Bittersweet

By: Colleen McCullough

Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein

Colleen McCullough always vowed that she would never write another sweeping family saga in the vein of The Thorn Birds, but luckily for her millions of fans she has now written Bittersweet, an epic novel of love, betrayal, ambition and redemption.

Set in the 1920's and 30's in Australia, Bittersweet follows the lives of four sisters - two pairs of twins. Edda, Grace, Kitty, and Tufts are the daughters of Reverend Thomas Latimer, and are about to become the first batch of nurses to be professionally trained in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. For Edda, it is the closest she can come to her dream of being a doctor. For Grace, the hospital is a terrifying place of sickness and mess, while Tufts discovers her hidden talents. For Kitty, it is a way to escape the suffocating love of her mother, who can see nothing beyond Kitty's astonishing beauty.

As career dreams clash with romance, and the Depression casts its shadow across Australia, each of the sisters will be forced to confront her own secret desires and dreams, and discover the true nature of love.

©2013 Colleen McCullough (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

An entertaining Australian novel

I am a big fan of Colleen McCullough. I have read most of her books and I am looking forward to her next! Having been a nurse in my earlier years straight from school in Australia I recognised some of the aspects of the nursing way of life that Colleen describes. Life was quite strict for a nurse even in the late 60's and 70's. I loved the historical setting and the characters portrayed. It is not attempting to be a great piece of literature but it held my interest throughout. It was entertaining and charming with twists that made it work well.

Loved this story and the characters, informative

Colleen McCullough writes amazing stories and this one is no different. The story is informative as well as interesting and the characters loveable and so real. I drank so much tea during the telling of this tale and felt like I was there with them enjoying a scone to go along with my tea. I even made a batch at one point and ANZAC biscuits. Very Australian and well placed in history. The narrator brought the book to life.

Great reading of a good story

What made the experience of listening to Bittersweet the most enjoyable?

The way in which the narrator was able to fit her voice so well to the various characters both male & female.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed all the characters as they each had their own story to tell, my least favourite though was Charles Burdem.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Charles found the letter from Kitty.

Bittersweet

What did you like best about Bittersweet? What did you like least?

The story line was reasonable but it felt ver drawn out

What was most disappointing about Colleen McCullough’s story?

The reader was distracting. Her volume fluctuated which meant I missed quite a bit.

How could the performance have been better?

Kitty could have been less irritating as a character. The story could have been shorter and the reader more relaxed

Was Bittersweet worth the listening time?

Not really. I was irritated by this story

Not for me

Reading the preview of this book, I was so looking forward to listening, however very disappointed.. I found quite boring.. maybe others will enjoy but not for me.

This was awful

What disappointed you about Bittersweet?

I have been a huge Colleen McCulloch fan but this was just awful. The storyline was nothing and the use of so called Australian slang "starve the lizards"???? An English guy comes out to an Australian country town to run a hospital and while interviewing staff for their positions tells one of the nurses he wants to marry her, without even knowing who she is. Come on!!!

What could Colleen McCullough have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She could have done a little research into country life in Australia.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Deidre Rubenstein?

Anyone - Mickey Mouse would have done a better job.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Bittersweet?

90% of them, it was all just so implausible.

Any additional comments?

I couldn't finish this book, I thought I did well to get through the first half. It was painful to listen to.