The Orchardist's Daughter in Aussie Readers

Jan 21, 2019 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, reviewing-by-request, 2019-release, contemporary-fiction, own-read, arc, uncorrected-proof

Sixteen-year-old Mikaela moved to the small timber town with her older brother Kurt after their parents were lost in a house fire. Miki grieved for her parents, but Kurt made a home for them behind the fish’n’chip shop which they ran. Being the only takeaway shop in town they were reasonably busy – but Miki didn’t get out except with Kurt when they went to the forest on a Monday. He kept her closeted inside – for her safety he said. Miki didn’t argue; she didn’t want to make him angry.

When Leon Sixteen-year-old Mikaela moved to the small timber town with her older brother Kurt after their parents were lost in a house fire. Miki grieved for her parents, but Kurt made a home for them behind the fish’n’chip shop which they ran. Being the only takeaway shop in town they were reasonably busy – but Miki didn’t get out except with Kurt when they went to the forest on a Monday. He kept her closeted inside – for her safety he said. Miki didn’t argue; she didn’t want to make him angry.

When Leon arrived to start his position as a Parks Ranger, he knew he wanted to make this place his home. His Grandpa was in a nursing home nearby, but he knew no one else. He’d left his parents at their property on Bruny Island where he’d lived most of his life – he knew it was time to get away as he and his father didn’t see eye to eye. Leon’s run-down old home was next door to young ten-year-old Max and his family. He soon found himself kicking the footy around with Max, who needed to work on his confidence. And Leon joined the local football team to meet some of the locals. He wasn’t sure how long it would take to be accepted though…

Miki was lonely, especially when Kurt was away in Hobart. She had her beloved books which had belonged to her mother, but she wanted more. Could she find a way to leave the shop, even just for a walk? Her feelings about her brother were changing; his anger and aggression were mounting – she didn’t know what to do. But trouble was coming, and Miki needed to find strength and resilience. Could she?

The Orchardist’s Daughter by Aussie author Karen Viggers is a beautifully written story of dominance, a need for freedom other than in the pages of a book, determination and a deep love of nature. Set among the eucalypts of southern Tasmania, Miki’s affinity to the forest, the Tasmanian devils, the majestic soaring eagles who nested in the forest – plus Leon’s love of those same forests which were in his blood – then the tense, gritty and breathtaking finish – all made for an excellent novel which I highly recommend.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
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Aug 24, 2019 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian-author, australian-fiction, australian-women-writers, act-library, australian, cultural-australia, contemporary, contemporary-fiction, canberra-author, aww2019

I picked this up as part of my aim to read more local author's works. Because of the title (xxx daughter) I was also under the misconception it was a historical fiction about a woman living under a man's shadow. One of the main protagonists is living under a man's shadow of violence but it's set in contemporary Tasmania, and it almost becomes a story about misogyny that is so repeated through time and through many of the character's experiences, it is like it is frozen in time.
Tassie is known f ...more

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Jan 31, 2019 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, 5-stars, reading-list-2019, australian-authors, owned, aty-2019

I really enjoyed this book by Karen Viggers. I thought at the beginning that I could see how it would end, but it didn't turn out how I expected, which was a nice surprise. I loved the descriptions of the Tasmanian bush and the Tassie devils - I've not been to Tasmania before, but the descriptions made me feel like I was there.

Some of the themes of the story were quite heavy - domestic abuse, manipulation, bullying - but they were really well dealt with, and despite the sombre themes, the story ...more

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Feb 08, 2019 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, australian, contemporary, aww2019

I found this story really interesting in lots of different ways.

Mikaela lived a very isolated life on her parent’s farm. Her father had strong ideas about what constituted men’s work and what was women’s work and Mikaela stayed mostly inside being homeschooled in Jesus by her mother and helping with chores. Occasionally though, her father allowed her outside work and these times were her favourite. She has a real connection to the land and after her parents are lost in a house fire and the farm I found this story really interesting in lots of different ways.

Mikaela lived a very isolated life on her parent’s farm. Her father had strong ideas about what constituted men’s work and what was women’s work and Mikaela stayed mostly inside being homeschooled in Jesus by her mother and helping with chores. Occasionally though, her father allowed her outside work and these times were her favourite. She has a real connection to the land and after her parents are lost in a house fire and the farm sold, she moves with her brother Kurt, 10yrs her senior to a logging town. There they run a fish and chip shop while Kurt saves for them to purchase another farm.

