Falling From Grace by Jane Godwin

It's always good to see more contemporary Australian authors out there. Although Jane Godwin has been around for a while now, I have never had the chance to read any of her books until now. I found this particular book in my local library, and after reading the back cover, I decided to borrow it and see what it was like. I found that I was not disappointed with what the book had to offer me.

Falling From Grace is the story of Annie and her older sister Grace, who mysteriously vanishes after being swept away during a storm. The story is told through the eyes of Annie, Kip (a witness), and Grace herself. The chapters switch from Kip, to Annie, and Grace at appropriate times, to help us understand what is going on in each character's mind and what each of them experience from the one incident.

There is this creepy guy named Ted who appears on the scene, around the same time that Grace disappears. Kip is the one who meets this guy. As the story progresses, the reader can't help but get the feeling that Ted has something to do with Grace's disappearance, but he/she cannot be entirely sure. It's only until the very end that everything is revealed, and because I want people to go and find a copy of this book for themselves, I shall not reveal the ending in my review.

Very well-written with a carefully executed plot and well-rounded characters, Jane Godwin presents an exciting and action-packed mystery that will keep you guessing until you've reached the end.

The Good Person of Szechwan by Bertholt Brecht

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I am a HUGE fan of Bertholt Brecht and his plays, which is why I was so excited to learn that I would be studying Brecht this semester at Uni. The Good Person of Szechwan is one of the plays written by Brecht that I will be studying this semester.

The Good Person of Szechwan tells the story of three powerful Gods who are on the search of finding at least one good person left on the earth. They tarry the night with a woman by the name of Shen Teh, a "good-hearted but penniless prositute" (back cover), who is struggling to get out of her current situation and start a new life. Believing that Shen Teh has great potential of doing much good for other people, the Gods give her a sum of money, so as to be able to help her start her own tobacco business, and no longer work on the streets to earn money. Problems arise when the other characters in the play prey on Shen Teh's kindness and try to manipulate her, and in order to escape from such corrupt persons, she disguises herself as a Shui-Ta, a ruthless and very clever "cousin", who does not take kindly to Shen Teh's ill treatment by the other characters. Further complications arise when Shen Teh falls pregnant, and can no longer keep up the charade of being Shui-Ta. It is a riveting and thought-provoking story, one that I would like to see performed on stage one day.

As with all of Brecht's plays, the play addresses a lot of social issues that cannot all be listed here. A few of them include the nature of survival, the business world and its potential to become corrupt, and the line drawn between when is being too lenient and when is being too harsh, (how to be "nice" while at the same time being assertive and not have people walk all over you. This commentary is especially noted when Shen Teh switches from being herself, to Shui-Ta).

This is a must-read for all lovers of theatre and of Bertholt Brecht.