Review: Between Us curated by Marieke Hardy & Michaela McGuire

 

Title: Between Us { Women of Letters}

Author: Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire

Published: Viking: Penguin Au November 2014

Read an Extract

Status: Read from November 22 to 23, 2014 — I own a copy   {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

To the Women (and men) of Letters,

Having enjoyed your second and third publications, Sincerely and Yours Truly, arising from the literary stage show conceived by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire, I was delighted for the opportunity to read this fifth curated collected, titled Between Us.

As with your previous books, I am pleased to see correspondence from such an eclectic group of female and male contributors, 55 altogether, including radio personality Chrissie Swan, news anchor Tracey Spicer, authors Hannah Kent and Peter Goldsworthy, comedian Steady Eddy, political cartoonist Andrew Marlton, and actor Jeremy Lindsay Taylor. There were a few names I didn’t recognise, and though helpfully you provide a brief bio of each at the back of the book, I would still prefer the information included at the end of each letter.

What I particularly like about the Letter’s collection is the way in which they make me think about how I would respond to the topics. What would I tell my eighty year old self? What is the thing I dream of? What is the thing I’d like to avoid, and which person would I credit with teaching me what I need to know? I especially enjoyed the paired letters, written ‘to my other half’.

I enjoy the way in which the tone of the letters veer from the poignant and contemplative to the whimsical and droll. It ensures the collection holds my interest and makes for a comfortable read through, though it would also be easy for a reader to dip in and out of at will.

Just between us, I have enjoyed the time I spent with this celebration of the lost art of letter writing and its collection of ‘wit and wisdom’.

Thank you, women (and men) of letters for sharing with me.

Available to purchase from

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and all good bookstores.

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