image of person or book cover 283081638800749211.jpg
This image has been sourced from Amazon
y separately published work icon Hurdy Gurdy single work   novel   science fiction   fantasy  
Issue Details: First known date: 2024... 2024 Hurdy Gurdy
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'A powerful and important novel with a crucial and timely feminist message, from the Stella Prize-shortlisted author of Little Gods.

'She tells me to sit down, says that she has something I need to hear and it's that they don't cut hair or set curls. Well they do sometimes, but not always, she says. She takes off her rubber glove and tosses it to the sink. We help them with a problem. We make it go away.

'In a near-future Australia, the world has changed. A small circus caravan travels the countryside performing for dwindling audiences. Matriarch Queenie works outside the law, helped by high-diver Win, nineteen and yearning for love. By night, they gather under the dark sky joined by philosophical clown Valentina, and Girl, who they found at the side of the road. By day, they offer other services: hairdressing for women and a close shave for men. But while women come to them for help, men tend to disappear.

'And in the distance, a reverend and his nun-like companion preach against alcohol, adultery and abortion. Two groups on an ideological collision course in a landscape altered by time and human error, while overhead a space mission has gone wrong.

'Hurdy Gurdy sits alongside classics like The Handmaid's Tale, Station Eleven and The Natural Way of Things, and is a provocation; compelling and haunting. It's a feminist revenge tale about the choices that women have to make and asks the big questions:

'Can beauty be found in times of great darkness?' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2024 .
      image of person or book cover 283081638800749211.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Amazon
      Extent: 336p.
      Note/s:
      • Publication date 4 June 2024

      ISBN: 9781761069796

Works about this Work

Book Review : Hurdy Gurdy, Jenny Ackland Ashleigh Meikle , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , June 2024;

— Review of Hurdy Gurdy Jenny Ackland , 2024 single work novel

'A dystopian Australia sees women's bodies policed and subjugated.'

Righting All the Wrongs Sophie Norton , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22 June 2024; (p. 16)

— Review of Hurdy Gurdy Jenny Ackland , 2024 single work novel
Jenny Ackland Hurdy Gurdy Fiona Murphy , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 15-21 June 2024;

— Review of Hurdy Gurdy Jenny Ackland , 2024 single work novel

'“The thing is that many men are bad and even when they’re not bad they’re not that good either,” says the matriarch Queenie in Jenny Ackland’s new novel, Hurdy Gurdy. “They should be better but no one can force them so they do what they want.” Queenie believes that the time for women going “softly-softly” is over.' (Introduction)

Jenny Ackland Hurdy Gurdy Fiona Murphy , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 15-21 June 2024;

— Review of Hurdy Gurdy Jenny Ackland , 2024 single work novel

'“The thing is that many men are bad and even when they’re not bad they’re not that good either,” says the matriarch Queenie in Jenny Ackland’s new novel, Hurdy Gurdy. “They should be better but no one can force them so they do what they want.” Queenie believes that the time for women going “softly-softly” is over.' (Introduction)

Righting All the Wrongs Sophie Norton , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22 June 2024; (p. 16)

— Review of Hurdy Gurdy Jenny Ackland , 2024 single work novel
Book Review : Hurdy Gurdy, Jenny Ackland Ashleigh Meikle , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , June 2024;

— Review of Hurdy Gurdy Jenny Ackland , 2024 single work novel

'A dystopian Australia sees women's bodies policed and subjugated.'

Last amended 7 Mar 2024 12:07:00
X