This Month’S New Reading

Book Reviews bp JUDY TUDOR

Exit The Cow Cocky

rHERE is as much difference be tween an aboriginal digging stick and a bull-dozer, as there s between the On Our Selection armers of Steele Rudd, and the nechanised farmers of E. O.

Schlunke.

Both wrote about the Australian ural scene—Schlunke, about 60 rears after Rudd. Rudd’s Dad and Dave characters, although tr u e mough of their time, are the basis >f the caricatures of Australian jountrymen even to-day, although hey now are about as far from the ruth as Schlunke is removed from Rudd in period of time.

All except one of the stories in he present volume, The Man in the iilo, have appeared in the Bulletin md the author’s work is well known ,o readers of that journal.

Schlunke’s style cannot be faulted md is peculiarly suited to his sub ect. He has a sly humour, his jeople and scenes are authentic and le is devoid of sentimentality. Pity le cannot be made required read ng for the 60 per cent, of Aus tralians who live in the city and vhose notions of the country are ;till based on the Dad-Dave-and tfabel theme of last century.

Schlunke is several generations removed from German pioneering stock. Many of his characters, like aimself, bear Teutonic names. Many )f the stories are set at the time )f the last war and some concern ;he Italian prisoners-of-war who vere employed on farms to the arofit, exasperation and sometimes imusement of their employers.

Schlunke himself is a farmer, rhat is how he makes a living.

Short-story writing he probably re gards as a hobby because, unfor tunately, there is no livilihood in it n Australia. Volumes of short stories are, of course, notoriously unpopular with buyers of books.A thousand pities in this case because the stories are of great merit. (Published by Angus and Robertson, Ltd.

Australian price, 16/-.)

Seven For Seven

Is Quits

BECAUSE this book so easily could have had a happy-ever after ending, the author kills the heroine off in the beginning, apparently in order to prevent him self from falling for the temptation of that sentimental solicism; the story is thereafter told in retrospect.

Nonetheless, fans will find Nevil Shute’s Requiem for a Wren up to required standard, while, perhaps, remarking that the maestro does saem to be putting the emphasis on the psychologically odd, as time goes on. People who enjoyed such

Shute stories as No Highway, are somewhat disappointed in this trend, although, judging by sales of his books, most are prepared to take As one can guess from the title, this story concerns a member of the women’s auxiliary of the Royal Navy, during World War 11. It tells how a brisk young woman of the outdoor type—more at home covered with grease from dismantled guns than in the drawing-room—-can be come something near to a mental case (and she finally did take her own life) when ridden by an obsession.

Janet Prentice was a “natural” shot—and a whole series of circum stances which Shute makes sound logical, puts Janet in the position of shooting down a German plane. Un fortunately, the Junkers was carry ing seven Central Europeans who could have flown the Junkers to England to surrender. No one ever was to know that for certain, be cause they were all killed in the crash, but the possibility preyed on Janet’s mind and she felt that ex piation was called for. When six of her nearest and dearest (“includ ing the dogs”) were taken she, in the mentally disturbed state in which she then was, imagined that this was the consequence of her mistake. Finally, in order to save a possible seventh victim and put “paid” to the whole account, Janet swallows Aunt Ellen’s knock-out pills.

It is an interesting psychological study of a girl in a not-quite normal state of mind which was in duced by shock, fatigue and the strain of prolonged war service.

One of Janet’s first victims in ex piation was Bill, the Australian whom she was to marry. The story opens in Victoria on the station pro perty of Bill’s father, and the whole narrative is told by Bill’s brother, who was himself a RAF hero dur ing the war.

For European readers there is therefore fascinating glimpses of the life of an Australian wool-baron, and for Antipodean readers, a more than sufficient account of what pre paration for D-Day was like. The whole plan of the book is ingeni ously contrived —there is certainly nothing wrong with Mr. Shute in that department. And if the effort in the last few paragraphs to get some sort of fulfilment into what has been full-scale frustration, still leaves you with an unsatisfied feel ing, you can reflect —as the author no doubt intended you to do—that life is largely a mad muddle of wasted lives, anyhow. (Published by William Heinemann, Ltd.

