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Nine Days
One family. Nine momentous days. An unforgettable novel of love and folly and heartbreak.
It is 1939 and Australia is about to go to war. Deep in the working-class Melbourne suburb of Richmond it is business—your own and everyone else's—as usual. And young Kip Westaway, failed scholar and stablehand, is living the most important day of his life.
Ambitious in scope and structure, triumphantly realised, this is a novel about one family and every family. It is about dreams and fights and sacrifices. And finally, of course, it is—as it must be—about love.
Toni Jordan has a BSc in physiology and qualifications in marketing and professional writing. Her debut novel, Addition, has been published in sixteen countries and won numerous awards. Jordan lives in Melbourne, Australia.
It is 1939 and Australia is about to go to war. Deep in the working-class Melbourne suburb of Richmond it is business—your own and everyone else's—as usual. And young Kip Westaway, failed scholar and stablehand, is living the most important day of his life.
Ambitious in scope and structure, triumphantly realised, this is a novel about one family and every family. It is about dreams and fights and sacrifices. And finally, of course, it is—as it must be—about love.
Toni Jordan has a BSc in physiology and qualifications in marketing and professional writing. Her debut novel, Addition, has been published in sixteen countries and won numerous awards. Jordan lives in Melbourne, Australia.
245 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
73 people are currently reading
1,500 people want to read
About the author
Toni Jordan
20books249followersToni Jordan has worked as a molecular biologist, quality control chemist, TAB operator and door-to-door aluminium siding salesperson.
She is the author of six novels including the international bestseller Addition, which was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, Nine Days, which was awarded Best Fiction at the 2012 Indie Awards and was named in Kirkus Review's top 10 Historical Novels of 2013, and Our Tiny, Useless Hearts, which was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.
Toni has been published widely in newspapers and magazines.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in physiology and a PhD in Creative Arts.
Toni lives in Melbourne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
June 4, 2017
I honestly don't understand why this has been languishing on my bookshelf for such a long time. Perhaps because I thought it was going to be a slightly different kind of book? Whatever the reason, I'm so glad I've now read it, and been able to add it straight to my Favorites shelf.
This is the story of the Westaway family, told from multiple perspectives over 4 generations. Each of the nine chapters describes one pivotal day in the history of the family, from the point of view of a family member or someone with a close relationship to the family. It goes back and forth in time, building up a detailed picture of events and connections that provide all the context we need to get the full impact of the bittersweet - quite tragic - ending; an event which sits a little way into the story's timeline.
I loved this inventive structure, and I loved each of the nine major characters, some of whom were not very sympathetic until they had the chance to 'explain themselves' by way of their own subsequent chapter. But by far my favourite character was Kip Westaway, the younger twin of the 2nd generation and in fact, the subject of chapter 1. He provided such a strong moral and emotional presence in this family, despite being misunderstood (or so he thought). Kip has some advice for his teenage grandson, Alec:
'You must know this. People disappear. They just go puff. Thin air. Every time you see someone, you never know if you're seeing them for the last time. Drink them in, Alec. Kiss them. It's very important. Never let anyone say goodbye, even for a little while, without kissing them. Press your lips against the people you love. Hands, they can touch anything. Open doors, hold cameras, hang clothes on the line. It's lips that matter.'
And when it is revealed why Kip feels this way, the knowledge is devastating.
If you could only put this book into one box, it would be the historical fiction one. But it's so much more than that. It's historical, but equally contemporary, and Toni Jordan's contemporary fiction pedigree shines through. I loved this passage from chapter 2:
People who work out are so gullible. They think they'll live longer. Well, good luck to them. It's a shame most of them aren't bright enough to realise that the extra time added to their life when they're eighty and too old to do anything productive with it is roughly equal to all the time wasted in the gym when they're young and capable of having fun.
Highly recommended.
This is the story of the Westaway family, told from multiple perspectives over 4 generations. Each of the nine chapters describes one pivotal day in the history of the family, from the point of view of a family member or someone with a close relationship to the family. It goes back and forth in time, building up a detailed picture of events and connections that provide all the context we need to get the full impact of the bittersweet - quite tragic - ending; an event which sits a little way into the story's timeline.
I loved this inventive structure, and I loved each of the nine major characters, some of whom were not very sympathetic until they had the chance to 'explain themselves' by way of their own subsequent chapter. But by far my favourite character was Kip Westaway, the younger twin of the 2nd generation and in fact, the subject of chapter 1. He provided such a strong moral and emotional presence in this family, despite being misunderstood (or so he thought). Kip has some advice for his teenage grandson, Alec:
'You must know this. People disappear. They just go puff. Thin air. Every time you see someone, you never know if you're seeing them for the last time. Drink them in, Alec. Kiss them. It's very important. Never let anyone say goodbye, even for a little while, without kissing them. Press your lips against the people you love. Hands, they can touch anything. Open doors, hold cameras, hang clothes on the line. It's lips that matter.'
And when it is revealed why Kip feels this way, the knowledge is devastating.
If you could only put this book into one box, it would be the historical fiction one. But it's so much more than that. It's historical, but equally contemporary, and Toni Jordan's contemporary fiction pedigree shines through. I loved this passage from chapter 2:
People who work out are so gullible. They think they'll live longer. Well, good luck to them. It's a shame most of them aren't bright enough to realise that the extra time added to their life when they're eighty and too old to do anything productive with it is roughly equal to all the time wasted in the gym when they're young and capable of having fun.
Highly recommended.
