The heiress of Chirunga

In the early 20s, in the middle of the Australian bush, Mathilda, 13, has just lost her mother. Left alone with his alcoholic father, so it is quickly bear the burden of the vast family estate and its thousands of sheep. Despite her young age, she will have to win in a male environment, facing the natural elements that threaten the balance of the field and protect themselves from the lust of his neighbors ... 50 years later in Sydney, Jenny just lost her son and husband in an accident, and learned with amazement that he had planned to offer a vast domain in the Australian outback. Not knowing what to make of this cumbersome posthumous gift, she goes there and finds the diaries of the former owner.

The novel alternates passages on Mathilda and those dedicated to Jenny, giving a rather uneven result: Combative, proud and lonely, Mathilda is a character who has the dog, and it is in the pages that chronicle his tragic destiny the decor takes its full dimension. These quasi-desert and arid expanses, where he can not see a drop of rain for several years, this hostile environment where men often prove more cruel than nature are the real strengths of this novel. The story loses much of its charm however when he is interested in bland character Jenny. It wades in the water-in-pink, and the love story between the young widow and Brett Wilson, director of the area gives rise to a few passages of appalling sentimentality. So I shared enough, but basically I spent quite a while reading this novel, especially because the author does not skimp on the twists. It is ultimately a rather nice saga, easy to read, if you're looking a little light thing for your next vacation, why not?