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Steve Gome

Steve Gome is a freelance actor and writer.

Steve Gome reviews ‘Wild Ride: The rise and fall of Cobb & Co.’ by Sam Everingham

September 2007, no. 294 01 September 2007
The history of Cobb & Co. belongs as much in the territory of folklore as it does in the annals of business. Within forty years of its inception, the company had become synonymous with coach travel in Australia, and later became the subject of a nostalgic tribute in verse by Henry Lawson. There is much ground to cover, and this book blazes new trails as it travels between the commercial and th ... (read more)

Steve Gome reviews 'A History of The Great War' by Peter McConnell

June 2008, no. 302 01 June 2008
A History of The Great War alludes to an encyclopedic work that appeared in the wake of World War I. Bound in red leather and embossed with gold, it exemplified officially sanctioned history. Peter McConnell’s recommissioning of the title is more than mere irony: it throws down a challenge to our acceptance of conventional history. His central character is a latter-day Penelope, a decent, ordina ... (read more)

Steve Gome reviews 'Lindy Chamberlain Revisited: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective' by Adrian Howe

May 2006, no. 281 01 May 2006
It took twenty-five years for the first comprehensive feminist appraisal of the Chamberlain case to be published. This speaks volumes about the thrall in which Australia was held by the Chamberlain story. Adrian Howe writes: ‘It is as if the saga so overwhelmed the national psyche that it defied feminists, left-wing activists and most trained thinkers of any ilk to make sense of it.’ She does ... (read more)

Steve Gome reviews 'Ocean Road' by Glyn Parry

December 2007–January 2008, no. 297 01 December 2007
Ocean Road ruminates on the abrupt demise of a marriage. Narrated by the only child of the union, the account is detailed and poignant. Toby, now a young adult, attempts to settle his parents’ competing claims to his allegiance, and finds himself drawn into the world of their past. Striving to represent his parents impartially, he realises that much of their story is also his. The few years sinc ... (read more)

Steve Gome reviews 'The Pepper Gate' by Genna de Bont

June 2007, no. 292 01 June 2007
Genna de Bont’s first novel draws on her experience in working with children and adults with disabilities. Her gaze is drawn to moments of human frailty, which she renders with empathy and precision. The prevailing tone of The Pepper Gate is autumnal, placing us in a profoundly reflective world, one in which the weight of the past is more pressing than the demands of the present. ... (read more)

Steve Gome reviews 'The Murrumbidgee Kid' by Peter Yeldham

October 2006, no. 285 01 October 2006
Set during the Depression, Peter Yeldham’s eighth novel follows the adventures of Belle Carson and her son Teddy. Despite having enjoyed considerable renown throughout Sydney’s bohemian enclaves, Belle’s ambitions as an actress were never fully realised. Determined that the same fate should not befall her son, she turns her back on her husband and their steady life in Gundagai to introduce T ... (read more)

Steve Gome reviews 'Shadowboxing' by Tony Birch

April 2006, no. 280 01 April 2006
Shadowboxing is a collection of discrete short stories charting the arduous journey of the narrator, Michael Byrne, from childhood to fatherhood. Living in the inner-Melbourne suburbs of Carlton, Richmond, and Fitzroy in the 1960s was for many a tough proposition – and the Byrne family is no exception. Their household is headed by an embittered alcoholic whose violent tendencies are a source of ... (read more)