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Australia Day
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
8 posts | 8 read | 9 to read
Melanie Cheng is an astonishingly deft and incisive writer. With economy and elegance, she creates a dazzling mosaic of contemporary life, of how we live now. Hers is a compelling new voice in Australian literature. Christos Tsiolkas Australia Day is a collection of stories by debut author Melanie Cheng. The people she writes abut are young, old, rich, poor, married, widowed, Chinese, Lebanese, Christian, Muslim. What they have in commonno matter where they come fromis the desire we all share to feel that we belong. The stories explore universal themes of love, loss, family and identity, while at the same time asking crucial questions about the possibility of human connection in a globalised world. This is an important new voice, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary Australia. Her effortless, unpretentious realism balances an insiders sensitivity and understanding with an outsiders clear-eyed objectivity, showing us a version of ourselves richer and more multifaceted than anything weve seen before. Melanie Cheng is a writer and general practitioner. Of Chinese-Australian heritage, she was born in Adelaide, grew up in Hong Kong and now lives in Melbourne. In 2016 she won the Victorian Premiers Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. Australia Day is her first book. All of her charactersa diverse cast of difference races and faithsare searching for connection or a sense of belonging, and coming up short. Despite its title the focus of this collection is not explicitly on that increasingly controversial public holiday. Rather, it is on the struggles, internal and external, that occur when people from different backgrounds meet by chance or are brought together...Australia Day is a bittersweet, beautifully crafted collection that will be much admired by fans of Cate Kennedy and Tony Birch. Books+Publishing What a wonderful book, a book with bite. These stories have a real edge to them. They are complex without being contrived, humanising, but never sentimental or cloyingand, ultimately, very moving. Alice Pung In each story, Melanie Cheng creates an entire microcosm, peeling back the superficial to expose the raw nerves of contemporary Australian society. Her eye is sharp and sympathetic, her characters flawed and funny and utterly believable. Jennifer Down Melanie Chengs stories are a deep dive into the diversity of humanity. They lead you into lives, into hearts, into unexplored places, and bring you back transformed. Michelle Wright The characters stay in the mind, their lives and experiences mirroring many of our own, challenging us to think how we might respond in their place. An insightful, sometimes uncomfortable portrayal of multicultural Australia from an observant and talented writer. Ranjana Srivastava A bittersweet, beautifully crafted collection. Books + Publishing Australia Day is an absorbing panorama of contemporary Australia...These are 14 powerfully perceptive stories, written with love, humour, realism, and a distinct edginess. While the terrain covered might be familiar, Chengs take on our treasured multiculturalism feels fresh... Its necessary reading, not only because its a microcosm of who we are, but because each story is a gem, and a joy to behold. Simon McDonald If only the PM might pick up a copy, even by mistake. Saturday Paper A wonderful feat of storytelling...Melanie Cheng is an exciting new writer. Readings A sumptuous collection of fourteen short stories, which are disparate but with modern Australia or Australians at their heart, exploring issues of racism, infidelity, grief, parenthood, children and ageing...they are heartfelt and Melbourne-based Cheng paints the characters beautifully. Herald Sun A panorama of contemporary multicultural Australia that explores each and everyones desire to belong. Book Bonding A diverse, captivating collection of short stories. Better Read Than Dead
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review
keepingupwiththepenguins
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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Mehso-so

All of Cheng‘s characters are seeking something elusive, and there are few happy endings. Some of the stories–like Ticket Holder Number 5–offer the clang of revelation that I look for in short stories. Others fell a bit… well, short. As with all story collections, some are great, some are okay, and each reader will probably have their own opinion as to which is which. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/australia-day-melanie-cheng/

review
Miss1
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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Mehso-so

The longer stories in this book showcase exactly why Cheng has won awards for writing; perfectly capturing the fragmented and nuanced existence of modern Australian culture. Unfortunately the shorter stories in this book always left me feeling unsatisfied, seemingly ending right as they got started.