June 6, 2016
Nine Days is the third novel by Australian author Toni Jordan and was inspired by a photograph from the State Library of Victoria’s Argus newspaper collection of war photographs. Starting in pre-war suburban Melbourne, it tells the story of the working-class Westaway family over the following seventy years.
Each of nine characters has a devoted chapter in which they narrate the details of their particular life-changing day: thus Nine Days. As each chapter unfolds, significant details are added to the picture until the reader finally grasps the enormity of events in this family’s wartime experience.
Jordan gives the reader a cast of characters with real depth, characters to love and despise, characters that exasperate, characters to laugh and sympathise with, as each chapter shows events from their perspective. Jordan’s descriptions are strongly evocative of wartime Melbourne and each narrative is invested with an authenticity of language appropriate to that character, giving the story a truly genuine feel. Each narrative is connected not only by the characters but also by other important elements: a lucky shilling, an amethyst pendant, an Arnott’s biscuit tin, twins, art and photography.
The story incorporates various topics, among them poverty and hunger, abortion and contraception, responsibility, gossip and respectability, bravery and patriotism. A wartime story is bound to include death, so of course there is heartache, grief and sorrow, but there is also love and joy and plenty of humour.
I particularly loved the irony of Mrs Hustings stating “it’s a shame the world is so full of gossips�. I would have loved more of Kip, whose dry humour and smart quips had me from page one. Toni Jordan has lost none of the magic of her previous novels, “Addition� and “Fall Girl�, and has, in fact, has surpassed these. What will she do next? I can hardly wait!
Each of nine characters has a devoted chapter in which they narrate the details of their particular life-changing day: thus Nine Days. As each chapter unfolds, significant details are added to the picture until the reader finally grasps the enormity of events in this family’s wartime experience.
Jordan gives the reader a cast of characters with real depth, characters to love and despise, characters that exasperate, characters to laugh and sympathise with, as each chapter shows events from their perspective. Jordan’s descriptions are strongly evocative of wartime Melbourne and each narrative is invested with an authenticity of language appropriate to that character, giving the story a truly genuine feel. Each narrative is connected not only by the characters but also by other important elements: a lucky shilling, an amethyst pendant, an Arnott’s biscuit tin, twins, art and photography.
The story incorporates various topics, among them poverty and hunger, abortion and contraception, responsibility, gossip and respectability, bravery and patriotism. A wartime story is bound to include death, so of course there is heartache, grief and sorrow, but there is also love and joy and plenty of humour.
I particularly loved the irony of Mrs Hustings stating “it’s a shame the world is so full of gossips�. I would have loved more of Kip, whose dry humour and smart quips had me from page one. Toni Jordan has lost none of the magic of her previous novels, “Addition� and “Fall Girl�, and has, in fact, has surpassed these. What will she do next? I can hardly wait!
November 11, 2016
4.5 � s
I particularly like the structure of this novel, though at first it challenged my concentration due to its non-linear, multiple perspective approach. Nine days = nine chapters, each chapter voiced by a different person. What might sound confusing actually works in an elegant way, which I think is testament to the skills of the writer.
For me the depiction of the streets of Richmond were very true to life. I know many of the streets and lanes, and I recall the smells of the Rosella factory as we would travel along Swan Street as kids. (Urgh, that pungent stink of vinegar when they were making chutney!) Also I was impressed by the author’s economy of words, as her storytelling conveyed much with little.
I liked the use of recurring motifs to link the different sections, such as the lucky penny and the amethyst pendant. On a more profound level, the senseless loss of several young lives in different generations, so full of talent and hope, conveys the importance of appreciating the here-and-now, of the fragility of life. But I was particularly saddened by the almost universal sense of fatalism and bitterness that comes to dominate the personalities of the older women in the book. Burdened by their lack of education and opportunity, hard physical work, grotty living conditions and alcoholic menfolk, they survive on the poverty line, and take out their frustrations in sectarian prejudice, cruelty and petty-minded gossip directed at family, friends and neighbours.
There is a real poignancy about Connie’s story. She says in her own chapter, “…just this once, I have had something that I wanted. Whatever happens, I will keep this night stored away…I will have that night forever. I can hardly believe my good fortune. Everything will be all right.�
It is a revealing statement about the general life and conditions of working-class women, dogged by poverty and lack of personal power.
I think Toni Jordan has done a wonderful job in capturing the grimness of those times, and has effectively compared them with contemporary circumstances, which is the genius in creating a story that moves between generations. But I don't want to create the impression that this is a terribly grim, sad book. Jordan injects many light notes and humour into the story, and Kip in particular is a delightful character, full of cheek, energy and street smarts. Overall I am impressed with the author’s compassion and insight, and applaud her sensitive handling of difficult subject matter. I’m a better-informed person for having read this book.
I particularly like the structure of this novel, though at first it challenged my concentration due to its non-linear, multiple perspective approach. Nine days = nine chapters, each chapter voiced by a different person. What might sound confusing actually works in an elegant way, which I think is testament to the skills of the writer.
For me the depiction of the streets of Richmond were very true to life. I know many of the streets and lanes, and I recall the smells of the Rosella factory as we would travel along Swan Street as kids. (Urgh, that pungent stink of vinegar when they were making chutney!) Also I was impressed by the author’s economy of words, as her storytelling conveyed much with little.
I liked the use of recurring motifs to link the different sections, such as the lucky penny and the amethyst pendant. On a more profound level, the senseless loss of several young lives in different generations, so full of talent and hope, conveys the importance of appreciating the here-and-now, of the fragility of life. But I was particularly saddened by the almost universal sense of fatalism and bitterness that comes to dominate the personalities of the older women in the book. Burdened by their lack of education and opportunity, hard physical work, grotty living conditions and alcoholic menfolk, they survive on the poverty line, and take out their frustrations in sectarian prejudice, cruelty and petty-minded gossip directed at family, friends and neighbours.
