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Heartland
Heartland is a collection of four novellas connected by the theme of life in the Australian outback. This collection includes:
Somewhere Far from Iris
Clinically depressed Shane Morris is trying to learn how to cope with his condition and find balance within the turmoil of his mind. He embarks on a mission to reconstruct himself by going back to his roots in the Australian outback town of his childhood. In Iris, this man who thinks he is nothing discovers at its extreme, life has two poles, the tender and the brutal. In the fires of the worst and best expressions of man, Shane learns he's far from nothing and just where he fits into humanity's broad spectrum.
The Light at the Bottom of the Garden
A lovely English governess goes missing from the homestead on a local cattle station in the Australian outback. The local people think the mysterious Min Min light has something to do with her disappearance. Senior Police Constable Mick Creedy doesn’t buy into paranormal explanations and is exploring foul play. However, when the young woman’s mother, Eveling, arrives from England wanting a full investigation, including the possibility of a paranormal event, Mick needs to balance his methods with a grieving parent’s needs. Eveling’s inclinations further complicate matters as they might lead her into a danger Mick does not yet understand. Pressure mounts as unexpected feelings for the victim’s mother raise the stakes in this case that seems to have no leads.
Bitter Bread
A disfigured and abused boy, Dexter Knight grows to manhood with only his own mind as a constructive guide for how to live and how to be a man. When he loses his childhood love to cancer, he pulls up stakes and moves to the west Queensland town of Brighton. Dexter makes a place for himself there, but remains a lonely outsider on the fringes of society until a bitter and dangerous industrial dispute draws battle lines through the community.
Strong-willed and independent Maree Waldon is one of the few townspeople who always took the time to talk to Dexter. Her boyfriend flees, but Maree sticks with family and friends.
Escalating stakes prove the true mettle of all. Where will "the man without a face" and the young woman with a big heart stand at the end of this bitter war?
Left of the Rising Sun
Ten-year-old Buck Brown is the sole survivor of a plane crash in the interior of Australia's Northern Territory. Watching the plane sink into the murky water of a remote outback billabong, he remembers the pilot saying they had been flying off-course for hours. Search parties will never find Buck, he decides. There is only one way out, to walk several hundred kilometres home.
With grim resolve, Buck sets out on a trek that will require resolve, knowledge, and ingenuity, a journey that will test his strength to the limit. He will be a participant in the elemental struggle for life and survival.
Buck’s gruelling trial will also teach him surprising lessons about friendship and loyalty. If he is successful it will be a trek that leads not only back to his family and home but also to a maturity not always achieved in a full lifetime.
Somewhere Far from Iris
Clinically depressed Shane Morris is trying to learn how to cope with his condition and find balance within the turmoil of his mind. He embarks on a mission to reconstruct himself by going back to his roots in the Australian outback town of his childhood. In Iris, this man who thinks he is nothing discovers at its extreme, life has two poles, the tender and the brutal. In the fires of the worst and best expressions of man, Shane learns he's far from nothing and just where he fits into humanity's broad spectrum.
The Light at the Bottom of the Garden
A lovely English governess goes missing from the homestead on a local cattle station in the Australian outback. The local people think the mysterious Min Min light has something to do with her disappearance. Senior Police Constable Mick Creedy doesn’t buy into paranormal explanations and is exploring foul play. However, when the young woman’s mother, Eveling, arrives from England wanting a full investigation, including the possibility of a paranormal event, Mick needs to balance his methods with a grieving parent’s needs. Eveling’s inclinations further complicate matters as they might lead her into a danger Mick does not yet understand. Pressure mounts as unexpected feelings for the victim’s mother raise the stakes in this case that seems to have no leads.
Bitter Bread
A disfigured and abused boy, Dexter Knight grows to manhood with only his own mind as a constructive guide for how to live and how to be a man. When he loses his childhood love to cancer, he pulls up stakes and moves to the west Queensland town of Brighton. Dexter makes a place for himself there, but remains a lonely outsider on the fringes of society until a bitter and dangerous industrial dispute draws battle lines through the community.
Strong-willed and independent Maree Waldon is one of the few townspeople who always took the time to talk to Dexter. Her boyfriend flees, but Maree sticks with family and friends.
Escalating stakes prove the true mettle of all. Where will "the man without a face" and the young woman with a big heart stand at the end of this bitter war?
