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THE LAST MAGPIE ’ S SONG – ‘ AN ENGROSSING READ ’
AN OLD SCOTCH COLLEGIAN ’ S FIRST NOVEL HAS AN INTRIGUING PLOT
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ROBERT WHITE (' 70 )
The Last Magpie ’ s Song is the first novel to be written by Robert White ( Scotch 1965-70 ). The following review was written by Mike Smith , a contemporary of Robert White ’ s at Scotch , who also attended the school from 1965-70 , and later became an English Teacher at Scotch from 1975-77 and 2013-18 .
The Last Magpie ’ s Song , the first novel by Robert White (’ 70 ), is the story of Bernard Bridgeman , first as a child and later as a hard-bitten lawyer . Overshadowing his life is the death of his uncle , his namesake , as a prisoner of the Japanese at Sandakan in World War II . It ’ s an engrossing read , combining an intriguing plot with lively , redolent and often lyrical writing .
The first ‘ book ’, about Bernard as a boy of 10 , is an authentic evocation of growing up , making friends and negotiating primary school in the eastern suburbs of early 1960s Melbourne , with all its mysteries , preoccupations , vulnerabilities and fears . It vividly captures young Bernard ’ s sense of daring and adventure , his puzzlement at the behaviour of the adults around him and his pain and bewilderment when he confronts tragedy .
Book two is narrated by the much older and worldly-wise Bernard , whose legal career has stalled . His childish naiveté has been replaced by prejudice , cynicism and mordant wit , but these do not mask his continuing vulnerability and insecurity . His bluster , self-justification and outrageous behaviour are simultaneously comical and engaging , as obsessions and encounters from his past rise up again , in a manner reminiscent of Thomas Hardy . How he navigates these challenges makes for an ingenious denouement .
The mature Bernard ’ s unreliable narration is an impressive piece of characterisation at the heart of a fascinating novel .
I greatly enjoyed The Last Magpie ’ s Song . It is available from www . robertwhitebooks . com or from the following bookshops : Farrells of Mornington , Petersen ’ s of Hastings and Readings Hawthorn .
MIKE SMITH (’ 70 )
10 . www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 75