Art Life Chooks: Learning to Leave the City and Love the Country (Annette Hughes, Fourth Estate, $27.99 pb, ISBN 9780732286897, July) ***
An absorbing read, Art Life Chooks is the story of Annette Hughes and her partner Geoffrey who move from Sydney to a farm in Noosa. Both of them seem to know fairly well what they are getting themselves into, so we are spared the ridiculous tales of things going wrong which can make some ‘sea change’ books so absurd. Hughes does spend a considerable amount of time with her chooks while Geoffrey is doing other jobs around the farm, so they do become real characters. I think this book deserves to sell quite well, particularly to women about the same age as Hughes. It is an interesting, thought-provoking account of how difficult and how wonderful life can be for people living in the country. The chooks and the garden certainly are features of the book, but art is also a recurring theme. As well as theatre, other forms such as poetry, music, pictures and painting are included. Hughes takes up a part-time teaching offer and also resumes painting, turning to the chooks for
inspiration. I found myself absolutely caught up in Art Life Chooks, the subject matter and the writing are equally charming.
Jessica Broadbent is a former bookseller who continues to work in the publishing industry
This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker
Tags:
annette hughes
Champions by Ben CollinsThree additional interviews differentiate the second Champions from the 2006 edition, making Collins’ gathering of players and coaches an even more formidable collection.
1 October, 2008
Travels in Atomic Sunshine by Robin GersterThis book tells the story of the Australian contingent of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) who, in 1946, entered western Japan to ‘demilitarise and democratise’ the atom-bombed backwater of Hiroshima.
1 October, 2008
Power Plays by Oaks LaurieThis is an interesting and revealing book on many levels; from the anecdotal to a historical illustration of the growing sophistication of Australian politics from 1987 to 2007.
1 October, 2008
Occy by Mark Occhilupo & Tim BakerIf you love the underdog, surfing and happy endings, then Occy satisfies on all counts.
1 October, 2008
My Story by Mamdouh HabibIn the early hours of 2 October 2001, Pakistani security officers stopped a bus travelling between Quetta and Karachi and took off three passengers.
1 October, 2008
Manning Clark by Brian MatthewsIronic, playful, iconoclastic and provocative, historian Manning Clark left an indelible mark on this country, our thinking, how we view ourselves and our past.
1 October, 2008
Joan in India by Suzanne FalkinerThe typical fairytale of marrying a prince comes to life in this biography of an Australian girl who leaves her family and sheltered life in Melbourne to marry a Muslim ruler in a small area in India
1 October, 2008
Graham Kennedy Treasures by Mike McColl-JonesAuthor Mike McColl-Jones worked alongside Graham Kennedy for almost 20 years, churning out jokes and scripts for the popular television show, In Melbourne Tonight.
1 October, 2008
Ego and Soul by John CarrollJohn Carroll writes books that are generally hard to categorise.
1 October, 2008
Comments
2 comment(s) on this page. Add your own comment below.
Hi there. I am the author of Art Life Chooks, and if you would like to read an excerpt, or hear the soundtrack of the book (yes, it has a soundtrack!) please follow the link to my website/blog at http://hughesy.journalspace.com
Cheers Annette Hughes
I bought your book from the Good Life book club, and have read it in one day...loved it! I am establishing similar life choice for myself, although on a much smaller block, but v.v.similar interest - garden, chooks and painting. What a fulfilling way to live. Obvious difference; no partner, and hate red wine and vodka, enjoy a beer or three, love white wine. Thanx for making me laugh out loud several times while sipping cold white wine,and reinforcing my choice of life style. Retirement from paid employment is far busier than wage-slavery, just as satisfying and much more productive. Thanx for a rewarding read.
Add a Comment
Please be civil.