CarolynM My feelings precisely.🙂 Welcome to Litsy, it's a great community. 5y
3 likes1 comment
review
CarolynM
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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Pickpick

I enjoyed the longer stories in this collection, but most of the shorter ones, while containing some interesting ideas, seemed to be over before they had really begun. #ozfiction

Cathythoughts You are flying through the books 📚😁 5y
Centique I often have that feeling with short stories. Sometimes I can see why they end where they do, but other times they seem to peter out without obvious reason. 5y
BooknerdsLife The exact reason I‘m not too keen on short stories 😁 5y
69 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
CarolynM
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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Stories exploring the experiences of Australians from a variety of different cultural backgrounds written by a Chinese Australian woman.

#ChinaGirl #WanderingJune

JennyM It‘s a good read, too! Great pick 5y
BarbaraBB Sounds interesting! 5y
CarolynM @JennyM It's on my TBR, but I haven't got there yet. 5y
See All 6 Comments
Cinfhen It sounds good!! Let us know your thoughts xx 5y
BooknerdsLife This sounds like a terrific read! 5y
Redwritinghood Sounds interesting. 5y
66 likes7 stack adds6 comments
blurb
SilversReviews
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks
@vkois88

Today‘s Prompt: Australia

sudi Love this picture ❤ 6y
SilversReviews @sudi I did too when I saw it. Thanks for commenting. 6y
See All 12 Comments
CarolynM Lovely picture. Do you know where it is? 6y
SilversReviews @CarolynM Sorry. I do not. I just did a search in Typorama for Australia, and that came up. 6y
CarolynM No problem, I just wondered. 6y
LazyDays Love the picture💙 6y
SilversReviews @LazyDays very pretty 6y
vkois88 😍😍😍 6y
52 likes1 stack add12 comments
blurb
JennyM
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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Oh my stars, look at all this local Aussie goodness! Thank you to the amazing Allissa @LapReader for this fabulous #HometownSwap. I feel very lucky.

And thanks to @readinginthedark and @MicrobeMom for hosting this great litten swap. 😘

MicrobeMom Yay! This was so much fun! I hope you enjoy! 6y
JennyM @MicrobeMom thank you for taking the time to organise it! One of the perks of being in Aus...opening day comes sooner 😊 6y
readinginthedark Looks like some great stuff! 6y
Itchyfeetreader This all looks great 6y
74 likes4 comments
blurb
JennyM
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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Not book related at all, but had to share this beautiful unfiltered picture of Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays from our holibobs.

I ❤️Australia SO much! And this is winter too. 🏖

Cathythoughts Such a beautiful pic ! Have a lovely Sunday 😘 (edited) 6y
erzascarletbookgasm Wow! So beautiful and picture perfect! ❤️ 6y
julesG I'm in love with this. Gorgeous picture. Enjoy! 6y
See All 14 Comments
TrishB Gorgeous 💕 6y
CarolynM I love the Whitsundays - so beautiful❤️Are you staying on one of the islands? 6y
JennyM @CarolynM we are at Airlie. Went over to Whitehaven for a day trip. It‘s so beautiful...makes the perfect reading spot xx 6y
Sue Lovely! Hope you have a great time! 6y
Kaye How pretty. 6y
Hooked_on_books That‘s so pretty it doesn‘t look real. I‘m envious. 6y
Slajaunie Beautiful! 6y
ReadZenRites Gorgeous! I‘m jealous!!💕 6y
youneverarrived That‘s gorgeous 😍 6y
Suet624 Oh my. Heavenly. 6y
CarolynM Great, best of both worlds! Enjoy. 6y
78 likes14 comments
blurb
KirstieE
Australia Day | Melanie Cheng
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Happy Australia Day to my fellow Aussies 🇦🇺🙌🏻
Not much reading will be done today, instead I'll be enjoying the company of friends, swimming and lots of eating !

#AustraliaDay #Aussie

CarolynM Yep, that's what I'll be doing🇦🇺 (edited) 6y
45 likes1 comment