Andy, her brother, left the farm to go droving in Queensland, leaving her to look after her younger brother and sister. When the boys came back from the war, nothing was the same–Sandy, her sweetheart, wouldn’t talk to her. This is the story of Flinty McAlpine, a girl living in the mountains post-World War I Australia. I’ve started to fall in love with historical fiction, and Jackie French’s books set in past Australia are particularly appealing at the moment. Please do not give it to primary school aged children okay cool bye) (Also I just want to note that the first book in this series is often classed as middle grade, but it isn't. Basically? This was wonderful and I'm thoroughly looking forward to the next book in the series. There's a little bit of a timeslip element here and while I was initially very hesitant about it, I ended up loving that part of the story. It does a fantastic job of dealing with the aftermath of the First World War, with how the world wasn't adequately prepared to deal with a generation of broken men, with how a generation of girls and women had to suddenly find a way to survive without the support of fathers and brothers and husbands who came home changed or not at all. Fortunately, despite a slightly rocky beginning, I ended up absolutely loving it. Why? Because it's very obviously a horsey book and I have horse fear. I was hesitant going into this one despite LOVING A Waltz for Matilda. Reviewed for Trigger warnings: death of a parent (in the past), PTSD, discussions of war, serious physical injury, racism, attempted rape. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next three. Other staples of French's stories feature here as well: a strong female character whose strength is not merely bestowed by the author but earned through a life of struggle a wonderful, holistic romance that has its ups and downs but ultimately works everything for the good and it poses the kind of questions about history that one has always wanted to ask, dealing with it as something real and lived through rather than mere text-book facts.įrench has now announced the series will contain six books, spanning from 1894 - 1972. While a little disconcerting at first, his presence allows some apt comparisons between the attitudes and experiences of the early and later 20th century, and somehow his appearance doesn't feel inconsistent with mountain folk lore. Then, as we get to know her and her siblings and neighbours, a new and initially surprising element is introduced in the figure of a young man from the future with whom Flinty is able to converse. Told through the eyes of seventeen year old Flinty McAlpine, the novel starts with her frustration at not being able to find out what the war was really like. This third instalment of her Matilda Saga narrates an experience of World War I for those left behind. Her characters are so real and warm you can just about feel their pulse they are people you get to know, and after reading their story a part of them lives on in you. It continues the grand saga that began with A Waltz for Matilda.įrench's books help to put heart into history. The Girl from Snowy River combines passion, heartbreak, history and an enduring love and rich understanding of our land. Set among the landscapes of the great poems of Australia, this book is a love song to the Snowy Mountains and a tribute to Australia′s poets who immortalised so much of our land. Now Flinty must ride to save her farm, her family and the valley she loves. Why has the man Flinty loves returned from the war so changed and distant? Why has her brother Andy ′gone with cattle′, leaving Flinty in charge of their younger brother and sister and with the threat of eviction from the farm she loves so dearly?Ī brumby muster held under the watchful eye of the legendary Clancy of the Overflow offers hope. But World War I still casts its shadow across a valley in the heart of Australia, particularly for orphaned sixteen-year-old Flinty McAlpine, who lost a brother when the Snowy River men marched away to war. Thirty years have passed since the man from Snowy River made his famous ride.
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