Review of Karrana
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Robert Bruce-Brand
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Review of Karrana
[Following is a volunteer review of "Karrana" by Anne Skyvington.]
The setting for Anne Skyvington’s Karrana is a region in the outback of Australia in 1945. The Karrana River divides the district not only physically, but represents a class division between the people that reside in the area.
Bridie O’Toole, her widowed mother and five brothers (two of whom are missing in action in the war) live on the south side of the river. They eke out an existence on a small farm which produces barely sufficient to feed them and provide some basic luxuries. She yearns for an upliftment from her mundane life to a “classy lifestyle” on the north bank of the river.
Will Featherstone comes from a well-to-do family on the “smart” northern side of the river. His upper middle class parents envisage sending him to college once he has completed his apprenticeship in his father’s business. He, however, dreams of owning and running a large, successful cattle ranch.
The two protagonists are destined to meet at a chance encounter at a Friday night dance in the town. They fall in love almost immediately and consummate their relationship without protection. Bridie falls pregnant. Although supportive of the couple, Bridie’s mother makes it clear that she had wished to protect her daughter from how she and Bridie’s father had started off life (i.e. a “shotgun wedding”). Will’s parents exhort them to terminate the pregnancy and his father in fact arranges and pays for an abortion with a respectable doctor in Sydney. At the eleventh hour Will and Bridie elect not to take this route. They get married and start off life in a ramshackle cottage which is nowhere near Bridie’s fairy tale castle nor Will’s extravagant ranch house. The story follows their warmhearted, at times tumultuous, relationship over the post-war years.
The novel is characterized by the author’s ability to share her considerable knowledge of both country and city life during this period. The characters’ (in particular Bridie’s brothers) use of the vernacular could at times be somewhat foreign to non-Australian readers. However, this aspect provides a useful insight into their personalities. To her credit, the author does not use any profanities and when she writes in the third person she chronicles the storyline fluently. Intimate scenes are tasteful with minimal eroticism.
The book is generally well edited and the handful of errors I found did not detract from the professional presentation. Despite an interesting twist towards the end the plot is relatively uncomplicated. For me, Skyvington’s credible depiction of the class spectrum represents the backbone of the book. It therefore occurs to me that Karrana would appeal to adults who enjoy a romantic novel which borders on historical fiction and I give it a rating of four out of four stars. Readers who would like to know more about life in post-war Australia will not be disappointed.
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Karrana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The setting for Anne Skyvington’s Karrana is a region in the outback of Australia in 1945. The Karrana River divides the district not only physically, but represents a class division between the people that reside in the area.
Bridie O’Toole, her widowed mother and five brothers (two of whom are missing in action in the war) live on the south side of the river. They eke out an existence on a small farm which produces barely sufficient to feed them and provide some basic luxuries. She yearns for an upliftment from her mundane life to a “classy lifestyle” on the north bank of the river.
Will Featherstone comes from a well-to-do family on the “smart” northern side of the river. His upper middle class parents envisage sending him to college once he has completed his apprenticeship in his father’s business. He, however, dreams of owning and running a large, successful cattle ranch.
The two protagonists are destined to meet at a chance encounter at a Friday night dance in the town. They fall in love almost immediately and consummate their relationship without protection. Bridie falls pregnant. Although supportive of the couple, Bridie’s mother makes it clear that she had wished to protect her daughter from how she and Bridie’s father had started off life (i.e. a “shotgun wedding”). Will’s parents exhort them to terminate the pregnancy and his father in fact arranges and pays for an abortion with a respectable doctor in Sydney. At the eleventh hour Will and Bridie elect not to take this route. They get married and start off life in a ramshackle cottage which is nowhere near Bridie’s fairy tale castle nor Will’s extravagant ranch house. The story follows their warmhearted, at times tumultuous, relationship over the post-war years.
The novel is characterized by the author’s ability to share her considerable knowledge of both country and city life during this period. The characters’ (in particular Bridie’s brothers) use of the vernacular could at times be somewhat foreign to non-Australian readers. However, this aspect provides a useful insight into their personalities. To her credit, the author does not use any profanities and when she writes in the third person she chronicles the storyline fluently. Intimate scenes are tasteful with minimal eroticism.
The book is generally well edited and the handful of errors I found did not detract from the professional presentation. Despite an interesting twist towards the end the plot is relatively uncomplicated. For me, Skyvington’s credible depiction of the class spectrum represents the backbone of the book. It therefore occurs to me that Karrana would appeal to adults who enjoy a romantic novel which borders on historical fiction and I give it a rating of four out of four stars. Readers who would like to know more about life in post-war Australia will not be disappointed.
******
Karrana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: bashert by Larry G. Goldsmith