Left of the Rising Sun
Ten-year-old Buck Brown is the sole survivor of a plane crash in the interior of Australia's Northern Territory. Watching the plane sink into the murky water of a remote outback billabong, he remembers the pilot saying they had been flying off-course for hours. Search parties will never find Buck, he decides. There is only one way out, to walk several hundred kilometres home.
With grim resolve, Buck sets out on a trek that will require resolve, knowledge, and ingenuity, a journey that will test his strength to the limit. He will be a participant in the elemental struggle for life and survival.
Buck’s gruelling trial will also teach him surprising lessons about friendship and loyalty. If he is successful it will be a trek that leads not only back to his family and home but also to a maturity not always achieved in a full lifetime.
- GenresShort Stories
222 pages, Paperback
Published December 10, 2015
210 people want to read
About the author
John Holland
10 books30 followersJohn Holland grew up in outback Australia. Living on cattle stations his father Jack Holland managed in Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley.
He has been a stockman, miner, road worker, speech writer/media officer for a Queensland state member of parliament and a newspaper columnist.
John now lives in Townsville, tropical North Queensland and writes full time.
Check out his website: http://poetrysansfrontieres.weebly.com/
His writing credits include:
FICTION:
Mark Taggart and the Circle of Stones (with co-author Nicci Carrera).
Old Year's Day (Louisa Publishing Australia)
Heartland (Louisa Publishing Australia)
Somewhere far from Iris
Bitter Bread
The Light at the Bottom of the Garden
Left of the Rising Sun
POETRY:
Dry Bones (Stonesthrow Poetry)
Under The Dog Star (Hammer & Anvil Books)
His work has also appeared in the anthologies:
Ink Angels (Allpoetry)
Found Patrick (Regina Sokas)
Rawahi (Lazarus Media)
His work has also appeared in the poetry magazines:
Danse Macabre
Umphrose
Mystical Muse
Spontaneous Spirits
The Mozzie
And many others.
He has been a stockman, miner, road worker, speech writer/media officer for a Queensland state member of parliament and a newspaper columnist.
John now lives in Townsville, tropical North Queensland and writes full time.
Check out his website: http://poetrysansfrontieres.weebly.com/
His writing credits include:
FICTION:
Mark Taggart and the Circle of Stones (with co-author Nicci Carrera).
Old Year's Day (Louisa Publishing Australia)
Heartland (Louisa Publishing Australia)
Somewhere far from Iris
Bitter Bread
The Light at the Bottom of the Garden
Left of the Rising Sun
POETRY:
Dry Bones (Stonesthrow Poetry)
Under The Dog Star (Hammer & Anvil Books)
His work has also appeared in the anthologies:
Ink Angels (Allpoetry)
Found Patrick (Regina Sokas)
Rawahi (Lazarus Media)
His work has also appeared in the poetry magazines:
Danse Macabre
Umphrose
Mystical Muse
Spontaneous Spirits
The Mozzie
And many others.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 11, 2015
Heartland by Australian writer John Holland is my favourite read of 2015. The four novellas that are included in this book are connected by the theme of life in the Australian outback, but are not connected by storyline or characters.
Somewhere Far from Iris and Bitter Bread are what I would call outback noir. The light at the Bottom of the Garden is a mystery with paranormal undertones. Left of the Rising Sun is a story about a young boy’s survival in the harsh outback.
All four novellas are beautifully imagined and carry sometimes disturbing glimpses into the hard world of the Australian outback.
This is a book that will satisfy the hunger of the avid reader. It would also appeal to readers of literary fiction who like body and clarity in their reading fare.
Somewhere Far from Iris and Bitter Bread are what I would call outback noir. The light at the Bottom of the Garden is a mystery with paranormal undertones. Left of the Rising Sun is a story about a young boy’s survival in the harsh outback.
All four novellas are beautifully imagined and carry sometimes disturbing glimpses into the hard world of the Australian outback.
This is a book that will satisfy the hunger of the avid reader. It would also appeal to readers of literary fiction who like body and clarity in their reading fare.
September 6, 2020
Interesting variety in John Holland's novella collection
Having always had an interest in reading about Australia--especially, the Outback, I chose Holland's Heartland. While all novellas here weren't necessarily descriptive of Australia, I found them quite worthy reads; hence, five stars worth!
