Australia The horrors of war have for the most part left her untouched. However the arrival of two Italian POW labourers unsettles not only the other workers, but Kate too β especially when she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Luca Canali. Then she receives devastating news. The farm is near bankrupt and the bank is set to repossess. Given just eight weeks to pay the debt, Kate is now in a race to save everything she holds dear. It is an immersive pastoral tale that combines a hint of romance and a touching coming of age story, along with serious issues that plague the sheep station of Amiens, the central setting focus of the novel.
I am going to sound like a broken record, but I will say it again. Often the best stories, especially in the historical fiction genre, are those drawn from real life experiences. These lived experiences allow the lines of fiction and real life to blur. The end result is often a superior historical novel, rich in experience, authenticity and honesty. It adds much weight to this compelling tale.
There are a number of resounding themes in this novel. Firstly, Rhoades diligently works to highlight the Australian female experience of World War II, which is not often brought to the floor. When the book opens, we get the feeling that Kate is a carbon copy of women in this era and how they were expected to conduct themselves. Kate is a dutiful daughter and wife.
She immediately comes across as naive and sheltered. She is not expected to voice her opinion, or step on the toes of the men around her. Rhoades touches on the stolen generation and the treatment of half-caste individuals. It is a cruel history lesson, but an important one to highlight.
_in_the_presence_of_Quee_-_(MeisterDrucke-1051265).jpg "Model Hooker in Amiens")
Linked to this are the social mores and attitudes prevalent in relation to the POW labourers and the Italian people by Australian citizens. This aspect of the narrative represents another scathing history lesson. Rhoades also focuses her novel on issues of PTSD, still largely unrecognised at this point in time. Rhoades works hard to illuminate this sad experience for the reader. Rhoades handles their interactions well; she captures the forbidden romance, sexual tension, dependence and sense of longing that passes between the two characters.
