by Katharine Susannah Prichard
This was my pick for the most recent Classics Club Spin – I was happy to have this one selected for me because it is Australian, short, and by an author whose books I have enjoyed. Katharine Susannah Prichard spent much of her life living not far from me here in Western Australia. This was actually her first book, and I enjoyed it very much, though I read it as an ebook, which is never my first choice.
I have read many, many books set in the early days of Australia’s colonial past, including those by my great-grandfather, who was a 3rd generation farmer in NSW, but The Pioneers had a slightly different slant to most. It was written in 1915, and although many of the characters are well-known types, many of them stereotypes, the friendly and respectful relationship developed between a married white woman and a male escaped convict was unusual. We do find out why this woman left alone on her farm in the bush was confident enough to offer help to two desperate men, but the trust and friendship that survived many years was impressive to read about. Despite the fairly predictable storyline, I really enjoyed the unravelling of the events, and especially the language used to describe the landscape, the sounds and smells of the bush and the town, and the range of characters. As usual with books written at this time, there was little consideration of the original inhabitants of the land, but that is something we have to accept – times have changed very much since then I am happy to say.
As usual I have not given a precis of this book as that is easily found online, but merely my impressions.
I would highly recommend any book by Katharine Susannah Prichard, but especially this one!
Me, My Shelf and I 