Burning Fields

Rosie Stanton was heading home from Brisbane to her family’s cane farm, Tulpil in Piri River, northern Queensland. Her thoughts were in turmoil – she knew her parents, especially her father would be against her returning home to stay, but that’s what she wanted to do. The Sicilian passenger on the bus whom she was seated beside was an interesting companion, but when she discovered Tomas Conti was also disembarking in Piri River she was surprised; learning his family owned the property adjoining Tulpil was a bigger shock. She knew what her father’s thoughts would be on that…

It was 1948; the war was over but the turmoil remaining wasn’t. Rosie had lost her brother Geoffrey, and Alex was still missing in action – although they hadn’t lost hope, it was fading. Tomas also had secrets he was keeping from his time during the war years in Italy. Would Tomas settle and find peace in Australia? He knew Rosie’s kind and generous nature could help him – if he let her.

When Rosie’s dad suffered a stroke, Rosie took over the running of the farm. But she struggled against everything that was tradition as well as a definite threat at having a woman in the role. What would be the outcome in this male dominated world; a world which Rosie wanted to improve, to see women equal to men?

Burning Fields is an excellent historical fiction novel by Aussie author Alli Sinclair, set just after the second world war and focusing on the Australians and immigrant Italians (among others) Set in far north Queensland, the vastness of the cane fields, the racism and ostracization which is still around in today’s world, and the struggle of women who’d worked a man’s role when the men were off at war, then having to return to being the “little woman” around the house when the men wanted their old jobs back. An intriguing, fascinating story, Burning Fields is one I highly recommend.

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