In A Great Southern Land is a historical saga, it begins in Ireland and it ends in the new colony of Australia.
Kieran Clancy is a struggling poor tenant farmer in Ireland, in the 1850's he's lucky to be given a free passage and land in the new colony of Australia.
Eve Richards is an Irish servant, she's charged for a crime she didn't commit, she's sentenced to life and sent to Australia aboard a convict ship. Her journey to Australia was horrendous and the Clancy families voyage was much easier. Eve and Kieran faced many challenges in the new world and it's not easy living in such a strange place. From the farmlands of NSW, to the gold fields of Ballart and the battlefield of the Eureka stockade. It's a tale about struggle, justice, fighting for equality, and eventually finding love.
It must have been extremely difficult living in a new country, especially not by choice, being homesick and knowing they would never see Ireland again? I cant imagine being in that position, thanks to NetGalley for my copy of In A Great Southern Land and three stars from me.

I have had this book sitting on my TBR pile for a while now and I finally got to read it and I am sorry I didn’t read it earlier, this one hit the spot for me. I love a good story about earlier settlers here in Australia and this one was beautifully written with fabulous descriptions of the time and land. The characters were strong and honest with what they had been through and this was the first book from this author and I look forward to more.

The Clancy family Kieran, Liam, Eileen her husband Rory and their three sons are doing it tough in Ireland, it is 1851 and the family decide it is time to move across the world to The Great Southern Land, Australia, getting away doesn’t quite go to plan but they finally arrive in Sydney the family move to their land in Orange and Kieran stays in Sydney for a while and ends up in the goldfields, he does a bit of moving around.

Eve Richards is the daughter of the household butler she has had a good life but when her father dies her life is turned upside down, life can be very hard for a female in England in 1851 and soon she finds herself on a ship to Australia as a convict for the rest of her life, when she arrives a knight in shining armour turns up and her life is about to take a step in the right direction, she is meant to be with the kindest man on earth Kieran Clancy although it might be a while before they are together.

I really enjoyed this story there were so many struggles for Kieran and Eve and the Clancy family, Kieran ends up caught up in the terrible rebellion at the Eureka Stockade and Eve is in a shipwreck that changes her life again, but their love is never lost no matter what, this story is filled with emotions, happy, sad, anger and then so much joy, I do highly recommend this one, it was a page turner for me.

Book blurb...
From the soft green hills of Ireland to the wild Shipwreck Coast of southern Victoria, the rich farm lands of New South Wales to the sudden battlefields of Ballarat, this is an epic story of the cost of freedom and the value of love in a far-flung corner of the world where a nation sows its earliest seeds.
1851: After the death of her father, young Eve Richards is destitute. Her struggle to survive sees her deported in chains to the colony of New South Wales, penniless and alone. But here in this strange new world fortune smiles on the spirited, clever Eve in the shape of a respectable job offer that will lead to a quiet, secure life. Then the fiery and charismatic Irishman Kieran Clancy crosses her path...
For Kieran Clancy, the kindest man on earth, and his brother Liam, the promise of free passage and land in this brave new world is a chance to leave the grief and starvation of County Clare behind. But while Liam works to farm their land, Kieran has the fire of gold-fever upon him and is drawn to the goldfields of Ballarat. As tensions grow on the goldfields, and with the blood of an Irish rebel still beating through his heart, Kieran finds himself caught up in the cataclysmic events at the Eureka Stockade and faces the decision of a lifetime: whether or not, when it comes to love, blood will remain thicker than water...

My thoughts…

The hardships represented in this story fascinated me, leaving me grateful our modern day bares no resemblance to colonial Australia of the 1800’s.

For me, this story is about love and self belief. It's well plotted and realistic. My only comment is some plot elements seem too convenient. (As the title suggests, we live in a vast land and I think the ability for people to find each other—especially in the 1800's—seemed a little contrived. But, hey! It’s fiction and the story captivated me. That’s what matters. I loved all it’s characters—flawed, or not. In saying that, there may have been one I wanted to throttle back in Ireland. You will know who when you read the story.

Thank you for a great read and I look forward to the next story. Australian authors, we would be lost without you!

‘The great southern land,’ Liam said, looking at him, then laughing at his own incredible words. ‘I’m still trying to believe it.’

This is a really great story that I thoroughly enjoyed - quite the saga with both lead characters starting out in Ireland and then ending up in Australia. Firstly there is Kieran, a poor tenant farmer, who (with his family) gains free passage to the Australian colonies to farm. Then there is Eve, a servant, charged with a crime she did not commit and sent to the colonies on a convict ship. This is their story, inclusive of the challenges they faced from firstly, their time in Ireland, to adjusting to life in the colonies.

Firstly this book is a love story with a fair amount of Irish luck involved with coincidences. Still, if you enjoy historical fiction of this era, then you will revel in the times and circumstances. While some meetings were difficult to believe, you let it go as there is just so much to love about so many of these characters. There is a breadth and depth to the people you will meet and it adds a real richness to the story with a few good twists towards the end.

Secondly, this book incorporates a range of places and events highlighting many significant occurrences from history. From the harsh life in Ireland, to being onboard a convict ship, resettlement and farming in the colonies, life on the goldfields in the 1850s culminating in the momentus Eureka Stockade. I felt Mary-Anne’s retelling of key events in colonial history to be highly engaging, bringing to life what it would have been like in a wide range of scenarios. Her research and in depth presentation of the Eureka battle, especially the consequent fallout, was a certain highlight.

Finally, if you delve deeper and take into account the detail Mary-Anne has gone into, this is a tale of injustices and the fight for equality and rights. Through the story of key individuals, you are shown what it was like to love, to lose, to fight, to win, in a search for a new beginning and true love. The desire to leave behind the controlling gentry in an effort to forge freedoms in an new land.

I was thoroughly impressed and absorbed in this high quality historical drama - the story is rich and filled with emotions, all tied together with factual accounts of major historical events related to Australia’s colonial history. I highly recommend this book.

‘We’ve crossed one to be here, don’t forget,’ he said more softly now, taking her hands again, ‘for different reasons and from different worlds, but somehow we’re standing under the same sky.’




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

Stand out reading from Ms O'Connor. A story filled with attention-worthy characters who face many trying moments. Another top pick in reading.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA

This has been an interesting and at times fascinating book to read. I enjoyed getting to know Kieran and Eve, learning about the challenges they faced both before and after arriving in Australia in the mid nineteenth century.
The story is very strongly built around the Australian history of that time. There is a glimpse of early Sydney and the difficulties faced by both newly arrived convicts and the poor early settlers. There are the gold mines in both NSW and Victoria and the hardships faced by the miners trying to eke out a living in very tough conditions. There is also a strong emphasis on justice and equity.
There is a lot to like about this story because ultimately it is about hope. Unfortunately, for me, there was just too much going on - an attempt by the author to weave in as much history to the story as possible. The result is that the pacing is quite slow for much of the book. I struggled to stay interested in the story at times and it felt like a much longer book than it actually was. Having said that, it is a good story. The characters are nicely rounded and believable and I think that this was what kept me turning the pages. I wanted confirmation that all would be well and I got it in the end.

Kieran Clancy, with his family – brother Liam, sister Eileen and her husband Rory, plus their three sons were promised free passage; their destination Australia. They were given land grants and the thrill of owning their own land, not answering to anyone as they had in Ireland was a bonus they couldn’t pass up. Their lives in Ireland under English rule had been a harsh one, with starvation rampant. The 1850s saw many head to Australia, the offerings of the new world high on the lists of many.

There weren’t a lot of convicts arriving then, and those who did were destined for Tasmania. One young woman, Eve Richards, had been a naïve and grief-stricken servant girl, with the recent death of her father causing her to become an orphan. Circumstances saw her arrested and on a convict ship to Australia. Her arrival finally saw fortune shine her way, and Eve found herself once again a servant, but to a kind and cultured family in Victoria.

The Clancy family first settled in Orange in NSW and managed their farm well. Their happiness was almost complete – it would have been had Kieran chosen to join them. But he was drawn to the gold fields of Ballarat where with his mate Dave, he was determined to make his fortune before he returned to his family. But the Eureka Stockade rebellion would hit, and much blood would be lost. What would happen to Kieran and the Clancy family? And where did Eve fit in to the equation?

In a Great Southern Land by Aussie author Mary-Anne O’Connor is a rollicking tale set across continents with oppression, men’s greed, bitterness and anger, plus hope and passion lacing the way. My favourite part of the story was of the Clancy family, both in the heartache of Ireland and as they made their way into the future in Australia. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I have just finished reading this wonderful novel, but I'm not sure my heart or my nerves could have taken much more. Mary-Anne O'Connor certainly put all my emotions through the wringer and my stress levels through the roof. Everytime I put the book down saying "Oh my god, I can't read any more", my offsider would tell me, "It's only a story", "No mate, it's really not, it is so much more, I'm completely enmeshed in these peoples lives and this author is killing me!"

When we meet Eve she's a maid in a rich house, knowing from the blurb that she ends up penniless and sent to Botany Bay, I continued reading with trepidation, not wanting to get to the bad parts about why this happens. This trepidation occured on and off throughout the story, at 70 something % I actually had to do something I rarely do and skim forward to a few pages near the end just so I could see if it was going to turn out OK, even after doing this, my level of angst was high for the rest of the story, until the end, which was a wonderful ending.

Kieran and his family have many trials to work through to achieve their dreams of a new life in Australia. I loved Kieran's character, he really was a lovely guy who I felt was a little lost until he finds his 'gold'. Kieran suffers the most out of his family members, he's the main reason I wanted to put the book down so often.

Eve's story is one of terrible circumstances, circumstances that back in the 1850s occurred far too often to the lower classes, but hers is also a story of bravery in the face of all that she has to deal with.

It's hard to reconcile the Sydney I know with the one Mary-Anne O'Connor describes. "Rows of buildings painstakingly constructed from the local limestone relieved their heated skin as they passed through The Rocks but it did little to relieve the stench of humanity living in squalor. Refuse lined the steep, narrow streets and the faces that passed by were streaked with dirt, mostly workmen such as themselves... this was the convict side of town." I can't even begin to imagine having to face the kind of hardships and treatment convicts had to deal with back then, many just for stealing an apple. As with everything in this story, the depiction of the crossing in the convict ship had me completely there, on that ship with Eve and her fellow passengers, the experience was not a pleasant one, the ones who survived and were able to make a life in Australia were extremely lucky.

I've read a few books set in the gold fields and around The Eureka Stockade now, and each time I learn a little more about the history of this country, the atrocities that were carried out by order of the government and the people killed trying to defend their rights, and how the people of that time helped form the democracy we have today. "And all because men had united under the Southern Cross, that sky-flung symbol of freedom, and the Australian public and her juries had refused to allow them to be punished for doing so. For ultimately all they wanted was fairness and equality, two things they would now hopefully build this land on, giving future generations a parliament where all classes could be represented  from all nations of this earth." I think it's important we are reminded of the sacrifices our forebearers made to give us these rights and freedoms that we now take for granted.

Mary-Anne O'Connor has done an incredibly good job of bringing to life the time and the places in which this novel is set. The characters are a miriad of different people from all walks of life, some are nicer than others, but all are needed to tell this story. There are heartbreaking moments in this story, but also moments full of joy. Life in the 1850s was certainly not the easiest of times and I'm not sure I'd have survived. Though I guess just like the characters in this story, none of us know how strong we are and what we are capable of until we are put in situations that require us to be, "This great southern land was wild and unpredictable, sometimes savage, sometimes beautiful  but like anywhere there was opportunity, if you sought to find it." 

This is the second book by Mary-Anne O'Connor I've read, War Flower was also a heartbreaking but fabulous read, I have Gallipoli Street sitting on my shelf and once I get over the emotional experience of In a Great Southern Land, I will be making time to read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me a digital copy to review.

‘This was opportunity. A fresh start in a new game. A chance.’

In 1851, the Clancy family of County Clare are offered free passage to Australia, and the promise of land to farm. Kieran, his brother Liam, their sister Eileen, her husband Rory and their children will travel together. It’s an opportunity for a new start, away from the poverty and famine, away from landlords.

In 1851 (in Liverpool, England), young Eve Richards loses first her father and then her position. Her struggle to survive sees her arrested, convicted and transported to New South Wales. A chance encounter with Kieran Clancy in Parramatta sees Eve assigned to a good position with a Captain and his wife.

Kieran is restless, and gold-fever draws him from the farm to the Victorian goldfields. He’s destined to meet Eve again, and perhaps they’ll have a life together. But kind-hearted Kieran, trying to help a mate, finds himself caught up in the events of the Eureka Stockade. And Eve, thinking him lost, is shipwrecked while sailing to Adelaide.

If you want to know how it all ends, then you’ll need to read it for yourself. It’s a lovely story in which both coincidence and luck have a part to play. If you enjoy historical fiction set in colonial Australia, then you may wish to add this novel to your reading list. While some aspects of the story worked for me better than others, I enjoyed Ms O’Connor’s depiction of events and places. And I always enjoy a (mostly) happy ending.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HQ Fiction for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reading copy of In a Great Southern Land by one of my favourite authors: Mary-Anne O'Connor. I have enjoyed Mrs O'Connor's previous books Gallipoli Street, Worth Fighting For and War Flower-which were all based in the 20th century on the events of World War One, World War Two and the Vietnam War. I was really looking forward to her latest novel that shifts to the 19th century during the Gold Rush of the 1850s and the famous Eureka Stockade on 3rd December 1854. This was a wonderful and heart wrenching, as well as sentimental novel about people who came to colonised Australia which used to be called New Holland, in order to have a better life and start again, as well as the experiences of the convicts brought here, against their will from England, to settle into settlements. Kieran Clancy, his brother Liam, sister Eileen Murphy and her husband Rory and their three sons escape the starvation, grief and oppressive English rule of Ireland. The English and the Irish back then didn't really see eye to eye. Due to Liam's wisdom and knowledge, the family are promised free passage to begin a new life in Australia which they desperately want. The Clancy's are a farming family who hope to own their own land outright and to settle their roots permanently-without answering to anyone and taking orders, like they had to back in County Clare, Killahoe, Ireland. Kieran starts off as a smooth talking Irish rebel and heartthrob rogue, which most of the times, get him into trouble, until they ship out to the unknown land-despite his prodigal nature, Kieran is still a kind man with a good heart. Eve Richards, on the other hand, is in Liverpool, England and her father, who was a butler to an aristocratic family, has died of a common illness in those times, and Eve finds herself an orphaned servant maid-her mother died when she was a young child. Her father was greatly respected for his honourable and gentlemanly nature. The housekeeper Mrs. Matthews protects Eve and takes her under her wing, as Eve looks for a new position whilst still continuing her current duties. However, her association with one particular member of the family, sets off a terrible chain of events that sees Eve getting arrested and deported to New South Wales. After a harrowing and uncomfortable sea journey, Kieran and his new Irish mate ,Dave Tumulty are working at the docks in The Rocks, whilst his brother and sister and her family are living in Orange, settling into their new farm life as Rory and Liam work to farm their land. The authoress accurately describes the fights between the new arrivals with the English law as the police and the military back then were notorious and murderous, and downright horrid, always seeking to belittle the new citizens for their own fun. Then, Dave and Kieran learn about the opportunities for gold mining in Ballarat, Victoria and they immediately feel the gold rush and travel there in hope of seeking a fortune and making something of themselves. After a horrible and sickening sea journey with unsanitary conditions and in the company of raucous, drunken and cruel soldiers, Eve arrives in Parramatta and in a sudden twist of fate, meets Kieran and with his help, manages to secure a respectable job offer that will see her lead a quiet and secure life, because of an act of kindness. This meeting stuns the both of them and leaves an indelible impression that seared forever into their minds. They just can't forget each other. Eileen's grief in her own story is very saddening but I'm glad that nearing the end of the book, she manages to make peace with it and really embrace on what she does have, rather than what might have been. The Eureka Stockade was portrayed in a realistically accurate manner. You can feel the gold miners getting tensed up because of the highly exorbitant licence fees their own governor was charging them, that saw many miners struggle to keep both body and soul together-they couldn't afford all their other basic necessities and tensions turn to violence. Even the justice system back then was not very good and favoured English oppression and supported colonialism-classicism still ran rampant and the English brought all their values to Australia. The climax was building up and I was teetering on edge as I wanted to know what happened next. I felt anticipation, trepidation and excitement. Eve and Kieran's romance was sweet-it was star crossed lovers destined to have fate come around for them to be together-their love was like the Southern Cross, constantly displayed in the novel. It was burning bright and in close proximity to each other. You could feel both of their anguish in the climax of the novel. I was rooting for Eve to come out of the darkness and see the light of day again as she struggled to find peace and happiness. Kieran was fiery and charismatic-he couldn't change the Irish rebel embedded into him from birth, he was very loyal to his friends. I liked how he realised that freedom can also mean love and that having people who support you and stand by you no matter what, is freedom in itself when he was in his predicament in the climax and that you should never take having your voice heard for granted at all. When it does come to love, water is as important and thick as blood itself. Both of them matter. Liam was just as kind and caring, as he helps people and never gives up on them, especially with Kieran. I could understand why he went away nearing the end of the novel-he needed to get away and hopefully find himself and his dream. I am glad the miners were supported by the public in the Eureka Stockade and from the chaos, laws were changed to allow ordinary citizens to have a greater say on the workings of the nation, and that licence fees were reduced so that the miners can finally be financially secure and afford what they could get. From the soft green hills of Ireland to the wild Shipwreck Coast of southern Victoria, the rich farm lands of New South Wales to the sudden battlefields of Ballarat, this is an epic story of the cost of freedom and the value of love in a far-flung corner of the world where a nation sows its earliest seeds. Even though it took more than a century a lot of decades after that, Australia is now a multicultural and diverse society. Back then, inequality ran high and foreigners and even the native Indigenous Australians had no say in anything and weren't treated kindly at all and it was accurately portrayed in the novel. But, we still have a lot of issues to resolve in today's world. This novel taught me a few lessons: freedom is never actually free, it is hard won with a lot of fight and struggle, love can be the greatest inspiration and what the Southern Cross in the nation's flag truly represents: freedom, fairness and equality (we're still grappling with today)and the Australian public. One quote I liked from this novel was: "Look for the truth and act truthfully, and remember: you teach people how to treat you ,with each and everything you do and say." -This was by Eve's father. And even if you have fallen far, you can still get chances and start over. Fate and luck play a part too, and hope comes in unexpected places. Overall, this was a wonderful novel. I am looking forward to Mary-Anne O'Connor's future books. Yes, Australia has its faults, but it is a great southern land.