There is a real poignancy about Connie’s story. She says in her own chapter, “…just this once, I have had something that I wanted. Whatever happens, I will keep this night stored away…I will have that night forever. I can hardly believe my good fortune. Everything will be all right.�
It is a revealing statement about the general life and conditions of working-class women, dogged by poverty and lack of personal power.
I think Toni Jordan has done a wonderful job in capturing the grimness of those times, and has effectively compared them with contemporary circumstances, which is the genius in creating a story that moves between generations. But I don't want to create the impression that this is a terribly grim, sad book. Jordan injects many light notes and humour into the story, and Kip in particular is a delightful character, full of cheek, energy and street smarts. Overall I am impressed with the author’s compassion and insight, and applaud her sensitive handling of difficult subject matter. I’m a better-informed person for having read this book.
March 25, 2015
Nine Days
Toni Jordan
Text Publishing
Paperback
RRP $29.99 AUD
I found it very hard to rate this book out of five stars, and ended up coming down somewhere between three and four stars, probably edging closer to four than three, so four it is. As a writer, there were things I really admired. One was the voice or should I say voices. The book starts off in the voice of 15 year old Kip from the working class Westaway family in Richmond. The day he is given a shilling by Mr Husting is a momentous day for Kip. It’s also the day he talks to Annabel Crouch and sets in his mind anyway, plans for the future.
This book is great exercise in voice, a topic we’d been discussing in our writers group. I read a passage from chapter 1 in Kip’s voice. The followed it with some of the next chapter, which is in the voice of Stanzi (short for Constance) who is the adult daughter of the now elderly Kip, which gives some idea how many years have passed.
For me this was one of the most interesting aspects of the books as each chapter is written in the first person from nine different members of the Westaway family over an expanse of time. Each one gives an account of the day that for each of them changed their lives in some way. It was interesting to hear the difference in tone and language of the voice according relating the story and their different times in history and then see how the nine voices and characters fitted together to make up this story.
While I appreciated the skill it took for the author to write in different voices, as a reader I sometimes found this a bit frustrating, as there were times I would have liked to stay with one or two of the characters without being taken away elsewhere to a different voice. I’ll be interested to hear how others, respond to this.
The use of language is good. I loved some of the expressions used like this one from Kip about Mrs Husting. ‘She gives me a look that could melt steel.�
All in all, Nine Days is an interesting experiment that takes the reader from 1939 forwards and then back again to the story of the black and white photograph complete with yellow stain that inspired the novel. It’s a novel of family, war, loss and love.
Toni Jordan
Text Publishing
Paperback
RRP $29.99 AUD
I found it very hard to rate this book out of five stars, and ended up coming down somewhere between three and four stars, probably edging closer to four than three, so four it is. As a writer, there were things I really admired. One was the voice or should I say voices. The book starts off in the voice of 15 year old Kip from the working class Westaway family in Richmond. The day he is given a shilling by Mr Husting is a momentous day for Kip. It’s also the day he talks to Annabel Crouch and sets in his mind anyway, plans for the future.
This book is great exercise in voice, a topic we’d been discussing in our writers group. I read a passage from chapter 1 in Kip’s voice. The followed it with some of the next chapter, which is in the voice of Stanzi (short for Constance) who is the adult daughter of the now elderly Kip, which gives some idea how many years have passed.
For me this was one of the most interesting aspects of the books as each chapter is written in the first person from nine different members of the Westaway family over an expanse of time. Each one gives an account of the day that for each of them changed their lives in some way. It was interesting to hear the difference in tone and language of the voice according relating the story and their different times in history and then see how the nine voices and characters fitted together to make up this story.
While I appreciated the skill it took for the author to write in different voices, as a reader I sometimes found this a bit frustrating, as there were times I would have liked to stay with one or two of the characters without being taken away elsewhere to a different voice. I’ll be interested to hear how others, respond to this.
The use of language is good. I loved some of the expressions used like this one from Kip about Mrs Husting. ‘She gives me a look that could melt steel.�
All in all, Nine Days is an interesting experiment that takes the reader from 1939 forwards and then back again to the story of the black and white photograph complete with yellow stain that inspired the novel. It’s a novel of family, war, loss and love.
April 20, 2015
Nine Days by Toni Jordan
It is 1939 in Richmond, a working class suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
Men and boys are enlisting to go to war and the general mood is restlessness in this neighborhood where everybody knows each others' business and a certain class distinction is tacitly determined by how far up the hill of this street you happen live.
The story follows the lives of one family, the Westaways, and the lives of a few people close to them who's own lives are in some way touched by knowing them.
The Westaway's live halfway up the hill and so, consider themselves marginally better off than those at the bottom of the hill, yet aspire to a life further up.
Times are hard and we are drawn into the persona of each individual member of this family, as they narrate their current circumstances and how they are personally affected by their own place in the scheme of things.
As time goes by we start to see the broader picture and the possible consequences of even the smallest of previously made decisions or actions. How the seemingly insignificant gesture of giving a young boy a coin can make such an imprint as to last across time and, in some way, touch so many.
We are given a microscopic look into the lives of these people and their interactions with each other over time, so that it is easy to note just how complicated life can be, and how one really small and seemingly insignificant action now, can have unimagined ramifications...not always immediately, but sometimes even generations later.
This is a very thought provoking and clever novel that shows how we interact naturally with each other on a day to day basis, not giving a thought to possible consequences or the flow on effects of even the smallest gestures.
It is by no means a critical or judgmental look, but rather a glimpse into the complexities of every day life, and how our actions/activities, regardless of intent, can and do affect things as a whole...in the greater scheme of things.
It is about cause and effect.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way it gave me pause to think about things, and the effects of all the little things we do or don't do.
It made me think on just how much is outside of our control, and how life will follow its [preordained?] course...one way or another. Its impacts determined by the parts we play, and how we play them...or not, consciously or otherwise.
Definitely food for thought.
There are a lot of characters to get to know pretty quickly, and sometimes I got confused with who is who until I familiarized myself with them all. The main thing is to remember all of the Westaway family members and the rest will make sense.
There are the parents, Ma and Dad, then Connie the eldest daughter, and Francis and Kip are the younger twin sons. Then there is Mrs. Keith their boarder.
This is my first experience with Toni Jordan's writing but I will definitely seek out more from this author.
Recommended reading 4*s
It is 1939 in Richmond, a working class suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
Men and boys are enlisting to go to war and the general mood is restlessness in this neighborhood where everybody knows each others' business and a certain class distinction is tacitly determined by how far up the hill of this street you happen live.
The story follows the lives of one family, the Westaways, and the lives of a few people close to them who's own lives are in some way touched by knowing them.
The Westaway's live halfway up the hill and so, consider themselves marginally better off than those at the bottom of the hill, yet aspire to a life further up.
Times are hard and we are drawn into the persona of each individual member of this family, as they narrate their current circumstances and how they are personally affected by their own place in the scheme of things.
As time goes by we start to see the broader picture and the possible consequences of even the smallest of previously made decisions or actions. How the seemingly insignificant gesture of giving a young boy a coin can make such an imprint as to last across time and, in some way, touch so many.
We are given a microscopic look into the lives of these people and their interactions with each other over time, so that it is easy to note just how complicated life can be, and how one really small and seemingly insignificant action now, can have unimagined ramifications...not always immediately, but sometimes even generations later.
This is a very thought provoking and clever novel that shows how we interact naturally with each other on a day to day basis, not giving a thought to possible consequences or the flow on effects of even the smallest gestures.
It is by no means a critical or judgmental look, but rather a glimpse into the complexities of every day life, and how our actions/activities, regardless of intent, can and do affect things as a whole...in the greater scheme of things.
It is about cause and effect.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way it gave me pause to think about things, and the effects of all the little things we do or don't do.
It made me think on just how much is outside of our control, and how life will follow its [preordained?] course...one way or another. Its impacts determined by the parts we play, and how we play them...or not, consciously or otherwise.
Definitely food for thought.
There are a lot of characters to get to know pretty quickly, and sometimes I got confused with who is who until I familiarized myself with them all. The main thing is to remember all of the Westaway family members and the rest will make sense.
There are the parents, Ma and Dad, then Connie the eldest daughter, and Francis and Kip are the younger twin sons. Then there is Mrs. Keith their boarder.
This is my first experience with Toni Jordan's writing but I will definitely seek out more from this author.
Recommended reading 4*s
February 3, 2013
‘Nine Days� is a departure from romantic comedy for Toni Jordan, whose two previous novels ‘Addition� and ‘Fall Girl�, I both read and loved. ‘Nine Days� was inspired by the photograph on the cover, which was taken during World War Two, and shows a young woman farewelling a soldier on a train station. Around this image, Jordan has built a story from the point of view of nine different but interrelated people, recounting a significant day in their lives.
This is not historical fiction, the stories range across time, coming up into the present, but they all interlink around the central story, providing different angles and insights. As in her other novels, Jordan’s writing is zesty, witty and easy to read, however the really impressive thing with this one was that it had nine different, and totally believable voices. The stories are all set in the same Melbourne suburb and the photograph, along with a coin and a pendant, provide a motif to link them together. Really, it reads as a series of linked short stories more than a novel, but whatever you call it, it worked.
Writing a novel from nine points of view is an ambitious undertaking. The risk is that the reader won’t be able to become emotionally involved enough with any one character. At the end of each character’s story, I was sorry to be leaving them to move onto the next. However, by the end of the book, I felt satisfied with having met such a diverse array of characters and this deepened the impact of the final story when it came. The last story is Connie’s, the young woman in the photo and it’s probably not giving too much away to say that it had me in tears.
I picked up this book expecting to feel disappointed by Jordan’s departure from romantic comedy, at which she excelled, but found exactly the opposite. Mixing both light and dark, ‘Nine Days� is storytelling at its best. While not comedic in tone, the writing is fresh and easy to read. Jordan says in the acknowledgements that she is not a writer who has a profusion of ideas; rather her creative brain is, ‘like a desert across which the odd ball of tumbleweed occasionally rolls.� I’ll certainly be watching out for the results of the next ball of tumbleweed that rolls on through.
This is not historical fiction, the stories range across time, coming up into the present, but they all interlink around the central story, providing different angles and insights. As in her other novels, Jordan’s writing is zesty, witty and easy to read, however the really impressive thing with this one was that it had nine different, and totally believable voices. The stories are all set in the same Melbourne suburb and the photograph, along with a coin and a pendant, provide a motif to link them together. Really, it reads as a series of linked short stories more than a novel, but whatever you call it, it worked.
