y separately published work icon False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten single work   autobiography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2013... 2013 False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'In the early 1980s, recently graduated arts student Mark O'Flynn is told in no uncertain terms by his father to stop fruit picking and get a proper job! In an effort to kickstart his son's career in the workplace he arranges for Mark to work in a quarry in outback Australia. Dropped in the middle of central Queensland, and somewhat underwhelmed by the 40 degree heat, barrage of flies, never ending parade of snakes and a steady diet of meat and beer, Mark encounters a group of men the likes of whom he has never seen before in his city life. Men the colour of boiled mutton, who work only as hard as they need to, play as hard as they can, adhered strictly to the rules of the union and call each other 'Brother'. Soon Mark realises that the men are under the impression that he is a 'science expert' and decides the best ...and only ...thing to do is go with the flow. So begins Mark's adventures in being an 'accidental expert', a situation he finds himself in on a recurring basis, whether it is as a rock specialist, a writer and actor thrust prematurely upon the stage or a special agent charged with the safe transport of a life-size statue of the Virgin Mary to Ireland. These hilarious and droll accounts of three jobs that went 'horribly wrong' continue the rich tradition of the great Australian yarn - and will appeal to readers who appreciate the unexpected and the bizarre wrapped in a laconic sense of humour.' (Publisher's blurb)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Finch , 2013 .
      Extent: 255p.
      ISBN: 9781921462894 (pbk.)

Works about this Work

Mad 'God' Father and Quarrymen out in the Midday Sun Ross Southernwood , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 17 March 2013; (p. 13) The Sunday Age , 17 March 2013; (p. 13)

— Review of False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Mark O'Flynn , 2013 single work autobiography
Accidental Expert Recounts Misadventures Ross Fitzgerald , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 23-24 February 2013; (p. 22-23)

— Review of False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Mark O'Flynn , 2013 single work autobiography
False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Lizzy King , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , March 2013;

— Review of False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Mark O'Flynn , 2013 single work autobiography

'Australian author Mark O'Flynn's wry look back at his life as an accidental expert is amusingly written, but little more.'

Accidental Expert Recounts Misadventures Ross Fitzgerald , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 23-24 February 2013; (p. 22-23)

— Review of False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Mark O'Flynn , 2013 single work autobiography
Mad 'God' Father and Quarrymen out in the Midday Sun Ross Southernwood , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 17 March 2013; (p. 13) The Sunday Age , 17 March 2013; (p. 13)

— Review of False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Mark O'Flynn , 2013 single work autobiography
False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Lizzy King , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , March 2013;

— Review of False Start : A Memoir of Things Best Forgotten Mark O'Flynn , 2013 single work autobiography

'Australian author Mark O'Flynn's wry look back at his life as an accidental expert is amusingly written, but little more.'

Last amended 23 Feb 2013 11:27:18
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