Title: Poverty Lodge
Author: Gordon Pound
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishing
ISBN: 978-1788235921
Pages: 215
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Reviewed by:Anthony Avina
Pacific Book Review
Stephen Covey once said, “You can retire from a job, but don’t ever retire from making extremely meaningful contributions in life.” In author Gordon Pound’s book Poverty Lodge, the life of a retired military man who seeks out the country life of his childhood in the small island of Tasmania, and gets more than he bargained for.
In the memoir, the author describes the events leading up to his retirement from a life in the British and Australian military, and the subsequent life he lived in Tasmania. Surrounded by his wife, children, in-laws and a wide assortment of animals, the author explores a well-known poverty-stricken area of Australia and the events that would lead to his later years in life back in England, and what caused those events to transpire.
The author does a fantastic job of providing a clear, honest and thoughtful approach to the life led in Poverty Lodge. From the first days of renovating the place, the delicate balance of the living situation and the discovery of new people and encounters in the surrounding area to the particular difficulties and attempted solutions to remodeling and bringing back to life a large farm land, the author expertly crafts a memoir that speaks to the courage to fight for a dream.
This is a book for anyone who enjoys memoirs, biographies, and tales from Australia, particularly Tasmania, and the effort to make a life on the often harsh environment of the area. The author did a great job of bringing a personal touch to the narrative while also diving deep into the intricate details surrounding farm life and working the land, so to speak.
A short yet engaging read, author Gordon Pound’s book Poverty Lodge is a powerful read which takes readers on a journey of hope and dreams, and showcases that while not all dreams turn out the way we imagine, the pursuit of those dreams makes it all worthwhile. Heartfelt, personal and memorable, this is a positively human and relatable story of family and the life we often envision for ourselves, and the reality of those situations. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
