In a Great Southern Land in Aussie Readers

Mar 13, 2019 Brenda rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-release, aussie-authors, read-on-kindle, net-galley, own-read, historical-fiction, arc

3.5★s

Kieran Clancy, with his family – brother Liam, sister Eileen and her husband Rory, plus their three sons were promised free passage; their destination Australia. They were given land grants and the thrill of owning their own land, not answering to anyone as they had in Ireland was a bonus they couldn’t pass up. Their lives in Ireland under English rule had been a harsh one, with starvation rampant. The 1850s saw many head to Australia, the offerings of the new world high on the lists of man ...more

39 likes · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2020 Helen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have had this book sitting on my TBR pile for a while now and I finally got to read it and I am sorry I didn’t read it earlier, this one hit the spot for me. I love a good story about earlier settlers here in Australia and this one was beautifully written with fabulous descriptions of the time and land. The characters were strong and honest with what they had been through and this was the first book from this author and I look forward to more.

The Clancy family Kieran, Liam, Eileen her husband ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2019 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, australian, historical-fiction, aww2019

I read quite a lot of historical fiction but honestly, not a lot of Australian historical fiction. Sometimes these days I find it a bit difficult to read accurate portrayals of early Australian history, especially concerning the local indigenous population and some of the things that occurred after the First Fleet arrived. But there are good stories to be found, and in order to deal with some of that messy past, I think you have to confront it, know about it and learn from it.

This book details w I read quite a lot of historical fiction but honestly, not a lot of Australian historical fiction. Sometimes these days I find it a bit difficult to read accurate portrayals of early Australian history, especially concerning the local indigenous population and some of the things that occurred after the First Fleet arrived. But there are good stories to be found, and in order to deal with some of that messy past, I think you have to confront it, know about it and learn from it.

This book details with the migration of two individuals from Europe – one by choice and the other not so much. Kieran Clancy and his family have been working for another man in Ireland, owning nothing, breaking their backs for little reward for someone who doesn’t respect them or value the work they do. When they have a chance to migrate to the new country known as Australia, it’s with the knowledge that they will be given land to work as their very own. No more working for someone else, instead their hard work will see themselves rewarded. Kieran, his brother Liam, their sister, her husband and their two boys set sail for New South Wales although their departure is not without its final troubles.

On the other hand, Eve is basically deported as a criminal. When she arrives, she crosses paths with Kieran and his quick thinking puts in place a kinder future for Eve than what she might have experienced, had he not been there that day. Eve is granted a job where she knows she will be treated well, even if she might not actually be free. By chance, Kieran comes into her life again and their dream of a future together is troubled by the miners rising rebellion on the goldfields of Ballarat, which could threaten everything they have worked toward achieving.

There was a lot about this I really enjoyed – the history of Kieran and Eve, the lives they’d led and how they came to find themselves separately, in Australia. Eve’s situation in particular was a tragedy and probably reflected in the reality of many women who found themselves cast out to countries like Australia. It’s amazing that you could be sent halfway around the world to basically be an unpaid servant for the rest of your life unless your employer chose to grant you your freedom, for a misdemeanour or being a victim of circumstance or even being falsely accused of something or mistreated by an employer. Women had so little power during this time, poor people had so little power during this time. To be a woman and poor was probably the lowest of the low in terms of options available. Eve was naive, absolutely but she didn’t make a single mistake that a plethora of other vulnerable young women didn’t make.

I didn’t particularly get into the love story of Eve and Kieran, it just felt like it relied on a lot of coincidence and unlikely circumstance and it was a bit instantaneous. Kieran was very involved in the mining dispute and even though he tried not to be because it would threaten his chances with Eve, he’s also really very loyal and supportive of the cause and I think he wanted to provide the other men with support as well and hopefully also rein them in, in terms of things getting violent and out of control. Essentially Kieran is a good man, I just would’ve liked the story to spend a bit more time developing their actual relationship, rather than everything else around that and rushing the relationship a little. I was really interested in the story of Kieran’s sister and her husband and what they experienced too, so I would’ve liked to see a little more on that.

Despite my reservations with that part of it, this is a very well told story, I just found the romance between Eve and Kieran the least interesting part and contained some of the most far-fetched aspects of it. It felt like a good portrayal of life during this time, struggling to make a home in a new and strange environment that could often be hostile compared to what English and Irish people were familiar with. I studied the Eureka Rebellion in school but many, many years ago now so it was interesting to touch on that too and experience that from some different perspectives.

Mary-Anne O’Connor always delivers an interesting story and this one is no exception.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*** ...more

1 like · Like · see review