Cover Image: The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Club

The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Club

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Member Reviews

I loved this book from start to finish. This is not a book about a book club. Rather it is a book about the power of friendship and the unconditional loves that comes with that. This book is about women at their best in the harsh land that is the top end of Australia. I highly recommend this book.

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The title of this book is a little misleading (as in, I was expecting the ending to be the inaugural meeting). We not only have the inaugural meeting early on, but many others through the course of the novel. The rest of the book is, of course, what happens between meetings to the five book club members. 

Unfortunately, the characterisation of the five women isn’t the strongest; they could all be interchangeable. Their plots too, are pretty cliched and soap opera-ish. 

The book is set in the Northern Territory and I thought this would be a great opportunity for Green to offer the reader some detailed descriptive passages of the unique flora and fauna found there, but… Green’s writing is just too basic and I was seriously disappointed in this arena. 

I was also looking forward to something special with the book due to the time setting (the late 70s, early 80s). Other than the odd reference to news and current affairs of the time, such as Charles and Diana’s wedding and the death of Azaria Chamberlain, it could have been set in any time. Some of the time’s racism and sexism is touched upon, but I wouldn’t say there’s any great heartache portrayed with these problems, or earth shattering revelations that reflect on our current social or political issues.

The books the club read are all well known but they aren’t studied or discussed in any great depth. They might make for interesting recommendations for a non-Aussie reader, but as an Australian I knew them all and therefore, I wasn't inspired to add anything to my TBR list.

You might be able to tell, I was really disappointed in this book. I didn’t care about any of the characters or their (apparent) dilemmas. Green’s writing style offered no chemistry when it came to the romantic relationships, no heartbreak for the sad plotlines and no real surprises overall. I was expecting some lovely feminist literature and instead I feel like I've just read a really bad novelisation of an episode of the Flying Doctors.

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There were five of them. Five very different ladies with their very different lives. They were united by the endless skies and red earth of Northern Territory, love, grief, heartbreak, hope and dreams. They all met because of books but they got much more in return

The Fairvale Book Club is rather a Friendship Circle with five parts to it. Each part is colourful, exciting, inviting, amazing and very very earthy. Every single one of the ladies gets her own closure at the end. Some of them happy and wonderful, the rest peaceful, sad and quiet. 

I guess, this is life.

The book is very comfy and cozy. Reading ladies' stories one can feel welcome, feel belonging, feel 'they are telling my story'. I enjoyed this read very much.

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I enjoyed this book about a group of women coming together for a chat every so often to discuss books. But what I most enjoyed was the friendships they formed, not just through their meetings, but out of them. Their relationships grow stronger as the story progresses, and each woman has their own personal battles to face. It is a heartwarming story.

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Based on a property in the middle of nowhere in the Northern Territory in the late 1970s, this book centres around those that live on Fairvale Station and their friends.
It is a brutal climate, an isolating location, and hard work to live in Fairvale so book club is the way that Sybil tries to welcome her new English daughter-in-law Kate to this strange way of life and introduce her to some other women in the "area".

It is not often I come across books set in outback NT, let alone in the late 70s, so the setting alone made this really intriguing. The descriptions of the wet and dry seasons, and the vastness of the space really drew me in. The characters are also very well crafted, each with their own unique voice and wishes for the future. This is a book I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a nice light read about friends and family.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I read this because I saw something that said it was like a modern Thornbirds. I loved Thornbirds and the hype around it. I can't remember enough about the Thornbirds to compare the two but I enjoyed both!

This is a tale of what it is like to be isolated in the Northern Territories in the late 1970's and how friendships form. There is a cross section of age groups and it is one of those books where you feel like you got to know the characters. A great easy read with a bit of drama thrown in.

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I always have my eye out for new Australian fiction, and have been becoming more and more interested in stories about women and female friendships, so when I saw The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green was available for request on NetGalley I had a feeling it was going to be a perfect read for me - and it definitely was! In fact, the day that I finished reading this I went out and bought myself a hard copy, and two friends have already borrowed it to read too.

Like I said above, I'm becoming increasingly interested in stories about women and their lives and friendships lately. This was a fantastic one. Being centred around a book club means that all the characters had to have in common was an enjoyment of reading, so in other ways they could be very different. This meant that we meet women of different ages and backgrounds and situations, who are going through a lot of different experiences that are common in women's lives. The book felt cosy, but a bit serious/heavy too - through these women we experience the loss of children and partners and parents, and even the loss of oneself into motherhood/being a wife (and then finding yourself again on the other side).

It also explores on the actual friendships - dynamics between groups of friends and between family members, and what we share and hide from each other, and (my favourite) how women support each other. In case you can't tell, I found it utterly charming and equally heartwarming and heartbreaking and hopeful.

