Reviewed by Ian Lipke
A charming story in many respects. Stella Quinn pens the tale of a young schoolteacher newly appointed to a school. Her focus of interest is students in years nine and ten. Filled with trepidation Felicity Miles had heard unpleasant things about the principal Nigel McKinlay, and although Felicity was blessed with considerable experience in outdoor pursuits, one in particular, a failed marriage, had led to a massive loss of self-confidence. She was no match for the arrogant school principal.
From snippets of information that Felicity lets drop and from insights that her family reveals, we can build a substantial picture of a leader among women who has lost her confidence. To draw such a contrast and to sell it with conviction requires a writing skill of a high order. Stella Quinn convinces her readers that she does possess such a skill. Having read the text, I found myself stopping to remember that this character who was frustrating me so much was a figure created by the author to serve a particular purpose. Such a girl would be highly regarded given that she could offer science and tennis.
Readers might find it unacceptable that a school principal would allocate classes to young inexperienced staff who possess no knowledge of a particular subject. Quinn is confirming current practice in a minority of schools where various principals will take what fully professional school leaders regard as nefarious practices in the hope that promotional outcomes may be theirs.
The unmarried father in this story (Luke) represents all that is good about family life. He makes mistakes, particularly in regard to the bringing up of his son, Jace. Other children appear in Luke’s family, but the author opts to keep their input small. Jace had an accident and Luke’s been trying to keep him safe from everything, driving Jace crazy. When a move to a dilapidated farm brings a chance at healing, Luke takes it despite the fact that it means fly-in-fly-out work and living with his interfering sister, Sal.
An important social initiative was the Clarence Tennis Club, in practical terms, The Tennis Ladies Club. While the men were not excluded, it was the women who saw to it that the club made its presence felt. When it becomes known thar Felicity might have a stalker it is the women who address the issue.
This is meant to be a love story, yet it is more a story of frustration, caused entirely by the female lover’s tardiness. Luke hesitated, ‘not at all’. As one should have expected, the final point of view is left to Felicity “As kooky as it seemed to be celebrating this loved-up feeling with Lukes’s son and his sister, Felicity guessed this was what made life wonderful. Family. Togetherness. Honesty”.
Rain on a Hot Tin Roof
(2026)
by Stella Quinn
HQ Fiction
ISBN: 978 1 0389 0394 5
$32.99; 404pp