bob allen
If you have ever felt uncomfortable in company; if you have ever felt uncomfortable in your skin; if you have ever felt different; then you will read about yourself. It is an amazing book. Incidently the engineering is real. I bet the quilting is too.

S Marriott
fantastic book which I read along time ago, yet can still remember. I can actually see the landscapes and town she described through the characters. Also a great story, free from cliche. I felt like I'd not only visited Australia, I's been living there for years!

DIANE SHIPLEY
this one gets my vote so far- a well-crafted read that seems to be about nothing but is really about everything- how to appreciate life for what it is and what you have. Moving, interesting and enjoyable to read (some of the other books I found somewhat harrowing, so wouldn't be favourites although brilliantly written!)

Anna Dreda
This is a rare and fresh book that speaks to the minutiae of everyday life in ways that make the heart beat faster! Full of delight, compassion and pathos, Grenville opens up the idea of perfection and looks at the ways in which it impinges upon the everyday in greater or lesser degrees. When this book was first published, two customers in my book shop, within days of each other, proclaimed it as the dullest book they had ever read, and the most fascinating book they had ever read. Intrigued by their reactions I read it for myself, and found the dullness more fascinating than I could have ever imagined! This is a real gem, and one to revisit often: the characters grow with each reading!

Penny Vincent
I chose this book a couple of years ago as "Lillian's story" was so moving. This book is wonderfully written - I related to both characters and neither of them - they are so "ordinary" and "quirky" at the same time. The setting is fascinating - the bridge really is the central character.