Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living is a 2005

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by Australian author

Carrie Tiffany Carrie Tiffany (born 1965) is an English-born Australian novelist and former park ranger. Biography Tiffany was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and migrated to Australia with her family in the early 1970s. She grew up in Perth, Western Australi ...

. It won the 2005 Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Fiction, and was shortlisted for the 2006

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

and the 2007

Orange Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...

Description

The novel follows Jean Finnegan, a sensible and appealing young seamstress who, when the story opens in 1934, has earned a billet in the women's car at the rear of the Better Farming Train that tours Victoria, bringing agricultural science to the man-on-the-land. The rest of the train consists of 14 cars, each dedicated to some aspect of farm labour - a pig car, a cattle car, a sheep car, a wheat car, even a chicken-sexing car run by world-famous Japanese chicken-sexer Mr Ohno, whose admiration manages to unsettle Jean despite his almost non-existent English.''The Age'', 13 August 2005, review by Judith Armstrong
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Awards

* 2003 won the

Victorian Premier's Literary Award The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...

for an unpublished manuscript * 2005 won the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Fiction * 2006 shortlisted for the

Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspap ...

* 2006 shortlisted for the

* 2007 winner of the Dobbie Encouragement Award * 2006 shortlisted for the

Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction * 2007 shortlisted for the

* 2007 longlisted for the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

Notes

The novel carried the following dedication: "For T. P. S., T. E. S. & G. R. T. and with heartfelt thanks to K. J. S."

Reviews

* ''The Age'': "..a highly accomplished, adroit and funny-serious novel, which, unlike a Mallee farm, works almost perfectly." * ''Blogcritics'': "..all of Australia’s 20th-century history is here – the struggle to find a workable relationship with an ancient continent, to come to terms with its place in Asia, two world wars, the Depression, stories that are indeed not just Australian, but universal."''Blogcritics'', 24 May 2006, review by Natalie Bennett
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living 2005 Australian novels Pan Books books