Australian price, 13/6.)

Let’S Make A

Republic

IF you like a straightforward, rollicking story of people who get more satisfaction out of life than dissatisfaction, you will not do better than A Fair Wind Home, by Ruth Moore.

Miss Moore, who is a successful American writer, has in this book made her first venture into the field of the historical novel—because, she says, she wanted to reaffirm faith — her own as much as any—in our own times.

We can see what she means. Fair Wind Home is set in the 18th century, when the North American continent was still settled —and sparsely—only around the edges; where men could still get the sort of freedom they wanted by moving further out—or in this case, further north along the Atlantic coast of what is now the United States.

However, Miss Moore makes her characters very human, and under standable by 20th century standards.

Because these people lived three centuries ago, she does not make the mistake of attributing to them different emotions or reactions to those of people living in our present age.

And if the writing of the book afforded the author relief, it is likely to perform the same service for readers who have had a surfeit of modern American novels of the syncopated age.

The period about which Miss Moore currently writes was an un complicated one, when men (and some women) solved their own problems or they remained un solved; a period when deeds had not yet been superseded by talk. It tells of three men of peace who were prepared to fight to live how they wished; and of the hilarious kingdom founded by old man Cantril on the Crookshank River.

Old Cantril had a vision—and nine grown sons whom he man aged without any trouble. When the grown sons began to show symptoms caused by the lack of women in this Eden, Cantril solved the problem in the easiest way possible: for a few trinkets he bought nine Indian maids from the local tribe whom he had already dispossessed of the river land.

Cantril could handle his sons; and he could also handle the Indians. He imagined therefore that he could handle the progeny of same—but in this he could not have been more mistaken. The grandchildren inherited none of their fathers’ docility and all of old Cantril’s fire and devil.

The boys were “wilder than hawks” and spent the major portion of the time with their Indian kins men. The girls stayed home —but when opportunity occurred were no better than they could be.

Lemuel Cantril —otherwise Smoke pole—eldest grandson of both old

Cantril and of Smoking Stick, the chief who had provided the nine brides for the nine brothers, plays a stormy and important part in the final denouement.

A thoroughly enjoyable story of action and humour that could be colonial pioneering almost anywhere —but all the more enjoyable be cause it reminds us of an apt to be forgotten fact —that the great and over-sophisticated United States had much the same beginnings as we did ourselves. (Published by William Heinemann, Ltd.

Australian price, 18/9.)

Tonga, Ad Lib

THE occasion when Queen Salote of Tonga drove in an open carriage in the Coronation pro cession of Queen Elizabeth 11, must have been one of the most profit able literary incidents of history.

Following it, millions of words have been spilled about Queen Salote, her Kingdom, and her family.

Before the Coronation, very few people in England had ever heard of her, and although she quite frequently had visited New Zealand and Australia, her comings and go ing had excited no comment at all.

For Queen Salote was a shy, retir ing woman, especially in European company, and no doubt still is. The change was wrought in the public, and its interest in Tonga and its

Queen has never flagged since. Or believe Publishers appear to Latest offering is Friendly Queen, by Hector Macquarrie. Mr Macquarrie has written several 9ther books. His second last offer ing being Vouza —and that during the war following a lot of publicity which Vouza, the Solomon Islands pohce-boy had deservedly received very brave conduct during the Solomons campaign. Macquarrie had, for a brief time, been a Dis trict Officer in the Solomons and Vouza had been one of his PBs That book was a great deal more about Macquarrie than Vouza. how ever.

Macquarrie, although born in New Zealand, has lived for a long time now in England and one some how feels that that is more his spiritual home than the raw colonies.

