In the Roaring Fifties

Name: In the Roaring Fifties
Author: Edward Dyson

The novel portrays the lives of working-class Australians during the 1950s, focusing on their struggles and triumphs. It explores themes of poverty, inequality, and social change, highlighting the contrast between the wealthy elite and the impoverished masses. Through its characters, the book sheds light on the harsh realities of everyday life, including unemployment, poor living conditions, and limited access to education and healthcare.

By Edward Dyson · First published 1956 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Romance · 24 chapters · 104,934 words

First lines

THE night was bright and cool, and the old East Indiaman moved slowly on the heaving bosom of the ocean, under a strong full moon, like a wind-blown ghost to whose wanderings there had been no beginning and could be no end -- so small, so helpless she seemed between the two infinities of sea and sky. There was no cloud to break the blue profundity of heaven, no line of horizon, no diversity in the long lazy roll of the green waters to dispel the illusion of an interminable ocean. The great crestless waves rose and fell with pulsing monotony, round, smooth and intolerably silent. It was as if the undulating sea had been stricken motionless, and the ship was damned to the Sisyphean task of surmounting one mysterious hill that eternally reappeared under her prow, and beyond which she might never pass. Suddenly the ghost faltered on the crest of a wave, fluttering her rags in the moonlight, possessed with a vague indecision. Shouting and the noise of hurrying feet broke the silence.

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In the Roaring Fifties is listed on Textopian as a novel by Edward Dyson, dated 1956 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Edward Dyson
Date: 1956 CE
Language: English
Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Romance, Drama, Social Commentary
Length: 104,934 words
Structure: 24 chapters, 2,066 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Historical Fiction — Set in the 1850s, it captures the essence of the Australian gold rush era.
Adventure — The plot revolves around the adventurous lives of characters during the gold rush.
Romance — Contains romantic subplots intertwined with the main narrative.
Drama — Explores personal and social conflicts among the characters.