I recently had Favel Parrett as a guest on my program “The Good Life” on 3MDR, and who has previously written two very popular books and this latest offering, There Was Still Love, will be equally well received, I feel certain. I loved it and really enjoyed speaking with Favel.
It is told through the eyes of two children, a boy and a girl, and takes us over many years and different countries. Although it is fiction, Favel has based many of the characters and incidents on her own family history and we had a nostalgic chat about our respective grandmothers. Favel has called on her recollections of her own grandmother to develop the characters in her book and they really do come to life.
The boy, Ludek, is living in Prague with his grandmother and grandfather, happy but yearning for his mother, a performing artist who is traveling the world in a stage show. It is heart-breaking as he sits by the phone silently begging for her to call.
The girl, Mala, lives in Melbourne with her grandparents and an uncle, who is a colourful character. The strong family link is that the two grandmothers are twin sisters, whose lives also became separated by circumstances. We hare a lovely family episode when the two sisters are united for a visit and share old memories.
We share the innermost thoughts and feelings of the two young people, with strong word pictures to describe their families and their lives.
This book reminded me of another I had enjoyed a couple of years ago… With Just one Suitcase, written by Cheryl Koenig, which recounts the story of her family history and their migration to Australia carrying only their most precious possessions in ‘just one suitcase’.
I loved Favel’s books and recommend it as tender and most enjoyable read.
THERE WAS STILL LOVE by FAVEL PARRETT ……………………
A Miles Franklin shortlisted author.
Published Hachette Australia https://www.hachette.com.au/favel-parrett/there-was-still-love
a good book, a good life 
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