Auci it seems that he is a writer who waits for the moment, rather than one who goes out and grasps time by the forelock. Although at one time he was ADC to a Fiji Governor (who also, of course, has oversight of Tonga) he prob ably has had very little contact with Queen Salote or her Kingdom, at all. But what he has done is to delve deeply into Tongan history and—if one can bring oneself to forgive the sprightly interpolations about the doings of the District Officer (Mr Macquarrie himself, in thin dis

guise) —this is worth the price admission. It saves a great deal . personal research through CooH journals and Mariner’s Account t the Tonga Islands. The backgroun and history of the influence of tM Wesleyan Church is also fully dea In fact, the history of Tons makes up by far the larger portic of .p9 ok i the Friendly Quee part of it is simply the selling poin as it were, for people who still hav an unsatisfied appetite for detail ° f , th ? . P resent royal set-up * Nukualofa. y vo?! 01, his reason it is of far moi real value to those interested in th lt; were just anothe Queen . book. Apart from tlu spnghtly interpolations aforesait Mi. Macquarrie is a competen enough craftsman, and his potte history of Tonga, ancient a n modern, will be easily assimilate: by the most delicate digestions. (Published by William Heinemann, Lto Australian price, 22/6.)

Whales And History

IN June, 1836, Captain Williarr Rhodes, who was to become i ——py le ahmg merchant of Wellington NZ, before he died, and was j pioneer of a well-k no w n N 2 pastoralist family, put to sea in thu

{Continued on page 101)

laling barque Australian on what is to be a two years’ cruise.

Almost 120 years later, The Whal g Journal of Captain W. B. lodes has been published, though most of it will be of in rest to seafarers more than tiers—it consists largely of entries :e, “Steady easterly breeze. Lati de 28 deg., etc.”—some of his servations about the Islands are >rth noting.

Particularly are his observations out “Vavaoo,” Tonga, interesting len read at the same time as iendly Queen, which records ’airs in Tonga at a much earlier tie, before the Tongans had be me so unco guid.

Says the captain, of Vavau. . . It now in a state approaching civil ition. . . I have been paid a visit the Harbour Master, bringing th him a printed Harbour Regula rs intimating that His Majesty ng George requires to be paid 21 liars for anchorage and pilotage fore the vessel would be allowed communicate with the shore. . . vo Wesleyan missionaries with eir families are located here and is astonishing to what a state of scipline they have reduced the tives. ‘Old and young spend the prin ial part of their time in the lools learning to read the scrip res and in religious exercises, ley are compelled by law to as

sume an outward sanctity, and to spend a greater part of the day in devotion, and in no part of the world is the Sabbath kept with such strictness. The natives are entirely prohibited the use of spirits or to bacco; the Government is absolute and the least appearance of outward

wickedness. . . is severely punished

by flogging. . . King George has lately returned from an expedition to Tongatabu. It appears that there is a party on that island who will not put themselves under the yoke of the missionaries. They are called the Devil’s Party. His Majesty is determined that if they will not be converted to the Wesleyan religion, to exterminate them.”

He describes also what was prob ably the first European attempt to settle on Sunday Island (Kerma decs). A settler named James Read with his Maori wife, three children and two other Maori youths had settled there and planned to grow vegetables to supply visiting whalers.

Six deserters from other whalers

were also making Sunday Is. their temporary headquarters. (Published by Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd. New Zealand price, 18/6.) U AMP Aseri Manualevu, stationed at the Fiji goldfields, was one of the guests at the Sydney Pacific Islands Society’s May meeting. He had arrived early in May to begin a 6-months course in Industrial Health, with emphasis on modern methods of TB treatment. He will be joined in August by his wife and family.

II M. Marcel Isy-Schwart, famous exponent of underwater fishing, lectured to a packed audience at the Suva Town Hall on May 17.

Besides Fiji, M. Isy-Schwart has been making films in Tonga, Samoa and Niue. He will visit New Caledonia and Tahiti before return ing to France, where he will edit his films. After a lecture tour in Europe, he will probably return to the South Seas.