Customer Reviews

The distant hills

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"The Distant Hills" was first published in 1962. It has gone through many subsequent reprints due to the author's writing talent, and the timeless, universal love story set in Australia.

Upon their mother's death, 18-year-old Angela Burns travels to Australia, with her 13-year-old sister Nellie. They are to live with a friend of their mother's. Upon their arrival in Australia, they find she has died. Angela, looking out for her younger sister's welfare, immediately gets a job. Unknown to Angela, Nellie has been spreading rumors that Angela has come to marry the rich cattle station owner, Gilbert Lawrence. Gilbert insists on marrying Angela to preserve his reputation, but only as a "marriage of convenience." We continually admire both Angela and Giles privately, and root for both of them to get together. There is also a beautiful and rich, but conniving neighbor, who attempts to break up the couple before they can work out the mutual misunderstandings about what type of person the other one truly is. As in all romances, things work out happily in the end, and very satisfactorily.

Having read hundreds of romance novels, I found "The Distant Hills" to be one of the best romances I have ever read. Having read this book at least twice before, in past years, I still could not put down the book reading a third or fourth time! Unlike many romance novels, where the reader feels like, "why don't they just TALK to each other, and everything would be resolved," the characters in this book DO talk to each other. But the writing is strong, and OTHER characters create the misunderstandings between the two main characters, making good reasons for them to behave as they do. Both the main characters are people we highly admire, and that is what makes the end so satisfying when they finally do get together.

I now intend to search out all the other books of Lucy Walker I can find (who I understand is the "romance queen" of Australia, according to one internet site). Do not hesitate to get this book. You will definitely enjoy both the story, and the authentic life in Australia. This author was born in the West Australian desert, and grew up living on sheep stations.