Salonika Burning

(Hardback)

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Description

Four historical figures cross paths amidst the chaos of war in this immersive and beautifully written tale by an award-winning Australian novelist Macedonia, 1917. The great city of Salonika is engulfed by fire as all of Europe is ravaged by war. Amid the destruction are those who have come to the frontlines to heal- surgeons, ambulance drivers, nurses, orderlies and other volunteers. Four of them-Stella, Olive, Grace and Stanley-are at the centre of Gail Jones's extraordinary new novel, which takes its inspiration from the wartime experiences of Australians Miles Franklin and Olive King, and British painters Grace Pailthorpe and Stanley Spencer. In Jones's imagination these four lives intertwine and change, each compelled by the desire to create something meaningful in the ruins of a broken world. Immersive and gripping, Salonika Burning illuminates not only the devastation of war but also the vast social upheaval of the times. It shows Gail Jones to be at the height of her powers.

Reviews

Fans of Joness gift with words will appreciate this moving, poetic and meditative tribute to war, suffering, fortitude and the human spirit. It is worth reading, not least to uncover enchanting examples of the inspired way Jones uses descriptive language, many of which will resonate long after the final page. * Books+Publishing *
Elegant and intensely ruminativeJoness language in Salonika Burning is at once muscular and delicate, her narrative precise yet impressionisticJones has written some fine novelsbut none finer than Salonika Burning. * Australian Book Review *
Gail Jones once again showcases her talent for writing memorable characters and poignant storylinesThe mettle and fortitude of these characters burn brighter than any fire, bringing to light the selfless acts of those who toil behind the scenes, for they are the backbone of success and perseverance in the face of chaos. * Readings *
Gail Jones is a thoughtful, accomplished writer whose work speaks for itselfPraised for her precise, incisive observations, Joness writing frequently offers nuanced reflections on the cultural state of Australia as well as quiet revelations about the lives of her characters. Our Shadows is no exceptionwritten like the wave that haunts its imaginative landscape, ebbing and flowing from past generations to the present and back again. -- Guardian on Our Shadows
Touching on love, illness and grief, it is hauntingly beautiful. -- Good Weekend on Our Shadows
Gail Jones has to be one of Australias most consistently impressive writers. Her prose is evocative, her plots meaningful and her characters drawn with considerable care[Salonika Burning] is just as reliably lush, moving and literary as everything else shes written. * Guardian *
A superbly written tale about the fragility of existence and the realities of warThe circular, impressionistic structure of this book enhances the narrative and will hook keen readersTruly unique. * ArtsHub *
Extraordinary writingStriking images of both the beauty and horror of a burned city. * ABC RN Bookshelf *
Vividvery fine observationGail Jones has a sense of the numinal, the world beyond what can be described. * ABC RN Bookshelf *
A novel by Gail Jones is always a cause for celebrationBeautifully immersive writing. * BookPeople *
Enthralling[Jones] is one of Australias most distinguished and highly awarded writersThe writing is exquisitely balanced and tender, coloured by sadness, dread and a touch of tragic irony. * Carmel Bird, Saturday Paper *
Jones writes about gender and trauma with her trademark gentle touchProfound. * Guardian *
This novel is nuanced and complex, beautifully written, and gently savage as it navigates grief, memory, a burning city and a collection of war workers whose jobs were care and solace rather than killing. * ABC Arts *
Gail Jones once again showcases her talent for writing memorable characters and poignant storylinesLyrical and reflectiveThe language is just exquisite throughout and Joness ability to reveal devastating truths and describe horrific scenes in beautiful language is both disarming and comforting. She is a talented author and her fans will not be disappointed. * Good Reading *
Powerful and superbly writtenGrounded in historical fact rendered vivid and immediate through Joness fictionalised plot and exquisite prose. * West Australian *
A visceral account that connects Greece and Australia through the atrocities of warThe authors words dig deep, her intimate and direct descriptions take the reader on a journey[Jones] brings together historical events with fiction, through captivating prose and a plot that evokes one image after the other. * Neos Kosmos *
In her exquisite ninth novel, Gail Jones demonstrates, once again, why she is widely regarded as one of Australias finest novelists working today. * West Australian *
For decades, Gail Jones has been writing with more intelligence, verve and sensuous delight in the world than most of her peers[A] meditationcouched in prose at once lavish and rigorously controlledon the ways in which conflict can unmake the world and leave us scattered and cruelly isolated from one another. * Saturday Paper *
Salonika Burning continues Jones narrative searching for what rises up from engulfing loss and also the troubling, necessary role of art as imaginative witnessExtraordinary. * Conversation *
Elegantly written and precisely structured. * Age *
An intoxicating flight of fancy. * Australian Womens Weekly *
[Gail Jones] captures the reader instantly with her rhapsodical perspective of fire[Salonika Burning] is lyrically intense, original and savagely evocative. * SA Weekend *
Gail Jones breathes new life into the traditional narrative of war. * Danielle Raffaele, RTRFM Bunch of Books *

Author Bio

Gail Jones is one of Australia's most celebrated writers. She is the author of two short-story collections and nine novels, and her work has been translated into several languages. She has received numerous literary awards, including the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the Age Book of the Year, the South Australian Premier's Award, the ALS Gold Medal and the Kibble Award, and has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the International Dublin Literary Award and the Prix Femina tranger. Originally from Western Australia, she now lives in Sydney.