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The Stockmen (2005)

by Rachael Treasure(Favorite Author)

4.16 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0143001833 (ISBN13: 9780143001836)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Penguin Australia

review 1: I started reading this book on the recommendation of a friend. Having already tolerated Jillaroo, I thought perhaps this would be better. I was wrong.The book has a good story, and starts well. Rosie, working for a local newspaper, researches the life of Jack Gleeson, a stockman from the 1850s. However, the impossibly unrealistic characters, predictable storyline and erratic chronology really grates my nerves with this book. In one situation, just after visiting the 1850s, the reader returns to the present for all of about two paragraphs before again being transported back in time to the previous week as the main character remembers a conversation from that time. There we remain for the rest of the chapter.The quality of writing reminds me of compulsory high school creativ... moree writing assignments, and the limited vocabulary results in many repeated words and phrases. I often overlook this while reading, however, in favour of a good story.As a result, I give this book a generous three stars because at the heart of it, the story (in my eyes the most important part) is a great tale through the heart of Australia, and the origins of both the stockmen who worked the land and an iconic breed of dog that has remained a part of stock culture today.
review 2: Rachael Treasure's books are really good (although they have different names in the UK, which was puzzling). I love the detail involved, I've never really understood farming or the outback, etc. And her books offer a brilliant depiction of life so different from London. I loved it. The books are well written, gripping and very realistic. If you want something different, but from a female narrator's point of view than these are the books. Not quite “chick lit” but almost within the genre, these story's are about character building, emotional family drama, struggle, achieving one's dreams, facing/ confronting life and adversaries with a touch of romance. The heroine's are real women confronting their vulnerabilities and working on their strength. They're not sweet shopaholic fashion trend setters or silly women who dream about being beautiful and falling in love with the typical tall, dark handsome cliché. These aren't fluff books, so if you're looking for that you won't find it here. less

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