Come In Spinner
Encyclopedia
Come In Spinner is an Australia
n novel by Dymphna Cusack
and Florence James
, originally published in 1951, and set in Sydney
, Australia at the end of the second World War.
The title refers to a phrase used in the Australian gambling game of two-up
.
The book tells the story of three women, Claire, Guinea, and Deb, who are co-workers in the beauty salon of an exclusive Sydney hotel. The story weaves together these characters with their familial and romantic relationships, as they struggle to manage the realities of working for the privileged upperclasses, to whom no rules apply, while their own families cope with wartime deaths and losses, rationing, government Manpower recruitment, and stiflingly conservative attitudes surrounding the role and perception of 'acceptable' behaviour of women.
The original novel was so controversial that it could only be published in abridged form. (The characters' journeys cover such topics as abortion, adultery, prostitution and rape, as well as promiscuity and the blackmarket). The book was restored to its original form by Florence James
and republished in 1987, partly due to the interest caused by the development of a television adaptation of the book. Unfortunately Dymphna Cusack
was not able to take part in this restoration or witness the renewed popularity of the novel, as she died in 1981.
In 1989-90, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
made a television mini-series based on the novel, starring Lisa Harrow
, Kerry Armstrong
and Rebecca Gibney
. It was well received by critics and audiences, and was released on DVD
in 2005.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n novel by Dymphna Cusack
Dymphna Cusack
Dymphna Cusack AM was an Australian author.Born in West Wyalong, New South Wales, Dymphna Cusack was educated at St Ursula's College, and graduated from Sydney University with an honours degree in Arts and a diploma in Education...
and Florence James
Florence James
Florence Gertrude James was an Australian author and literary agent.- Life :Born in Gisborne, New Zealand, she moved with her family to Sydney in 1920...
, originally published in 1951, and set in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia at the end of the second World War.
The title refers to a phrase used in the Australian gambling game of two-up
Two-up
Two-up is a traditional Australian gambling game, involving a designated 'Spinner' throwing two or three coins into the air. Players gamble on whether the coins will fall with both heads up, both tails up, or with one coin a head, and one a tail...
.
The book tells the story of three women, Claire, Guinea, and Deb, who are co-workers in the beauty salon of an exclusive Sydney hotel. The story weaves together these characters with their familial and romantic relationships, as they struggle to manage the realities of working for the privileged upperclasses, to whom no rules apply, while their own families cope with wartime deaths and losses, rationing, government Manpower recruitment, and stiflingly conservative attitudes surrounding the role and perception of 'acceptable' behaviour of women.
The original novel was so controversial that it could only be published in abridged form. (The characters' journeys cover such topics as abortion, adultery, prostitution and rape, as well as promiscuity and the blackmarket). The book was restored to its original form by Florence James
Florence James
Florence Gertrude James was an Australian author and literary agent.- Life :Born in Gisborne, New Zealand, she moved with her family to Sydney in 1920...
and republished in 1987, partly due to the interest caused by the development of a television adaptation of the book. Unfortunately Dymphna Cusack
Dymphna Cusack
Dymphna Cusack AM was an Australian author.Born in West Wyalong, New South Wales, Dymphna Cusack was educated at St Ursula's College, and graduated from Sydney University with an honours degree in Arts and a diploma in Education...
was not able to take part in this restoration or witness the renewed popularity of the novel, as she died in 1981.
In 1989-90, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
made a television mini-series based on the novel, starring Lisa Harrow
Lisa Harrow
Lisa Harrow is an actress, noted for her roles in British theatre, films and television.- Early life :Harrow was born in Auckland and attended Auckland University...
, Kerry Armstrong
Kerry Armstrong
Kerry Michelle Armstrong is an Australian actress on film, television, and stage. She is one of only two actresses to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year...
and Rebecca Gibney
Rebecca Gibney
Rebecca Catherine Gibney is a New Zealand born Australian actress.-Biography:Gibney was born the youngest of six children, and brought up in Wellington. She has said she wasn't so much funny as a "bit odd" as a child. "I was a bit like Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family...
. It was well received by critics and audiences, and was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2005.