Tracey Arklay

Arthur Fadden, thirteenth Prime Minister of Australia, was an interesting character indeed. A conservative man who rose form working in a sugar cane plantation to leader of the Country Party and then Prime Minister partly by dint of there being no one else to do it.

An interesting character should translate to an interesting biography but sadly the author does not seem up to it. Arklay is an academic but to be honest her writing reminds me of undergraduate quality essays, a belief which is exacerbated by the referencing system she uses and the odd spelling mistake (including getting the surname of Sir Keith Murdoch wrong).

As for Fadden's character, Arklay does get some sense of the man (including his fondness for drink) but I am left wanting a biography that digs further into Fadden.… (más)