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A good keen girl
"A good keen girl, that's what you need," said Bert Shambles to Kersey Hooper, who was breaking in the desolate Blackrange Station without benefit of matrimonial helpmate.
They'd all had a go at Blackrange - the East Coast Acclimatisation Society, the Soil Conservation and Rivers Council, the Geology Department of Victoria University, the Associated Tramping and Mountaineering Clubs (Inc.), the Search and Rescue Organisation, the Civil Defence people, the National Deerstalkers' Association, the Conservator of Forests' Field Research Crew, the Lands and Survey lot, the Department of Agriculture, the Rabbit Destruction Council, and the Waipukurau-North Ladies' Tramping Enthusiasts' Guild.
None of them had made any headway with the Blackrange. But Kelsey Hooper did, in his own way and in his own time.
He could handle dogs; he could handle stock; he could handle the Blackrange. But could he handle the good keen girl whom he brought home as the Mistress of Blackrange Station?
Born under Virgo (his fortunate gemstone was sardonyx) Kersey Hooper married a Capricorn. It should have been OK, because at their first contact the planets Mars, Uranus and Pluto were all within the orbs of a conjunction in the Twelfth House of the Ingress Map, and the Vernal Equinox was happening at the time.
It should have been OK. But actually what happened to Kersey and Faith wasn't in the Astrological Almanac - and, what is more, farm-management under the rules of the Zodiac wasn't nearly as easy as it looked.
A Good Keen Girl is Barry Crump' ninth book.
They'd all had a go at Blackrange - the East Coast Acclimatisation Society, the Soil Conservation and Rivers Council, the Geology Department of Victoria University, the Associated Tramping and Mountaineering Clubs (Inc.), the Search and Rescue Organisation, the Civil Defence people, the National Deerstalkers' Association, the Conservator of Forests' Field Research Crew, the Lands and Survey lot, the Department of Agriculture, the Rabbit Destruction Council, and the Waipukurau-North Ladies' Tramping Enthusiasts' Guild.
None of them had made any headway with the Blackrange. But Kelsey Hooper did, in his own way and in his own time.
He could handle dogs; he could handle stock; he could handle the Blackrange. But could he handle the good keen girl whom he brought home as the Mistress of Blackrange Station?
Born under Virgo (his fortunate gemstone was sardonyx) Kersey Hooper married a Capricorn. It should have been OK, because at their first contact the planets Mars, Uranus and Pluto were all within the orbs of a conjunction in the Twelfth House of the Ingress Map, and the Vernal Equinox was happening at the time.
It should have been OK. But actually what happened to Kersey and Faith wasn't in the Astrological Almanac - and, what is more, farm-management under the rules of the Zodiac wasn't nearly as easy as it looked.
A Good Keen Girl is Barry Crump' ninth book.
- GenresFiction
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1970
56 people want to read
About the author
Barry Crump
50 books82 followersNew Zealand author of semi-autobiographical comic novels based on his image as a rugged outdoors man.
Crump worked for many years as a government deer-culler in areas of New Zealand native forest (termed "the bush"). He wrote his first novel, A Good Keen Man, in 1960, based on his experiences as a government hunter. It was a fictional account of a young hunter who has to suffer through a series of hunting partners who are often unsuitable for the job. This novel became one of the most popular in New Zealand history,
Crump died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm. At the time of his death he was living at Ohauiti with his fifth wife, Maggie.
abridged from Wikipedia
Crump worked for many years as a government deer-culler in areas of New Zealand native forest (termed "the bush"). He wrote his first novel, A Good Keen Man, in 1960, based on his experiences as a government hunter. It was a fictional account of a young hunter who has to suffer through a series of hunting partners who are often unsuitable for the job. This novel became one of the most popular in New Zealand history,
Crump died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm. At the time of his death he was living at Ohauiti with his fifth wife, Maggie.
abridged from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 5, 2018
Another fun read from Crumpy.
February 9, 2010
A good funny little story set in the back ranch stations of New Zealand. It took a little bit to get use to the New Zealand way of saying things, but then the dry, tongue-in-cheek humor came flying through. Imagine a rough bachelor working his rough, wild ranch & then getting married to a town girl who runs her whole life by the stars (Zodiac, astrology). Amusing.
August 29, 2014
Barry Crumps best books tell the story of hunting, farming and rural life in general, and they always have good characters, more clever, or more lucky than they perhaps deserve. When he veers away from that successful recipe, I enjoy his books less.
This one is one of his best. Excellent.
This one is one of his best. Excellent.
August 9, 2011
I enjoyed this book like all Barry Crump stories. So totally unbelievable and yet it reads true.
December 9, 2014
Another fantastic Barry Crump story. Funny and difficult to put down. When I read the book I could imagine being on a bleak South Island station, he describes his surroundings so well
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews