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Black Bones, Red Earth
by
Black Bones, Red Earth, is the harrowing, yet ultimately uplifting tale of a child’s search for happiness and a woman’s test of faith.
1951: Katherine’s journey begins in the unforgiving landscape of the Australian outback. Having been abandoned by her father after her mother is killed in a London air raid, Katherine finds little sympathy when she is consigned to an auster ...more
1951: Katherine’s journey begins in the unforgiving landscape of the Australian outback. Having been abandoned by her father after her mother is killed in a London air raid, Katherine finds little sympathy when she is consigned to an auster ...more
ebook, 462 pages
Published
February 24th 2020
by Right Track Publishing
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Start your review of Black Bones, Red Earth
I received this from Netgalley.com.
Ten year old Katherine is abandoned by her father after her mother is killed in a London air raid.
Katherine finds little sympathy when she is consigned to the care of Lachlan and Daisy Stuart on an isolated property in the Australian outback.
Nice story, good descriptiveness.
3.25☆
Ten year old Katherine is abandoned by her father after her mother is killed in a London air raid.
Katherine finds little sympathy when she is consigned to the care of Lachlan and Daisy Stuart on an isolated property in the Australian outback.
Nice story, good descriptiveness.
3.25☆
Black Bones, Red Earth, by Lee Richie, is a story inspired by true events, and while the author has taken fictional license, the story reads as if every word of it actually happened. This is a very deep and haunting tale, one that takes the reader sixty years back in the life of a young orphan named Katherine, who finds herself being traded off from her birth home in England, to a couple who live in the remote Outback of Australia. Set in post WWII rural Australia, the author does an excellent j
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Feb 27, 2020
Bonnye Reed
is currently reading it
Netgalley
pub date Feb 24, 2020
received Feb 27, 2020
BooksGoSocial
pub date Feb 24, 2020
received Feb 27, 2020
BooksGoSocial
Interesting storyline as I had no idea that the British government has shifted orphans from WWII to Australia or how the Aboriginal people were shunned. Vivid descriptions of life in the outback in the 1950's. The characters are believable and will come to life on the pages. I got a little bogged down in the court proceedings but they offer some humor at human ignorance in a dark time. It taked up a lot of the book and it a while to get back to the present time to move the story on. The cover gi
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312 pages
4 and 1 / 2 stars
What a wonderful book.
This is Katherine's story. Hers and her brother's mother was killed in an air raid on London during WWII. Orphaned when their father left them in an orphanage, they were shipped to Australia in 1951. Unfortunately, Katherine and Archie were split up and sent to two different families.
So begins Katherine's sojourn from the age of ten and throughout the next sixty-five years. Cruel and uncaring, the couple with which she was housed were harsh. She ...more
4 and 1 / 2 stars
What a wonderful book.
This is Katherine's story. Hers and her brother's mother was killed in an air raid on London during WWII. Orphaned when their father left them in an orphanage, they were shipped to Australia in 1951. Unfortunately, Katherine and Archie were split up and sent to two different families.
So begins Katherine's sojourn from the age of ten and throughout the next sixty-five years. Cruel and uncaring, the couple with which she was housed were harsh. She ...more
Love, Heartbreak, and tragedy
Kate is ten years old when she is sent from an Orphanage in England to live on a sheep ranch called Cutaway Creek in Australia. This story is about the years she spent there, and the events that took place during those years. The sheep ranch was owned by Daisy and Lachlan Stuart.
The book is more about Lou, Ellin and Toby the Aboriginal workers Kate would meet, make friends with and consider family. It is about the Aboriginal way of life, how they were treated by the ...more
Kate is ten years old when she is sent from an Orphanage in England to live on a sheep ranch called Cutaway Creek in Australia. This story is about the years she spent there, and the events that took place during those years. The sheep ranch was owned by Daisy and Lachlan Stuart.
The book is more about Lou, Ellin and Toby the Aboriginal workers Kate would meet, make friends with and consider family. It is about the Aboriginal way of life, how they were treated by the ...more
Black Bones, Red Earth is one of the most compelling books I have ever read.
The story begins with ten year old Katherine whose mother has been killed in an air raid and her father has abandoned both her and her brother. Katherine is separated from her brother and is brought to live in the with the Stuarts in the Australian Outback.
The book continues with Katherine's painful journey as a young child to current day when she has come face to face with her past again.
I learned so much from this b ...more
The story begins with ten year old Katherine whose mother has been killed in an air raid and her father has abandoned both her and her brother. Katherine is separated from her brother and is brought to live in the with the Stuarts in the Australian Outback.
The book continues with Katherine's painful journey as a young child to current day when she has come face to face with her past again.
