Free shipping on orders over $99
The Great Plains

The Great Plains 1

by Nicole Alexander
Paperback
Publication Date: 03/11/2014
4/5 Rating 1 Review

Share This Book:

 
$32.99
Nicole Alexander, the 'heart of Australian storytelling', takes us on a captivating journey from the American Wild West to the wilds of outback Queensland, from the Civil War to the Great Depression, in an epic novel tracing one powerful but divided family.

Nicole Alexander, the 'heart of Australian storytelling', takes us on a captivating journey from the American Wild West to the wilds of outback Queensland, from the Civil War to the Great Depression, in an epic novel tracing one powerful but divided family.

It is Dallas 1886, and the Wade Family is going from strength to strength- from a thriving newspaper and retail business in Texas to a sprawling sheep station half a world away in Queensland.

Yet money and power cannot compensate for the tragedy that struck twenty-three years ago, when Joseph Wade was slaughtered and his seven-year-old daughter Philomena abducted by Apache Indians.

Only her uncle, Aloysius, remains convinced that one day Philomena will return. So when news reaches him that the legendary Geronimo has been captured, and a beautiful white woman discovered with him, he believes his prayers have been answered.

Little does he know that the seeds of disaster have just been sown.

Over the coming years three generations of Wade men will succumb to an obsession with three generations of mixed-blood Wade women- the courageous Philomena, her hot-headed granddaughter Serena, and her gutsy great-granddaughter Abelena - a young woman destined for freedom in a distant red land. But at what price . . . ?

'Alexander writes with a deep love of the land' Courier-Mail
ISBN:
9781742759852
9781742759852
Category:
Historical Fiction
Format:
Paperback
Publication Date:
03-11-2014
Publisher:
Transworld Publishers (Division of Random House Australia)
Country of origin:
Australia
Pages:
528
Dimensions (mm):
235x157x39mm
Weight:
0.7kg
Nicole Alexander

A fourth-generation grazier, Nicole returned to her family's property in the early 1990s. She is currently the business manager there.

Nicole has a Master of Letters in creative writing and her novels, poetry, travel and genealogy articles have been published in Australia, Germany, America and Singapore.

She is the author of six novels: The Bark Cutters, A Changing Land, Absolution Creek, Sunset Ridge, The Great Plains, Wild Lands, River Run and An Uncommon Woman.

Click 'Notify Me' to get an email alert when this item becomes available

Reviews

4.0

Based on 1 review

5 Star
(0)
4 Star
(1)
3 Star
(0)
2 Star
(0)
1 Star
(0)

1 Review

The Great Plains is an epic story that crosses different times and places featuring three strong-willed women and breathtaking descriptions of the land.

The Great Plains is my first Nicole Alexander book and going into the novel, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'm a big fan of historical fiction yet I haven't read anything quite on the same scope as this book before. This novel is essentially comprised of two halves - a story of the land and history, and a story of a family and three strong women. Both combined together make for a captivating and epic read.

The novel follows three generations of women: Philomena, Serena and Abelena. The former was abducted and raised by Apache Indians, yet her uncle Aloysius remained convinced of her eventual return. Serena is her granddaughter who was claimed by Aloysius, and Abelena is Serena's daughter and Philomena's great-granddaughter. The Great Plains focuses on these three women and how three generations of Wade men get caught up with them. The three women were fighters and I admired their spirit.

Something that I especially loved about The Great Plains was its variation in setting. The story begins in the American Wild West in 1886 Dallas, then gradually moves to Australia and outback Queensland in the first half of the twentieth century. There is passing reference to significant historical events and individuals throughout the novel. It also presents the beliefs of the time and place, particularly demonstrating the views on race, as well as life in general. A particular aspect that the story is concerned with is the land - and consequently the people that inhabit it. Alexander's descriptions present a vast and beautiful land, and I got the impression that she had a deep understanding of the spiritual ties that indigenous people - in both Australia and North America - had to the land.

It did take quite a while for me to properly get into the book, though I'm glad that I persevered with it, because I soon hit a point that drew me in completely. The Great Plains is a captivating novel, which combines three generations of the Wade family and their drama with a rich landscape and a colourful history. I would highly recommend this novel to fans of the genre, particularly those interested in a read on an epic scale that is set in a number of different times and places.

Contains Spoilers No
Report Abuse