Having always had an interest in reading about Australia--especially, the Outback, I chose Holland's Heartland. While all novellas here weren't necessarily descriptive of Australia, I found them quite worthy reads; hence, five stars worth!
April 6, 2020
Somewhere far from Iris
This was the best of the four in the collection. Good character development, well thought out plot and nicely seamed. The ending came across as a little rushed, but still, a good read.
The Light at the Bottom of the Garden
This one had great potential then fizzled out. Some of the later chapters were too long and came across as filler. The ending was rushed.
Bitter Bread
There appears to be a theme I’m not a fan of. The author thrives on using damaged characters in each story. The ending left me flat.
Not a bad story, but a predictable end.
Left of the Rising Sun; Reviewed this one previously
Overall, one must giver credit to Mr. Holland. He has the gift of placing readers in the scene artfully. If you haven’t been to Australia, when you are finished reading one us his stories, you will have sworn you were and that, my friends is a talent.
Three Stars
This was the best of the four in the collection. Good character development, well thought out plot and nicely seamed. The ending came across as a little rushed, but still, a good read.
The Light at the Bottom of the Garden
This one had great potential then fizzled out. Some of the later chapters were too long and came across as filler. The ending was rushed.
Bitter Bread
There appears to be a theme I’m not a fan of. The author thrives on using damaged characters in each story. The ending left me flat.
Not a bad story, but a predictable end.
Left of the Rising Sun; Reviewed this one previously
Overall, one must giver credit to Mr. Holland. He has the gift of placing readers in the scene artfully. If you haven’t been to Australia, when you are finished reading one us his stories, you will have sworn you were and that, my friends is a talent.
Three Stars
November 15, 2021
John Holland's support of a violent neo-Hitlerite, right-wing extremist and racist like Mercedes Webb-Pullman is utterly abhorrent.
'replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
Liar. Why do you bother? Ukrainian brides are such trash'
''replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
I live on my pension, dear, at 70 years of age.
Never was a whore - because people like you give it such a bad name.
You're not intelligent enough to make a difference to anyone's life, even your own.''
''So fuck off, creepy Russian doll with other creepy Russian dolls inside her.
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
You have a sad history, Russian internet bride.
Why try to make it a stranger's problem?
Face it - you're ugly, stupid, and stuck in Australia.
Not quite Melania, are you?
Carry on.''
''Are there any Russians present with you at the moment? Can anybody else see them? Are the voices getting louder? Please consult your GP.
comment 7 months ago
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
Yes, Russians live here. As they live in most countries of the world. Yes, they are visible to all. Bad clothes, bad teeth, bad accents and all. No, no voices getting louder.
Please consult your etiquette tips, Karen. They were handed out at the last meeting.
Then fuck off. (edited)'' replied on irish famine
Delusional.
Psychotic.
Jealous little bitch.
Every time you attempt to damage someone else's life, it comes back onto you and yours.
Carry on, шлюха
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
Actually, I'm Australian. At least they pay my pension.
Do you have hair?
What colour is your hat? The same as the pot you piss in?
replied on Mindfulness
Message from your father - he's not your father
comment 11 months agocommented on topic Mindfulness
He's alive and well, silly thing. You are not.
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
You have a sad history, Russian internet bride.
Why try to make it a stranger's problem?
Face it - you're ugly, stupid, and stuck in Australia.
Not quite Melania, are you?
Carry on.
commented on topic 4 years of bad peace
One for you
https://allpoetry.com/poem/15538809-D...
Dear Blessed Praying-with-your-eyes-open Mary
I have no family left but you. My father, uncles, brothers, all the men in our village, lined up against the town hall wall and machine-gunned. We were forced to watch. They shot old women and babies, sent women and girls to Kiev as servants for German soldiers. Mama wouldn’t work, just sat on the floor with her shawl over her face, rocking. They took her to Babi Yar from the barracks.
Now you are my mother, Mary Praying Virgin. When first I came to the city, for my first communion, you looked down from the dome straight into my eyes, through the halo of gold spread around you, and I knew you knew me and loved me.
Every person I’ve ever known, family and neighbours, they’re all dead. Even the village itself is gone. I know you’re still there, safe in Saint Sophia’s Cathedral, Blessed Virgin Orans, because you are the unbreakable wall. Rus will live as long as you are there. I need your blessing before my journey.
