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Brumby's Run

by Jennifer Scoullar (Goodreads Author)

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 46 ratings · 10 reviews

Brumby's Run tells the story of Samantha Carmichael, a young woman whose life is turned upside down when she discovers she was adopted – and that she has a twin sister, who is now critically ill. With little warning, Sam finds herself looking after her newfound sister's farm, high in the Victorian Alps. What starts as a daunting challenge soon becomes a wholehearted tree c...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published July 2nd 2012 by Michael Joseph (Penguin Australia)

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The Girl in Steel Capped Boots by Loretta Hill

The Cattleman's Daughter by Rachael Treasure

Australian Rural Fiction

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Apr 19, 2013 Jenn J. McLeod rated it 5 of 5 stars

My first comment… Brumby’s Run is so much more than the cover and back cover blurb. I can understand the publisher’s desire to take advantage to the increasingly popular farm-lit/ru-ro (rural romance) genre, but it’s a shame that by categorising Brumby’s Run it may limit readership with many missing out on a damn good Aussie tale of family, friendship and country life.

I am a fussy-pot when it comes to reading. I don’t like wasting time on bad books. The first chapter has to hook me and keep me h...more
My first comment… Brumby’s Run is so much more than the cover and back cover blurb. I can understand the publisher’s desire to take advantage to the increasingly popular farm-lit/ru-ro (rural romance) genre, but it’s a shame that by categorising Brumby’s Run it may limit readership with many missing out on a damn good Aussie tale of family, friendship and country life.

I am a fussy-pot when it comes to reading. I don’t like wasting time on bad books. The first chapter has to hook me and keep me hooked. I admit to almost putting Brumby’s Run down. Not because the writing wasn’t good, or because it didn’t hook me. It did. This book managed to do both brilliantly. My problem was that the main characters were so young, while I… I am so not!

Could I relate? Did I want to read about young love and typical teenage angst? (Did I mention I dislike predictable characters too! Told you I was a fussy-pot.)

Then I met Mary! (Everyone’s allowed a favourite, aren’t they?) And while I loved the way the author handled all the characters, the mothers were my favourite — and not a stereotype in sight.

So to my absolute delight, I not only found I couldn’t stop reading Brumby’s Run, I actually felt 18 again. What a bonus!

This is a terrific read as well as thought-provoking. I can see why they might want to promote it as ru-ro, but it would sit just as comfortably on both Young Adult and Australian Fiction shelves (in fact, I am recommending this to every mother I know who has teenager girls.)

In the end, I loved all the characters, the clever plotting (although the author apparently doesn’t plot out her stories – amazing), and the subtle environmental messages (some less subtle than others, but it did not detract from the reading. This is clearly the author’s platform and if you are going to push a barrow, the environment is the best one I know.)

Jennifer Scoullar’s love of the bush, books, brumbies, Blyton and Banjo (who she does give credit to for inspiring her), as well as the environment really makes this book stand out from the mob. But the best thing about Brumby’s Run is ANYONE – 16 or 60 – will enjoy the ride.
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Jun 30, 2012 Bree T rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, australian, aww2012, contemporary, romance, rural-lit, women-s-fiction

Samantha Carmichael is 18 when her world is rocked – her parents are not actually her biological parents, she is adopted. And on top of that, Sam has a twin sister named Charlie who was not adopted out by their biological mother. Before Sam can really process why only one of them was offered up for adoption, she is also told that Charlie is sick, a form of leukemia. That is the only reason Sam is now being told, because Charlie’s best chance of a full recovery is a bone marrow donation from a c...more

Samantha Carmichael is 18 when her world is rocked – her parents are not actually her biological parents, she is adopted. And on top of that, Sam has a twin sister named Charlie who was not adopted out by their biological mother. Before Sam can really process why only one of them was offered up for adoption, she is also told that Charlie is sick, a form of leukemia. That is the only reason Sam is now being told, because Charlie’s best chance of a full recovery is a bone marrow donation from a close genetic match. As Sam and Charlie are identical twins, the match doesn’t come closer than that.

