Cirrus@Austlit

'This is the story of a writer unravelling a web of mystery, people and places; the mystery perpetuated through generations and still unresolved. Then a hoard of notes and mementos so unexpected, so astonishing, comes to light from a hiding place cunningly concealed that our writer senses they were not meant to be discovered. Should she betray a confidence? Was their hiding an understandable wish for discretion? Or a deliberate caution harbouring a recurring dread…?'  (Publication summary)

'A rusty old gate, locked or not, is no barrier to Andy’s curiosity. He reckons gates are meant to be walked through or climbed over. And he will. Life’s rotten anyway – he was suspended from school because of rotten Rezzo and sent to England with his mother, which means he’ll miss a whole cricketing summer at home in Aussie! Even worse, his Gran gave him an old green agate marble to take back, she said, to where it belongs. And does the gate lead to an orphanage? Weird kids appear: they don’t even have a TV, no technology at all. They don’t seem to miss it in their lives, they’re busy and happy and let him share in their exploits. But they think Andy’s talk of moon landings, of seeing close-up photos of Earth taken from a space station or an orbiting telescope, is all imagination. They accuse him of telling lies. To claim his mum cooks with microwaves and dries washing at the press of a button is as ridiculous as his story of flying halfway round the world in twenty-four hours. However, despite all his high-flying talk, he’s friendly enough and even daft enough to think a crystal set is jewellery! For Andy, knowing them is all about growing up and appreciating the basics of life. Over the Rusty Gate is Maureen Mitson’s fourth full-length novel and her first in the YA genre. It has a biographical background commended for its presentation of a lifestyle in pre-techno times. It also captures the energies and arguments of young people attempting to come to terms with life’s events and learning to understand ‘difference’ as ‘individuality’.'  (Publication summary)

'Australia has welcomed immigrants from many countries of the world over the years. Many choose to marry within their own cultural groups, others know when they have met the right partner, regardless of country or creed. This story – the sequel to Beatrice’s Commonsensical Approach – tells of the experiences of Francis and Esther, both born in South Australia towards the end or the 19th century. Esther has English-born parents. Francis has a German Lutheran father and British Catholic mother. The young couple settle to raise a family in the lovely Adelaide Hills town of Hahndorf, once called German Town. Then World War I begins… This is the story of Esther’s family's experiences in a town whose residents learn to overcome prejudice and civil conflict to reinforce an enviable community spirit. It is also the tale of a woman whose head is too often in conflict with her heart.' (Publication summary)

'The author’s childhood memory of meeting Rupe - ‘a little man with the weathered leather face and a wide grin sandwiched between a yellowy-grey moustache and a similarly hued beard’ - who helped her find her place in Australia.' (Publication summary)

'The author recalls the times she lived on two very different islands - Singapore and Cyprus.' (Publication summary)

'Two women stepped from the steamship Orient onto Australian soil on a hot December day in 1879. Beatrice Beauchamp epitomises the younger middle-class English woman settler unused to the unpleasant. Yet she combats tragedy, and meets challenge and difference with a level of equanimity not commonly expected from one with a genteel upbringing. We share her despair and her fears as from the first day she must call on a personal strength and resolve previously untested. In that, she finds a staunch supporter in Mary Lee. Mrs Mary Lee has been written into many history books. Her political conviction, dedication and determination in campaigning for women’s rights led to her being acknowledged by Premier Kingston as most influential in gaining South Australian women the right to vote and not only that, to take a seat in Parliament. Other states followed suit. Yet, despite all her achievements, little has been known of her personal life…

'Elizabeth Mansutti, former Chairperson of the SA Writers’ Centre, local historian, author, poet, playwright and author of Mary Lee – Let her name be honoured, which inspired this novel, writes, ‘Mary Lee was described by a contemporary as “fiery”. I suspect that in Beatrice she found an ac-quaintance of similar ilk, and by framing that partnership in this story the author creates the vehicle for satisfying our curiosity about Mary Lee and her significant social contribution. I think it a clever move that is complemented by the finely drawn descriptions of the colonial society of that period.’' (Publication summary)

'Do you recognise the old superstition? From when I was small, my mother would caution me as I skipped alongside, 'Don't step on the cracks!' Whenever I asked why not, her response was always a tip to the nose, a wink and 'Just because…' Her mother had said the same to her and I'm sure I passed on the saying to my own offspring. Whatever mystery was lying between the flagstones and pavers I never discovered, nor wanted to! I see it now as a metaphor for challenging fate, or changing direction in life. Life is full of mysteries, superstitions - gentle or less so. But there are no horrors to disturb your sleep within these pages, so I hope you will enjoy sharing some of my pavement mysteries.' (Publisher's blurb)