AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'In an old house with ‘too many windows and women’, high in the Indian hills, young Hannah lives with her older sister Gloria; her two older brothers; her mother – the Magician; a colourful assortment of aunts, blow-ins and misfits; and her father – the Historian. It is a world of secrets, jealousies and lies, ruled by the Historian but smoothed over by the Magician, whose kindnesses and wisdom bring homely comfort and all-enveloping love to a ramshackle building that seems destined for chaos.
'And then one day the Magician is gone, Gloria is gone, and the Historian has spirited Hannah and her brothers away to a new and at first bewildering life in Perth. As Hannah grows and makes her own way through Australian life, an education and friendships, she begins to penetrate to the heart of one of the old house’s greatest secrets – and to the meaning of her own existence.' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Dedication: I dedicate this book to my friend Mary. I miss her every day.
-
Epigraph:
In a certain sense, all men are historians. - Thomas Carlyle
The happiest woman, like the happiest nations, have no history. - George Eliot
Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome. - Matthew Arnold
-
Book Club notes available from WritingWA website.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Vivienne Glance Reviews The Historian’s Daughter by Rashida Murphy
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , April no. 20 2017;
— Review of The Historian's Daughter 2016 single work novel 'Set in India, Iran and Australia, and spanning several decades, The Historian’s Daughter tackles personal and political trauma through the eyes of Hannah, a young Anglo-Indian girl. Hannah, her sister, Gloria, and their two brothers, love their gentle, caring mother, Farah. She cooks delicious food, and heals their hurts and sickness with herbal medicines, earning her the moniker, the ‘Magician’. Iranian-born Farah calmly tries to protect her children from Gordon, their ill-tempered, unpredictable and abusive father – the ‘Historian’ of the book’s title. The Historian’s aberrant behaviour includes womanising, drinking and locking his so-called ‘mad’ sister, Rani, in the attic. His sanctuary is his library, which is full of books about famous English men, including a series titled The English Conquistadors of India, along with his own father’s diaries. These books are a secret source of fascination for Hannah as she tries to understand herself and her family.' (Introduction) -
The Historian's Daughter Review : Rashida Murphy's Family Novel with a Shock
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 22 September 2016;
— Review of The Historian's Daughter 2016 single work novel 'Anglo-Indian Hannah loves her mother, The Magician, but loathes her bad-tempered father, The Historian. She is devastated when her mother, sister and aunt disappear overnight, and her father sells the family home and ships her and the rest of her siblings off to a new life in Perth. ...'
-
The Historian's Daughter Review : Rashida Murphy's Family Novel with a Shock
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 22 September 2016;
— Review of The Historian's Daughter 2016 single work novel 'Anglo-Indian Hannah loves her mother, The Magician, but loathes her bad-tempered father, The Historian. She is devastated when her mother, sister and aunt disappear overnight, and her father sells the family home and ships her and the rest of her siblings off to a new life in Perth. ...' -
Vivienne Glance Reviews The Historian’s Daughter by Rashida Murphy
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , April no. 20 2017;
— Review of The Historian's Daughter 2016 single work novel 'Set in India, Iran and Australia, and spanning several decades, The Historian’s Daughter tackles personal and political trauma through the eyes of Hannah, a young Anglo-Indian girl. Hannah, her sister, Gloria, and their two brothers, love their gentle, caring mother, Farah. She cooks delicious food, and heals their hurts and sickness with herbal medicines, earning her the moniker, the ‘Magician’. Iranian-born Farah calmly tries to protect her children from Gordon, their ill-tempered, unpredictable and abusive father – the ‘Historian’ of the book’s title. The Historian’s aberrant behaviour includes womanising, drinking and locking his so-called ‘mad’ sister, Rani, in the attic. His sanctuary is his library, which is full of books about famous English men, including a series titled The English Conquistadors of India, along with his own father’s diaries. These books are a secret source of fascination for Hannah as she tries to understand herself and her family.' (Introduction)
- Perth, Western Australia,