I've been seeing this book everywhere since it came out a few weeks ago, and I think it will be a big hit at Christmas time - I feel like the range of situations the women are in make it a great read for an equally broad audience. I do have a couple of read-alikes for this one - other books that used multigenerational group of women in a friendship to explore similar issues:
The Christmas Cookie Club
Friday Night Knitting Club
Book of Lost Threads
I gave this 4.5 stars (is it ridiculous if I give quarter stars so I can go to 4.75?)

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My Thoughts

‘I’m starting a book club –well, that’s obvious.’ She gestured to the paper. ‘We’re all a bit isolated out here, aren’t we? It’s good to have some other people to talk to.’

The blurb had me with ‘book club’ and ‘Thorn Birds’, however, there is so much more to this little gem of a read. Set in the unique time and place - Northern Territory, Australia 1978 - it provides the reader with a realistic portrayal of life on the land in one of the most remote locations of a vast continent; and, how five women form a friendship that began with a love of books but evolved to so much more that saw them bond through good and bad times.

‘You like to read?’ Sybil said, stopping before they reached the table. Sallyanne nodded vigorously. ‘I love it,’ she said. ‘It’s my escape.

Yes, there are some fabulous reads made mention of here and the women’s discussion of the books (not too detailed) evolves into a wider conversation of events that arise in their own lives. Books from ‘The Thorn Birds’ to ‘We of the Never Never’ to ‘Harp in the South’ bring back memories of some classic Australian literature. Add to that the list of real life dates and events that occurred at various stages throughout the telling of this tale - for example: ‘The compact disc is demonstrated in public for the first time, by Phillips’ - will bring a smile to your face as you recall what age you were at these selected occasions.

Next thing to mention is the ‘Outback’ itself - the Northern Territory. The huge distances, the overpowering sense of isolation, the impact of climate and weather, concerning life on a station (ranch). Sophie Green brings all of this to life, as you can clearly envisage the array of practicalities to living so remotely, whether it concern supplies or medical emergencies.

The five female leads are true and strong, each bringing their own unique story to this tale. This is a story of friendship and learning to trust over some truly difficult and challenging circumstances - accidents, illnesses, wet season inaccessibility, domestic violence, isolation - all credible and realistic situations. It’s through the bond they form that makes life that little bit easier.

‘Books give us the benefit of a lot of people’s experiences,’ she said slowly. ‘They give us more options to choose from –more ways to live –than we could ever find on our own.’

Overall this was a joy to read. You become really invested in the characters, appreciating each of the generational challenges and how together, at a time of no internet and difficult communication, they were able to create true and lasting friendships. I encourage you to ....

“put the kettle on to boil and to hold the inaugural meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club.”


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest r

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I loved the setting of this book, the remote NT, I could see myself riding through the vast open spaces with the characters. I really liked the 5 women who made up the book club, first out of something to do and then through friendship and enjoyed their stories and the way each of them grew throughout the novel.

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This is an absolutely delightful read. As we meet the five main female characters, we feel like we've made new friends. Sybil, Rita, Kate, Della and Sallyanne are all from different backgrounds but have elements in common - they are strong and independent and intelligent. Each in their own way are facing personal challenges but living in the Northern Territory in or near Katherine and on the outback Station of Fairvale, they are drawn together in friendship to help cope with what life throws at them. Tied together by their love of books, this is a lovely thread through the novel as the characters read books of the time. The setting is incredibly evocative as the characters live through the big wet and insufferable dry seasons. Most of all, I loved these characters and their support of one another and would love to attend their next book club!

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A beautiful story about Sybil Baxter, her life in Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia and the four women she brings together as she starts a Book Club.

The five women in the club, Sybil, her daughter-in-law Kate, her best friend Rita, Sallyanne who Sybil met at a CWA meeting and Dell, a young Texan woman working on one of the nearby properties are brought together by Sybil for the first read which is The Thorn Birds, a true classic by wonderful author Colleen McCulloch.

The views are quite contrasting and through these meetings the personalities and lives of the five women is what the story becomes about.

We learn about their loves, loss, tragedies, the bigotry of others in regards to the Aboriginal people who live and work on the properties and the absolute heartache of all five women.

This is a book that will have you laughing and weeping and want to keep reading until the very end.

Sophie Green has written a book that is so descriptive you can almost picture everything as you read the words. A definite 5* read and one I thoroughly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

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I thought the book was beautifully written with excellent language usage and imagery. However I didn't find the story particularly interesting. Ring Australian I could relate to the places, landscape and way of life and held such high hopes for this book.

