Becoming Billy Dare (Kirsty Murray, Allen & Unwin, $15.95 pb, ISBN 1865087351, December)

Following his mother’s wishes, Paddy Delaney begins studying to be a priest at St Columcille’s seminary in Dublin. When his mother dies suddenly Paddy runs away from the strict seminary life and stows away on a ship bound for Australia. Throughout the novel Paddy struggles to find his calling in life—priest, sailor, circus performer, actor—and each vocation marks a new phase in Paddy’s development, and in the development of the novel. Paddy’s story is rich with Australian history. In the author’s notes Murray explains that although Paddy is a fictional character, the pre-Federation Australia he lives in is based on fact. Particularly impressive are the non-traditional historical narratives that Murray weaves into the story, such as the circuses and travelling theatre troupes of 19th century Australia. A number of themes in the novel would complement late primary/early secondary historical studies, reminding us that Australian history amounts to more than tales of the First Fleet and bushrangers. This is the second novel in ‘The Children of the Wind’ quartet; it follows Bridie’s Fire, published in 2003. The stories are interlinked—for example, Bridie appears again in this novel—however it is not necessary to have read Bridie’s Fire to enjoy this book.

Anna Metcalfe is a bookseller at children’s book specialist the Little Bookroom in Melbourne

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2004, Thorpe-Bowker