Where the Willows Weep [Paperback]

Patricia Shaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 1994

Laura Maskey's daring expedition to watch the gentlemen bathe at Murray Lagoon proves the final straw for her exasperated parents: their wayward daughter must be married off at once and Bobby Cope is just the man. But Laura has other ideas and when she runs away from her own engagement party, the family rift is complete. Laura's romantic inclinations are firmly fixed on Paul MacNamara, the owner of Oberon cattle station, and the tragic death of his wife brings him within her reach. But Paul has many battles to fight first; against the unscrupulous men who are determined to divide Queensland for their own gain; on behalf of the ancient Aboriginal tribes whose lands are at risk; and with his own personal demons. Only then can he allow his thoughts to turn to love...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The wild and woolly Australia of the 1850s is the setting for Shaw's (The Feather and the Stone) latest romance, a complex and gripping tale brimming with political intrigue, bigotry and star-crossed love. Laura, bold daughter of Member of Parliament Fowler Maskey, and Amelia, scheming daughter of wealthy miner Boyd Roberts, reach womanhood against a background of racial and economic crises and their fathers' political duels in Rockhampton, a raw north-country town situated near gold mines and cattle ranches. Laura is in love with married rancher Paul McNamara, who cannot leave his wife, while Amelia adores ambitious newsman Tyler Kemp. Fleeing a forced marriage to the ruthless Bobby Cope, who's in charge of a Native Mounted Police troop, Laura learns that Amelia's father desires her. Meanwhile, tension escalates between ranchers and Aborigine clans, leading to violence that takes many lives, including that of McNamara's wife, prompting him to set out for the bush to find her killer. There, McNamara meets Wodoro, an intertribal "courier" who speaks English, and discovers surprising truths. Elsewhere, meanwhile, a woman looks for her husband's killer, and Amelia is driven to violence of her own. A crowd-pleasing ending crowns this colorful tale.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Shaw (The Feather and the Stone, LJ 1/94) is knowledgeable about Australia's colorful history, and her love for her country comes through clearly in this novel of Queensland in the frontier days of the 1850s. But the lack of character development prevents Where the Willows Weep from being the fascinating story it might have been. Young friends Laura Maskey and Amelia Roberts eagerly await marriage. Laura, who is infatuated with a married man named Paul McNamara, rebels against her family's choice of a husband. Amelia and her widower father subsequently offer Laura the shelter of their home. When McNamara's wife and servant are gruesomely murdered, local aborigines are falsely accused, setting the stage for an exploration of racial prejudice. The aborigines are believably described, but Shaw's leading characters do not come alive. There are simply too many characters, most poorly developed, and Shaw's descriptions often do not agree with how the characters come across to the reader. Not recommended.
Alice DiNizo, Raritan P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (April 7, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747242607
• ISBN-13: 978-0747242604
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 1.3 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,090,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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