Writing a novel from nine points of view is an ambitious undertaking. The risk is that the reader won’t be able to become emotionally involved enough with any one character. At the end of each character’s story, I was sorry to be leaving them to move onto the next. However, by the end of the book, I felt satisfied with having met such a diverse array of characters and this deepened the impact of the final story when it came. The last story is Connie’s, the young woman in the photo and it’s probably not giving too much away to say that it had me in tears.
I picked up this book expecting to feel disappointed by Jordan’s departure from romantic comedy, at which she excelled, but found exactly the opposite. Mixing both light and dark, ‘Nine Days� is storytelling at its best. While not comedic in tone, the writing is fresh and easy to read. Jordan says in the acknowledgements that she is not a writer who has a profusion of ideas; rather her creative brain is, ‘like a desert across which the odd ball of tumbleweed occasionally rolls.� I’ll certainly be watching out for the results of the next ball of tumbleweed that rolls on through.
November 18, 2012
A surprising book, an appealing story, and an introduction to an author I will be reading again. I loved the central device: nine characters each describing (in first person) a pivotal day, a day that completely changed their lives. The days are not presented in order, and that makes it a bit of a puzzle: I like the way each chapter (day) is named for each character, without any hint of time or relationship. We are left to make the connections ourselves, and for me that added an extra level of interest. There are signposts to help us, but the author doesn't let these historic events intrude, other than in the case of the war, which is a central axis around which the whole narrative spins.
The characters are quite well drawn, given that each gets a voice in only one chapter, and is then at the mercy of the other narrators, not all of whom are friendly! A number of ŷ reviewers complain that they would have liked to spend more time with some of the characters. I take this as evidence of the author's skill. Just like favourite pieces of music leave you wanting more, a book that makes you want to know more about many of the characters is an artistic and technical success. Toni Jordan has achieved that here: I'd love to know Connie better, I want to know more about Kip's career, and I want to find out why Frank ended up as he did. That's the sign of a very fine writer: characters that walk off the page and engage us - whether we like them or despise them.
It's interesting to compare this with another book I've just finished, Xavier Herbert's Capricornia, a sprawling, rambling narrative that spans several generations, just like Nine Days. Herbert's story leaves few stones unturned, few characters with anything left to reveal. It has some important things to say, but it preaches a little relentlessly at times. In contrast, Toni Jordan tells us just enough about each character to make them come to life, and merely hints at issues and leaves us to make up our own minds. Nine Days has the advantage of being a book that can be read comfortably in a weekend.
Compared to Capricornia, it is just a vignette, and is all the more appealing because of its small glimpses into extraordinary moments of ordinary lives.
The characters are quite well drawn, given that each gets a voice in only one chapter, and is then at the mercy of the other narrators, not all of whom are friendly! A number of ŷ reviewers complain that they would have liked to spend more time with some of the characters. I take this as evidence of the author's skill. Just like favourite pieces of music leave you wanting more, a book that makes you want to know more about many of the characters is an artistic and technical success. Toni Jordan has achieved that here: I'd love to know Connie better, I want to know more about Kip's career, and I want to find out why Frank ended up as he did. That's the sign of a very fine writer: characters that walk off the page and engage us - whether we like them or despise them.
It's interesting to compare this with another book I've just finished, Xavier Herbert's Capricornia, a sprawling, rambling narrative that spans several generations, just like Nine Days. Herbert's story leaves few stones unturned, few characters with anything left to reveal. It has some important things to say, but it preaches a little relentlessly at times. In contrast, Toni Jordan tells us just enough about each character to make them come to life, and merely hints at issues and leaves us to make up our own minds. Nine Days has the advantage of being a book that can be read comfortably in a weekend.
Compared to Capricornia, it is just a vignette, and is all the more appealing because of its small glimpses into extraordinary moments of ordinary lives.
July 5, 2015
"Alec,you must know this. People disappear. They just go puff.Thin air. Every time you see someone, you never know if you're seeing them for the last time. Drink them in, Alec. Kiss them. It's very important. Never let anyone say good bye, even for a little while, without kissing them." Quite a way into this book, which I must admit was a slow starter for me, this quote stopped me in my tracks. has delivered quite an emotional punch, in a very clever way. Each chapter written from the view point of each of the nine main characters that make up this story. At first I wasn't too impressed with this premise. I wanted more of each character. I didn't want their story to end with the chapter and then I realised to my utter joy that it didn't. There was heartache, joy, shock, romance, secrets but mostly there was the the bond, love and strength of family. I started this novel with a bit of scepticism but have ended up totally sucked in with Jordan's powerful writing and especially her loveable, fallible, doomed but ever hopeful characters. I will miss them. And that photograph weaved into the story....absolutely priceless. Look forward to reading more from this author.
January 31, 2013
I loved this book. Jordan has such a talent for writing a book that is easy to read - I read this in just a few days - but one that is still intellectually stimulating and that contains some beautiful writing. When I began reading, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it - the book is told from the perspectives of nine different people and I had trouble engaging with the second voice in the book, Stanzi, but after that I was absolutely seduced. I especially liked the way that Jordan shows us the character of Connie through the eyes of all the other characters, but doesn't let us into Connie's mind or give Connie a voice until right at the end, after we know Connie's fate. It made the ending just so much more bittersweet.
January 20, 2016
I was delighted to discover this new book from Toni Jordan because it’s a departure from her two previous romantic comedies, signalling that Jordan is an author who’s interested in experimenting with different styles of writing. I enjoyed both the Miles Franklin shortlisted Addition and Fall Girl (see my review) but Nine Days is historical fiction with cross-over into the present. Like the ‘rom-coms�, it also tackles social issues. Nine Days is a poignant exploration of the ties that divide and bind communities, and of social mobility.
