Camille's Bread

1995 novel by Australian author Amanda Lohrey

0207188432Preceded byThe Reading Group Followed byThe Philosopher's Doll 

Camille's Bread (1995) is a novel by Australian writer Amanda Lohrey. It was originally published by Angus and Robertson in Australia in 1995.[1]

Synopsis

Narita is a single-mother of Camille, living in Sydney, when she meets Stephen, a public servant who is seeking a change of lifestyle.

Publishing history

After its initial publication in Australia by Angus and Robertson in 1995,[2] the novel was reprinted by the same company in 1996.[3]

Epigraph

  • Epigraph: "The child's first decision, noted Freud, is whether to swallow it or spit it out."

Critical reception

Writing in The Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Morag Fraser commented: "Amanda Lohrey's Camille's Bread is all domestic interiors and friction over ritual." She then went on to note that "..random riches at the novel's edges make you speculate that Lohrey has other novels in her that will prove riskier and more grand."[4]

In The Age Lyn McCredden wrote: "It is the sheer glory of the novel that its understated humor and subtle neo-realism deliver a feast of contemporary vignettes and characters. Each scene totters deliciously on the brink of farce but is pulled back into the narrative."[5]

Awards

  • 1996 ALS Gold Medal winner[6]
  • 1996 Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction winner[7]
  • 1996 Miles Franklin Award, shortlisted[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Austlit — Camille's Bread by Amanda Lohrey 1995". Austlit. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Camille's Bread (A&R 1995)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Camille's Bread (A&R 1996)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Quiet horrors among the polished spoons". Sydney Morning Herald, 30 September 1995, p12A. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Great writing lift women's novels out of their label". The Age, 12 November 1995, p44. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  6. ^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Motherhood, love and food dazzle judges". Sydney Morning Herald, 19 October 1996, p8. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  8. ^ "A spirit rekindled". The Age, 12 June 1996, p13. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Amanda's Bread". The Age, 20 October 1966. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Amanda Lohrey Camille's Bread"". The Age, 5 January 1996, p9. Retrieved 26 April 2024.