Back on Track in Aussie Readers

Oct 04, 2023 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, read-on-kindle, 2023-release, net-galley, aussie-authors, 3500-2023, own-read, arc

Ketty Clift's Couture business in Paddington, Sydney, had been Ketty's pride and joy for a long time. Run by staff who were her family now, she came to realise harmony within her girls was not running as smoothly as it had. When Carlos, her long time friend from her cruising days - prior to the pandemic - arrived in Sydney from Spain to see Ketty, and gave her a voucher for a trip on the Ghan, from Darwin to Adelaide, Ketty came up with a plan. Her invitation to all her girls for a holiday, trav ...more

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Oct 08, 2023 Helen rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

I do enjoy a good story and Tricia Stringer writes them so well, I first met Ketty in her book Table of Eight on a cruise, Ketty is a loving caring character who loves helping people and playing matchmaker, she runs Ketty Clift鈥檚 Couture and cares very much about her staff, when Ketty feels the moral falling she books them all on a train trip on the Ghan, her longtime friend Carlos will be joining them and Ketty hopes to get everyone back on track to their happy place.

The trip starts with mix-up ...more

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Dec 23, 2024 Catsalive rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aww, 2024

A good strong relationship tale that I enjoyed very much. It's always good to see women supporting women instead of tearing them down, & Ketty Clift would appear to be a wonderful employer, bringing all her staff on a fabulous outback train trip to try to discover what was going wrong with the people who usually worked so well together. Having her friend Carlos join her on the Ghan trip certainly changed & charged the atmosphere - possibly not the best choice to facilitate her business purpose, ...more

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Oct 16, 2023 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, contemporary, kindle-version, netgalley

This is the second book I鈥檝e read in the past few weeks that is set on the Ghan, the train that runs north/south through the centre of Australia, between Adelaide and Darwin. It鈥檚 on my bucket list as something I really want to do one day, although it鈥檚 a future me dream as it鈥檚 really quite expensive. But it would be the most amazing journey, you get to see so much of a very different part of Australia from what I am used to. Would be nice to have someone to take me on the trip, like Ketty does This is the second book I鈥檝e read in the past few weeks that is set on the Ghan, the train that runs north/south through the centre of Australia, between Adelaide and Darwin. It鈥檚 on my bucket list as something I really want to do one day, although it鈥檚 a future me dream as it鈥檚 really quite expensive. But it would be the most amazing journey, you get to see so much of a very different part of Australia from what I am used to. Would be nice to have someone to take me on the trip, like Ketty does for her staff in this book!

This is the second book Tricia Stringer has written that features Ketty and although I haven鈥檛 read the other one, I found that it really didn鈥檛 matter. In that previous book Ketty was on a cruise so I鈥檓 not sure how much of a role her staff played in the story. In this book though, Ketty has booked a holiday on the Ghan for them all 鈥� her second in charge Judith, the nervous Tien, Ning who has abruptly announced she is about to retire and two younger staff, Birgit and Lacey. Along for the trip is also Carlos, Ketty鈥檚 longtime friend from her cruising days, who has retired from his job on the ships.

Ketty is dismayed to discover that there are some issues of tension between the staff members. She鈥檚 also quite curious about some of the other train passengers and 鈥榳hat their stories are鈥�. Ketty is kind of鈥�..well, to be honest, the best word is basically nosy. Not in a nasty way, but she鈥檚 very interested in other people and their business and in helping them resolve any problems. Now she needs to apply that to her own staff, getting to the bottom of the various conflicts and issues between them and work to resolve them all so that the business can move forward in the best possible way. Business is good 鈥� but you can鈥檛 have your staff being at odds with each other.

I really enjoyed this. It alternates between the time on the train and some events a few months earlier, when Ketty announced the trip and a few other things, that help set the scene for some of the issues that are taking place in the now, when the women are on the train. I really liked each of the individual stories and felt like Tricia Stringer did a great job in showcasing the train journey equally with the issues. I really appreciated some of the descriptions of the extra activities you can do along the way, such as boat rides, hikes, a helicopter or camel ride, exploring the town of Coober Pedy, etc.

I found that I really was invested in the character of Lacey, the youngest staff member, and that of Ning. Lacey is having a particularly tough time of it in many ways 鈥� she鈥檚 add odds with Judith, who is very short with her and her home life has become particularly stressful. She鈥檚 also just gone through a break up that she鈥檚 upset and confused about. And Ning is older but not old, in her late 50s I think, and about to retire. She seems very firm about it but in a way that suggests that perhaps it鈥檚 duty rather than want. Ketty wants to get to the bottom of that and find out if Ning is truly happy about the decision she has made.

There鈥檚 also the character of Carlos, an older, charming man who is from Spain. Ketty met him about 50 years ago on a cruise ship and they鈥檝e maintained a friendship all this time. Carlos has retired now and is in Australia spending time with Ketty and a cousin who lives here as well. Judith is suspicious about this man鈥檚 arrival into Ketty鈥檚 life and a bit resentful that he鈥檚 always around now, which she feels is encroaching on her own friendship with Ketty. She also doesn鈥檛 trust him and there鈥檚 basically a bit of a question of if Carlos is sincere in his friendship or if he might be attempting to take advantage of Ketty, who is a relatively comfortably financially secure woman. Everyone seems to like him but Judith, who is immune to his type of charm and highly suspicious of it. Judith however, seems highly suspicious of most things.

I found this really engrossing and very enjoyable 鈥� a must not just for people who are curious about the Ghan but also just for people who really appreciate stories about intergenerational friendship. There鈥檚 also a lot in here about language used towards people who are getting older and how it makes them feel, which I found interesting. I definitely intend to go back and read the previous book about Ketty (Table For Eight).

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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Jan 04, 2024 Tien rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australia, contemporary, australian-author, for-review

The one particular reason I picked up this book was that one of the characters is named Tien聽聽I was just so excited but only to feel absolutely disappointed in this character lol She was so uptight and so worried about everything! And then, I just don't feel like there was any issue or resolution with her arc. She was just there... All the women had their own issues and resolutions but I didn't see anything similar for Tien. I don't know if anyone felt the same as it could just be me...

While I ...more

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Dec 25, 2023 Janine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A long term fan of Tricia's books. I was fortunate enough to have read Table for Eight which is about a group of people on a cruise, whilst I was on a cruise and could relate to so much she wrote! That was not so long ago, so it was timely that I now read Back on Track which continues the story of Ketty Clift designs. This time the story is set on The Ghan train travelling from Darwin to Adelaide, and again I felt like I was taking the journey myself, excellent depictions of what the journey wou ...more

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