Written in nine chapters by nine different voices from the Westaway family, the novel was inspired by the photograph that’s on the front cover. To see how this writing school cliché has been transformed into a compelling narrative is amazing. Since the novel is structured to disrupt chronology, the reader doesn’t learn who the two lovers are until near the end of the book, and the photo itself is almost forgotten. It’s so well done�
To see the rest of my review please visit
Written in nine chapters by nine different voices from the Westaway family, the novel was inspired by the photograph that’s on the front cover. To see how this writing school cliché has been transformed into a compelling narrative is amazing. Since the novel is structured to disrupt chronology, the reader doesn’t learn who the two lovers are until near the end of the book, and the photo itself is almost forgotten. It’s so well done�
To see the rest of my review please visit
March 16, 2015
Nine Days is actually quite a simple story although using so many narrative voices and moving back and forth in time makes it more complex and quite challenging to read. Some of the nine family members who tell the story are more successful than others and I was sometimes frustrated when a character's voice disappeared from the narrative. However, despite these quibbles this is an enjoyable cross-generational Australian story.
November 9, 2012
Nathaniel Hawthorne is credited with having said "Easy reading is damn hard writing."
Toni Jordan has worked as a copywriter, amongst other things, which has no doubt helped her wordsmithing and this is indeed an easy read. Toni says in her acknowledgements at the back of this novel, "I'm not one of those writers who have ideas banked up like circling planes awaiting their turn to land. My creative brain is more like a desert across which the odd ball of tumbleweed occasionally rolls." You would never know this from her writing. She conceals it well.
Toni has written two previous novels - Fall Girl and Addition - romantic comedies and to an enthusiastic reception.
This novel veers from romcom into more serious territory. It appealed to me because it dealt with both family and history - two favourite topics of mine - and in a non-linear fashion. Each of the nine chapters is told from the point of view of family members across three generations. Pretty neat. Kind of a "A Day in the life of..."
You won't necessarily like every character but that's okay - you don't have to put up with them for too long. And yes we are dealing with serious topics here but Jordan's wit is ever present. It has been described as spiky - a bit acerbic and typically Australian in its often self-deprecating quality.
I think Toni tied up the loose ends very well and very sympathetically. She has managed to paint a picture of wartime Australia and all its social mores as well as giving some insight into contemporary social mores - something not easy to do when you're in the thick of it, so to speak.
This novel won't change your life but it will make you think a bit about what your "own momentous transformative day" might have been.
Toni Jordan has worked as a copywriter, amongst other things, which has no doubt helped her wordsmithing and this is indeed an easy read. Toni says in her acknowledgements at the back of this novel, "I'm not one of those writers who have ideas banked up like circling planes awaiting their turn to land. My creative brain is more like a desert across which the odd ball of tumbleweed occasionally rolls." You would never know this from her writing. She conceals it well.
Toni has written two previous novels - Fall Girl and Addition - romantic comedies and to an enthusiastic reception.
This novel veers from romcom into more serious territory. It appealed to me because it dealt with both family and history - two favourite topics of mine - and in a non-linear fashion. Each of the nine chapters is told from the point of view of family members across three generations. Pretty neat. Kind of a "A Day in the life of..."
You won't necessarily like every character but that's okay - you don't have to put up with them for too long. And yes we are dealing with serious topics here but Jordan's wit is ever present. It has been described as spiky - a bit acerbic and typically Australian in its often self-deprecating quality.
I think Toni tied up the loose ends very well and very sympathetically. She has managed to paint a picture of wartime Australia and all its social mores as well as giving some insight into contemporary social mores - something not easy to do when you're in the thick of it, so to speak.
This novel won't change your life but it will make you think a bit about what your "own momentous transformative day" might have been.
January 11, 2020
This book. Loved it so much. Written in an unusual but purposeful way the story is told through the eyes of nine family members about a momentous or pivotal day in their life. The characters are all interrelated and the reader is drawn into how they are all connected by the different time frames and experiences that span across three generations. Inspired by a photograph (front cover) from the State Library of Victoria's Argus newspaper collection of war photographs Toni Jordan named the two fictitious people Connie and Jack and created the story from them. There is so much warmth, humour and much love in this novel with each chapter cleverly building the momentum. It captures the second world war era of rations, of telegrams and heartbreak and also the people, sounds and features of Melbourne at that time. The backstreets of Richmond, the physical and cultural divide between the suburbs of Richmond and South Yarra and the hard choices that women often had to make as they were left running families and businesses on their own. Well researched and so beautifully written with many messages to take away.
Love this quote from Grandpa Kip to his grandson Alec " Alec. You must know this. People disappear. they just go puff. Thin air. Everytime you see someone, you never know if you're seeing them for the last time. Drink them in, Alec. Kiss them. It's very important. Never let anyone say goodbye, even for a little while, without kissing them. Press your lips against the people you love. Hands, they can touch anything. Open doors, hold cameras, hang clothes on the line. It's lips that matter" .
Love this quote from Grandpa Kip to his grandson Alec " Alec. You must know this. People disappear. they just go puff. Thin air. Everytime you see someone, you never know if you're seeing them for the last time. Drink them in, Alec. Kiss them. It's very important. Never let anyone say goodbye, even for a little while, without kissing them. Press your lips against the people you love. Hands, they can touch anything. Open doors, hold cameras, hang clothes on the line. It's lips that matter" .