Sam wastes no time meeting Charlie and offering to help her. Having trouble relating to her adoptive mother now after the secrecy, Sam chooses to spend some time helping out Charlie some more by taking care of Charlie and their mother’s property, Brumby’s Run while Charlie fully recovers from her operation and gets healthy again. When she arrives, the property is not as she pictured – Brumby’s Run is struggling, tired and worn down and in need of some TLC. Sam soon finds herself immersed in the lifestyle, taking the job Charlie had lined up breaking brumbies. The two girls may look identical and be very, very different in their manner but it seems they have one thing in common: a deep love and passion for horses.

Soon Sam is falling in love with this beautiful countryside, Brumby’s Run, the wild brumbies and also Drew Chandler, the son of a neighbouring farmer. Drew has been around most days, helping Sam fit in, giving advice and generally just being there. The two of them are enjoying a steadily burgeoning friendship and Sam sees herself becoming part of this scenery. Back in Melbourne Charlie is feeling left out and restless, ready to pick up the reins and take her life back.

Everything Sam has done has been to help Charlie but the two of them have yet to spend much time together. They’ll have to negotiate a truce, learn to be sisters and see if they can’t both find a way to make a living out of Brumby’s Run.

Like the author Jennifer Scoullar, I grew up on a steady diet of Elyne Mitchell novels. I had the entire Silver Brumby series as a pre-teen and read and re-read them probably dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Thowra and Co instilled a love of horses in me that persists until this day, even though I don’t own a horse, nor have I ever been lucky enough to own one. They’re a past time that I unfortunately cannot afford, but I’ve managed to find other ways in which to be around them. When I can’t do that, books like this one hit the spot.

Sam and Charlie are so different, but Sam feels the loneliness of having been an only child keenly so she is more than willing to help out Charlie and their biological mother Mary any way she can. She’s also a bit at odds with her adoptive mother, both for the secrecy and something that her adoptive mother does while Sam is spending time with Charlie at the hospital, so it’s no hardship for her to agree to go to Brumby’s Run and try and keep it going while Charlie is recuperating. I really liked Sam, she was mature beyond her years – going to a remote property at 18 and attempting to run it wouldn’t be easy and I think she made an excellent go of it especially as her adoptive parents were quite wealthy and she was used to luxury. Brumby’s Run is quite primitive, with the sort of conditions that would’ve had a lot of city girls heading straight back for the bright lights. But Sam doesn’t do that – she knuckles down and starts getting the place cleaned up.

Helping Sam find her feet is Drew Chandler, son of the property-owner next door. Mistaking her for Charlie at first, Drew is the only person who knows that Sam isn’t actually Charlie – Sam finds it easier not to have to explain her complicated family history to the locals, most of whom don’t have much time for Mary and Charlie anyway. Sam falls in love with the beautiful wild Australian brumbies and becomes personally invested in their fate. Often considered to be pests to the natural habitat, they are rounded up in order to attempt to tame them. Other methods have in the past, involved culling them from the air. Sam wants to save all of them, horrified when she learns that the ones the Brumby Rescue organisation don’t buy may end up as bronc horses for local rodeos.

Although at times I queried the decision to make Sam so young and undertake so much in what is essentially her first summer of freedom after high school, I think in the end it managed to work because of her youthful enthusiasm for everything. Everything was a new experience for her and she threw herself into it wholeheartedly, which was refreshing and charming in its honesty. It also did work better to highlight the differences between Sam and Charlie – Charlie had not had anywhere near the privileged life that Sam had and her resentment and at times, childish behaviour about it wouldn’t have sat well on an older character.

Brumby’s Run is a lovely story of family and self-discovery, of love of the land and the wildlife that live on it. I’d recommend it to any fans of the rural literature genre or anyone that has a love of horses and a sweet love story.(less)

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Mar 30, 2013 Chanpreet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mar-yc-aussie

Samantha Carmichael's life will never be the same. She's just learned she's a twin after 18 years and her twin is deathly ill. Sam's devastated by the news, yet elated to have found her sister and birth mother. Even though she's a city girl, Sam eagerly agrees to her twin Charlie's request to take care of her family property, Brumby's Run, and takes on the challenge head on. Aided by Drew Chandler, the son of a a neighboring rancher, she's attracted to, Sam finds herself enjoying life in the cou...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Lauren Murphy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aww2012, aussie-author, rural-lit, romance

