Blue Skies: Text Classics

· Text Publishing
Ebook
192
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

In Helen Hodgman’s dazzlingly written debut a young woman is trapped in a small city on an island at the end of the world—by motherhood and an absent husband, by busybody in-laws and neighbours, by a drab society yet to throw off the shackles of its colonial past. A darkly funny tale of a crack-up in stultifying suburbia, Blue Skies marked the emergence of a unique, acerbic voice in Australian fiction.

This edition includes an introduction by the acclaimed Tasmanian author Danielle Wood.

The clock always said three in the afternoon, no matter what you did to it...No matter what you tried, the day ran out then, and there was nothing left to fill it with.

Helen Hodgman was the author of the novels Blue Skies (1976), Jack and Jill (1978; winner of the Somerset Maugham Award), Broken Words (1988; winner of the Christina Stead Prize), Passing Remarks (1996), Waiting for Matindi (1998) and The Bad Policeman (2001). She died in June, 2022.

‘Singularly searing and merciless prose.’ Sunday Age

‘As fresh, punchy and relevant now as it was on its [first] release...A compelling vision.’ Australian

‘Scarily unforgettable.’ Peter Conrad

‘Strange and memorable.’ Eva Hornung

‘The very essence of Tasmanian gothic.’ Carmel Bird

‘Sensuous...Prickly as a sea urchin.’ Nicholas Shakespeare

‘A convincing study of a woman slowly losing her mind.’ Sunday Herald

‘Elegantly written, atmospheric.’ Brenda Niall, Australian Book Review

‘Has a masterpiece’s power to thrill and discomfort.’ Sunday Tasmanian

‘Stylistically assured...Daring and persuasive in its depiction of a controlled and vengeful anguish.’ Peter Pierce, Sydney Morning Herald

About the author

Helen Hodgman was the author of the novels Blue Skies (1976), Jack and Jill (1978; winner of the Somerset Maugham Award), Broken Words (1988; winner of the Christina Stead Prize), Passing Remarks (1996), Waiting for Matindi (1998) and The Bad Policeman (2001). She died in June, 2022.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.