Under the Golden Sun
Jenny Ashcroft
Reviewed by Helen
A beautifully written story that starts in London during World War 2 and ends under the sun on a cattle station in Queensland Australia, it is heart-warming filled with emotion and such wonderful characters that MS Ashcroft has bought to life on the pages. I loved getting to know the family from England as much as the family in Australia, and I do hope that you pick this one up and enjoy it as much as I did.
Rose Hamilton is on her way to tea with her uncle and brother, it is her birthday and she is very much hoping that her fiancé, Xander will be there as well, while reading the newspaper she comes across an advertisement for a companion to escort and an orphaned child to Australia, this feels like to right position for Rose and she races of too enquire about an appointment to find out more, before her birthday tea.
When Rose arrives at the address she meets Vivian an older lady who is not well and ends up there for quite a while and Rose knows that this is the right thing for her to do it is time for a change get back to herself and before long she is sailing on a treacherous journey for months to Australia with five year old Walter Lucknow, and the longer they are together the closer they become, will she ever want to leave Walter?
Arriving on the cattle station the home of Walter’s parents it does not go the way she thought it would and Rose is not happy and feels for Walter. Nothing is what Rose expected and she knows that she will not be able to leave Walter until he is happy and content but the longer she stays the more she is feeling at home here herself this has a lot to do with Max Lucknow Walter’s uncle a fighter pilot who was injured and is now running the cattle station.
The war is raging and mail is slow to get through, Rose is getting closer to Max but he is keeping his feelings to himself and Rose knows that she does not want to leave, she has made wonderful friends in Max’s sister Esme and Walter has friends as well now all seems to be moving in the right direction if only she could put the past behind her and move on, it is time to talk to Max.
I loved this story so much there are so many emotions throughout the book there were tears and lots of smiles as well from me, a moving story set with the backdrop of Australia, this is one that I highly recommend, make time to sit with this one I savoured every word a must read, a beautiful historical fiction, thank you MS Ashcroft for another keeper.
Thank you Hachette AU for my copy to read and review
5 stars
Published November 24th 2020 by Hachette Australia
