4 stars I got an ARC of this book from Netgalley and this is the first book from this author that I’ve read. Although it didn’t grab me from page one, I found that the plot drew me in and kept me interested throughout the book. Switching between time periods, 1853 and 1918, but maintaining the third-person narrator, kept the story flowing and slowly unveiled details that would solve the mystery presented at the beginning. Some of it was fairly easy to figure out, but that does not detract from the skill of telling the story. There was one line in the book that made me chuckle because it was so out of place and called to mind cartoons depicting the early 1900s. “She tucked her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out a sixpence and held it out to him. His eyes lit up and she had the strangest feeling he was going to snatch it and bite down on it.” That said, I liked it there. It was the narrator’s way of winking at the reader, saying, “I know this probably wouldn’t happen, but wouldn’t it be funny if it did?” The plot will keep you guessing for at least the first half of the book. How are Fleur and Stefan related? Why are we following an Austrian soldier and a young widowed English woman? How does Della fit in? Because the narrator sometimes followed Stefan and sometimes followed Della, it was unclear who was the protagonist in 1853, but I suppose they could both serve in that role. Fluer was the clear protagonist of 1918, and eventually, of the story as a whole. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It included details that painted a vivid picture of Australia in 1853 and 1918, including common landmarks as well as changes in population and development. There was some commentary on the role of outside “explorers” coming in and denying the indiginous people their rights to live on the land. Murdering them for encroaching on settlers’ lands was perfectly acceptable. Furthermore, it did not shine a favorable light on those sent to Australia as convicts since the ones featured in the story continued to behave in sociopathic ways despite being given a second chance. My only question at the end of the book was, how did Hugh know? To me, it wasn’t explained clearly enough for me to connect the dots. I still recommend the book. July 28, 2020
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September 2022
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