The Women in Black: Text Classics (Text Classics)

by Madeleine St.John

[bumblingbookworm]

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

This is an Australian classic, which I was introduced to about 5 years ago when I saw the Melbourne Theatre Company's musical adaptation.  I loved that, which was full of charm and whimsy, but unfortunately the book was somewhat lacking.  It was well written and was quick to read despite the somewhat slow start, but I feel quite meh about it.  I found it a bit boring, and nothing much happens in terms of the plot or the character development, which are two things I look for in my reading.

I think one of the things that particularly irritated me about this book is the outdated portrayal of women and immigrants, but then I have to remind myself that it's set in the 1950s and these are actually accurate portrayals for that time period.  I'm still keen to see the film, as I suspect I'll enjoy the adaptation more than the original source material, but this book just didn't hit the mark for me.