Tidying my desk and here are my notes on the raft of Australian books I've read recently

All That I Am (these are additional to the ones I wrote when I first tried to read the book; those early comments are on this blog somewhere):

TICK p30 'I had a love affair with a girl whose sweetheart was at the front. When he was killed she lost interest in me.' - these are a terrific couple of sentences

CROSS p33 'How about I go get us some sandwiches?' - Clara is speaking, this is WWII time in NYC, would this speech pattern be accurate? Just seemed too modern to me

TICK p33 Ruth: 'his war'

CROSS p33 boy lying injured on the front, calling out (cliche)

TICK p33 'Why is it famous people are so much shorter in real life?'

TICK p34 'had already been inside them'

DOUBLE TICK p37 'Scheinbild and Gott sei dank' - like it that she doesn't translate the German

TICK p40 Ruth's POV - well done

p55 Toller POV - second reference to Clara's shorthand as 'strange curly marks' (so that's a CROSS)

CROSS p74 Toller talking about Dora (as love?) unconvincing. Not enough room for 2 love stories here. So far only enough room for Ruth's private life and Toller's public/professional life

CROSS p74 Clara chews the inside of one cheek. Is C the only person to be doing all these actions? [Late note: I wonder if Clara is Anna F?]

CROSS p74 Clara sitting = hands together under her chin. All these mentions yet they are insignificant and detract from the story. Is it because Toller POV and therefore the male gaze is noticing these things? Funder, being female, expects males to notice all the actions and mannerisms of a pretty woman?

TICK p89 'the soft black eyes of a Labrador'

CROSS p 100 Clara - more body stuff

TICK p147 'Sometimes making love is making love and sometimes it is other things, a homecoming and an attack - stabbing to get back into the life that was nearly taken from you.'

TICK p174 cherry blossoms as 'extravagant explosions'

TICK p175 'her blouse snaffles the light into its deep magenta folds'

TICK p176 'People often have to be alone to think or write, but being with Dora wasn't like being with another person.'

TICK 183 'A fly was making its way around the rim of a teacup, throwing a surreal, leggy shadow into the bowl.'

TICK p186 'a short blond boy with waxy skin who was always hungry and whose name I forget.'

BIG TICK p293 lovely writing: 'coughed out of the earth'