(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

1846. Newly arrived from England, Thomas Baker is young, penniless and alone. Eager to make his mark on this strange new place called South Australia, he accepts work as an overseer on a distant sheep property, believing this will be the opportunity he seeks. But when Thomas’s path crosses that of ex-convict, Septimus Wiltshire — a grasping con man hell bent on making a new life for himself and his family at any price —trouble is on the horizon.
But Thomas is made of stern stuff and his fortunes take a turn for the better when he meets spirited farmer’s daughter Lizzie Smith, and soon he envisages their future together.
But this land is like no other he has encountered: both harsh and lovely, it breaks all but the strongest. When his nemesis intervenes once more and drought comes, Thomas finds himself tested almost beyond endurance with the risk of losing everything he and Lizzie have worked for… even their lives.

Essentially, we could just wrap this review by just saying that this book is an historical novel of the early pioneer days of South Australia and leave it at that...

But that would do this novel a certain injustice.

While that narrow description is true, it doesn't give credit to either the excellent writing style employed by the author (the description of the land, the harsh living conditions, the interactions with First Nations people, the effects of the drought...) nor does it value the characters that have been created to populate this novel. Good characters stick with you - and the story of Thomas and Lizzie has been in my head ever since putting it down. But it is also the supporting cast that makes this novel rich - characters to love (and loath), characters that you recognise immediately in your own communities make the ones you are reading more real. And that happens here a lot...

Would have been a 5-star book if it hadn't been for the fact that it wasn't more than 500 pages long. There were a few times where the story dragged a little and I think losing 50-75 pages wouldn't have hurt the story at all. Just my opinion, obviously!

Recommended reading for those who love historical fiction set in Australia. A great read!


Paul
ARH