Lisa does a marvellous job of giving us a glimpse into the heart and soul of one of Melbourne's most under appreciated shop owners. ( )

An interesting story based on the life of Edward Cole who, in Melbourne in the 1880's, built Cole's Book Arcade - a multi-floor book shop with tea parlour, band performances, an amusement arcade, a fernery and even live monkeys. The book appears to be a fiction version of the author's earlier non-fiction study of Cole and I would really like to read the earlier work as Utopian Man left me with a lot of questions about the amazing Mr Cole. I do remember my mum talking about Cole's Funny Picture Books but I never knew there was a real man with such an intriguing life story - he even advertised in the papers for a wife. The book also paints an interesting picture of Australia at the beginning of the 20th Century, from Federation to the growth of the White Australia Policy - fascinating! ( )

Did not finish, took too long to get going. ( )