Josephine Moon

A contemporary Australian family drama featuring delicious jams and a trip on the famous Ghan down the red centre of Australia. Aggie runs a café in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. After Aggie’s mother Valeria has a mini-stroke, great aunt Myrtle decides to arrange a family trip on the Ghan to celebrate Valeria’s 70th birthday. Aggie is recovering from a broken relationship and the pain of failed IVF treatment, and feels she needs to work on her fractured relationship with the crusty Valeria. Myrtle’s long term friend and travel adventure companion Dolcie comes along, and Aggie’s daughter Holly, who is visiting from the US. On the trip they meet Rupert, an old acquaintance of Valeria’s, and Harry, a somewhat unsuccessful surfer from Byron Bay.

The story deals with the relationships between the characters. Jam features too as Aggie, Myrtle and Valeria are all prize winning jam-makers. I found Valeria interesting with her principles and opinions on what everyone ought to do, seeming only to render her bitter and hard. The book is a journey in many ways. Myrtle and Dolcie were delightful. A pleasant, enjoyable book that makes me want to drink tea, eat jam and scones, and travel the Ghan. One part of the book that was somewhat shocking to me-as someone living in a country with tight gun control laws and very rare shootings-was the part dealing with high school shootings in the US and the very realistic, traumatic practice scenarios.… (mere)

Chick-lit isn't usually my cup of tea (pun intended!), but the promised aesthetic of a tea shop drew me in, and the feminism kept me there. This book is a lovely comfort read and absolutely delivered on the tea vibe. I loved how the women dealt with their own issues but also built a safety net among themselves over the course of the story. (I do wish Leila had come clean with Lucas about the email, though.) There was more depth and complexity than I expected, and Moon did a great job of promoting healthy relationships and demonstrating what they do and don't look like.… (mere)

A sweet novel to savour, The Jam Queens is the seventh charming contemporary fiction novel from Australian author Josephine Moon.

A year after the collapse of her marriage following a devastating loss, Agatha has decided to focus on growing her business, a cafe in the Barossa Valley which features the prizewinning jams Aggie, and the women in her family, are known for. The news that her Great Aunt Myrtle has sold Agatha the building in which Strawberry Sonnets operates is likely to upset Aggie’s mother, Valeria, and in order to both soften the blow, and celebrate Valeria’s seventieth birthday in the wake of a health scare, Myrtle has decided that the three women, along with Aggie’s adult daughter Holly, home on vacation from the US where she works as a teacher, and Myrtle’s best friend and erstwhile traveling companion, Dolce, will take a trip on The Ghan.

Unfolding primarily from the perspectives of Aggie, Myrtle and Valeria, Moon tells a story of family, regret, friendship, loss, and love as the group of women travel from Darwin to Adelaide aboard the famous overland train.

Aggie serves as the central character of the story. She has had a very difficult year and she’s hoping the trip will give her clarity on how to move forward with her life. She’s a very likeable character, who exhibits fortitude and kindness in the face of very trying circumstances. Myrtle is a delight, spirited and generous, if a little bit meddlesome. Both Aggie and her Great Aunt Myrtle hope the journey will help heal their fraught relationship with the uncompromising Valeria, but the complicated history between the trio is not easy to reconcile.

The story is quite busy, as in addition to the secrets and burdens the individual characters carry, and the fraught dynamics of their old, and new, relationships, there are also other important elements. One naturally involves the actual journey on The Ghan and the side excursions enjoyed by the group to places like Uluru and Katherine (Nitmiluk) George, all well described by Moon. Another centres around the role of jam-making in the family, and Aggie’s hopes of winning first place at the Adelaide Royal Show. Foodies will love the delicious recipes contained in the book, including one for Moon’s own blue ribbon winning strawberry jam.

Ripe with drama, romance, travel and food, The Jam Queens is a treat not to be missed.… (mere)

Three Gold Coins is an ultimately optimistic story which tackles some heavy subjects like domestic violence and mental illness. I appreciated the way the author weaved these darker issues throughout the novel creating suspense and balance. The characters were well rounded and it is primarily a female driven story. The obvious romance is nice if not somewhat hollow. I kind of place this novel into "quick vacation read" territory and so in that respect felt it was slightly long. There was a fair amount of exposition about cheese making and exploring the Italian countryside which, while nice, began to drag. They pay off for the darker subplot wasn't particularly satisfying as it felt rushed and was resolved in a very deus ex machina fashion. I think I might have been able to do without the darker plot all together as I enjoyed the quieter character moments and interaction significantly more.

Ultimately, while not something I'll be rushing to re-read Three Gold Coins is certainly a book I'll recommend to friends who are interested in women's lit.

**I received an uncorrected proof of Three Gold Coins for honest review.**… (mere)