Its no wonder that this book has received so many awards. Set in Perth, Australia in the early 50s,it takes place a former pub named The Golden Age, which has been converted into a hospice for children who have been stricken by polio. Don't start this book unless you have some time to read, as everyone in my club says they were hooked at page 2. All of the characters come to life in this funny, sad, serious, historic story. For those of us old enough to remember the days before the Salk vaccine, it will ring true. Don't miss this one.

It is 1954 and thirteen-year-old Frank Gold, refugee from wartime Hungary, is learning to walk again after contracting polio in Australia.

At the Golden Age Children's Polio Convalescent Hospital in Perth, he sees Elsa, a fellow-patient, and they form a forbidden, passionate bond. The Golden Age becomes the little world that reflects the larger one, where everything occurs, love and desire, music, death, and poetry. Where children must learn that they are alone, even within their families.

this book just didn't do it for me. Many of the reviews were excellent.....I thought the characters fell flat and there wasn't much of a story there. I was tempted to give it up 1/2 way through but stuck it out till the end. Didn't help me Sorry