It took me nearly half the novel before I actually started to enjoy "Nine Days". Although only a short novel I actually struggled to read it because I kept putting it down. Interweaving the stories of nine characters from the same family over multiple generations, each gives an account of the day that changed their lives in some way. Personally, I found Kip 'sand Connie's stories the most compelling, especially Connie's which was heartbreaking.

In the end I enjoyed "Nine Days". The strong connections between the characters, the humour, the descriptions of Richmond, the different class and gender roles, the hope and the grief the characters shared, all helped to make this novel a poignant read. ( )

(8.5)This book is clever in its structure. The nine days of the title refers to nine days in the lives of nine members of one family, nine chapters in all. Each chapter is titled with the name of the narrator and takes the reader backwards and forwards through three generations of the family until we have an understanding of the events unfolding in the photo on the front cover of the book. I especially enjoyed the historical settings and characters but found the twin sisters of modern times jarring. They reminded me of the unlikable, flippant characters portrayed in ‘Fall Girl’. However overall this was a very good read. ( )

Enjoyable read. Liked reading about the history of Richmond, pre world war two as I have family that lived there then. ( )

This was quite a good read, though not great. I found I had to read it quickly so as not to lose the thread of the story.
Told by nine different characters, members of an extended family in working class Richmond, Melbourne in the period from 1939 up to almost the present day, it gives a very good insight into what life was like in those times.
However I think the author tried too hard to make it a puzzle/mystery and not enough time in "fleshing-out" her characters. Each chapter represents only one aspect of each character's life told in the first person, and as the relationships were not explained, events didn't become clear until the last chapter by Connie. This showed that what happened to her affected all the others to a great degree. This was the whole point of the story for me and for this reason I would have liked to know a lot more about her. ( )

I really liked the way this book was written. The impetus for the story appears to have been the cover picture where a young girl farewells a soldier off to fight in the war. From there Toni Jordan has taken nine people from the same extended family and each gets a chapter to tell the story of one day that made a profound impression on them or changed their life in some way. The cover picture is one of these stories. The nine characters do not tell their stories in order - the time period jumps back and forward but I did not find this confusing. We learn of each character's life through what they say and what others say about them and for me it worked well. I became really engrossed in the story, enjoyed the characters, and finished the book wanting to learn more and fill in the gaps in their lives. This is the first of Toni Jordan's books I have read. I think it may be worth trying another seeing I enjoyed this one so mcuh. ( )