August 22, 2020
Nine Days by Toni Jordan is a non linear story that focuses on the experiences of Westaway Family. This book has an intriguing combat by following the family and over the course of different time period ranging from WW2 to 9/11 and showing the different perspectives of family members. However, while at a great concept the chapters themselves are inconsistent with some ranging from amazing, mediocre to just bad.
While having good ideas and at times good execution the inconsistency in the quality of writing weigh down the book from a higher rating.
While having good ideas and at times good execution the inconsistency in the quality of writing weigh down the book from a higher rating.
June 6, 2020
I found the book a bit boring at the start. Felt that it got better and better down the track.
Kip's advice to his grandchild, Alec is so touching and the story of Kip's sister -Connie- is so sad that it could make one cry.
I would give 4 if the book did not make me feel so sad at the end.
All in all, it is a sad but not a bad book!
Kip's advice to his grandchild, Alec is so touching and the story of Kip's sister -Connie- is so sad that it could make one cry.
I would give 4 if the book did not make me feel so sad at the end.
All in all, it is a sad but not a bad book!
February 11, 2020
Nine voices from one family tell their story as well as that of their family. Each an individual contribution that adds to the overall tale of four generations.
June 24, 2022
Ended up enjoying this a bit more than I expected. The way it was written was slightly jarring at first but it ended up settling nicely and I liked it.
August 21, 2012
I recently joined The Digital New Zealand Fan Club - a Tumblr where people who love searching the historical content on Digital NZ share their favourite finds. Scrolling through pages of old photos I often wonder about the stories behind the photos.
Author Toni Jordan had a similar experience before writing Nine Days; while searching through the State Library of Victoria’s Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs she came across the photograph now shown on the cover of her novel.
She says, “The photograph, taken during the war at a railway station in Melbourne, was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen. I stuck it over my desk but for a long time I thought I’d never find a story to fit: grand and sweeping, but also intimate and fragile. Then one day, I just knew…�
The story Jordan creates is about Connie and Jack � the story of how they met, their families, and growing up and surviving during the war. It’s a family story of survival, of what’s important and how the decisions we make can affect our family for generations to come.
Told through nine chapters, or ‘days�, Jordan uses the nine central characters closest to Connie and Jack to piece together their story. Well written in a very readable style that is descriptive but not lyrical, I quickly became engrossed and returned to the book at every opportunity eagerly wanting to unravel this ordinary family’s history.
Jordan is a master of character � although none of the characters had time to become particularly developed (given they only ‘owned� a chapter each) I felt I knew each one. Within a couple of sentences I knew Francis wasn’t the type of person I’d like and Alec’s chapter was so aptly descriptive of a teenage boy that I felt repelled by it. A scene in a health food shop where wholesome Charlotte served an IKEA mother was so well played that I could instantly picture the relationship between these two women from different worlds, yet Jordan resisted the urge to cast aspersions on either’s life choices.
Nine Days will appeal to the masses. It’s descriptive but not literary, character-filled but easy to follow and the fragments of history and family ‘clues� throughout the book are easy to put together and tie into a satisfying end.
Author Toni Jordan had a similar experience before writing Nine Days; while searching through the State Library of Victoria’s Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs she came across the photograph now shown on the cover of her novel.
She says, “The photograph, taken during the war at a railway station in Melbourne, was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen. I stuck it over my desk but for a long time I thought I’d never find a story to fit: grand and sweeping, but also intimate and fragile. Then one day, I just knew…�
The story Jordan creates is about Connie and Jack � the story of how they met, their families, and growing up and surviving during the war. It’s a family story of survival, of what’s important and how the decisions we make can affect our family for generations to come.
Told through nine chapters, or ‘days�, Jordan uses the nine central characters closest to Connie and Jack to piece together their story. Well written in a very readable style that is descriptive but not lyrical, I quickly became engrossed and returned to the book at every opportunity eagerly wanting to unravel this ordinary family’s history.
Jordan is a master of character � although none of the characters had time to become particularly developed (given they only ‘owned� a chapter each) I felt I knew each one. Within a couple of sentences I knew Francis wasn’t the type of person I’d like and Alec’s chapter was so aptly descriptive of a teenage boy that I felt repelled by it. A scene in a health food shop where wholesome Charlotte served an IKEA mother was so well played that I could instantly picture the relationship between these two women from different worlds, yet Jordan resisted the urge to cast aspersions on either’s life choices.
Nine Days will appeal to the masses. It’s descriptive but not literary, character-filled but easy to follow and the fragments of history and family ‘clues� throughout the book are easy to put together and tie into a satisfying end.
July 23, 2016
It wasn't that I didn't like this, I did, it's just that there was great potential for it to be more engaging if the connections between people were a bit less explicit. The narration was interesting but always changing between characters meant it was harder to care too much about any one person. That said it is well written and very easy to read, and I liked it enough to pass it along to other people.
December 30, 2018
Read in one voracious insomniac sitting, this is perfectly balanced book about family. Ricocheting through time, we learn about how one family weathered the war, with an utterly believable mix of hurting each other and providing shelter. In the end, this is a story about the triumph of family love, even when what it is triumphing over is family-induced. But we also see how communities storm and form. I particularly admired the treatment of death as something both tragic and survivable, and that emotional resolution is not coupled to solving all of any characters problems. Along the way, there is just great little slices of life, making the various time periods come alive in distinct ways.
November 8, 2019
I struggled a bit to get into the story, but by the time I had started making the connections and joining the dots I realised what a clever, interwoven plot Toni Jordan has written. I loved the subtle threads that were sometimes connected by only a short phrase or action and loved the themes that ran through the individual stories. And now, as I wrote this, I have just noticed the front cover and it has made me cry!
