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The Melling Sisters #1
All in the Blue Unclouded Weather
A collection of interlinked stories set in the late 1940s in an Australian country town which focus on the four young Melling sisters. Each story links the girls and their friends together in a variety of domestic events and problems. The stories present a nostalgic feel for the post-war years.
168 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 1992
12 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Robin Klein
83Ìýbooks75ÌýfollowersWinner of the Dromkeen Medal (1991).
Robin Klein was born 28 February 1936 in Kempsey, New South Wales into a family of nine children. Leaving school at age 15, Klein worked several jobs before becoming established as a writer, having her first story published at age 16. She would go on to write more than 40 books, including Hating Alison Ashley (adapted into a feature film starring Delta Goodrem in 2005), Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left (adapted into a television series for the Seven Network in 1992), and Came Back to Show You I Could Fly (adapted into a film directed by Richard Lowenstein in 1993).
Klein’s books are hugely celebrated, having won the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award in both the Younger Readers and the Older Readers categories, as well as a Human Rights Award for Literature in 1989 for Came Back to Show You I Could Fly. Klein is widely considered one of Australia’s most prolific and beloved YA authors.
Robin Klein was born 28 February 1936 in Kempsey, New South Wales into a family of nine children. Leaving school at age 15, Klein worked several jobs before becoming established as a writer, having her first story published at age 16. She would go on to write more than 40 books, including Hating Alison Ashley (adapted into a feature film starring Delta Goodrem in 2005), Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left (adapted into a television series for the Seven Network in 1992), and Came Back to Show You I Could Fly (adapted into a film directed by Richard Lowenstein in 1993).
Klein’s books are hugely celebrated, having won the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award in both the Younger Readers and the Older Readers categories, as well as a Human Rights Award for Literature in 1989 for Came Back to Show You I Could Fly. Klein is widely considered one of Australia’s most prolific and beloved YA authors.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 10, 2017
‘Funny, thoughtful, sometimes painfully sad, this is a book that lingers long in the memory.�
Bookseller+Publisher
‘Klein again shows that she’s a master of dialogue, sibling dynamics, and youthful characters at once unique and undeniably creatures of their age group. Fresh, humorous, offbeat, with a bit of nostalgia for the era of film stars and red, red lipsticks.�
School Library Journal
‘Klein’s attention to detail—Grace’s debutante dress, cooking disasters, coping with the O’Keefe family, cousin Isobel’s flights of fancy and her depth of insight into small town ways make this story come to life.�
ReadPlus
‘A sentimental, intimately Australian series about four loving and warring sisters that is a must-read for any Australian citizen, whether they be the ages of the sisters, or older.�
Reading Time
‘What a fascinating book by Charlie Lovett, author of The Bookman’s Tale. Its denouement sends tingles through the body…The plot meanders through a then-and-now of glorious old books and manuscripts, the thrills of discovery and agony of obstacles. It is eminently engaging.�
SA Weekend
Bookseller+Publisher
‘Klein again shows that she’s a master of dialogue, sibling dynamics, and youthful characters at once unique and undeniably creatures of their age group. Fresh, humorous, offbeat, with a bit of nostalgia for the era of film stars and red, red lipsticks.�
School Library Journal
‘Klein’s attention to detail—Grace’s debutante dress, cooking disasters, coping with the O’Keefe family, cousin Isobel’s flights of fancy and her depth of insight into small town ways make this story come to life.�
ReadPlus
‘A sentimental, intimately Australian series about four loving and warring sisters that is a must-read for any Australian citizen, whether they be the ages of the sisters, or older.�
Reading Time
‘What a fascinating book by Charlie Lovett, author of The Bookman’s Tale. Its denouement sends tingles through the body…The plot meanders through a then-and-now of glorious old books and manuscripts, the thrills of discovery and agony of obstacles. It is eminently engaging.�
SA Weekend
March 30, 2015
It's been years since I read Robin Klein's post-war trilogy about the the three Australian sisters, their audacious cousin and nonexistent father. However I remember these books having a great impression on me - they may have been some of the first to instigate my love of all things of the forties and fifties. What really endeared me to these stories was their distinctly Australian flavour. Most WWII era historical novels and films retain a strong patriotism to America or Britain - or wherever the author comes from. It was really special to read about the world that could have been mine had I been born thirty or forty years earlier. I'd love to get my hands on copies of these books and read them again
February 22, 2013
Exquisite novel that we would LOVE to see re-printed. We adore Robin Klein's writing!
March 31, 2017
I was a young woman when Robin Klein's 'All in the Blue Unclouded Weather' was first published in 1991 but this is the kind of book I would have loved as a child. It's reminiscent of beloved childhood books such as 'Heidi' and 'Anne of Green Gables'.
