Judy Croome: Author on the Prowl
Judy Croome lives, writes and reads in Johannesburg, South Africa. A novelist & poet, Judy loves cats, exploring the meaning of life, chocolate, rainy days and cats (who already appear to have discovered the meaning of life.) Visit Judy on www.judycroome.com or join her on Twitter @judy_croome
Review: Salvation Jane by Ann Massey
An interesting, engaging book about the homeless in Australia and the emotional awakening of a woman called Jane Patterson. After a run of bad luck Jane inherits a hotel, but finds that not all inheritances are what one expects. The gift in this inheritance is that Jane begins a rewarding journey, along the way learning to help others.
Jane and her homeless are likeable characters one can sympathise with; the lines between good and bad are clearly drawn, and as Jane's eyes are opened to a new view, it's hard not to be pleased that Jane's journey is turning her into a more mature, compassionate person - it's this that makes SALVATION JANE a realistic and hard-hitting story, but with a hopeful edge.
SALVATION JANE is a thought provoking book, with interesting character development and a strong message about political agendas that are for the politicians' benefit and not the benefit of the people they serve.
Although set in Australia, I found the similarities to the plight of the homeless living in broken down apartment blocks here in Johannesburg eerily familiar. Thus, SALVATION JANE is a story that's uniquely Australian and yet it deals with a universal theme that most readers will be able to relate to.