John Gould is famous for his love of birds and for the beautiful drawings that graced his folios. But his wife, Elizabeth, was the skilled artist, behind much of his success. This exquisite historical novel tells her story. Filled with minute details on matters of ornithology and taxidermy, the author takes her reader back to the nineteenth century, a time of exploration and science, but also a time when medicine still involved potions, leeches and superstition. Women were not expected to excel at non-domestic skills but John’s success and prosperity allowed Eliza the time to pursue her talent. Indeed, her talents contributed greatly to that success.
The novel begins in London, moves to Australia, and then back to London. There is not much of a storyline here. It’s the vivid description of birds, fauna and artistry that carries the book along. The narrating of several pregnancies helps to anchor the book’s heroine in the earthiness of life. She is strong but she is not superhuman. She supports her husband dutifully but, when required, challenges him in the very areas of his technical expertise.
The writing is beautifully evocative, especially in the closing pages. There is much to learn here.
Some readers, accustomed to novels that build suspense through conflict and danger, will no doubt lose patience with this book but it is well worth persevering.
Anyone interested in bird-watching must read this book; anyone with even a passing interest will surely find it fascinating.

This is a truly remarkable story. John MacLean was a promising athlete until a truck ran over him on the M4 highway in Sydney in 1988. The injuries were so bad that any sort of recovery seemed unthinkable but he pulled through and, over the next several years, learned how to compete in sports such as canoeing and wheel-chair events. His accomplishments were remarkable: iron-man events, triathalons, even swimming the English Channel. But through it all, he held to the goal that he wanted to walk again.
The epilogue to this book attempts to answer the question: was it a miracle that, after 26 years, he was able to walk? He doesn’t think so but maybe that depends on the definition of ‘miracle’ that is used. There didn’t appear to be any physical change to the original injury. Whether it was nerve connections finally awakening from the initial trauma, or whether it was something far more holistic, it does seem apparent that John’s determination to succeed in sport, including endurance events, was somehow responsible. He admits that there is much that he still cannot do but his focus has always been on what he might be able to do. Hence the title of the book, which was taken from a question put to him by his father.
John’s stubborn refusal to give in has carried him a long way. He has become something of a media celebrity and his foundation that helps kids with severe injuries is prospering. Along the way, he has picked up a wife and a son, both of whom have meant more to him that any of his amazing sporting achievements.
This is an easy book to read and very inspirational. Very few people could accomplish what John has accomplished but he obviously hopes that his example can help others reach for the seemingly impossible.

This book may be prophetic of a future trend in Australian Rules football. It tells the story of American born and bred athletes who have been finding their way to the Australian game. The story takes in Dwayne Armstrong, who was listed with Essendon in 1996, but never played at the top level, Eric Wallace, who was listed at North Melbourne but played extensively in the VFL, Mason Cox, who played senior football for Collingwood this year, and the history-making Jason Holmes, who, in late 2015, became the first born-and-bred American to play a senior AFL game when he played for St Kilda.
The book is a little patchy, and seems to jump back and forth, repeating itself in the process. But the story of the AFL scouts running combines in the USA for athletes who had never heard of the game does make for interesting reading. The book covers the massive cultural changes that the American athletes faced and explains how some of them failed to achieve their aspirations.
It’s a fascinating story and probably suggests that the future of AFL will involve finding the tallest and best athletes from wherever they might be found.