Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Beachmasters

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Author
  
Thea Astley

Language
  
English

Publication date
  
1985

Country
  
Australia

Publisher
  
Penguin, Australia

Media type
  
Print (Paperback)

Beachmasters (1985) is a novel by Australian author Thea Astley. It won the 1986 ALS Gold Medal.

Contents

Plot summary

The novel is set on the small Melanesian island of Kristi in the far-western Pacific. A band of discontented Kristians and sympathetic colonials launch a revolution against the island government, which is composed of both French and British officials. While no single character predominates, it is the dilemma of Gavi Salway trapped between ties of blood and tradition and forced to decide whether to aid or betray the revolution's leader that affects us most.

Reviews

  • Laurence Hill in Library Journal: "The Third World setting and politics evoke comparison to the work of V.S. Naipaul and Graham Greene. While Astley does not quite attain their high level of achievement, she has produced a work of considerable power and distinction."
  • Publishers Weekly: "The result is a fragmented narrative, held together by the poetry of Astley's writing, which is often haunting but occasionally overly ponderous."

    • References

    Beachmasters Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA