An Australian novel, one I dived into and got lost in a previous century. It was slow paced but I still enjoyed it. I've visited along the Murray but not that far west.
The cover is beautiful and the story was like stepping back in time or into a tv series.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this wonderful historical fiction adventure set in the South Australian town of Renmark in the year 1895. It’s beautifully written with wonderful descriptions of the mighty Murray River and its paddle steamers.

Our central character Maggie O’Rourke is a strong willed and independent young woman in an era where women didn’t have many rights. A woman wasn’t allowed her own bank account even! Maggie was keen to voice her opinions about human rights and that women should have the right to vote.

No longer living with her parents and to be independent Maggie works as a housekeeper on a property alongside the Murray River called Olivewood for Mrs Chaffey.

Back home Sam Taylor wanted to marry Maggie but she didn’t want the dull domestic life of staying home and having lots of babies, that scared her although she often thought of Sam.

When Maggie is forced to defend her friend Nara from being assaulted by a monster of a man, she thinks she may of killed him and flees onto a paddle steamer downriver to escape going to jail and a hanging.

Maggie's family receive the shocking news that she is missing. Her father is in a coma and her brother is about to become a father any day so her mother sends her old beau Sam to find her.

Recommended read for lovers of historical Australian fiction.

Book blurb…

Adventure, romance and history combine in this thrilling 19th century journey through the South Australian bush and along the mighty Murray River in the company of a determined heroine.
Maggie O'Rourke has always had a hard head. No man was going to tie her down to a life of babies and domestic slavery, even if that man was as good (and as annoyingly attractive) as Sam Taylor. Maggie is happily earning her own way as a maid in a house on the Murray River when disaster strikes.
Forced to defend herself and a friend from assault by an evil man, she flees downriver on a paddle steamer. With death at her heels, Maggie begins to realise that a man like Sam might be just who she wants in her hour of need. As for Sam, well, Maggie has always been what he wants.
The further Maggie runs, the more she discovers there are some things she cannot escape...

My thoughts…

PLOT- Once again Darry Fraser has delivered an engaging and intriguing plot that keeps readers wondering ‘what will happen next?’.

PACE - Pace can make or break any story, and different genres require different approaches. Darry Fraser provides the perfect pace for her genre and—pardon the analogy--this story flows as easily as The Murray (when droughts were a thing of the past!) and I was carried along on a story full of fabulous characters.

LANDSCAPE - As always, Darry Fraser's settings are vivid but not over the top. Having camped along The Murray numerous times, I often sat on the bank and tried to picture the days of paddle steamers and long skirts. Darry’s descriptions do that for me.

LIKEABLE CHARACTERS - Bucky and Pie were my favourites, closely followed by Maggie and Sam, of course.

UNLIKABLE CHARACTERS - There is always the bad guy (or two) we are not meant to like. As always, however, Darry ensures every character is well-rounded and plausible.

OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY - I loved it. I knew the moment I started reading I would not be disappointed.

Darry Fraser is one of the many current Australian historical fiction writers who keep producing great stories. She has a strong focus on SE Australia and once again provides great tales from along the Murray River. Much like the ‘Mighty Murray’, the story flows well with lots of twists and turns.

What I found most enjoyable about this tale was a window into the social norms of the day. Maggie, a strong leading lady, is representative of all women of that era who had no rights and no vote and were at the forefront in the call for change. Resourceful and prepared to stand her ground, Maggie refused to curtail to male chauvinism - and there are a few men who tried their overbearing best. The river is almost a character in itself as it provides details of the hardships to be had in trying to eke out an existence.

‘If Maggie did indeed live to an old age, how would she keep herself unless she had married and had a stipend from her husband’s estate? But then marriage would inevitably bring children … Her plan seemed not so tight now. How did a woman survive if she was too old or infirm to work?’

I would have appreciated a bit more depth to some episodes and a little less in others. At times Maggie’s repetitive independent mantra wore thin. Alternatively, the romance with Sam was a little superficial and I was left wanting. Overall, The Good Woman of Renmark is another worthy tale that provides quality escapism to a time of growth and change in Australia’s history.

“ ... think if we had greater control of our lives financially, and with more education, it would suit us well. We would not be subject to as much poverty.”




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.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Australia and Darry Fraser for my copy of her new book: The Good Woman Of Renmark.

1895 Renmark, Maggie O'Rourke has always been strong willed, she's not keen on settling down, living in a hut with a dirt floor, cooking on a open fire and having babies. She's very attracted to her brothers best friend Sam Taylor, she can't cope with the temptation he presents and she leaves home. Maggie finds work as a maid at fine house called Olivewood and the house is built very close to river Murray. The whole area is dependent on the mighty Murray, it provides vital water for people, animals, the area grows stone fruit, both people and produce are all transported by boat down the Murray. The river Murray, snakes it's way through South Australia, it has areas of high cliffs, flat sandy banks, other areas have some vegetation, small hardy trees called scrub and it's about the only thing that can grow in the dry red dirt.

Maggie is forced to defend herself and her friend Nara from being assaulted by the nasty Robert Boyd she flees in a panic and travels down the river on a paddle steamer called the Lady Goodnight. The captain is concerned about the steam engine, he leaves her on the river bank while he checks it, the engine blows up and she's now stuck all alone on the side of the river? Maggie is very lucky, her friend Nara and her husband Wadgie had been following her in their canoe and they take her to a little settlement called Pyap. The explosion has caused Maggie to be deaf as a post, it's not seemly for single women to travel alone, the people in Pyap want her to leave and how will she get home?

Maggie's parents have been worried sick about her, when her father Lorcan has an accident her mum Eleanor decides she's had enough and she wants her daughter to come home. The only person available to find her and bring her home is of course Sam Taylor..

Sam has had enough of chasing Maggie, he's been sending her letters, all have been returned unopened and he has decided it's time to move on. After he finds Maggie, he plans to start his own business breeding strong sturdy horses called Walers and his horse Pie will be his stud. Nothing ever goes as planned, he's very concerned when he's told the paddle steamer has blown up, a lady was seen on the boat and could it be Maggie?

During her mad dash to get away from Robert Boyd, Maggie finally accepts she misses her family, she's ready to go home, has she run out of chances with Sam, will he forgive her for being scared and understand why she left? Life was hard in south Australia for the early settlers, especially women, and Maggie panicked.

I really enjoyed reading The Good Woman Of Renmark, I live in South Australia and I have been to Renmark. Nothing better than a cup of tea, damper cooked on an open fire with lots of apricot jam, if you read the book you will understand what I'm talking about and I gave the book four stars.

The good woman of Renmark is a story set in South Australia during 1895. The protagonist, Maggie, is a strong-minded individual, she has a plethora of ideas regarding women’s rights that were unthinkable and unspoken during this period.

I found it difficult to relate to the main character and sometimes hard to invest myself in the story, but overall I did enjoy the book.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, stories set in Australia and a strong minded feminist protagonist then I would recommend picking this book up.

3.5/5 Stars

Life was tough in nineteenth century Australia, especially in the bush and particularly for women. In The Good Woman of Renmark, author Darry Fraser has encapsulated the hardship of living and working on the Murray River and the disparity between men and women in terms of independence and rights. This story isn’t just a women’s rights treatise, however, but the story of a woman coming to understand herself as she faces unbelievable challenges.
Maggie O’Rourke is a strong woman, loyal to her friends and family and a hard worker but her fear of childbirth and her desire to be independent has cost her a relationship with Sam Elliott, the only man she’s ever loved. Mind you, it seems to have taken Maggie a long time to come to that realisation and as this story opens she’s on the verge of losing the man who means everything to her.
With the fear that she may have killed a man, the uncertainty of her future and the possibility of never again seeing her family Maggie faces one challenge after another, growing stronger as a person as she overcomes each hurdle. I couldn’t help but respect her and by the end of this story I had my fingers crossed for a good outcome, though that was no certainty, which kept me turning the pages.
Sam, meanwhile, has given up on ever making Maggie his own and while he has vowed to find her and bring her back to her family he’s decided that will be it for the relationship he’d hoped to forge with her. He too is a strong character and a man to respect. His dedication to the task, the brusque way he hides his feelings for Maggie and his confusion about her feelings for him make him both vulnerable and immensely likeable.
For a spectacular glimpse of Australian history wrapped up in a complex love story with plenty of twists and turns along the way you’d be hard pressed to find a better story to read than this one. I found it both entertaining and informational. It’s left me thinking and wanting to find out more about the country I live in. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Harlequin Mira for the opportunity to read and review The Good Woman of Renmark by Darry Fraser.

Having read Fraser’s other works I couldn’t wait to read her latest offering, and as with all her previous books I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Continuing with her Murray river theme, this novel is set in the late 1800’s in Renmark where Maggie O’Rourke has moved to escape the expected bonds, as she perceives them, of marriage, children and no independence.

When Maggie thwacks the evil Robert Boyd in the head with an iron rod to stop him raping her friend Nara they are both forced to run away. After all, who will believe their story that this upright man of the community had attacked them.

Knowing she had to get away Maggie seeks passage on one of the River Paddle Steamers that ply trade up and down the Mighty Murray River, giving her name when asked as Ellie Lorcan.

Meanwhile back in Echuca on the O’Rourke property Maggie’s father Lorcan O’Rourke has taken a fall from a tree, breaking his leg, an injury which in those days could be a death sentence. As he wavers between life and death, a letter is received from Maggie’s employer advising that having caused a serious assault upon Robert Boyd’s person, Maggie has fled, her whereabouts unknown.

In desperation Eleanor O’Rourke, Maggie’s mother, pleads with Maggie’s ex love Sam to search for Maggie and bring her home.

And so begins a race to find Maggie, for Sam is not the only person seeking to find her. Robert Boyd is not in fact dead as Maggie believes but intent on tracking her down and seeking his revenge. While at the same time Robert’s brother Angus is searching for his missing love Adeline, convinced that Robert has had something to do with her disappearance he seeks to find out what has happened to her, and then take his revenge on Robert.

As with all of Fraser’s books, this story will stand alone, but if you are familiar with her other works you will pick up the gently dropped names that tie the characters from this book to those from her earlier works.

A special note must be made of Bucky, the Murray River Curly Coated Retriever, a distinctly Australian breed of dog. Bucky’s amazing loyalty as shown within the story is indicative of the breed and Fraser’s portrayal of him in this book is a testament to the dog on which he is based.

Highly recommended to all lovers of good Australian Historical Fiction and romance.
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