Golly! This is SO good. Earlier this year I read "Bodies of Light", Downs second novel, and described her as a "genius". So now I have come to her first book which shows all the hallmarks of prodigious talent.

"Our Magic Hour" lacks the driving power of the well-plotted "Bodies of Light" which qualified as a page-turner. Here we have a more reflective read, a gentler pace, imbued with a sadness that, for me anyway, was infectious. The protagonist, Audrey, is a sad figure and Down writes her ennui so well it generates in the reader empathic tears. And the need for a break and a cup of tea. How many books have had that effect on you?

The book is drenched with pithy observations of setting and mood that cushion the dialogue in suddenly familiar moods or situations. The reader is drawn in. We enter place and hearts. Wondrous. ( )

I found it difficult to put a rating on this book. I hesitated to begin with as I found that the prose was a bit rigid and simplified for me.
Though after a few chapters, I was so deep in the lives of the characters that my preconceived ideas slipped away and I found myself unable to put it down.

It may seem to some that this is a book about nothing, and it could be taken that way - but it's so much more than that. This is a book about abuse, the process of greif, depression, friendship, family; the complications of, and work it takes to maintain relationship. The characters and places are still lingering in my memory.

I conneted with so many of parts of this book, and I am so impressed that this was written by a young female writer the same age as me. ( )

There are lots of things to like about this book, but more than anything I think what appealed to me most was the verisimilitude of the characters and situations - as far as my experience and memory can confirm, anyway. There's no romantic idealization of youth and relationships. Everyone's flaws are on display and in that sense I found it a rather depressing read. Sure, there's the odd glimpse of hope, but I think we readers all know that everything in the end will finish in tears. Being an Australian resident, the Sydney and Melbourne settings were very familiar to me, so much so that the story may be seen by some as a little too parochial. There are no concessions to an overseas readership and I'm not sure what Americans would make of this (probably the answer is: it won't be published in America - they're even more self centred than we are). I have no idea what triggered me to put this on my "to be read" list (perhaps recommended by Jeniwren??), but having a taste of her work I might seek out Down's other publication ("Pulse Points") if it's in my local library, ( )