Broken Hill, Broken Lives
By Jim Reiher
()
About this ebook
Simon and Timothy are two brothers growing up in the Australian 'Sunburnt Circus'. This story focuses on the circus when it visits Broken Hill, in outback New South Wales. The story is not long under way, when the children make friends with a family in the town, and their time with the other children sees a whole lot of unexpected consequences for not just the boys, but their parents and the whole circus as well. Once again the characters come to life and you feel by the end of the story that you 'know' them.
The large mining town of Broken Hill sets the backdrop for this story, and the lives of some of the other Circus members, and some of the people who live in the town, become critical to the story line. Matt and Pete, the motor bike stunt riders, are about to have their lives turned upside down. They had run away from a past they wished they could forget, and they never quite expected to have it catch up with them again. However, here in Broken Hill of all places, all hell breaks loose.
Two other brothers in the circus, indigenous acrobats Dan and Kenny, also feature significantly in this story. Broken Hill is the home of their mother and brother and so they get a chance to catch up with their family. Their mother has become quite a popular artist using the indigenous dot point painting method, and yet something is not quite right about the way her paintings are being sold. Against her wishes, one of her visiting sons decides to investigate into it.
In a 'teen' novel that actually appeals to anyone between 14 and 84, a number of big ticket items come up for the reader to grapple with. Child abuse; clergy suspicion of child abuse and what they do or don't do with it; indigenous communities living on the fringe of large country towns; indigenous art; keeping animals in cages; working with the law or not, in seeking justice; grappling with impending retirement; all this and more are dealt with in this easy to read story of a group of people sharing their lives together as 'The Sunburnt Circus'.
'Broken Hill, Broken Lives' is a sequel to 'The Sunburnt Circus' story that came out some 18 months ago. It is set 2 years after the first story and so the young brothers are now both young teenagers. Despite having virtually the same cast as the first story, it is a completely stand alone story not needing you to have read the first book. If you have read the first story, you will be in on a secret that even the characters in the book are not aware of yet - a secret that did not come out for 10 years after the main story of the first book (and that was mentioned in the final chapter of the first book). But you don't need to know that secret to love this second book. The proof reader (who had not read the first book) thoroughly enjoyed the story of 'Broken Hill, Broken Lives', and clearly not knowing a particular secret about the Sunburnt Circus, did not affect her enjoyment of the story.
Jim Reiher
Jim Reiher lives in Melbourne Australia. He has four adult children and lots of grandchildren. Jim writes both fiction and non-fiction.Regarding most of his non-fiction, Jim's serious side comes out, although sometimes he writes his non-fiction with humor, too ('Confessions of a Christian Magician' is a good example of that). Jim is a respected Australian Biblical scholar, with a MA in Theology with Honors, and 13 years of full time lecturing in Bible Colleges. Jim has published a number of books on topics ranging from Tarot Cards, to the Equality of Women in the Church, to how politics works in Australia. He has also written a number of commentaries on different New Testament books and letters: the Epistle of James, the Book of Acts, and most recently the Gospel of Mark.Jim enjoys a nice quiet walk in 'the middle of no where'; a good movie; a good book; playing ten-pin bowling; writing; and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Read more from Jim Reiher
Mark: A Commentary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJames: A Social Justice Commentary on the Epistle of James Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Message in the Tarot with Selections from the Sacred Writings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWomen Leadership and the Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsActs: A Social Justice Devotional Commentary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Prisoner Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eye of the Needle: Discipleship and Wealth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sunburnt Circus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConfessions of a Christian Magician Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnother Election? How the Voting System Works in Australia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gospel According to Splinter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Acts of the Apostles and Splinter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Broken Hill, Broken Lives
Related ebooks
Morse Code for Cats Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Autobiography of a Clown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Big Bad Woof Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShort Stories in Prose and Verse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Ya Work Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJust a Bit Touched: Tales of Perspective Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsXYZOO Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJungle Tales: “Well, what do you think of India?” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlberto Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTree of Life, The: Stories of Civil War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRing Down the Curtain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCircus Mania: The Ultimate Book for Anyone Who Ever Dreamed of Running Away with the Circus Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Days of Dinkum Dodger – Volume III: Dinkum Dodger, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Life with the Big Cats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPinocchio in Africa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings10 Australian Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLights, Camera, Lions: Memoirs of a Real-Life Dr. Doolittle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYukon River Ghost: A Girl's Ghost Town Adventure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTerrrence Minister for Dogs (The Dog Prime Minister Series Book 2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStopwatch Stories vol 9: Stopwatch Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFakie Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beneath the Big Top: A Social History of the Circus in Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWoodmyth & Fable Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPiglet Gets a New Job Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPalm Wine Junction: Unusual Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDreamscape: Real Dreams Really Make a Difference Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLion City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Monkey Tale: Night of the Jungle Circus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Life as Invisible Intestines (with Intense Indigestion) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Story About a Man Called Ants Once a Cowboy: As Told to Gary E. J. Kain by Ansel Anderson Earley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Cultural Heritage Fiction For You
Salt Houses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Island of Missing Trees: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Notebook: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows: A Reese's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Convenience Store Woman: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Confessions of Frannie Langton: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frying Plantain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lovecraft Country: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Daughters of Madurai: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mules and Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of the Moon Goddess: A Fantasy Romance Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Final Revival of Opal & Nev Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Woman Is No Man: A Read with Jenna Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Against the Loveless World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secrets Between Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pavilion of Women: A Novel of Life in the Women's Quarters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Space Between Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alas, Babylon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Memory Keeper of Kyiv: A powerful, important historical novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: An Oprah's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stationery Shop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Town: A Play in Three Acts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Lives We Never Lived: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another Brooklyn: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I, Claudius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Broken Hill, Broken Lives
0 ratings0 reviews