image of person or book cover 1061077898568468013.jpg
Cover image courtesy of publisher.
y separately published work icon The Comfort of Figs single work   novel  
Issue Details: First known date: 2008... 2008 The Comfort of Figs
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

'1939 As a burgeoning city emerges from its landscape, so too does a bridge that will transform it from a sleepy country town. Three young men work on the construction of this iconic steel bridge. Labouring high above the river in dangerous conditions, close bonds develop between them. But one slip can - and does - alter their lives forever. A generation later, Robbie, a young landscaper, grapples with his difficult relationship with his father whose past is inextricably linked with the famous cantilevered bridge. Robbie is also battling to save his future with his girlfriend Freya, after a violent assault by a stranger sends her spiralling into herself. The Comfort of Figs is the engrossing story of the birth of a city and the burden of a family secret. Its legacy is two monuments - one of nature and one of engineering - both of them unforgettable.' (Publication summary)

Notes

  • Dedication: For Alisa.
  • Epigraph: There is no difficulty in designing a bridge, aesthetic and satisfying all interests. Dr J.J.C. Bradfield December 1931.
  • Epigraph: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. Book of Genesis.
  • Simon Cleary's great-grandfather worked as an engineer on the Story Bridge during its construction, and his great-grandfather’s private papers provided some of the inspiration for the novel.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • St Lucia, Indooroopilly - St Lucia area, Brisbane - North West, Brisbane, Queensland,: University of Queensland Press , 2008 .
      image of person or book cover 1061077898568468013.jpg
      Cover image courtesy of publisher.
      Extent: 334p.
      Note/s:
      • Author's note p.333-334
      • Maps on endpapers.
      • Published March 2008
      ISBN: 9780702236433 (pbk.)
    • St Lucia, Indooroopilly - St Lucia area, Brisbane - North West, Brisbane, Queensland,: University of Queensland Press , 2009 .
      image of person or book cover 8935734904285474863.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 334p.
      Note/s:
      • Published August 3rd 2009
      ISBN: 9780702237355 (pbk.)

Other Formats

  • Sound recording.
  • Dyslexic edition.
  • Large print.

Works about this Work

Story to Tell Phil Brown , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane News , 19 - 25 March no. 677 2008; (p. 12-13)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
[Review] The Comfort of Figs Vivienne Muller , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: Queensland Review , vol. 15 no. 2 2008; (p. 128-130)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
Troubled Waters Katharine England , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 May 2008; (p. 22)

— Review of The Great Arch Vicki Hastrich , 2008 single work novel ; The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
Facts Get in the Way of a Good Story Kerryn Goldsworthy , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , May vol. 3 no. 4 2008; (p. 23)

— Review of The Landscape of Desire Kevin Rabalais , 2008 single work novel ; The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel ; Addition Toni Jordan , 2008 single work novel
Bridges Link Tales from Two Cities Catherine Keenan , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 10-11 May 2008; (p. 32)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel ; The Great Arch Vicki Hastrich , 2008 single work novel
The Magical and the Mechanical Bridged Peter Pierce , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 8 March 2008; (p. 12)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
Lifting the Fig Leaf over Quintessential Brisbane Rebecca Starford , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 29 March 2008; (p. 26)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
Tale Wrapped around the Story Spans Years Rosemary Sorensen , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 29-30 March 2008; (p. 15)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
Two Cultures Revisited Adrian Mitchell , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 300 2008; (p. 29)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
Landmark Launch Tegan Taylor , 2008 single work review
— Appears in: UQNews , April no. 573 2008; (p. 21)

— Review of The Comfort of Figs Simon Cleary , 2008 single work novel
Last amended 28 Jul 2021 12:43:34
Settings:
  • Brisbane, Queensland,
  • 1930s
  • 2000s
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X