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Loaded Hearts
Product Description
A heart-warming tale of the chaotic 1970s. Young men fight in the Vietnam War. Young women fight for Women’s Lib. They squat in council houses while they fight for the homeless. They fall in and out of love and travel the world.
Tommo’s marble comes up and he goes to Vietnam. Maxine follows the hippie trail to Bali, London, Morocco and Venice, always waiting for news of her lover. Loaded Hearts explores their lives in a society of rapid social change, where jobs are plentiful, travel is cheap and love is free. Or is it? Surrounded by characters such as Geordie Jack and Polythene Pam, Maxine and Tommo discover what's important in life, only to lose it all too soon.
Besides being a great Book Club read, this book is useful for Modern History with its dynamic re-telling of the Vietnam War. It is also interesting for courses in Gender Studies, Sociology, Cultural Studies and Popular Culture.
- Stories from the 1970s
- Reminiscent of Helen Garner’s early work
- Linked to university courses
- Modern History, Gender Studies and Creative Writing
- Bookended by Vietnam then and now
- More than chic-lit
Other Details
Product Reviews
Showing reviews 1-10 of 22 | Next
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A Rollicking Good Read
Posted by Elayne on 4th Oct 2011
I absoultely loved 'Loaded hearts' what a great rollicking read it is! xx
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A Tidy Ending
Posted by Naomi on 28th Aug 2011
Just finished Loaded Hearts! I really enjoyed it! I can imagine all the research you had to do to make all the circumstances, sights and scenes credible. Building an atmosphere for your characters in situ is made up of tiny descriptive details and nuances that lend it credibility as you know very well and you certainly achieved this.
I thought the ending was a bit too tidy...if only life were really like this. However, its kind of soothing and uplifting even though it might not be realistic. Better ending than Maxie's rag trade business going downhill and her having to move back to Oz for health reasons and living in a western suburbs dangerous neighborhood in a run down unit... and Thommo alone drinking himself to death never having found each other again. Mai Thi turning up with the bracelet ...pure fantasy! Still thats what some novels are for, to leave us feeling happy and that alls well that ends well! Thanks for the read!!
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Turn off the TV and Read this Book!
Posted by Laurie on 15th Jan 2011
Mr. H who is VERY critical of books wanted me to write to tell you that he really likes "Loaded Hearts." I have had to turn off TV so he can peacefully finish reading it. I think he relates to Tommo and Vietnam even tho he didn't have to serve in Vietnam himself. He was in the military at the time and trained pilots for Vietnam.
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Great Suspense
Posted by Rosie on 12th Jan 2011
Thank you for the lovely book.. I finished it in two days, a very readable book. Suspense with what happened to Tommo, I almost thought he’s died. I guess that was the effect you wanted. Such a lot was from our times, I was in England in ‘72 but didn’t have quite as rough a time as Maxine!!!!!
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A Great Ending
Posted by Olivia on 10th Jan 2011
I finished your book this afternoon.
I enjoyed it very much. When I got to the end of the second book, I was much interested in how you would finish it. Book endings are often disappointing.
Yours wasn't.
I was very impressed with the detail, which made your story so authentic.
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A Real Winner
Posted by Laurie on 2nd Jan 2011
I finished your wonderful book this morning, and now I feel kind of let down since I lived with Maxie and Tommo for the past few days and hated to say goodbye to them when I reached the last page. It was such an absorbing read.
I truly was blown away with so many aspects of your work. I had a hard time putting it down, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, you added a new twist to the plot and the characters.
Besides being such a compelling book, I was awed by the details you used so well, without bogging things down. How did you do the research to capture so many locations so realistically? The book brought me back to the 1970s and I kind of relived the era as I followed Maxie and Jules. The war, the pill, free love and the drug culture changed all who lived through that period. I wonder what your sons thought about it? I bet they didn't believe their mom knew so much, did so much or was so cool. It was a different time.
You are a wonderful writer and you should have great commercial success. Your story and writing are original, and the use of the present tense gives it a more urgent and exciting pace. I loved it. I hope you can find the time and energy to do it again. I know how much a project like this consumes you. I also loved the way you used poems from Vicki Viidikas.
Your book really is a winner and makes people wake up and think.
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Thank you
Posted by Gill on 31st Dec 2010
Thank you so much for the book. I am proud to call you my friend and what a clever and brave friend you are.
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Highly publishable
Posted by Christine on 28th Dec 2010
I just wanted to let you know I've read Loaded Hearts. Basically I had to read it at one sitting because it was such a gripping narrative. Quite a few times I found my eyes filled with tears. The book has left me with a lot to think about. There were many subtleties and the ending was surprising and satisfying.
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More Depth than I Expected
Posted by Jenny on 24th Dec 2010
Hi Adrienne, many thanks for writing Loaded Hearts. I was surprised to find that the book had much more depth than I expected. It explored some serious themes, war, feminism, homelessness, racism and lots more, and it gave me lots of food for thought. It was also a delight to read - I loved it and didn't want it to end. I wanted to know what happened to the characters after I put the book down - a sequel, perhaps?
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A Great Holiday Read
Posted by Jodie on 1st Dec 2010
LOVED your book read it in 9 days whilst on holiday in Fiji.
Showing reviews 1-10 of 22 | Next
