Thursday, December 29, 2011

Di Morrissey - twenty years of writing

In November 2011 Jennifer Byrne interviewed Di Morrissey in the program, Jennifer Byrne Presents. Di Morrissey has become one of Australia's most popular authors recently publishing her nineteenth book. Most of her books are set in Australia with the location being as important as the characters and the plot for the enjoyment of the story.

The first Di Morrissey novel that I read was Tears of the Moon originally published in 1995. On a visit to Broome this book was constantly mentioned by tour guides for its ability to capture the essence of the times of the pearling industry in Broome so when we returned home I had to read it and was immediately transported back to the 1890s in that remote part of Australia. The story is told via Lily Barton's quest in the 1990s to understand the history of her family - an added layer of interest. It was also an enjoyable book to read. I also enjoyed Kimberley Sun which is the sequel to Tears of the Moon.

Since then I have travelled around Australia and overseas through the settings in Di Morrissey books.  The Reef is set on a Great Barrier Reef island and portrays the conflicts between the need to protect the marine  environment and the economy generated by the tourist industy, both important to existence of this beautiful part of Queensland. Further south, New South Wales near Byron Bay is the setting for The Valley, another exploration for understanding family history secrets. Moving overseas The Islands is mainly set in Hawaii in the 1970s when an Australian tries to adapt to life in a foreign environment after marrying an American naval officer.

I look forward to reading her latest book when the reservation list for the book at the library subsides.

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