Sunset Ridge in Aussie Readers

Jun 23, 2013 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are, netgalley-reviews

Moving between South East Queensland and the First World War battlefields of France, Sunset Ridge is an epic tale of family, love and war. Nominated as one of '50 Book's You Can't Put Down' by Australia's nationwide Get Reading program for 2013, it is a compelling novel, well deserving of the recognition.

At the urging of her mother, Jude, art historian Madeleine Harrow-Boyne has agreed to consider the feasibility of a retrospective art exhibition to feature her grandfather's landscapes, but to t
Moving between South East Queensland and the First World War battlefields of France, Sunset Ridge is an epic tale of family, love and war. Nominated as one of '50 Book's You Can't Put Down' by Australia's nationwide Get Reading program for 2013, it is a compelling novel, well deserving of the recognition.

At the urging of her mother, Jude, art historian Madeleine Harrow-Boyne has agreed to consider the feasibility of a retrospective art exhibition to feature her grandfather's landscapes, but to tempt a gallery to sponsor the project Madeleine needs to learn more about David Harrow, who died before she was born. Hoping to discover something of interest, Madeleine returns to the family property, Sunset Ridge, in South East Queensland, currently managed by her brother, where her grandfather was born and raised. It is there that Madeleine stumbles upon the remarkable legacy David Harrow left behind, one that extends beyond his art, and the boundary of Sunset Ridge.

I was fortunate to meet Nicole Alexander at an author event recently and learnt that Sunset Creek was inspired by her own grandfather's life. Alexander is a fourth generation grazier in north west NSW where her family farm cattle, sheep and crops. Sunset Creek is, at least in part, modeled on her family property and the author has drawn on her family's stories to lend authenticity to her setting and characters.

David Harrow is the youngest of three brothers, heirs to Sunset Ridge. It is 1916 and Thaddeus and Luther are growing restless under the thumb of their tyrannical father. When G.W. pushes his sons too far they escape, enlist in the army and are sent to France to fight in the Great War.

For details of life at the Front, Alexander had access to wartime correspondence and news clippings kept by her family, supplemented by meticulous research. Alexander's descriptions of life in the trenches in Verdun and Somme are harrowing and vivid. She beautifully captures the experiences of David and his comrades, the poignant mix of heroic spirit and abject terror found on the battlefields, tales of bravery, sacrifice and tragedy.

In France, Alexander forges the link between David and the Chessy family. Madame Marie has reluctantly seen her twin sons, Antoine and Francois, accompanied by their pet dog, Roland, off to fight, having already lost her husband to the war. Her small farm is often used by allied forces to provide respite to its soldiers and it is here, Madeleine will eventually learn, part of David's legacy rests.

A stunning Australian saga told by a consummate storyteller, Sunset Ridge is an absorbing read and one I won't hesitate to recommended.
...more

7 likes · Like · see review

May 09, 2013 Kathryn rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, australian-authors, reading-list-2016, released-2013

I’ve had this on my list for quite a well and thought I would really enjoy it, but it started slowly (VERY slowly) and by about halfway through, I was kind of interested in the characters, but felt like it was dragging. I don’t know why I felt like this - it had a story told from different points of view in different times and places, which I normally like, it was about a World War, which I also normally like (strange as that may sound), but the elements just didn’t gel for me as they normally d ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2013 Dzintra aka Ingrid rated it really liked it

Shelves: now-reading

A great read made even more poignant by the fact that I attended an Author talk last week with Nicole herself where she talked about her passion for military history.

Like · see review