Sunshine Road
by Catherine Manchester
Did your glass overflow with Müller-Thurgau in the late-1970s? If it did, and you hadn’t long turned 20, Sunshine Road will bring back a lot of memories to make you smile. But don’t be lulled by the title: this semi-autobiographical novel isn’t all sunshine and carefree laughter.
From the toffee apples and Punch & Judy at the school fair when we first meet Sarah and Becky as 10-year-olds, we watch them skip and scramble through late-1960s childhood in Eastbourne, Wellington. With her only sister nearly 10 years older and about to leave home and with her unhappy parents, Sarah is almost a neglected only child. In contrast, Becky’s family is close knit, boisterous and all-embracing: it’s Sarah’s happy place. Trips to the beach and long walks around the coast are a constant backdrop to their chatter and plans. All too soon, however, Becky moves to Nelson and Sarah is left to fend for herself as she explores her first love, wild parties and career choices, and experiences her parents’ separation.
Set largely in Wellington, Sunshine Road sees Sarah grow in her determination to pursue the career of her dreams, to ignore the “You-need-to-get-a-proper-job” sayers, and grapple with the much-changed Becky whose betrayal when she returns from the South Island will devastate Sarah and haunt her for years to come.
Described as semi-autobiographical, as well as the fictional characters, there are cameos of Dorothy Taylor (artist) and Elsie Locke (feminist and political activist) as well as the upheaval of the 1981 Springbok tour. Like the author, Sarah is a writer and her thoughts, poured onto the page in her most introspective moments, appear throughout the book, giving us a greater in-depth look at Catherine Manchester the writer rather than the novelist.
Did you watch Midnight Cowboy and Rosemary’s Baby as new releases? Do you remember when friends wrote letters to each other? When “scraps of history [were] allocated to women and their lives”? When lentil curry was a novelty, along with vegetarians? There is much for you to remember here.
Sunshine Road is a word portrait growing out of Catherine Manchester’s cover painting entitled Youth: a transition from child to young adult, where, in spite of the title, there are persistent pockets of darkness.
by Catherine Manchester
Did your glass overflow with Müller-Thurgau in the late-1970s? If it did, and you hadn’t long turned 20, Sunshine Road will bring back a lot of memories to make you smile. But don’t be lulled by the title: this semi-autobiographical novel isn’t all sunshine and carefree laughter.
From the toffee apples and Punch & Judy at the school fair when we first meet Sarah and Becky as 10-year-olds, we watch them skip and scramble through late-1960s childhood in Eastbourne, Wellington. With her only sister nearly 10 years older and about to leave home and with her unhappy parents, Sarah is almost a neglected only child. In contrast, Becky’s family is close knit, boisterous and all-embracing: it’s Sarah’s happy place. Trips to the beach and long walks around the coast are a constant backdrop to their chatter and plans. All too soon, however, Becky moves to Nelson and Sarah is left to fend for herself as she explores her first love, wild parties and career choices, and experiences her parents’ separation.
Set largely in Wellington, Sunshine Road sees Sarah grow in her determination to pursue the career of her dreams, to ignore the “You-need-to-get-a-proper-job” sayers, and grapple with the much-changed Becky whose betrayal when she returns from the South Island will devastate Sarah and haunt her for years to come.
Described as semi-autobiographical, as well as the fictional characters, there are cameos of Dorothy Taylor (artist) and Elsie Locke (feminist and political activist) as well as the upheaval of the 1981 Springbok tour. Like the author, Sarah is a writer and her thoughts, poured onto the page in her most introspective moments, appear throughout the book, giving us a greater in-depth look at Catherine Manchester the writer rather than the novelist.
Did you watch Midnight Cowboy and Rosemary’s Baby as new releases? Do you remember when friends wrote letters to each other? When “scraps of history [were] allocated to women and their lives”? When lentil curry was a novelty, along with vegetarians? There is much for you to remember here.
Sunshine Road is a word portrait growing out of Catherine Manchester’s cover painting entitled Youth: a transition from child to young adult, where, in spite of the title, there are persistent pockets of darkness.
Review by Carolyn McKenzie
Title: Sunshine Road,
Author: Catherine Manchester
Publisher: Catherine Manchester
ISBN: 9780473770334
RRP: $34
Available: some selected bookshops; order from Copy Press Nelson
Author: Catherine Manchester
Publisher: Catherine Manchester
ISBN: 9780473770334
RRP: $34
Available: some selected bookshops; order from Copy Press Nelson
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