The Last Of The Bonegilla Girls is another interesting read from author Victoria Purman. The book was a story full of interesting characters who held their own spotlight in the story.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley

My Thoughts

‘They had been friends when they were young, when they were able to celebrate the freedoms of a new life in Australia, thrown together by the circumstance of being at Bonegilla at the same time.’

The Last of the Bonegilla Girls is the tale of four girls from different backgrounds and their friendship over a lifetime. It is a heartwarming, yet at times, heartbreaking tale which spans not only their generation, but introduces the next as well. It begins at the Bonegilla migrant camp and then follows them through their lives after their departure, as they embark on a new post war life in Australia. These girls remain friends and, apart from letter writing, share a few reunions over the years as well.

What I appreciated most about this story was the research. I have not read a great deal about this time period in Australia and really appreciated not only the history of migrants to Australia at this particular time period, but I felt that the author conveyed a fairly accurate portrayal of life in Australia for everyone especially during the 1950s. Even with time period jumps to the 1970s and later, although briefer, there was still a true representation.

‘The Australians … they want us to come and do all the dirty jobs, to work in the dirt and the heat and the cold, to dig underground for the Snowy, to grow their food and work in their factories. But they don’t really want us to be Australians.’

With the book spanning decades, it was therefore difficult for a satisfactory amount of detail in both person and place to be conveyed to my liking. So after the initial detail of life at the migrant camp, things jumped around quite a bit and the depth began to diminish. With the underlying theme centred around how to compliment a life that brought together the old and new, the author did a good job. I felt how the European girls were torn in their attempts to placate both culture and family with trying to assimilate into a new society.

‘Some people just don’t like new Australians’

As mentioned, there is heartbreak in this read. Maintaining the old ways brought pain and sorrow with many a secret held onto. So whilst reunions brought some joy, especially with their children and then grandchildren, there was also resignation about what could never be for them. So from this point of view, it was sad, however, there was promise for a different life in the society their children were to grown up in. All up a worthy read, especially if you are interested in this particular time period in Australian history.

‘I can’t help but think … well, I can’t help but think about what might have been. Between the two of us. The time just wasn’t right, was it?’




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

This is an emotional story set across the years from 1954 to 2018 a story of families coming to Australia for a new life but that doesn’t always come easy there are lots of bridges to cross a new language to learn and new foods to get used to, sixteen year olds Elizabeta, Vasiliki, Iliana and Frances come together in this story that endures such strength, love and friendship and such caring for each other, this one had me turning the pages feeling emotional and teary at times but also feeling fortunate to get to know these girls and the joy that they shared, I hope that you will pick this one up and also enjoy their journey.

Elizabeta and her family have arrived from Germany after being taken from their country of Hungry she has a younger sister and this family has struggled since the war and being German can sometimes make it harder for them.

Vasiliki is from a Greek family she is the only daughter, they are hard workers and are looking forward to their new lives but of course giving up the Greek life is not easy for them.

Iliana is Italian again the only daughter with three brothers they too have been through a lot during the war and making the decision to move to Australia is a big one.

Frances is Australian the daughter of the director of Bonegilla Migrant Camp where the families have arrived and Frances sets out to help these girls as much as she can teaching them English and becoming their friend, together they can accomplish much.

This is the story of a bond so strong between four girls from totally different backgrounds that lasts across years, through thick and thin, with years not getting in touch with each other but always knowing that they will be there for each other, there is a lot of heartache in these years, secrets that have been kept and although the girls move to different states the line of contact is always there. Their strength carried throughout, there is love, laughter tragedy, pain but a true friendship, and this is an emotional roller coaster that had me in tears and I am not going to forget this one for a while.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, I grew up with a lot of girls from these countries myself and it was hard for them to meld to the Aussie way but still be themselves and I counted a lot of them as my friends, thank you MS Purman for a fabulous story, this is one that I highly recommend.

This is the story of four diverse girls who develop a friendship after meeting at the Bonegilla Migrant camp. This is where ‘new Australians’ arrive after fleeing their stricken countries post WW2. We meet Frances who is the camp Director’s daughter; Vasiliki from Greece; Iliana from Italy and Elizabeta from Hungary. After Frances has a freak accident in the camp, the four 16-year-old girls become firm friends and the foundations are set for their future. This story spans not only their friendship but generations of their lives. The reader learns a great deal about the camp and of Australia’s immigration policy at the time. We learn of the sacrifices these migrants made and of the difficulties they experienced in assimilating into a new culture whilst not leaving their own behind. The women are complex, interesting and resilient. This is a fascinating insight into the history of immigration in Australia and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

This is a story about the bonds of friendship that often grow between people from different walks in life despite their differences. In The Last Of The Bonegilla Girls author Victoria Purman has written a story that beautifully intertwines Australia’s migrant history with an examination of what draws women together over time and how friendship can flow despite the barriers of distance and language.
While this story is most definitely a work of fiction, it nonetheless inspires readers to examine their own views on the world, the prejudices that we build up because of our own circumstances be they cultural, religious, racial or otherwise, or because of our misconceptions about other people’s actions. In the friendship that grows between Frances, Elizabeta, Vasiliki and Iliana we see people learning to accept each other in spite of their differences, support each other when support is needed and accept each other in spite of mistakes made.
The story is well researched, demonstrating a thorough knowledge of the migrant history of Australia and of the history of the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre near Albury. It gives readers a glimpse into life in Australia in the 1950’s and some insight into the sorts of reasons migrants have for coming to Australia to make a new life.
I found myself as absorbed in the story of the four girls, which spans half a century, as I was in the walk down memory lane to my childhood. I found this a gentle and thoughtful book and a story that made me question my own values and I loved it. Victoria Purman is to be congratulated for this one!

The Last of the Bonegilla Girls is a brand new novel (released today!) that ticks a whole lot of boxes for things I like to read - it's historical fiction, it's the story of 'ordinary' women, it's set in Australia, and written by an Australian women. Beyond this I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. What I got was a sweet and sometimes sad story that gave some insight into what it might have been like for the hundreds of thousands of 'new Australians' who came here after the Second World War.

The book starts with four young women at Bonegilla Migrant Camp - three migrants recently arrived from different parts of Europe, and the Australian daughter of the camp director. We follow their friendship from their first meetings in the camp in 1954 to the modern day, and through alternating perspective chapters we see some of the highs and lows of each woman's life.

I am a bit of a fan of story telling through alternating perspectives, and in this case I thought it worked especially well since it not only helped me to understand each woman a bit better, but I also loved how I could see the secrets they kept from each other (and, oh, there were some secrets!)

The book touched on some pretty serious issues - as you can probably imagine given what these families went through before arriving, and some of the treatment they got once they did - but in a reasonably light/superficial way. While the women were touched by some awful events, the parts of the book I found most moving were the 'ordinary' things - things like love and loss and betrayal and illness.

I thought it was interesting to see not just a 'European migrant' experience, but how that experience might have been different depending on a person's background. Also, how difficult it must have been for these young women who arrived as children or teens and grew up in a kind of a limbo between their traditional families and a new and changing Australian society.

And, of course, I loved the friendship - the way the women supported each other through difficult times, and how even if they hadn't seen each other for years they seemed to fit back together so easily.

I gave this one 3.5 stars, and would recommend it for anyone looking for a read about women's friendship that is light-ish but will still give you feels - a bit heart-warming and a little bit heart-breaking too.

Another window into Australia's history, this time with three girls from migrant families, Greek, Italian and German/Hungarian, and an Australian girl who become lifelong friends. Whilst I enjoyed this story very much, and learnt a lot about what some of these migrant families went through, the culture shock, the hanging on to their old ways, family responsibility and expectations, as well as living with things that had happened back in their old country, I also found that I felt sad throughout this story. I struggled with the fact that four of the characters weren't able to be completely happy due to their families expectations and found myself thinking time and again how much luckier we are now with being able to choose who we love and who we marry. A great read despite my feelings of sadness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for a copy in return for an honest review.

The long journey across land and ocean, then land again saw sixteen-year-old Elizabeta, her parents and little sister arrive at the Bonegilla Migrant Camp in rural Victoria, which would be their home until Elizabeta’s father found work and they could then join him. It was 1954 and there were many new Australians entering the country – Hungarians (which Elizabeta and her family were) Greeks, Italians and others for a new life. The hardship they had all encountered during the war, and the trauma of leaving their families far behind affected them all. But Australia was a new country; a new life for them.

Elizabeta soon met Frances, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the camp director, and along with two other young women, Italian Iliana and Greek Vasiliki, the four became fast and firm friends. Their friendship would last a lifetime although they each went different ways – Elizabeta and her family to Adelaide, Iliana and her family to Cooma, Frances to Sydney to train as a teacher and Vasiliki and her family to Melbourne.

The ways of the old country continued with it causing heartache to more than one of the girls. As the years flew by and their children grew, the secrets were buried deeply, their owners determined not to let them escape. But was it possible to keep dark secrets hidden for that long; over that many years? The Bonegilla girls' reunions were a joy, but could they be a heartache as well?

The Last of the Bonegilla Girls is a wonderful historical fiction novel by Aussie author Victoria Purman. The author’s notes at the end of the novel are full of interest; learning this novel (although fiction) is based in part on the experiences of her own family, plus much more information, was special. I loved the characters of the four girls; the strength and resilience they showed throughout the story and their ongoing support for each other. All in all, an excellent novel and I hope the author continues to write historical fiction. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.

This book is very insightful into the lives of our migrants when they first arrived into Australia. We live in a multicultural society and Victoria has done a marvellous job with all the research to portray how these migrants came to live in Australia and to finally call Australia home.
It starts in 1954 after the second world war. Ships full of migrants want a better life arrive in Australia and are sent to Bonegilla camp to start their new lives. This story follows the Elizabeta and her family that have arrived from Germany. Their first home is Bonegilla Migrant Camp on the banks of the Murray in rural Victoria.
Elizabeta makes good friends while staying at the camp. They are the Vasiliki who is Greek, Iliana who is Italian and Frances who is the camp’s director daughter.
This story is heartbreaking at times and you made shed a tear or two. It has all the family dramas and more. As I read this book it made me think of my own mum who came her from Germany with her mum and started life here in a camp also. The characters in this book make you realise just how hard it really is to leave your life behind in another country and to have to start again. They all tried to keep their family traditions and it was hard for the older members to change their ways.
The story continues as the Bonegilla girls leave the camp with their families and start new lives throughout Australia. They continue to remain friends even though at times it is hard and their lives are pulling them in different directions.
I was left speechless after finishing this book. It is a story that will stay with me from a very long time.
I would highly recommend this book. It is not normally and book that I would read but it had me captivated through the whole book.
Thank you, Victoria, for writing such a superb book.
“One in twenty Australians have links to Bonegilla through migration of the post-war era.”
If you are one on those people, this book is going to make you think more about how your family would have coped through their migration to Australia. I know that I rang my mum to talk to her but she was only two at the time and did not remember much and my nanna passed away many, many years ago but I know that she would not have talked about her past. She kept it all bottled up and her secrets went to the grave with her. Even as a child I remember she would talk German to other German families and friends but she would not talk German to us. As she always said “you are Australian and you speak English not German.” I must admit that I did not get on well with my nanna and I always thought she was a sauerkraut. But this book has opened my eyes more to understand her a little better.
Thank you to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.