The Last Station
Nicole Alexander
Reviewed by Helen
Nicole Alexander writes a great story set in the early nineteen century and takes in the big sheep stations that helped Australia grow from the start and this one tells the story of the Dalhunty family, their station was situated on the great Darling River in western New South Wales and there is a tale to tell.
Dalhunty Station was big and at one stage had more that eighty people living there, there were orchards and palm trees and thousands of sheep but by the summer of 1909 many things had changed flood, drought and poor management had changed their situation and the patriarch of the family, Benjamin Dalhunty with his wife Rachael, son Julian and daughters Laura and Meg struggle to live. They are waiting for the paddle steamer the Lady Matilda to come and take their last wool clip to market they have been waiting two years for this.
Julian is twenty one and he really wants more from life than struggling on the station, but his father is so eccentric his sister Laura wants so much to be a lady and young Meg is such a tom boy but as the eldest son he is expected to carry on but with what?
Their mother leaves the station to go to Sydney for months, when she returns home she arrives with a young man Ethan and announces that he is a new brother for them, Julian is not happy and Ethan or the natural as they call him goes out of his way to make the best impression and soon tempers are flaring.
Things change when Ethan changes his mind about staying and Julian is forced to save him and they both are soon travelling on the Lady Matilda down the Darling River, they get caught up with some not so good people and are soon in trouble, how will things end up?
This is a great story it digs deep into Australia’s history we learn about the big flood that changed things for The Dalhunty family these old families might not end up with much in the way of money but they will always have their name, their pride and their determination. I enjoyed getting to know the Dalhunty family Julian was strong Meg was feisty and determined Laura quiet and caring. This is a story that I would recommend Nicole Alexander has entertained me again with a great story, filled with real life emotion.
My thanks to Penguin AU for my copy to read and review
Dalhunty Station was big and at one stage had more that eighty people living there, there were orchards and palm trees and thousands of sheep but by the summer of 1909 many things had changed flood, drought and poor management had changed their situation and the patriarch of the family, Benjamin Dalhunty with his wife Rachael, son Julian and daughters Laura and Meg struggle to live. They are waiting for the paddle steamer the Lady Matilda to come and take their last wool clip to market they have been waiting two years for this.
Julian is twenty one and he really wants more from life than struggling on the station, but his father is so eccentric his sister Laura wants so much to be a lady and young Meg is such a tom boy but as the eldest son he is expected to carry on but with what?
Their mother leaves the station to go to Sydney for months, when she returns home she arrives with a young man Ethan and announces that he is a new brother for them, Julian is not happy and Ethan or the natural as they call him goes out of his way to make the best impression and soon tempers are flaring.
Things change when Ethan changes his mind about staying and Julian is forced to save him and they both are soon travelling on the Lady Matilda down the Darling River, they get caught up with some not so good people and are soon in trouble, how will things end up?
This is a great story it digs deep into Australia’s history we learn about the big flood that changed things for The Dalhunty family these old families might not end up with much in the way of money but they will always have their name, their pride and their determination. I enjoyed getting to know the Dalhunty family Julian was strong Meg was feisty and determined Laura quiet and caring. This is a story that I would recommend Nicole Alexander has entertained me again with a great story, filled with real life emotion.
My thanks to Penguin AU for my copy to read and review
4 stars
Published March 1st 2022 by Penguin Random House Australia
