Lilian's Story

Kate Grenville has a beautiful flowing writing style. I found certain passages and phrases in this book almost poetic and deeply moving. I found the story of Lilian quite a sad one, but she was a character I found I really cared about. She battles with her weight and has many obstacles to overcome in her life, mostly stemming from her neglectful wealthy Victorian family and an abusive Father.

The cover describes this book as an inspiring read, there was very little in it I found inspiring though it was at times moving. All in all it was a thoughtful read.

Lilian’s Story is Kate Grenville’s first novel. Lilian Una Singer was born on the first day of 1900 and we follow her life’s journey through childhood, maturity and into older age. Grenville weaves a tale around a figure whom all of us have encountered and probably tried to avoid (and whom some of us may even encounter daily), the “bag lady”, the mad woman who seems to talk to herself in the street or on the bus/train/tram. She presents a highly plausible history for Lilian which helps explain how an eccentric young woman from a middle-class family becomes a Shakespeare-quoting bag-lady. Along the way, we watch Sydney changing during Federation, two World Wars and a Depression. Lilian tries to make her own decisions in life show more and ultimately brings a sort of happiness to others by being the type of person they can look at, remark upon and tell their own stories about. Grenville’s descriptions are vivid; her characters, compelling and convincing; her dialogue, credible. Perhaps Lilian’s Story will make the reader look at the eccentric bag-people in another light. An excellent read. show less

In this novel Kate Grenville has given us a wonderful character with Lilian. Lilian is the eldest daughter of a wealthy middle-class family in Australia. Her mother has some mental health issues, her aunt is an alcoholic but it is her father who abuses her. As a child and a young woman Lilian struggles to fit in with the other women; she is over-weight and socially awkward. She looks for love among friends and she is clever and so gets a place at university. Kate Grenville offers us a young woman who finds it difficult to be herself in society and she uses the night to hide in and find happiness. However, her father wants to control her and puts a stop to Lilian's night-time trips and has Lilian sectioned. The novel ends on a more show more upbeat note than all this might suggest and gives readers some insight in to homelessness and circumstances that might lead a woman to live on the streets.
There were many passages of this novel that were difficult for me to read, child abuse and the 'loony bin' in particular. The novel is written in short chapters that are snapshots of a life and have a dis-jointed manner that suggests a mirroring in Lilian's life, it appears to be lived in short bursts with periods of inactivity in between. The period of homelessness although distressing shows us a woman who has taken control of her own life and achieving goals and so Kate Grenville gives us a feel good novel by the end. show less

This book brought about the knowledge of a new character for me. Bea Miles lived in the streets of Sydney during the 60s and 70s. She was a well known character who constantly jumped into cabs and trams, refused to pay and quoted Shakespeare. Grenville's Lillian may not exactly mirror Bea, but the framework is there and it is a sensitive telling of a life that did not follow the well constructed pattern of the times.

Her childhood seems to be based on speculation, but for the purposes of this book it is a totally realistic set of circumstances that led Lillian to her life on the streets. And like many of her ilk, she was quite happy.

Homelessness is, in many cases, a sad and worrying social status that has many people looking the other show more way. Lillian's Story forces us to face this issue and give it a face, a human face that only needs a little understanding. But for the grace of God ... show less