Another wonderful addition to the Australian rural romance genre by author Jennifer Scoullar who debuts in this category. Brumby’s Run is a story characterised by family secrets, relationships, growth and passion and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Samantha Carmichael is eighteen, loves horses, and has a strained relationship with her perfectionistic mother and her father who spends most of his time abroad. Life is going along as usual when her mother drops the bombshell that she is adopted and...more Another wonderful addition to the Australian rural romance genre by author Jennifer Scoullar who debuts in this category. Brumby’s Run is a story characterised by family secrets, relationships, growth and passion and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Samantha Carmichael is eighteen, loves horses, and has a strained relationship with her perfectionistic mother and her father who spends most of his time abroad. Life is going along as usual when her mother drops the bombshell that she is adopted and has a twin sister Charlie, who remained with their biological mother when they were born. Not only does Sam have a sister she never knew about but Charlie is sick with leukaemia and Sam may be the only person who can save her.

Within twenty-four hours of her life being turned upside down, she is travelling to the Hospital to undergo tests to see whether she is a good match to help her sister. She takes the opportunity to make up for lost time with her vivacious but fragile sister and her unpredictable, hippy biological mother. When Sam declines an invitation to go to France with her mother for the month, they are driven further apart and Sam is further drawn to the family she never knew.

Charlie grew up with her mother on Brumby’s Run, a small run-down farm in a community where both of the women have a poor reputation and are outsiders. Sam, desperate to leave her old life behind for a while accepts Charlie’s offer of looking after Brumby’s Run while she moves into an apartment with her mother and undertakes her recovery.

Sam immediately falls in love with the property and also with the handsome neighbour, Drew Chandler who helps her get the farm back in working order for Charlie’s return. It seems Drew and Charlie’s ex-lover Spike are the only two people in the whole town who really know who Sam is. It’s seemingly easier to allow the town folk to think she is really Charlie rather than explain the real odd story for her arrival. Charlie wants her illness kept a secret, but as Sam begins to find comfort in the identity of Charlie she risks making a mess of her newfound sibling relationship. Especially when she learns of Drew and Charlie’s history.

What stands out for me about Brumby’s Run is the clear passion of the main characters for horses, namely Brumby’s. Charlie, Sam , Drew and even Spike love horses and much of the plot is around helping, working and taming horses alongside all the relationship issues and conflict in the story.

Sam and Charlie are likeable characters, I particularly related to Sam who seems to grow from a naïve city girl to a hard-working woman of the country. It took a little longer for me to get to know Charlie which makes sense given her dysfunctional upbringing and entrenched defences in close relationships. I wasn’t sure if I could trust her at first, worried that she may hurt Sam, but eventually she became more open as a character, her barriers wearing down and she matured.

Drew is a great love interest and it was interesting to experience his perceptions of the twins who are identical in appearance but very different in temperament. There are plenty of challenges for Sam and Drew to overcome to find a trusting medium in their relationship and I enjoyed seeing this grow. Although there were times when I just wanted Sam to come clean and talk about her concerns rather than just avoiding it for several weeks. But it all worked out in the end and I really recommend Brumby’s Run to any Aussie rural lit fans out there.
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Jul 09, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-are, aussie-author, netgalley-reviews

Brumby's Run is Scoullar's debut in the popular rural fiction market.
Samantha Carmichael has plans for a sojourn in Paris before starting university in the new year when her mother reveals that Sam was adopted at birth and her twin sister, who grew up with their biological mother, is in dire need of a stem cell transplant to save her life. Meeting Charlene (Charlie) and Mary is a surreal experience for Sam but she is eager to get to know her family, whose circumstances are very different from h...more Brumby's Run is Scoullar's debut in the popular rural fiction market.
Samantha Carmichael has plans for a sojourn in Paris before starting university in the new year when her mother reveals that Sam was adopted at birth and her twin sister, who grew up with their biological mother, is in dire need of a stem cell transplant to save her life. Meeting Charlene (Charlie) and Mary is a surreal experience for Sam but she is eager to get to know her family, whose circumstances are very different from her own. While the transplant is a success, Charlie still has months of recovery ahead and Sam, at odds with her mother, finds herself volunteering to look after their property in the Victorian Alps. With both trepidation and joy, Sam slips almost seamlessly into her sister's life at Brumby's Run delighted by the stunning landscape, the chance to train wild horses, and neighbour, Drew. She almost forgets that this life is not hers, and eventually her sister will want it back.