They’re sending me to Austria. I’m healthy, I know farm work and I can milk cows so I’ll go to a farm, and another Austrian dairy farmer will be freed to join the German army. I’m pregnant and the soldiers don’t want me in their barracks any more. I make them feel guilty.
I have a feeling I’ll never see Kiev, or Rus, again. Life so far has all been about love and losing it, connections that vanish. I don’t trust the world any more. Everything changes, nothing stays the same.
Except you, my new mother, 1, 000 years praying with your hands in the air and your eyes wide open, trying to scrape up courage, and faith, before the coming birth. Our people traveled south and stayed for centuries, maybe it’s time to turn west again. I know you’ll understand why I haven’t confessed my sins. My worst is wishing to die. Maybe that’s why this new child came, to force me to continue with life.
I sold my body for food and a bed in warm barracks. It was either that or compete for rats in Kiev’s starving streets. I’m anything but a virgin. A coward - I didn’t try to stop the machine gun. I didn’t try hard enough to get Mama up. I lived with the enemy for my own comfort.
I’m sorry to burden you with sins, faults. I write them down and send them to you so I can leave them all behind. So my story stays in the heart of Rus. I will arrive in Austria a slave still, pregnant, alone but for you, carrying new life.
This child has myriad fathers and will never know one. I ask your blessing on us all. The soldiers could have treated me worse. If the Red Army had won and my family was still be alive, would my brothers have treated the Germans any better? Bless us all, Mother Mary, weak sinners that we are. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Do pobachennya, Rus,
Vasha dochka.
Raise a glass to freedom © 9 months ago, Mercedes Webb-Pullman noguest
'replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
Liar. Why do you bother? Ukrainian brides are such trash'
''replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
I live on my pension, dear, at 70 years of age.
Never was a whore - because people like you give it such a bad name.
You're not intelligent enough to make a difference to anyone's life, even your own.''
''So fuck off, creepy Russian doll with other creepy Russian dolls inside her.
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
You have a sad history, Russian internet bride.
Why try to make it a stranger's problem?
Face it - you're ugly, stupid, and stuck in Australia.
Not quite Melania, are you?
Carry on.''
''Are there any Russians present with you at the moment? Can anybody else see them? Are the voices getting louder? Please consult your GP.
comment 7 months ago
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
Yes, Russians live here. As they live in most countries of the world. Yes, they are visible to all. Bad clothes, bad teeth, bad accents and all. No, no voices getting louder.
Please consult your etiquette tips, Karen. They were handed out at the last meeting.
Then fuck off. (edited)'' replied on irish famine
Delusional.
Psychotic.
Jealous little bitch.
Every time you attempt to damage someone else's life, it comes back onto you and yours.
Carry on, шлюха
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
Actually, I'm Australian. At least they pay my pension.
Do you have hair?
What colour is your hat? The same as the pot you piss in?
replied on Mindfulness
Message from your father - he's not your father
comment 11 months agocommented on topic Mindfulness
He's alive and well, silly thing. You are not.
replied on How I distroyed the Speakeasy and little skid mark
You have a sad history, Russian internet bride.
Why try to make it a stranger's problem?
Face it - you're ugly, stupid, and stuck in Australia.
Not quite Melania, are you?
Carry on.
commented on topic 4 years of bad peace
One for you
https://allpoetry.com/poem/15538809-D...
Dear Blessed Praying-with-your-eyes-open Mary
I have no family left but you. My father, uncles, brothers, all the men in our village, lined up against the town hall wall and machine-gunned. We were forced to watch. They shot old women and babies, sent women and girls to Kiev as servants for German soldiers. Mama wouldn’t work, just sat on the floor with her shawl over her face, rocking. They took her to Babi Yar from the barracks.
Now you are my mother, Mary Praying Virgin. When first I came to the city, for my first communion, you looked down from the dome straight into my eyes, through the halo of gold spread around you, and I knew you knew me and loved me.
Every person I’ve ever known, family and neighbours, they’re all dead. Even the village itself is gone. I know you’re still there, safe in Saint Sophia’s Cathedral, Blessed Virgin Orans, because you are the unbreakable wall. Rus will live as long as you are there. I need your blessing before my journey.
They’re sending me to Austria. I’m healthy, I know farm work and I can milk cows so I’ll go to a farm, and another Austrian dairy farmer will be freed to join the German army. I’m pregnant and the soldiers don’t want me in their barracks any more. I make them feel guilty.