'All in the Blue Unclouded Weather' tells the quintessentially sweet story of the Melling sisters growing up in the post-war country town of Wilgawa. The story is evocative of a long ago time; in an age where life was slower and simpler. It's a door into the past --an old-fashioned world of hankies, hair in rollers and living at the wrong end of town where eggs are rationed and there isn't money to spare.
Klein gives us a heart-warming, lively family. The four Melling sisters, Grace, Heather, Cathy and Vivienne navigate their way through playground dynamics, hand-me-downs and the dreams of a better life.
At times, Klein pokes and prods the readers. At such times, I winced and turned away from the pages. Klein provides honest insights into human nature that at times are difficult to watch. It is difficult to admit that we were all those sisters once and we also made plenty of mistakes growing up.
Above all, Klein tender-heartedly lies bare the difficulties of living in a country town. A sweet, sweet read.
Many thanks to The Text Publishing Company for sending a copy my way.
'All in the Blue Unclouded Weather' tells the quintessentially sweet story of the Melling sisters growing up in the post-war country town of Wilgawa. The story is evocative of a long ago time; in an age where life was slower and simpler. It's a door into the past --an old-fashioned world of hankies, hair in rollers and living at the wrong end of town where eggs are rationed and there isn't money to spare.
Klein gives us a heart-warming, lively family. The four Melling sisters, Grace, Heather, Cathy and Vivienne navigate their way through playground dynamics, hand-me-downs and the dreams of a better life.
At times, Klein pokes and prods the readers. At such times, I winced and turned away from the pages. Klein provides honest insights into human nature that at times are difficult to watch. It is difficult to admit that we were all those sisters once and we also made plenty of mistakes growing up.
Above all, Klein tender-heartedly lies bare the difficulties of living in a country town. A sweet, sweet read.
Many thanks to The Text Publishing Company for sending a copy my way.
November 17, 2015
A set of related short stories about the Melling family of girls, their friends and their enemies, set in the late 1940s.
The atmosphere of the era is perfectly evoked. The variety of personalities - timid Vivienne who is unable to resist bullying someone even poorer than herself when an unexpected chance arises; feisty, risk-taking cousin Isobel who keeps a revenge list of people and their misdemeanours; proud and sensitive cousin Rita whom dad takes a shine to, thus making all the girls' lives hell; the tyrant teacher; Grace the eldest sister who is making her debut - makes for a bustling, crowded scene.
The Best-Looking House in Town and Tyrant, though eminently predictable in their final twists, were my favourite stories. The Christmas story with its nod to O. Henry's famous The Gift of the Magi is a heart-warming finale to the book.
The atmosphere of the era is perfectly evoked. The variety of personalities - timid Vivienne who is unable to resist bullying someone even poorer than herself when an unexpected chance arises; feisty, risk-taking cousin Isobel who keeps a revenge list of people and their misdemeanours; proud and sensitive cousin Rita whom dad takes a shine to, thus making all the girls' lives hell; the tyrant teacher; Grace the eldest sister who is making her debut - makes for a bustling, crowded scene.
The Best-Looking House in Town and Tyrant, though eminently predictable in their final twists, were my favourite stories. The Christmas story with its nod to O. Henry's famous The Gift of the Magi is a heart-warming finale to the book.
March 23, 2024
The introduction calling it Australia's version of Little Women was quite the stretch. While there were elements of interest detailing Australian life in post-war 1940s, the nastiness and deceit in all the children with no consequence was very high. I wouldn't recommend handing it to your kids unless you want to encourage an elaborate vocabulary of nasty name-calling. The redeeming incidents of loyalty or kindness were as low on the scale as the name-calling was high.
January 18, 2019
I remember reading this a few years back and thinking how relatable the girls were. Reading it again was like taking a trip down memory lane.
August 13, 2021
I loved this so much as a kid, read it many times, would love to find a copy.
October 1, 2022
My child self gives five stars because she loved it, and current me wouldn't give any less. Five stars for nostalgia and for how I'm enjoying yet another reread many, many years later.
January 26, 2016
3.5 stars
By all accounts I should have loved this, but alas, the book is a little too light, not quite ambitious enough. Still, there are class tensions, amusing hijinks, sisters getting on each others' nerves and plenty of insufferable little girls. Robin Klein's tone is perfectly wry, mostly warmly so, other times scalpel-sharp. To her, the foibles of young girls are an endlessly rich mine for satire. There's a bit in the "Miracle" chapter where Isobel decides to become a nun that stuck out to me as relentless, and quite funny, in its skewering of her attempts to be saintly (Isobel in general is a stuck-up, self-important brat, but she's hilariously vindictive and I kind of love her in "Pay-Back"). "A Whole Shilling", on the other hand, is a different kind of skewering, one that is cold, harsh and surprisingly vicious. Yet for all her reprehensible actions, I mostly felt sorry for Cathy, the story's bully; her actions had a clear logic to them, and her emotions were completely understandable.
My favourite character, though, is probably Vivienne:
"Nancy Tuckett followed her up the hall, stepping around a hen that had wandered in and was pecking at a Sao biscuit on the lino. It was Dora.
'Oh, poor thing,' Nancy Tuckett said softly. 'Is she really going to be tomorrow's dinner?'
'You don't have to feel sorry for her,' Vivienne said. 'She's had a very interesting life. Cathy sometimes dresses her up in old baby clothes and takes her for rides in the pram. And anyhow, we'll give her chopped-off head a nice funeral service and make a little wreath out of honeysuckle.'"
Still a great book, overall.
By all accounts I should have loved this, but alas, the book is a little too light, not quite ambitious enough. Still, there are class tensions, amusing hijinks, sisters getting on each others' nerves and plenty of insufferable little girls. Robin Klein's tone is perfectly wry, mostly warmly so, other times scalpel-sharp. To her, the foibles of young girls are an endlessly rich mine for satire. There's a bit in the "Miracle" chapter where Isobel decides to become a nun that stuck out to me as relentless, and quite funny, in its skewering of her attempts to be saintly (Isobel in general is a stuck-up, self-important brat, but she's hilariously vindictive and I kind of love her in "Pay-Back"). "A Whole Shilling", on the other hand, is a different kind of skewering, one that is cold, harsh and surprisingly vicious. Yet for all her reprehensible actions, I mostly felt sorry for Cathy, the story's bully; her actions had a clear logic to them, and her emotions were completely understandable.
My favourite character, though, is probably Vivienne:
"Nancy Tuckett followed her up the hall, stepping around a hen that had wandered in and was pecking at a Sao biscuit on the lino. It was Dora.
'Oh, poor thing,' Nancy Tuckett said softly. 'Is she really going to be tomorrow's dinner?'
'You don't have to feel sorry for her,' Vivienne said. 'She's had a very interesting life. Cathy sometimes dresses her up in old baby clothes and takes her for rides in the pram. And anyhow, we'll give her chopped-off head a nice funeral service and make a little wreath out of honeysuckle.'"
Still a great book, overall.
February 27, 2016
Such a heartwarming, life-affirming and joyously rambunctious read, as only a book about an Australian family could be! The country town and characters of Wilgawa come to life so vividly that I wonder if part of it is Robin Klein's own childhood story. What a fantastic writer she is too, not shying away from using adult words like 'miasma' and 'temerity' in what is ostensibly a young adult book. I remember a teacher reading the chapter 'Something to Drop Stitches Over' to my class when I was in primary school and we laughed ourselves silly. Cousin Isobel epitomises the little Aussie larrikin beautifully. A special book to be reading in the early days of summer; having finished it on Christmas Eve, I found the last line was blissfully perfect: 'Blue unclouded weather ... That's how it's going to be tomorrow for Christmas'. :)
April 29, 2009
Beautiful, Australian classic that really ought to be much more well known. I love which we read in year 7 English; this book would have been the perfect accompaniment.
October 8, 2010
All in the blue unclouded weather by Robin Klein (1991)
February 28, 2012
Flawless. Enchanting.
August 3, 2013
I absolutely loved this series as a kid. My favourite though is the second book - Dresses of Red and Gold.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.
April 8, 2017
To begin with, I just happen to love the title of the book. It was a very light read. I particularly liked the bright, funny and dynamic dialogue, which at times felt too big for the young Melling girls. The plot felt too ordinary that simply represented the daily routine of an Australian family in the late 1940's. I think it was a bit shallow for a book. At times some of the characters (take Cathy, for instance) were surprisingly cruel and cold.
Nevertheless, Robin Klein has a very good sense of humor.
Nevertheless, Robin Klein has a very good sense of humor.
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September 1, 2017I read this when I was a teenager or maybe even pre-teen. I am now married and expecting a baby and I came across the name Vivienne in the baby names lists. It suddenly brought this book back to mind, as I thought "wasn't there a Vivienne in a book I read ages ago?" And along with the memory came the title of the book, which has always stayed with me as so evocative of childhood, girlhood dreams, hope and joy. Looking forward to trying to dig this book up again and perhaps share it with my daughters one day!!
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