I learned so much from this b ...more
This book left me feeling quite emotional and has stayed with me for days. I chose it because I’d read the author’s first book which was quite funny and a real romp for adults and young adults alike. I got into this one expecting something similar, so I was shocked by Lee’s incredibly passionate portrayal of Katherine’s traumatic life. Beautifully written, Black Bones, Red Earth brings the reader along on the journey. Sad at times, joyous at others, this book is a rollercoaster for the emotions
...more
Very impressive and loaded with poignant moments😪
4.5🌟stars🌿
What a wonderful story! I learned so much about Outback life and the pictures author Lee Richie's words create of the characters and nature are so evocative: I could visualize clearly Kate, Lou, Ellin, Toby, Lachlan and the red earth, vast expanses and colorful wildlife Richie describes. Kate's life story, complete with a harsh, unloved childhood and doomed romance was fascinating, as was the way her tale provided a launch point for illu ...more
4.5🌟stars🌿
What a wonderful story! I learned so much about Outback life and the pictures author Lee Richie's words create of the characters and nature are so evocative: I could visualize clearly Kate, Lou, Ellin, Toby, Lachlan and the red earth, vast expanses and colorful wildlife Richie describes. Kate's life story, complete with a harsh, unloved childhood and doomed romance was fascinating, as was the way her tale provided a launch point for illu ...more
I would like to thank Lee Richie, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for a copy of this book and a chance to review Black Bones, Red Earth.
Lee Richie has written a challenging account of the removal of children from England to Australia during the Second World War, Katherine the protagonist is mistreated; it’s sad and also heartening. The descriptive writing of remote Australia is crafted beautifully. There is comment on the treatment of Australian First Nation people which is distressing. The story ju ...more
Lee Richie has written a challenging account of the removal of children from England to Australia during the Second World War, Katherine the protagonist is mistreated; it’s sad and also heartening. The descriptive writing of remote Australia is crafted beautifully. There is comment on the treatment of Australian First Nation people which is distressing. The story ju ...more
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
World War II leaves young Kate and her older brother orphaned, growing up in a London orphanage. It’s 1951, and adolescent Kate and her brother are plucked from London and dropped in the Australian outback. They are separated, both being adopted by different families. Not to say that these are families looking to provide love, rather families seeking cheap labor. Kate ends up on the sheep sta ...more
World War II leaves young Kate and her older brother orphaned, growing up in a London orphanage. It’s 1951, and adolescent Kate and her brother are plucked from London and dropped in the Australian outback. They are separated, both being adopted by different families. Not to say that these are families looking to provide love, rather families seeking cheap labor. Kate ends up on the sheep sta ...more
Lee Richie's Black Bones, Red Earth not only made me feel as though I'd lived on a sheep station in the Outback but evoked the delicate balance between whites and blacks. Against this backdrop a powerful story of a young girl, orphaned by the blitz, battled her way to womanhood. Powerful and compelling with a satisfying twist at the end. All in all a great read!
...more
I knew nothing of Australia before reading this book. The author made me feel like I was there. But such a traumatic tale. I literally had to stop and cry. The character of Katherine is so real and moving. I lived her ordeals alongside her. What an emotional journey. I wanted more as the journey ended, but the finish to this novel was beautiful. Brilliant and soulful. Black and white culture sharing the same grief and joys. More, more, more, please.
Set mainly in the Australian outback in the 1950s, Black Bones, Red Earth by Lee Richie is a highly polished work which drew me in immediately. Katherine's voice is fun, sparky, delightful although she is telling her rather disturbing, harrowing story. There's lots of atmosphere, and descriptive passages are tight and provide the right amount of detail.
I did some beta reading for the author last year and am so pleased to see it's been published. ...more
I did some beta reading for the author last year and am so pleased to see it's been published. ...more
I just finished reading Black Bones, Red Earth and I am still wiping the tears from my eyes. I LOVED this book. It's the best book I've read in a long time and I didn't want it to end.
...more
This is a powerful and haunting read about a young girl, Katherine, who is sent out to Australia from England in 1951 after her mother’s death and father’s abandonment. On arrival she is separated from her brother and scared and bewildered is given over to a cold and uncaring couple on an isolated and remote property in the outback. Somehow she must carve out some sort of life for herself and with determination and courage she does just that. Atmospheric and richly evocative of the time and plac
...more
This book is about a young girl orphaned and sent to Australia. Katherine is the main character and the story follows her life in two parts. We first find her as a vulnerable child but she grows into a strong and likable character whose life is tormented by events of the past. Deeply touching. The author managed to hit just the right balance of tragedy and positivity. I got swept up in the anger when reading about Aboriginal Australians and their treatment. Then my spirits were lifted and alls w
...more
As English orphans, Kate and her brother travel to another continent with a group lead by the Catholic church to be placed with new families. These families do not really want children, they want free labor. The two children are separated leaving Kate alone to toughen up and fend for herself. As she learns what is expected of her, she explores the land and begins to appreciate the beauty of the Australian Outback.
We follow Kate throughout her life, so events happen rather quickly and then we ar ...more
We follow Kate throughout her life, so events happen rather quickly and then we ar ...more
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this well written novel of Australia and the story of Katherine and her life's journey as an unwelcome orphan to the an isolated sheep station in the Outback. Many years later, the life she led as a child leads her to a traumatic turn and ultimate understanding of herself. Recommended reading. ...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this well written novel of Australia and the story of Katherine and her life's journey as an unwelcome orphan to the an isolated sheep station in the Outback. Many years later, the life she led as a child leads her to a traumatic turn and ultimate understanding of herself. Recommended reading. ...more
I enjoyed the descriptions of Australia and the stories that were told. The plot and characters were somewhat predictable. I enjoyed the story though.
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#BlackBones,RedEarth #NetGalley
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