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The Life of Riley by Steve Wright

By RachelUndefined on April 18, 2009 • ( 0 )

Opening Sentence:As he stumbled and cursed his way up the flinty slope of Mount Mornington beneath a remorseless summer sun, Joseph Cornelius Riley experienced the painful delusion that he was not twenty miles inland from the breeze-sweetened coast of Central Queensland but was rather in some scorched suburb of Hades, whereupon reaching the summit he would surely shake hands with the devil himself.
Synopsis:Each Christmas the Rileys gather at ‘Little Mornington’, the family home outside Melbourne. But this year their declining 96-year-old matriarch, Maude Acacia, sets her family a quest.

Each of them must achieve happiness – or they’re out of the will. And given that the family fortune began with a mountain of gold and just got bigger, that’s quite an incentive.

How difficult a task could it be?
Genre:Australian Literature
Rating:@@@@
Pages:372
BCID:xxx-6131665
ISBN:o-09-183451-1
Year:1998
Format:Paperback
Comments:According to the cover, The Life of Riley is “A family story about the quest for happiness…and sex, greed, gluttony and revenge.” This is true, but this story is also about learning to know oneself. It is about knowing what you want from life and having the courage to reach for it.

In the beginning of this book, none of the Riley’s are truly happy. Why? Because they are shuffling along, leading the lives they’ve landed in without ever once stopping to take note of whether it is what they truly want. When Maude Acacia, the Matriarch of the family gives them a financial incentive to do so, most of them find the courage to follow their hearts.

This book is easy to read. It is amusing and the characters are people we can relate to because, despite their riches, they face the same everyday problems as us. As with most families there is jealousy, envy and rivalry, but in essence what this book is really about is happiness and the journey we take to get there.

The Life of Riley (automobilemag.com)
Sleeping Beauties: Reviving Australia’s forgotten women writers (australianwomenwriters.com)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards Hall of Fame (whisperinggums.com)
Matriarchy Is Not an Answer to Patriarchy: Is “White Man’s” Pride and Prejudices Keeping Us from Seeing Our Real Solutions, Our Primal Return? (apocalypseknow.wordpress.com)
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Categories: Impressions

Tags: australia, Australian Literature, books, Central Queensland, christmas, family, Hades, International Standard Book Number, Life of Riley, Matriarchy, Melbourne, Riley, shopping

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How do I rate my books?

½ Star: I disliked it to the point where I didn’t even finish it and I would actively discourage others from reading it. This will definitely be released.
1 Star: I almost didn’t finish this book, but I powered through. I strongly disliked it and I would actively discourage others from reading it. This will definitely be released.
1 ½ Stars: I read this book, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it and I wouldn’t recommend it. This book will be released.
2 Stars: I don’t really have an opinion on this book. I didn’t particularly like it, but I didn’t particularly dislike it either. I won’t read it again and probably wouldn’t recommend it. This book will be released.
2 ½ Stars: This book is alright, I guess. Other people might enjoy it, but it’s not for me. I might mention it in passing, but I won’t reread it. This book will be released.
3 Stars: This book is average. I enjoyed it, but I’ll probably forget it within a year. I might recommend it to fans of the genre, but I won’t be rereading it. This book will be released.
3 ½ Stars: This book is above average but unexceptional. I enjoyed it, and I would probably recommend it, but I doubt I’ll read it again. This book will be released.
4 Stars: This is an excellent book. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it to others. I may or may not reread it. This book might be kept, or it might be released.
4 ½ Stars: This book is fantastic. I absolutely loved it and I fully intend to read it again. I would definitely recommend it to others. This book will be kept.
5 Stars: This is an amazing book which I’ll reread multiple times. I quite likely sacrificed sleep or skipped meals for this book and will shamelessly promote it to all and sundry. This book will definitely be kept, and I’ll probably buy an extra copy just to release it.

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