November 1, 2021
2.5 stars, rounded up. Disappointing. Given the set-up (anonymous WW2 photo) I'd expected more. The last 20% is good, but the rest is pretty dull. I've read/seen the minutiae of family life a zillion times - most writers can build drama from everyday events, but this time the writer failed, at least until the end.
May 11, 2022
3.5** The only school novel I’ve ever thoroughly enjoyed.
February 18, 2023
Favourite to least favourite of the main characters (the only correct ranking):
* Connie
* Kip
* Jean
* Charlotte (because she didn't actually do what was at the end of her chapter)
* Jack, Annabel (bros are boring)
* Alec
* Stanzi
* Francis
* Connie
* Kip
* Jean
* Charlotte (because she didn't actually do what was at the end of her chapter)
* Jack, Annabel (bros are boring)
* Alec
* Stanzi
* Francis
November 14, 2012
This book moves away from her first two (Addition previously reviewed here, and Fall Girl which I believe is in a similar style but I haven’t read it yet). It was inspired by the photo that features on the cover, of a woman being hoisted on someone’s shoulders in order to be able to kiss a uniformed man hanging out of a departing train. We don’t know exactly the connection until near the end: Ms Jordan has developed a complex family and circumstances that finally come together in current time but harking back to the war (WWII) era of the photograph.
I wasn’t sure in the first chapter that the book was going to work for me. First chapter, beautifully created, is the world of a 14 year old boy (Kip) circa 1939, complete with Australian slang, working class Catholic ideology and a strong sense of place in the grimy surrounds of central Melbourne. It was well done, just not my thing. I nearly didn’t continue, but cast my eye over the next chapter as I closed the book and realized that she jumps into the future, current time, with a narrative from the first character’s daughter. This character is pure Jordan; funny, quirky and troubled. Luckily she decides being a counsellor is not for her. Many equally troubled soldier on�
Each chapter is from a different point of view, both Kip’s daughters, a grandson, his brother, his sister, his wife. It jumps between people and time but the thread is strong and easily followed. There are the triumphs and tragedies, a little predictable but nicely done without too much schmaltz and enough left to the imagination. Some characters I thought were stronger than others, but overall it’s a wonderfully woven tale of Melbourne from the last war until now, all inspired by a photo of unknown people whose real history has been lost in time.
I wasn’t sure in the first chapter that the book was going to work for me. First chapter, beautifully created, is the world of a 14 year old boy (Kip) circa 1939, complete with Australian slang, working class Catholic ideology and a strong sense of place in the grimy surrounds of central Melbourne. It was well done, just not my thing. I nearly didn’t continue, but cast my eye over the next chapter as I closed the book and realized that she jumps into the future, current time, with a narrative from the first character’s daughter. This character is pure Jordan; funny, quirky and troubled. Luckily she decides being a counsellor is not for her. Many equally troubled soldier on�
Each chapter is from a different point of view, both Kip’s daughters, a grandson, his brother, his sister, his wife. It jumps between people and time but the thread is strong and easily followed. There are the triumphs and tragedies, a little predictable but nicely done without too much schmaltz and enough left to the imagination. Some characters I thought were stronger than others, but overall it’s a wonderfully woven tale of Melbourne from the last war until now, all inspired by a photo of unknown people whose real history has been lost in time.
November 17, 2019
WOW! This was fantastic!
I have to say, judging by the cover (I know I shouldn't but I always do!), I would never have selected this to read, but it came highly recommended by a colleague, and how glad I am that I took her advice.
'Nine Days' is told from the POV of each of the 9 characters, each of them narrating the happenings of one particular, significant day in their life, from the laneways of Richmond as Australia is preparing for war to present day.
This style of writing can sometimes become messy and irritating, but Toni Jordan has crafted this story beautifully. The individual pieces of this story all begin to fit together seamlessly, like a lovingly handmade quilt, wrapping you in warmth and emotion as the lives and secrets of these wonderful characters unfolds.
Tears, laughter... absolutely beautiful - I loved this one!
I have to say, judging by the cover (I know I shouldn't but I always do!), I would never have selected this to read, but it came highly recommended by a colleague, and how glad I am that I took her advice.
'Nine Days' is told from the POV of each of the 9 characters, each of them narrating the happenings of one particular, significant day in their life, from the laneways of Richmond as Australia is preparing for war to present day.
This style of writing can sometimes become messy and irritating, but Toni Jordan has crafted this story beautifully. The individual pieces of this story all begin to fit together seamlessly, like a lovingly handmade quilt, wrapping you in warmth and emotion as the lives and secrets of these wonderful characters unfolds.
Tears, laughter... absolutely beautiful - I loved this one!
June 23, 2018
Another book from the VCAA English text list. Very accessible. Moving and interesting. Set in Richmond in the 1930’s-50’s. Dialogue is overdone and unrealistic in parts, particularly for the chapters narrated by the younger characters with some dated references. Seems too easy though? Could be a Year 10 text. Themes are: class, gender roles, hope, grief...need to think of some potential questions...narrated by different characters from the same family...travels back and forth in time.
August 24, 2012
I really liked this. When I saw it in the bookshop today with one of those 'women's weekly love it or get your money back' stickers, I have to admit I questioned my judgement as they are not the kinds of books I tend to like - but seriously Nine Days is so beautifully crafted, I stick by my initial response. Definitely my favourite Australian novel this year...
January 22, 2021
Re-read this for work and I loved it so much more the second time.
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