As Mikaela approaches 18, she dreams of freedom. It’s what she should be experiencing, freed from the oppressiveness of her home life but instead Kurt seeks to restrict her more and more. He doesn’t like her talking to the customers but his own demeanour is less than friendly to the people they rely on for their livelihood. He doesn’t allow her to go out on her own, locking her inside the premises at the back of the shop when he goes out. Mikaela is concerned about the flashy new purchases that Kurt is making when they should be saving for a farm, to get back on the land. That’s what she desperately wants.

Leon is new to town, a ‘Parkie’ which puts him at odds with a lot of the locals who are loggers by trade. Tensions are simmering in the small town, ready to reach boiling point as the logging is shut down and the men are without work. Leon tries to fit in by playing for the local footy team but he faces ostracisation and hostility, people making assumptions about him before even getting to know him and what he stands for. You’re either a logger or you’re not – and if you’re not, then they’re against you.

Leon and Mikaela don’t interact a lot at first, but his appearance in town is the catalyst to a lot of things being set in motion. Leon befriends the son of his neighbour and tries his best to integrate himself into the town in lots of different ways. I really enjoyed the budding friendship between Leon and Max, the young boy next door who is struggling with a bullying issue at school and struggling with home issues as well. Leon is perhaps the first one to really notice what’s going on with Max as well and not just dismissing it as a school kids being school kids type of thing. Leon is remarkably persistent, even in the face of some pretty awful treatment by some of the men in town, determined to forge good relationships and try and fit in. I guess he knows his job and life will be easier if he can be accepted and he’s willing to do whatever that takes. Leon’s willingness to help in troubled times and the fact that he keeps just showing up means that eventually people start coming around to him.

Leon also forms a friendship with Mikaela, connected to the wilderness. Mikaela loves being outside in the forest and she’s passionate about preserving and saving the local wildlife. She has a connection to the local Tasmanian devil population and she manages to sneak out for several trips to help monitor them. The more time Mikaela spends with others (not just Leon, also some other locals) the more she realises that what is happening to her is wrong. She’s legally an adult now, even if her brother says that she cannot be independent until she’s 21. She should have the right to come and go as she pleases. Instead her life is shaped by her brother’s moods – sometimes Kurt is in a good mood and they go explore the forest and he’ll answer questions about his childhood. But most of the time Kurt’s moods aren’t good and this is when Mikaela knows any sort of effort to engage him will be futile. Kurt’s moods are also escalating as well, trapping Mikaela in a steadily increasing dangerous environment.

There’s quite a lot of (mostly off page) violence in this novel. One of the men on the football team regularly beats his wife and the town seems to turn a blind eye. There’s Max’s trouble with an older school boy, which also seems to largely go unnoticed for a long time, other than by Leon and to a lesser extent, Mikaela. There’s Kurt’s restrictive treatment of Mikaela, locking her up and sending her to the back whenever he doesn’t want her talking to people in the shop. He becomes more and more paranoid as well, particularly after witnessing a few interactions with Leon. And then there’s Leon’s home life, which is bleak also. His ill father isn’t able to cope with being a shadow of his former self and tends to take it out on Leon’s mother when Leon isn’t around. Leon’s mother constantly forgives him and urges Leon to do the same, thereby sweeping it under the rug and diminishing it in importance.

As a reader, I really enjoyed the role that books played in the narrative with Mikaela. She loves reading but her brother restricts her access. However Mikaela discovers a kind local who is happy to lend her books – choosing them rather carefully I thought so that Mikaela might learn something from each one she reads. Mikaela has lovely insight and it’s clear that she should really be finishing a more formal education, studying literature or something similar, as she works towards returning to the land in some way, which is ‘home’ for her.

This was a really intriguing story showcasing issues of family violence, the struggle of making a living versus conservation and small town dynamics. I really appreciated the setting and the deeply flawed characters and their relationships. The writing is beautiful and drew me into the story from the very first page and kept me riveted until the end.

***A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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