Nancy Cato (1917–2000)

Very descriptive ,novel taking place mostly in Queensland, remote parts of Australia with Adelaide as a base. The story of mother Alix and after she is grown her daughter Caro both women of courage and a grand sense of adventure. Alix becomes a nurse and takes a position in the remote outback coping with harsh conditions with great strength . She falls for rancher and follows him to northern Australia. where she determinaly sets up a clinic for the aborigines. Jim is killed in WWI and Alix show more returns to Queensland. Now it is her daughter Caro who carries on helping people in remote areas but as a pilot and flying nurse. Caro too is strong and determined and flies in face of convention loving a married man and working in a man's profession.
I really got a feel for the Australian outback in turn of the century reading this novel. Interested now in more novels taking place in this wild desert area.
The only negative is an abrupt ending that is unsatisfying. show less

Part 2 of All The River Runs, an Australian novel written in 1958, which was also a popular TV mini-series in 1983, which I have not yet seen. This book continues the story of Philadelphia Gordon who was shipwrecked and orphaned off the Victorian coast in 1890, then taken in by the formidable Aunt Hester and Uncle Charles, on their property in Echuca along the Murray River. The story now continues with Delie having moved out of home and trying to make her way as an artist. The book focuses show more on her relationship with handsome paddle-steamer captain Brenton Edwards. Delie owns shares in the boat, and soon falls head over heels for Brenton, although for me personally any appeal was short-lived as his reckless, selfish, overgrown man-child personality became apparent. Delie struggles with juggling a rapid succession of small children, with her duties on board the paddle-steamer, and her own desires to paint the beauty and harshness of what she sees around her. It is a good story which creates an impression of life on the river but the writing was fairly plain and uninspiring. 3 stars for me. show less

The third in the audiobook series All the Rivers Run, based on the 1958 book of that name. This continues the life of Philadelphia (Dellie) Gordon on the Murray River, on board the paddle steamer named after her. Now that her dashing husband Brenton Edwards has been incapacitated by a stroke, Dellie has taken on the captaining of the steamer, and must fight to navigate not just the treacherous river but also the misogyny of the men who share her world, while also juggling the show more responsibilities of children and home. She finds herself drawn to the persistent attentions of another man as her relationship to Brenton is now that of carer only. I found this a trying storyline in which not much happens, and what does happen I didn’t like, and wished I had skipped this one. This is why I’m not great with series: they tend to get worse as you go on. 2 stars. show less

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