Alison Stuart (1)

This is the second instalment of the Maiden’s Creek series of Australian historical fiction stories, but can easily be read as a standalone. Alison Stuart, who also writes a historical crime series set in Singapore as A.M.Stuart, was born in Kenya and grew up in Australia from age 9. Her stories are engaging and extensively researched.

The story is set in 1873 in Maiden’s Creek, a mining town based on Walhalla in Victoria. Eliza Penrose arrives from England after the death of her mother, to live with her brother Will who has been mining gold at Shenandoah near Maiden’s Creek. She finds herself standing on an outback street only to be rudely knocked over by Scotsman Alec McLeod. When Will does not arrive to collect her she finds, to her heartbreak, that he has recently died in a mining accident. She is left to live with her patronising uncle Charles Cowper, owner of the Maiden’s Creek mine.

Despite her uncle’s disapproval Eliza begins working at the school as a teacher, and settles into the small community. After a while things begin to seem amiss and Eliza wonders if there was more to Will’s death than a simple fall. Eliza has to work with mining engineer Alec, Will’s friend and confidante, to try and work out what really happened to Will. The two uncover secrets like Will’s plan for a new engine, and her uncle’s corner cutting and deceitful accounting practices. The secrets plunge them both into a highly dangerous situation.

The story is well researched and creates a great sense of the time and place. I also enjoyed some of the characters. Alec is still grieving the loss of his wife and child, and lives with his deaf younger brother Ian. Both men are great characters. Some of the scenes at the end were a little dramatic and improbable, but I found this a really enjoyable story. 4.5 stars… (plus d'informations)

Gather the Bones
3 Stars

After losing her husband in the Great War, Helen Morrow visits his family estate in the UK and becomes embroiled in a centuries-old mystery. Haunted by the ghosts of the past, Helen and her late husband's cousin, Paul, must work together to uncover the clues or they will find neither peace nor happiness.

Unfortunately, the slow pacing and poor execution undermine an otherwise excellent premise.

The dual mysteries with their shared wartime theme, the Napoleanic Wars and the Great War, are compelling. However, the inclusion of paranormal elements is unnecessary and actually detracts from the storyline as the characters are preoccupied with the ghosts rather than the investigation. Moreover, the ultimate explanations for both mysteries are rather lackluster. The culprit in the 19th-century case is obvious from the start and the revelations concerning Charlie's death are not nearly as dramatic as expected.

The romance between Helen and Paul also has potential; however, Paul's vacillations and Helen's willingness to marry another man put a damper on their relationship.

All in all, an OK read but not one of the best in the genre.… (plus d'informations)

"The Postmistress" is written by Aussie author, Alison Stuart, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in the 1870s, the story follows Adelaide Grieves who, after the death of the man she loves, flees England with her maid and friend, Nettie and, young son, Danny, to become Postmistress of Maiden Creek, a Victorian gold-mining town.

I was drawn to the storyline from the start and Adelaide was an intelligent, strong, forward-thinking female lead. I admired her for the way she made a home for her son despite adversity and daily hardships. She was supported by a wonderful cast of secondary characters who were all unique and brought the novel alive, including Caleb, the novel's hero, and various colourful town characters.

Mine accidents, fires, economic challenges, kidnapping, snakes, poisonous spiders and other challenges made "The Postmistress" a novel I didn't want to put down. It was also well-researched but the author didn't bombard the reader with unnecessary detail. Instead, she gave the story a strong sense of time and place.

This was my first novel by Ms Stuart but it definitely won't be my last. With romance, secrets, danger, action and drama, "The Postmistress" was an entertaining historical read.… (plus d'informations)

It's 1650 and the Civil War in England is mostly over, there are still pockets of rebellion but mostly the Roundheads are in charge. Ireland has a complicated relationship with this period of time. AKA there was slaughter, there were forced relocations and there was a lot of structural damage, so it's not a period around which a lot of Irish people hold positive feelings about, so I was a little apprehensive about starting this. However the story while well rooted in the period it isn't as patronising as some I've read.
Kate Ashley is from a Parlementarian family, now she has to come to terms with her son being the heir to a Royalist estate. The Thornton family (not my family!). Jonathan Thornton is a Royalist loyalist and spy and has issues from his past that are hunting him, litterally. As they spend time together they find themselves attracted but being together is going to be a problem.
It's an interesting and complicated story with characters I liked, though the end felt a little forced, the problems were resolved a little too easily for the period.… (plus d'informations)