This book was so vivid I felt I was there in the stormy tempestuous English countryside and the sticky hot Australian sun. The passages involving the children were so clear and emotional that I did gasp out loud on several occasions, especially the part about the untangling of Lucie's hair where I felt every brush stroke and heard every scream.

I can understand why Henry wanted to leave England, with the cold and damp causing health problems for his children, and it was easier for him as he was originally from India. Charlotte, however, had roots in England - it was and always would be her home, but to keep the peace she agreed to emigrate to Australia.

At the start of the book, Charlotte finds out that she is pregnant with May. She's not overjoyed at the news as she never really bonded with Lucie. I found her quite detached at times, a little bit unhinged and perhaps suffering from post-natal depression but her actions started to become more disturbing as time went on. She didn't seem to be cut out to be a mother and, suffering from homesickness, can't stop thinking about returning home to England. A dream that does become a reality, at a startling cost.

Henry seems oblivious to Charlotte's suffering, in fact he seems oblivious to everything including the fact that he is not white. The racism is cleverly hidden by the perpetrators as they dole out their injustices and Henry's Australian dream doesn't live up to the description in the brochure.

It's a really interesting book about fitting in to a new place of work, a new country or even within your own family. It's beautifully written and did pull at my heartstrings, despite my disappointment in Charlotte's decisions.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Back in 2010 I raved about Bishop's 2005 book, The Singing. It took me this long to get hold of another of her works, this one published in 2016. Sadly, either I have changed or her writing has changed, because I didn't find this very appealing. I think the situation was not helped by the fact that I didn't like the narration of my audiobook version. Henry's voicing sounded as though he had laryngitis, and the girls were squeaky mice. More than that though, the story had too many unbelievable elements (e.g. Charlotte being allocated to clean Henry's room in Cambridge) and Charlotte's character didn't really seem well developed to me. I must admit, however, that I don't always pick up on connections that others see plainly. This certainly reads like a book written by an Australian who has spent some years at Cambridge, and while the best work might sometimes come from the author's own experience, in this case I don't think that applies. This isn't a bad book, in my opinion. But its theme wasn't convincing enough for me, and Charlotte remained somewhat of a mystery to me, as well as to Henry. ( )

The Other Side of the World is the story of Charlotte and Henry who migrate from England to Australia in the 60s in order to find a better life. I was drawn to this book because my family migrated from England to Canada in the late 80s.It was a readable novel and I enjoyed it. ( )

This is a well written book, but I kept waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever does.It's just descriptions of things interspersed with Charlotte moaning about the country she's in, or complaining about her family.It kind of ends ambiguously, but it's a quick, ok read.

won from a goodreads giveaway ( )

The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop is a recommended literary novel about searching for home and postpartum depression.

It is 1963 in Cambridge. Charlotte and Henry are married, have one daughter, and are expecting another. Charlotte is going through postpartum depression and feels as if in motherhood she has lost the essence of what makes her unique and gives her satisfaction, like her painting and long walks. Henry, a university lecturer and poet, is dreading the coming cold, damp winter and dreaming of moving someplace warm. He feels the answer to Charlotte's malaise and his dislike of cold weather is found in a brochure he discovered on relocating to Australia.

He brings up the idea until Charlotte, too overwhelmed with her own situation, reluctantly agrees. Charlotte regrets her acquiescence to Henry's idea immediately, but is too exhausted, and depressed to bring up her objections. Henry applies and gets a position as a lecturer, so the family moves and settles in Perth.

Although it is warm and brings up childhood memories of India for him, Australia is not the paradise Henry thought it would be. As an Anglo-Indian, Henry is met with racism at work. He finds himself questioning his identity and it becomes increasingly hard for him to concentrate on writing his book. Charlotte longs to be back at home, in England. Almost every waking moment has her struggling to cope, but wanting to escape.

The actual quality of the writing in The Other Side of the World is quite good - lyrical and descriptive. The writing will please those who enjoy literary fiction. Bishop's descriptions of their surroundings and various landscapes are noteworthy. The plot, however, is slow, perhaps because this is an introspective novel that is driven by the character's inner thoughts, memories, dreams, and longings. The characters themselves are very well developed. The problem I had was I found it difficult to make a connection and empathize with the characters. This leaves me with rating a book where the actual prose is exquisite, but the plot and characters were lack luster and became tiresome.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher for review purposes. ( )