All in the Blue Unclouded Weather

Book excerpt: All in the Blue Unclouded Weather begins the story of the Melling sisters, four girls growing up in an Australian country town in the post war years. Vivienne is the youngest, always the last to wear the hand-me-down clothes—after Grace and Heather and Cathy—and always longing for something new and special. But although life is hard for the Melling family and the sisters have their tiffs, this is a heartwarming and often humorous story of loyalty and affection—under blue unclouded skies. Robin Klein was born 28 February 1936 in Kempsey, New South Wales into a family of nine children. Leaving school at age 15, Klein worked several jobs before becoming established as a writer, having her first story published at age 16. She would go on to write more than 40 books, including Hating Alison Ashley (adapted into a feature film starring Delta Goodrem in 2005), Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left (adapted into a television series for the Seven Network in 1992), and Came Back to Show You I Could Fly (adapted into a film directed by Richard Lowenstein in 1993). Klein’s books are hugely celebrated, having won the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award in both the Younger Readers and the Older Readers categories, as well as a Human Rights Award for Literature in 1989 for Came Back to Show You I Could Fly. Klein is widely considered one of Australia’s most prolific and beloved YA authors. ‘Funny, thoughtful, sometimes painfully sad, this is a book that lingers long in the memory.’ Bookseller+Publisher ‘Klein again shows that she's a master of dialogue, sibling dynamics, and youthful characters at once unique and undeniably creatures of their age group. Fresh, humorous, offbeat, with a bit of nostalgia for the era of film stars and red, red lipsticks.’ School Library Journal ‘All in the Blue Unclouded Weather, Dresses of Red and Gold and The Sky in Silver Lace are such wonderful, honest, Australian stories, still relevant to readers today. The sisters are a delight to read about, their adventures are entertaining and touching.’ Bookish Manicurist ‘Klein’s attention to detail—Grace’s debutante dress, cooking disasters, coping with the O’Keefe family, cousin Isobel’s flights of fancy and her depth of insight into small town ways make this story come to life.’ ReadPlus ‘A sentimental, intimately Australian series about four loving and warring sisters that is a must-read for any Australian citizen, whether they be the ages of the sisters, or older.’ Reading Time ‘An incisive, often hilarious portrait of four sisters...Grace, Heather, Cathy, and Vivienne are distinctive and memorable...The girls’ rowdy in-fighting is fierce – exaggerated for humor but authentic; it also provides a foil for some touching final scenes that reveal their underlying loyalty and affection...it all adds up to a gritty, intriguing glimpse of a particular time and place.’ Kirkus Reviews