Sydney's Song
Sydney's Song
Ia Uaro
An undefeatable heroineâ¦
Olympic fever runs high in the Australian summer of 1999 and 17-year-old Sydney has caught it. Little does she know taking a holiday job in the beehive that is the Olympics' public-transport call centre will be life altering. Shaken by her parents' divorce, the sheltered Aussie is further plagued by abusive callers, obnoxious government agencies, constrictive office rules, and liberated friends. She is trying to negotiate these challenges as her own personal Olympics when Pete finds her.
A hero to live forâ¦
Pete, Boston's former child prodigy whose soothing voice floats across her workstation, sees through Sydney's tough outer shell. Pete knows what it takes to present a dignified front when all you want to do is howl at the moon. Treating their friendship like an art, he invests time and creative effort to pull Sydney out of her despair.
A love no reader will ever forgetâ¦
Tragedy strikes when an accident leaves Pete with a major brain injury in a Boston hospital. When the going gets very, very tough, will you abandon the one who has promised to love you until he dies?
Set in Sydney and Boston where heartbreaks are juxtaposed with Sydney's sense of humour, SYDNEY'S SONG is a young girl's courageous journey to adulthood. A work of fiction based on true stories and real events, this novel with an Australian accent also shows the world that living with disabilities does not prevent a person from attaining happiness.
An excerpt“To Pokolbin Prison, please,” requested a woman in a very weak, barely audible low voice I could well relate to. A vision came to me of a gaunt, sickly, very depressed lady.
I worked out her travel plan. She had to catch a bus, two trains, and a bus again, for a three-hour journey. Then she asked, “How much would it cost for a pensioner and a three-year old?”
Tears gathered in my eyes. A poor young mother with a young child trying to visit her worthless husband at Christmas!
And she was not alone. “To John Moroney Prison, please,”
said a miserable mother.“To Silverwater Correction Centre, please.” A sad girlfriend.
“To Long Bay Jail, please.” A wretched daughter.
Long-suffering souls requested travel plans for Lithgow Jail, Parklea Jail, Goulburn Jailâyou name it.
Come to think of it, there was hardly a male caller wanting to visit a female prisoner. Either the men did not use public transport or they didn't bother to visit. What did this tell you?
PETER FITZSIMONS: “Strong characters, evocative writing⦔
IRINA DUNN: “SYDNEY'S SONG is intelligent, touching, interesting and funny.”
JACOB COATES: “A fantastic love story grounded quite firmly in a suburban setting with real characters.”
NORMA FOWLER: “Riveting⦠a young woman who is very keenly perceptive in all people and situations about her.
MARY METCALFE: “Haunting.”
MATT POSNER: “SYDNEY'S SONG demonstrates the way in which human beings can thrive under adversity using the power of their hearts and wills.”
MERLENE ALLISON: “Tears fill your eyes as she struggles with disaster only to be replaced with pride as she triumphs over each obstacle”
WENDY STRACHAN: “A proper love story with true sentiment but not sentimental. Just lovely.”
UVI POZNANSKY: “I was too busy laughing and crying at every twist and turn of this story.”
J. LENNI DORNER
:
“Wonderful and compellingâ¦The exploration of the dynamic of the broken family was deeply moving.”
PHIL NORK: “The writing was superb, the story kept me interested and the ending touched me in ways most books don't.”
REYNA HAWK: “It really made me feel as though I was right there in Australia! Oh and the ending-”
BRENDA FRANKLIN: “Touches more than just the surface.”
SADIE DUARTE: “An in-depth look to the mental anguish caused by physical disabilities but, at the same time, gives a glimmer of hope”
BRIANNA LEE MCKENZIE: “I related to Sydney the moment I met her.”
WENDY STRACHAN: “A proper love story with true sentiment but not sentimental. Just lovely.”
DIANA WILDER: “A wonderful book that will have you smiling, weepingâand then smiling widely through your tears.”
CYPHER LX: “Balancing a full range of emotions, Ia Uaro brings Sydney and a full cast of characters to life while handling difficult situations and topics in a wonderfully delicate manner”
ALLAN WILFORD HOWERTON: “I am delighted to recommend it to adult readers who may think that they are done with all that angst of the young. My bet is that you will be pleasantly surprised, as was I.”
ANNA del C. DYE: “The best story of true love and eternal partners I've ever readâ¦beautiful, down to earth, touching, and moving”
STEPHANIE DAGG: “Hugely entertaining. Nothing is predictable in the story.”
JANET JENSEN: “Engaging⦠A grace, determination and resilience that are inspiring.”
ALICE DiNIZO: “Charming and totally realistic with first-rate characters. A believable portrait of true love”
TRUDI LoPRETO: “Calling All Romantics!â¦Sydney's Song is a winnerâ¦I wasâ¦sorry to say good-bye to her at the end of the book⦠emotionally attaching.”
FICTIONALISED TRUE STORIES. Names have been altered.
Socio fiction. Humorous fiction. Romantic fiction. Drama. Coming-of-Age. Australia.
This edition published in February 2013
First published in September 2012
Copyright © Ia Uaro 2012
Illustrations:
Vignettes by Ia Uaro
“Make Way For Ducklings” by Abbir and Will Belacqua
Cover design by Ideantity (
www.ideantity-sg.com
), drawings by Ia Uaro
Internal design by Ia Uaro
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from Ia Uaro. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
Ia Uaro
Sydney
Email:
[email protected]
Web:
sydnessong.net
ISBN 9781742982878 (ePub)
Digital edition distributed by
Port Campbell Press
Conversion by
Winking Billy
My special thanks to Irina Dunn, critic and editor extraordinaire whose vision and sharp eye finally brought me to the finish line. You are Sydney's Treasure.
To Fanu Solutions and Ideantity, many thanks for a fantastic job on my website sydneyssong.net.
A lot of love and a lot of help from my families and friends have also accompanied the journey of this story. My deepest gratitude to: Hubby. For everything.
My late father-in-law. For never giving up on hubby.
All hospital staff who looked after hubby for over 9 months. You are never forgotten, ”
surprisingly”
.
Uni
“band”
who sang by the lake. For posting up inspiring good-old-time pictures.
Charlie and Nidamus Prime. For naming the characters. You rock!
Dear darling daughter. IT support extraordinaire. Horrid taskmaster, even when falling asleep. Also for pulling me off my laptop to run around the oval.
Nobody can be more beautiful than D.Leonardo Dreoni for his input on Borgo San Lorenzo. Grazie.
My in-laws, Shaun, Jacqui, and Cynthia. For much appreciated feedback.
Fiona KW.
There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer thanâ¦
Hamda K for checking the medical facts and always being there.
Aristina, Véronique, Guido, Isw, Mark, Clive, Siobhan, Bruno and Geoff, and the stars of a constellation. Just because.
Allan Wilford Howerton. For his friendship and support, tips, and for making me laugh.
Sean Huxter, for going through my manuscript even when crunching at work.
Will Belacqua, Abbir, and Alexandra Davidoff. For donating portrait and duck illustrations.
My opinionated, supportive friends of Amazon writers' boards. I will always treasure our writerly camaraderie and learning experience with fondness.
Jacob Coates, Sarah Lane, Mary W. Walters, Faith Mortimer, Brianna Lee McKenzie, Ben Winegarner, Gary Jones, Al Boudreau, Thomas A. Knight, Hope Welsh, and Gypsy Madden. For various assistance.
And Bronson. Of course.
