I couldn't put this book down. It's going to stay with me a long, long time. Her descriptions of suburban Melbourne life in the eighties hit me over the head like a hammer. Likewise her sense of herself, or lack of it, as a teenager and young adult. There were times I felt she was describing MY mind, not hers. Magda is much, much braver than I. I find myself wanting to sit down with her and have a long, long talk about things. That and cry. A lot.

If you're the child of European immigrants, you should read this book. If you've ever felt like a square peg in a round hole, read this book. If your political convictions have ever come up against an immovable barrier of conscience, read this book. If you've never experienced war first-hand, read this book. If your sexuality has, even just occasionally, seemed like some strange elusive thing and you've spent too much time worrying "What the fuck AM I?" read this book.

Look, just read the fucking book. ( )

Great book of history, family and revelatory truths. ( )

This was an interesting read, but I don't normally read autobiographies. I read this only because I had a VCE student studying it as I tutor VCE English, amongst other subjects. There were three pages of endorsements for this text, which, to me, I thought was a little overrated. ( )

a beautiful, well-written search through her own Scottish, Polish, gay-not-gay life ( )

There was a clear generational divide in views with this month’s read. Our over 60s found Magda to be noticeably self-absorbed and indulgent in the telling of her story. Most felt it a result of therapy sessions and although interesting and in some ways topical, it lacked the punch and depth to really engage.
Those in the younger (albeit, not by much) category found Magda to be quite stimulating and thought-provoking. They found she came across resilient and easily relatable. Her struggle with her sexuality and father’s history took precedent over her career milestones, which enhanced the story for some but proved a weakness for others.
There were comments surrounding Magda’s father/daughter relationship and whether she was able to come to terms with what she knew of his involvement in the Warsaw resistance. This obviously made a strong impression on her as a child, and may have halted their relationship in a number of ways. Was the writing of Reckoning her means of dispelling the demons left by such knowledge? Some believed so, but also believed that it was unsuccessful to the point of reconciliation. “She still appears a troubled and confused woman” was one comment.
We found ourselves in lively conversation about the distinction between generations and parenting styles, and of course the highly publicised discussion on same-sex relationships. As a club we don’t tend to read many biographies, so for a genre shift it proved an interesting reading exercise which resulted in an even more interesting conversation. Thank you ladies, it’s been another great year! ( )