Author: Paula Beavan
Rating: 5-Stars
Great Setting and Time Period!
I loved the characters, location and time period for the Daughter of the Hunter Valley. This period of Australian history is fascinating. The interactions between British adventurers, moved convicts and the Aboriginal people makes for a great read. As did the interactions between the female characters and the role they played after being transplanted to the Australian bush in the 1830s.
This is a book of struggle and perseverance, overcoming natural and personal challenges to find love and success. The characters are strong and likable. I particularly loved the female characters and how they dealt with living in the bush in historical times. And how they built relationships with neighbors and convicts to help each other survive and grow their farms.
The women often did more in the wilderness than they were given credit for. They played roles far beyond what the men could do! Some who migrated from England to Australia and then further moved into the bush from Sydney were incredible in terms of their contributions and resilience. Others could not adapt and needed to return home.
A Well-Researched Book
I live in the area where the novel was set, but 190 years later. Two things stood out for me in novel, The first one was that the convicts sent to Australia from England were, mostly, good people, and the book reflects that. Their crimes, committed in England, were minor. So by selecting the right convicts to work the farm and be personal maids or cooks, often resulted in the convicts become close members of the family. I was glad to witness and understand how ‘criminals’ sent to Australia could earn their freedom. Many of them deserved their opportunity to become free.
I was also in awe by how people created opulent estates from the labor and land; through farming, cutting trees and masonry work with sandstone blocks to create homes, barns, and a way to not only survive, but thrive. As well as a great story, I admired the research that Ms. Beavan put into the book. I live in the area and now plan to explore what I learned about the settings, the large estates, and the travel along the Hunter River.
Great Suspense and Plot
Maddy, Daniel, and others had their challenges and overcame them. The novel had a number of interesting secondary characters who had fascinating backgrounds and profiles and also added to the suspense, and tested Maddy’s resolve. Maddy possessed great skills, mental and emotional strength and resilience to take on any threat or problem thrown in her direction. And the role of Ella as spoiler to Maddy’s relationship with Daniel added a lot to the suspense. Ella created a perfect lover’s triangle that needed to play out and be resolved.
The interaction between Daniel, Maddy and Ella provided so many twists and nuance of relationships that swirled around not just the three of them, but also Daniel’s sister, who happened to be Ella’s best friend, his sister’s husband, and the neighboring family on the estate next to Maddy’s. The level of suspense as the relationship between the three of them played out was what really made the book great.
A Highly Recommended Read
This book is 5-stars and a highly recommended read. I am looking forward to Ms. Beavan’s future works. This is a great debut novel by a new writer of historical women’s fiction.
And if you like Daughter of the Hunter Valley, you are sure to like The Cartographer’s Secret by Tea Cooper!
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If you liked this review, check out my other book reviews for highly recommended reads on my author Blog.
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