review 1: Liar Bird is a quirky, romantic comedy and an engaging debut for Australian author, Lisa Walker. The first rule of public relations is 'do what it it takes (but don't get caught)'. Cassandra Daley takes the fall when a journalist exposes the truth behind one of her more creative PR campaigns and is exiled to the tiny country town of Beechville. Organising a press conference in the CWA hall to raise awareness of feral pigs is a far cry from a gala perfume launch in an exclusive Sydney Art Gallery, especially when Ranger Mac seems determined to see her fail, but with a little bit of spin maybe everything will turn out alright after all.Written in the first person, Cassie's eccentricities, which include consulting Alice in Wonderland for advice and conversing with a green tr... moreee frog that lives in her toilet bowl, are delightful despite being a little strange. Cassandra's overinflated ego takes a bit of a battering in Beechville, especially when the local ranger Mac goes out of his way to be unhelpful, but as Cassie's 'city girl' veneer dissolves she becomes a likeable protagonist and I was charmed by her growing self awareness. She shows some smarts and grit by facing the challenges of her new role head on and also demonstrates a willingness to both admit her mistakes and learn from them. Walker plays on 'the fish out of water' scenario as Cassie encounters a rare mouse on the run, a Blue Tongue lizard mistaken for a Taipan snake and wild roosters amongst other native fauna and flora, all in situations that will make you smile.Beechville is populated by a handful of amusing characters including a bashful admin assistant, an absent eco warrior boss and a pub owner who pits his military training against the cane toads invading northern NSW. Mac is the Wildlife Ranger who, despite his scruffy look and surly attitude, Cassie is inexplicably drawn to. Though the ups and downs of the relationship is a bit of a stretch, it plays nicely into the secret that is at the heart of the novel's plot.Distinctly Australian with references to Chiko Rolls, swooping magpies, The Chaser, Wolf Creek and a host of music hits, including You're the Voice (John Farnham) and Love is in the Air (Paul Young), the title is actually a play on the name of a native bird - the Lyre Bird. I enjoyed Liar Bird for its wit, warmth and quirky spirit and look forward to reading more by Lisa Walker in the future. review 2: ARC from NetGalleyfull review to come.This is an Australian book which is being released in January 2012 (HarperCollins Australia auto approved me on NetGalley - I am loved!). I've reviewed it for ARRA and it will be in the December newsletter for members. I'll post the review here after the newsletter comes out. It's kind of chick-lit with romantic elements, in that the romance is not the main/sole focus of the story. As I'm not much of a chick-lit reader, I suspect this affected my grade.FULL REVIEWWhy I read it: I was offered a digital ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.What it's about: Part chick-lit/women’s fiction, part farce, part mystery with a dash of sweet romance on the side, Liar Bird is the story of Cassandra Daley, shining star of the Sydney PR circuit. The story begins when one of Cassandra’s houses of spin falls in a heap, leaving her covered in scandal and persona non grata in her home city. She accepts a job as a PR rep in the small town of Beechville on the North Coast of New South Wales, where she meets a cast of quirky characters and one grouchy wildlife ranger, Mac. It seems that Mac, isn’t happy about Cassandra’s arrival and pretty soon, a series of unfortunate events which appear designed to force her back to Sydney occur – and all can be laid at Mac’s door. It’s difficult to explain the story more without giving away spoilers, but let’s just say it involves feral pigs, endangered species, lies, a media circus, a flood and wild chickens. It’s the classic fish-out-of-water story, complete with a green tree frog in the toilet! What worked for me (and what didn't): Cassandra takes inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass:“Like me, my mother believes there are guiding forces at play in our lives. Unlike me, she isn’t satisfied with allowing a children’s book to channel these forces for her.”And there are wonderful and (in the context of this book) pithy quotes from the book interspersed with the text. Cassandra also subscribes to the philosophy of Rene Descartes and, after meeting said green tree frog in her toilet, has imaginary philosophical discussions with Rene Treefrog. Told in the first person, the story shines with Cassandra’s dry humour, from the discussions with her Blacktown family, her thoughts about the Sydney social sharks and her experiences in Beechville.Where the book falls a little flat is in the romance department. Cassandra is immediately physically attracted to Mac but they have very little interaction – Mac is taciturn, hardly talks to her at all and he gives every appearance of wanting her out of town. The reader has nothing of Mac’s POV except through his dialogue, which is, mostly, very spare. It was difficult for me to completely buy the level of attraction Cassandra felt for him and that made it hard to buy into the events immediately before the flood and her fast turnaround to “Cassie”. After the flood, the story dragged a little – I felt this part could have been shorter and this would have improved the story – for me the mystery part of the story started to edge over into frustration territory. What else? It’s very much an Australian story, with references to local landmarks, SBS and Home and Away and it was certainly an amusing read. If you like stories with a bit of everything together with a touch of romance, this one is probably for you. less
