Apollo and Thelma
A True Tall Tale
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3.7 • 9 Ratings
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
In Apollo and Thelma, broadcaster and lawyer Jon Faine shares a yarn that has enthralled him for forty years, taking him from Melbourne’s depression-era slums to the isolation of the outback.
Apollo and Thelma have been a constant in Jon Faine’s life for decades. As a young lawyer, he was captivated by his favourite client, the Mighty Apollo, a legendary strongman and circus star, famous for pulling trams with his teeth and having an elephant stand on him. Apollo’s sister, Thelma, on the other hand, ruthless and rugged, had survived decades running solo one of the most remote pubs in the outback until unexpectedly dying, leaving behind a complicated estate.
Befriending Apollo and immersing himself in Thelma’s estate, Jon is forced to untangle a long line of astonishing stories and episodes in our distant and recent history that keep intersecting with his own. Via the circuitous route of these two larger-than-life characters – alongside a supporting cast of characters from the world of politics, law, literature and media – Jon reflects on their stories and is inevitably forced to rethink his own.
Apollo and Thelma is a uniquely Australian story, beautifully told.
Customer Reviews
Apollo and Thelma
A fascinating and heartbreaking book. The stories of First Nation people and having their words tell their stories exposed my ignorance of basic history I should have learned at school. This interweaving of his story, their story and Thelma and Apollo’s stories is engrossing.
Apollo &Thelma
Review by Apollo’s Eldest Son: Paul Anderson
This book is Fictional especially in regard to Apollo, written by an unknowledgeable writer who was lucky to meet my father a handful of times in his youth, relying on our archival input.
The family was assured by Faine at the start of the project that the book was to be factually correct through our full inclusion in draft checking, the only reason we would contribute to it’s creation. This was removed after final draft, the family almost totally blocked from editing, despite Faine’s Trust me promise.
Faine had created a Tall tale, which was withheld to our disgust & surprise until publication. There are embellishments on many levels to suit his ill qualified narrative, despite the verified facts supplied by the family.
Apollo’s gym, living conditions, character, mind set, retrieval of items, elderly visit, funerals, author’s many interactions with Apollo; all fictional story creation.
There are numerous misquotes, time line mistakes & Apollo performance description errors. Additionally family accounts regarding Thelma were totally ignored. Yet her disgraceful death description was included, the sons totally unaware of this inclusion until the book reading! Apollo’s struggle with the closed social welfare system to regain & visit his children also disregarded.
The True story of Apollo, not present in the book, will be posted, supported by archival evidence. Our betrayal in the book creation process is also verifiable in emails & voice memos. This is not the book Faine promised our Family, one that we would be proud of, fair & accurate. At least he was honest changing the sub title from an ‘Incredible True Story’ (shown to us), to ‘A True Tall Tale.