Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: outback

  • Six Ways to Sunday

    Six Ways to Sunday

    Rilee Summers is a girl who has got her life under control. She has faced up to many challenges in her life, studied and worked hard to become a Naturopath and is looking to start up her own clinic in Sydney, working at what she loves to do most, help people.

    That is until she meets Dan Kincaid, a farmer from Pallaburra, a remote town in New South Wales, at a buck’s night at her friend’s pub, where she often worked to earn a little extra cash, and falls madly, passionately in love, with this ruggedly handsome man from the outback.

    After many rushed trips to Sydney by Dan, they decide to marry, which has taken some serious consideration from Rilee, as although she realises Dan is her one and only love, giving up her dream of opening her own clinic when is it so near to becoming a reality, is a big ask.

    Although she realises Pallaburra is not Sydney, she truly believes she can open a clinic in the rural town and make a real go of it, until she runs headlong into a raft of prejudices, realises that her beloved Dan’s family are so set in tradition it is painfully, heartbreakingly challenging, and that her desire to champion a change of attitude in the town toward the spate of teen pregnancies, has caused a complete schism within the hide bound community.

    Things finally reach a head when Dan refuses to support her and she takes time out to visit her parents on their property in Queensland, where they grow a range of herbs used in healing, that she has to make some serious decisions about what she holds dearest. She finds the soothing nature of digging the soil and working out amongst the herb beds relaxing which allows her time reflect on the testing and difficult first months of her marriage.

    In this latest summer read from the much love Karly Lane she has captured the essence of young woman who will not back down from what she believes is right; a young woman who is not afraid of a challenge, a young woman who is prepared to put her love on the line for her convictions.

    In Six Ways to Sunday, Lane has captured the reality of small town country living where much of the social structure was laid down generations ago, ease of access to health professionals and community facilities are not readily available and social issues, such as teen pregnancy rates, poor and education standards are an everyday occurrence.

    Rilee Summers stands up for what she believes in and by doing so helps to make a positive change within her community.  Perhaps we all should take a leaf out of this feisty heroine’s book and by doing a little, a lot may, somewhere in the remote communities of Australia, change for the better.

  • Ridgeview Station

    Ridgeview Station

    Peter and Kelsey Dalton bought Ridgeview Stations some five years ago, in spite of their friends thinking they had run mad, leaving the fertile lands of the coast for the dry, unforgiving nature of the outback. Lucky for then they had had good rains over the time and this year, were looking forward to a good muster, some money in the bank and bit over to be able to replace some much needed equipment.

    Deciding they need a bit of extra help, they approach a neighbouring grazier who has a hand looking for a new position. Alexi comes with a glowing recommendation, duly arriving at Ridgeview Station, except that Alexi is not at all what is expected much to the amusement of her former boss, Graham, who had carefully left out the simple fact that Alexi was a female!

    Aunty Bethany, the go-to local indigenous woman also sends out Murray, who has worked at the property before and with their own hand Ash, make a up a reliable team.

    As the days approach the beginning of the muster, everyone concerned with the event is confident it is s going to go as quickly and as smoothly as possible. The antics of the two young men around Alexi provided amusement to Peter and Kelsey as well as their parents, who are an integral component of the station and station life, even though Jack is getting a little slower than he is prepared to admit.

    A week into the muster a massive storm is brewing with the horizon slowly disappearing under a black cloud of fury, interspersed with hugely formidable bolts of lightning. It is with fear and trepidation they all sit and watch, from the veranda of the homestead, the storm slowly approaching, praying that it will move on without leaving any damage in its wake.

    From this point on their luck seems to have run out with what appears to be a small fire out in one of the paddocks, which soon gets out of control despite their best efforts. Help is called in which duly arrives in the form of Bull and his huge ‘dozer, Chook in the service ute and Goose driving the third vehicle  loaded with spares, a small fire unit, air compressor and just about anything else that may be needed in the days to come.

    Based on more than 16 years living and running a sheep station, Michael Trant, in this his first novel brings the dust, grit, passion and determination of the outback people to life on the pages. You can feel the choking atmosphere of the fires, the distress caused after the death of beloved working dogs, the fear, compassion and understanding that is a part of everyday life for those who live far from the trappings of civilisation.

    You can relate to the frustration of dealing with bureaucracy, and anyone who has lived in the outback can definitely relate to the characters who populate the ‘bush’, adding their courage and audacity to creating the spirit that is the Australian outback!

     

  • Hartley’s Grange

    Hartley’s Grange

    Lily’s life has just hit the dirt, big time. Her long-time boyfriend has been caught read-handed with another woman; she has just quit her job in a business she loved. She is heading out town to her sisters for some much needed TLC when the rain starts with a vengeance; she loses control of the car on the dirt road and crashes her car. What else can go wrong?

    She slowly returned to focus, griping the steering wheel with grim determination when she hears a voice call asking if she is OK.  It is none other than Flynn Hartley, love of her young life when she and her sister Violet lived in Violet Falls, who has come to her rescue.

    He bundles her up and delivers her to her to Violet who is engaged to Flynn’s best mate Mac McKellan, little knowing that the next step in both their lives was to begin right there.

    As the days moved on Lily has time to reflect on the reasons she and Violet left Violet Falls and what she thinks she will do from now going forward to earn a living and help out with household expenses.

    Her grandfather has left her a shop premises in the main street of town and she decides to set up her own couture business as design is her first love and she is pretty damned good at it, so much so perhaps it is time she tried to go it on her own.

    As the days stretch into weeks, setting up a new business is not the only thing to change as Flynn Hartley is becoming a regular feature in her life, old friendships are being rebuilt and the shop fitout is coming along well, until things start to go slightly wrong.

    There appears to be someone who is targeting the new business before it gets established but in such a small town, the general opinion is that it is one of occurrence.

    Under the skilful pen of Nicole Hurley-Moore, we are enveloped in a world where lives are put back together; lessons are learned, old friends resurface in the McKellan family giving a lovely continuity to a timeless story of life, love and living.

     A wonderful read for a lazy Sunday afternoon which will leave you with a total dose of that ‘feel-good’ feeling!