Almost the entire time I was reading Brumby's Run I had the theme song and visuals from The Man From Snowy River (a classic Australian movie) running through my head. Hardly surprising since this novel is inspired by another of Banjo Pattersons poem, Brumby's Run.
It is the setting, Victoria's high country, and the wild Brumby's that inhabit it, that held me in thrall to this book. I could easily imagine the ramshackle house and its dusty yards that Sam finds in the mountains. Scoullar's descriptions of the environment are evocative of the Australian bush, the towering gums, the rocky terrain and vista's that stretch forever. I could almost hear the thundering gallop of dozens of wild horses wheeling through the forest, pursued by stockmen wielding cracking whips. Anyone who flirted with the fantasy of horse ownership as an adolescent will adore the Brumby's that feature in the novel. From the proud stallion, Jarrang to Sam's mount, Phoenix.

The storyline of Brumby's Run explores the issues of identity and family loyalty. Sam is reassessing her identity with the discovery of her adoption and meeting her twin sister and biological mother, at a time when her relationship with her parents is difficult. Sam's life of privilege has its own strictures and Brumby's Run offers her a chance to live another life. She doesn't envy Charlie her dysfunctional childhood but she does resent being the child that Mary gave away and at Brumby's Run, Sam takes on Charlie's identity without any real thought as to the consequences for both she and Charlie.
Charlie is restless in Melbourne as she recovers, like Sam she resents in part what her twin has had, money, status and opportunities denied her and is hurt to find Sam has appropriated Charlie's life in Currawong so well. This creates friction between the sisters, who despite their biological tie and identical appearance, are essentially strangers. I like how Scoullar chooses to the twist this conflict and allows both the sisters to explore alternatives to their birthright.

There is a romantic element to the story as Sam develops a relationship with Drew, complicated by his friendship with her sister. It's Drew that keeps Sam grounded, and provides support and encouragement as she adjusts to her new lifestyle.

The only sticking point for me in the novel is the girl's ages. I thought Sam's maturity was at odds with both her age and her life experience, though Charlie's behaviour is fairly age appropriate with outbursts of childishness. Still, I felt the girls should have been aged in their early twenties, though that would have required a little reworking of the plot, I think it could have been done quite easily to give Sam in particular a little more credibility.

I enjoyed Brumby's Run, it has a strong storyline with appealing characters set within in a magnificent landscape. If you devoured the The Silver Brumby series as a child or had a crush on Tom Burlinson, you are sure to love Brumby's Run.(less)

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Apr 27, 2013 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

i found this book very enjoyable...i loved how it was set in the high country and reminded me so much of a place called corryong and the of the man from snowy river bush festival... also if you like the diamond spirit series you will i think you will enjoy this book it reminded me so much of Brumby mountain #5 in the diamond spirit series. Can't wait for Jennifer Scoullar's new book to come out. :)

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Jul 23, 2012 Kel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the characters and setting of this novel but the way the plot unravelled didn't quite sit right with me. I felt as though some important elements were glossed over whilst other parts happened too slowly. An enjoyable book nonetheless.

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Aug 14, 2012 Naomi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book so much it reminded me of the the man from snowy river bush festival on corryong Vic that I went to this year. Would love to read mire books like this one.

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Jun 30, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting insight into life as a separated twin, glorious countryside and gorgeous animals. An interesting read for which I best go write a review....
I'll be back with it in a while.

http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/bru...

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Dec 22, 2012 Bettina rated it 2 of 5 stars

I love reading country books, but this one took awhile for me to get into the feel of the story. Some of the story lines just seemed a little rushed. A good read never the less.

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About Jennifer Scoullar

Jennifer Scoullar Bio

Jennifer has always harboured a deep appreciation and respect for the natural world. Her house is on a hill-top, overlooking valleys of messmate and mountain ash. A pair of old eagles live there too. Black-shouldered wallabies graze by the creek. Eastern Spinebills hover among the callistemon. Jennifer lives with her family on a beautiful property in the mountains, that was le...more

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