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The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club is so much more than the title implies.

It features women over a large age range and doesn't shy away from facing questions of racism and domestic violence all too prevalent in the 1970s. Have things changed,? Perhaps. Have they changed enough - sadly no.

I cared for some of the women more than others but found all their stories interesting., so much so that I would like a sequel, or two. Although the book is complete as it stands, there are stories I would like to see continued and/or resolved.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish a beautifully written story about five woman who come together in the outback for a book club. Sybil Baxter is the matriarch of Fairvale Station she came here as a young bride many years ago and is very happy with her husband Joe they have two sons and a daughter in law of course life is never perfect but is what you make of it and Sybil worries about her young English daughter in law Kate and hence the book club is formed never thinking how much it would help all five of them.

Sybil invites her best friend Rita who is living in Alice Springs working with the flying Doctors then daughter in law Kate and also Della a young woman from Texas working on the neighbouring station Ghost River and Sallyanne a young mother from the town of Katherine to join her in being the first members of the book club, this starts strong friendships between all five and they discuss more than books over their three years, of course they cannot meet as often as they would like because of the weather there is no travelling in the wet season.

I loved getting to know these woman and the people that are in their lives the strength that they show through some very tough times the outback can be a hard place to live and these woman rock. There are men in their lives that work hard and show their love and there are some men that just don’t. I felt like I was there with these Ladies as they discussed the books their first book is one that I loved and read in one sitting, and had me smiling, but above all I loved how they helped each other through thick and thin.

This book is set between 1978 and 1981 I married in 1977 so there was a lot of familiar events and incidents that I knew about and MS Green made me feel close to the characters even though I have never visited the outback it is a place I would love to go to. The book club was a fabulous idea, I am sure that even though the stations have lots of workers the woman could often feel lonely.

I don’t want to give too much away just the this is a fabulous read with a cast of amazing characters that I highly recommend, it is moving and shows so much emotion there were tears and smiles there is joy and yes there is heartache but that is to be expected in life and MS Green has done it so well. There is an ending that will leave you smiling seeing characters get their HEA and leave you with hope for others. I loved this one thank you it is one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

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The words book club might have drawn me to The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club, and that part of it lived up to its promise, however it is the setting in the Northern Territories and the friendships and lives of the five women that kept me reading as well.

I would imagine life is hard in this area, and the challenges that the women face in this book and in actual life are enormous. The seasons of wet and dry, the isolation, the lack of the many entertainment opportunities we take for granted. And this book is set in the 1970's and early 80's. Yet on the other hand there is a beauty in the landscape and I am sure something that draws people to this harsh environment.

The five women were all interesting and I liked slowly getting to know them. Sybil - the matriarch is the one who starts up the book club. The book club helps to bring the women together and even if they have to have it over the radio because the weather is bad, it goes ahead. And they really do discuss the books and through them become involved more in each others lives. Sybil already has a great friend in Rita - from early working days. Kate her daughter-in-law is English and is facing into a place so different to where she grew up. Della is a stock person and hails from Texas, and she finds the northern territories grow on her all the time. Sallyanne really benefits from the friendships, she is a bright, intelligent, young woman in a marriage that is going south. I liked her penchant for the romance genre too!

These women face into loss and grief, the hardships of the job, the pain of miscarriage, the difficulties of marriage and the absolute pain of racism. Through it all they support each other - walk with each other - and through it all make a life worth living.

An at times emotional and satisfying read, I'd be delighted to belong to the Fairvale Ladies Book Club!

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I loved this book. The characters were well drawn, the descriptions beautifully wrought, and the plot was well-paced. This is a wonderful story of 5 women who are drawn to one another for friendship and books. I laughed and cried and felt like I had made new friends in Australia's North Territory.

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"I tend to think we have a limited range of possibilities and we have so little time in which to decide which to take." This novel set in the Northern Territory of Australia in the 70's and early 80's is about a group of women of various ages meeting and through the guise of a book club, becoming friends. They discuss the novels but like many book clubs it is more about supporting each other and understanding each women's wants and desires. It touches on what it was and what it possibly could still be like in some ways as a women in outback Australia. The characters are not glossed but have worries, flaws and are times selfish. I would recommend this novel to readers that enjoy modern fiction.

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A lovely story set in Katherine in the NT. It described life on a property that is very isolated and has only two seasons - wet and dry. Sylvia & her husband and son live and work on the property but she craves the company of other women and begins a book club with a group of women in the area. The book tells the story of each of them and their lives and was a great little page turner. Very pleasant read for me, would recommend to readers who enjoy books about female friendship.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book via Librarians Choice.

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