10 Wilson Street by David Luhrs

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Ex library copy with no external stickers. Stamp on title page. Wear to book corners and edges.

In her own words, Brigitte, a 15-year-old German girl, describes the final stages of the Second World War in Europe. Her breathtaking descriptions of the countryside, the cannon fire, and life under the Russian occupation delight us as we see this scene through the optimistic eyes of a sensible young girl.

At 25 years old, Brigitte has eloped to Australia, is pregnant, and has a babe in arms with her new husband, Hans (John). He is 20 years old, her senior, and now on his third marriage.

Greta Migrant camp in New South Wales is their new home, and after a tough start, the couple made good to buy their house in Georges Hall, Sydney.

The family twist starts in Sydney after the presence of a handsome young soldier, as John's struggles with the drink push him further away from his beloved. A rapid family relocation to Townsville, North Queensland, has their very young children guessing. What was the rush?

An idyllic childhood for their five boys in the tropical north of Australia goes wrong after seven, sometimes rocky, years when John, in a drunken rampage, causes havoc in the family.

With no option, Brigitte flees to Brisbane in South East Queensland with her boys. After a difficult start living in caravan parks, Brigitte finds herself finally in a new house at 10 Wilson Street, West End, which was to be her home through the 1970s and 1980s.

John is now in Hobart, Tasmania, indulging his passion for his music and band-leading. As things finally settle down for Brigitte and her family, she gets the news that, after 16 long years apart, John is near death. But would she take John back?