I have a feeling I’ll never see Kiev, or Rus, again. Life so far has all been about love and losing it, connections that vanish. I don’t trust the world any more. Everything changes, nothing stays the same.
Except you, my new mother, 1, 000 years praying with your hands in the air and your eyes wide open, trying to scrape up courage, and faith, before the coming birth. Our people traveled south and stayed for centuries, maybe it’s time to turn west again. I know you’ll understand why I haven’t confessed my sins. My worst is wishing to die. Maybe that’s why this new child came, to force me to continue with life.
I sold my body for food and a bed in warm barracks. It was either that or compete for rats in Kiev’s starving streets. I’m anything but a virgin. A coward - I didn’t try to stop the machine gun. I didn’t try hard enough to get Mama up. I lived with the enemy for my own comfort.
I’m sorry to burden you with sins, faults. I write them down and send them to you so I can leave them all behind. So my story stays in the heart of Rus. I will arrive in Austria a slave still, pregnant, alone but for you, carrying new life.
This child has myriad fathers and will never know one. I ask your blessing on us all. The soldiers could have treated me worse. If the Red Army had won and my family was still be alive, would my brothers have treated the Germans any better? Bless us all, Mother Mary, weak sinners that we are. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Do pobachennya, Rus,
Vasha dochka.
Raise a glass to freedom © 9 months ago, Mercedes Webb-Pullman noguest
June 11, 2020
I read each novella in one go and they were the perfect length because once you start reading you don't want to stop until each story is finished.
John Holland's writing strength lies in the drawing up of difficult and challenging characters.
These characters are far from perfect, some are flawed, disfigured even, but that not only makes you root for them but it also makes their stories even more engaging.
All four stories were enjoyable but I particularly loved Left of the Rising Sun - a story told by a brave yet nonchalant ten-year-old boy who survives a plane crash only to find his journey back to his own world is only just beginning.
John Holland does a delightful job of rendering the voice of the boy whose struggle to find his way back to safety through the dangers of the bush we follow with bated breath.
I read these four novellas during the lockdown here in Ireland and it was refreshing to find myself immersed the unfamiliar landscape of the Australian outback - a place I have yet to see.
If you want something different. I highly recommend Heartland.
John Holland's writing strength lies in the drawing up of difficult and challenging characters.
These characters are far from perfect, some are flawed, disfigured even, but that not only makes you root for them but it also makes their stories even more engaging.
All four stories were enjoyable but I particularly loved Left of the Rising Sun - a story told by a brave yet nonchalant ten-year-old boy who survives a plane crash only to find his journey back to his own world is only just beginning.
John Holland does a delightful job of rendering the voice of the boy whose struggle to find his way back to safety through the dangers of the bush we follow with bated breath.
I read these four novellas during the lockdown here in Ireland and it was refreshing to find myself immersed the unfamiliar landscape of the Australian outback - a place I have yet to see.
If you want something different. I highly recommend Heartland.
July 23, 2022
I was looking forward to the stories in this book, stories about Australia, stories about the outback and people's lives there. My expectations were not really fulfilled, although the author really makes an admirable attempt to make his stories interesting and exciting. What I found were mostly stereotypical characters, I felt as if I was reading something I had read thousands of times before, or seen thousands of times on TV. There was a lack of originality. The stories presented scenes that seemed highly unlikely, it was not possible to identify with any of the characters. The narrator seemed almost the same in every story, the down-on-his-luck type pervaded them all. I got a little tired of reading about yet another guy with a handicap, a beautiful woman who falls in love with him and tries to help and protect him. Sorry to say, the scenes were often almost corny.
I'm not sure the stories were proof-read, there were numerous spelling mistakes, apostrophes in odd places and many word repetitions. All that needs fixing up.
I'm not sure the stories were proof-read, there were numerous spelling mistakes, apostrophes in odd places and many word repetitions. All that needs fixing up.
December 14, 2015
The author's voice in this collection rings through each story, though there is a variety of tones. That voice is, to my ear, honest, clear, humanistic, with a touch of humor. Two of the novellas are among my favorite books, Somewhere Far From Iris and Bitter Bread. Both books are exciting, a tad 'noir,' and gritty. The Light at the Bottom of the Garden is a fun mystery with humor. Left of the Rising Sun is a survival/adventure story. All the stories are connected, as the author says, but the theme of living in this corner of the world, in the Australian outback of North Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews