truly a great read and I suggest readers pick it up!

4 out of 5 stars. show less