Read more of Kelly's reviews on her book blog. Give it a go if you have the stomach for well written prose! Her words have a richness that makes her plot, description and characters worth the read. Tiffany’s sketch work of prose and ripply word work was the most enjoyable for me. It seems tedious and dry but this book isn’t for if you looking for a traditional love story – it’s a tough read the blow-fish sushi of books if you will. When Harry tries to teach Michael about sex, this little family of comfort crosses boundaries it never thought it could.Ī story that captures your heart from the first encounter you have with each of the characters one that won’t have you gripped but a story that will make you feel like you had a great workout at gym (but a mind workout). Betty is a nurse in an old age home she has two fatherless kids (yes this is important), Michael and Little Hazel and has escaped her past.

While Harry is watching birds, Betty his neighbour has her sights set on him. The reader is introduced to Harry’s ‘Observations of a Kookaburra Family at Cohuna’, a telling of the Kookaburra family he trains his binoculars on each day. We meet Harry, a bird watcher, farmer and novice writer, as he milks his cows and roams the fields of his farm. (Wikipedia) It also relates to the mating ritual of finding a mate.īird can mean both the feathered, winged variety and in slang, a sexually attractive woman. Mateship is an Australian cultural idiom that embodies equality, loyalty and friendship. Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany (Picador)