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Colleen McCullough

The Touch: A Novel Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 2004

by Colleen McCullough (Author)

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Not since The Thorn Birds has Colleen McCullough written a novel of such broad appeal about a family and the Australian experience as The Touch.

At its center is Alexander Kinross, remembered as a young man in his native Scotland only as a shiftless boilermaker’s apprentice and a godless rebel. But when, years later, he writes from Australia to summon his bride, his Scottish relatives quickly realize that he has made a fortune in the goldfields and is now a man to be reckoned with.

Arriving in Sydney after a difficult voyage, the sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Drummond meets her husband-to-be and discovers to her dismay that he frightens and repels her. Offered no choice, she marries him and is whisked at once across a wild, uninhabited countryside to Alexander's own town, named Kinross after himself. In the crags above it lies the world’s richest gold mine.

Isolated in Alexander's great house, with no company save Chinese servants, Elizabeth finds that the intimacies of marriage do not prompt her husband to enlighten her about his past life—or even his present one. She has no idea that he still has a mistress, the sensual, tough, outspoken Ruby Costevan, whom Alexander has established in his town, nor that he has also made Ruby a partner in his company, rapidly expanding its interests far beyond gold. Ruby has a son, Lee, whose father is the head of the beleaguered Chinese community; the boy becomes dear to Alexander, who fosters his education as a gentleman.

Captured by the very different natures of Elizabeth and Ruby, Alexander resolves to have both of them. Why should he not? He has the fabled ”Midas Touch”—a combination of curiosity, boldness, and intelligence that he applies to every situation, and which fails him only when it comes to these two women.

Although Ruby loves Alexander desperately, Elizabeth does not. Elizabeth bears him two daughters: the brilliant Nell, so much like her father; and the beautiful, haunting Anna, who is to present her father with a torment out of which for once he cannot buy his way. Thwarted in his desire for a son, Alexander turns to Ruby’s boy as a possible heir to his empire, unaware that by keeping Lee with him, he is courting disaster.

The stories of the lives of Alexander, Elizabeth, and Ruby are intermingled with those of a rich cast of characters, and, after many twists and turns, come to a stunning and shocking climax. Like The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough’s new novel is at once a love story and a family saga, replete with tragedy, pathos, history, and passion. As few other novelists can, she conveys a sense of place: the desperate need of her characters, men and women, rootless in a strange land, to create new beginnings.

Print length

624 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Pocket Star
Publication date

September 1, 2004
Dimensions

4.19 x 1.2 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

9780671024192
ISBN-13

978-0671024192
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Booklist" A fantastic and exceptional saga.

About the Author

Colleen McCullough, a native of Australia, established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney before working as a researcher at Yale Medical School for ten years. She is the bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Thorn Birds, and lives with her husband on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0671024191
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Star; First Edition (September 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780671024192
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671024192
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 1.2 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,240,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,836 in Historical British & Irish Literature
- #13,477 in Family Saga Fiction
- #15,417 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4,777 ratings

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Colleen McCullough

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Colleen McCullough was born in Australia. A neuropathologist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney before working as a researcher and teacher at Yale Medical School for ten years. Her writing career began with the publication of Tim, followed by The Thorn Birds, a record-breaking international bestseller. She lives on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific with her husband, Ric Robinson.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

4,777 global ratings

5 star		59%
4 star		26%
3 star		8%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Mtngal

From the California Gold Country

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

Authors did her research about gold mining. Plot fairly predictable but did keep me engaged. Accurate historical references about Australia's history.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

As usual, Colleen McCullough has delivered an epic worthy of her reputation. I couldn’t put it down, even during the ho;I day season!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

JUST WHAT I NEEDED

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

An extremely good read!! Just right in all that I needed after having to abandon so many recent books as unsatisfying trite or fluff.

3 people found this helpful

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Ga303

Didn't have the "touch" for me

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

"The Thorn Birds" is one of my all-time favorites, and I've read it many times. Recently, given my appreciation of that book and while surfing for something new to read, I thought I might dip a toe into some of the other things Ms. McCullough wrote. I have read that her "Masters of Rome" series is considered her magnum opus, and I have admittedly not yet read those.

This one interested me with its character situations and circumstances, but just as fairly quickly lost me for the same reasons. Of course, the writing is beautiful and redolent of Ms. McCullough's love of Australia, but ...

The characters, I could not buy, even on clearance. Some characters' behaviors, especially as they related to adulterous triangles and illegitimacy, were not realistic to me, and seemed at times entirely forgetful of basic human nature.

4 people found this helpful

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Teresa Holbrook

enjoyable read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

A story which may be familiar in feeling to many people within the experiences of their own lives. Oddly enough due to the enormous wealth the main characters had at their disposal. I liked that they, though wealthy, used their wealth in good ways, cognizant of, and paying tribute to others who worked for and with them. It showed that truly there is a small number of people with vision and ability who do outshine many of the rest of us and are almost born to lead. And how that is a trait that moved forward with their ability to endow their kids with a wonderful education. They taught them at the same time through their example, to also become leaders. Enjoyed the dream of racial unity and women as powerful too. I guess it showed that someone can rise from nothing and become who they are meant to be through their hard work and personality traits and vision. In reality though I think that is disappearing in our world now as more become complacent and rely on goodness of others and government and maybe they were meant to be great but they never rise to become who they could. The book showed the possibility is there though. Liked that thought. By the end of the book I felt like Alexander had always been rich but looking back I remember he had to work very long and hard to realize his dreams too. Interesting. Thanks.

5 people found this helpful

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Haysh

The Touch

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 29, 2022

Verified Purchase

It is many years since I have read a book byCollenMcCullough and she has definitely not lost her “Touch”. An excellent book and one that you cannot put down. Highly recommend

2 people found this helpful

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L. Saunders

Captivating

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 23, 2022

Verified Purchase

Predictable, but totally engrossing !! One of those stories that keep you coming for more. Masterfully crafted by Colleen McCullough

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Sand

Colleen McCullough: a superbly talented writer.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 15, 2013

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this novel as much as I did "The Thorn Birds." Elizabeth, at age 16, was taken from her home in Scotland, where she toiled in drudgery & poverty to be the bride of Alexander Kinross, whom she had never met, to live in luxury in Australia. She eventually met Alexander's mistress, Ruby, with whom she immediately was drawn to and they became close friends throughout Elizabeth's marriage. Alexander ruled over his bride as he did his town of Kinross. He was an exceptionally talented and future thinking man who upgraded his town well beyond others of that era. The daughters of Elizabeth & Alexander were exact opposites of each other, one being developmentally deprived and Nell being the duplicate in talent of her father.

I loved Ruby, a musically talented and acerbic wit, who could not be Alexander's wife, even though they both loved each other. But without Elizabeth, who could not articulate her desires and "buckled under" to the men (father & husband) in her life, the story would not be the same. There were many other characters in the story but these three impressed me the most.

I read the novel day and night, neglecting everything else. I love Colleen McCullough's writing.

7 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Three Wonderful Women

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

I read The Thornbirds when it first appeared and was enthralled with it. I re-read it a couple of months so as it still has me sitting on the edge of my chair.
I have, this minute, finished The Touch and ,even though I could put this book down. I was consumed with it.
The Characterisation was wonderful, each and every character was perfectly lived out. They got into my very being.
This is an extraordinary good book. Read it and enjoy it. It is deep, fascinating, so much wonderful facts in so many completely different realms. It is not just enjoyable entertainment but very educational. I have learned so much from it and feel deeply enriched through reading it. I am looking forward to reading many more books by Colleen McCullough. Thank for your time in presenting this book to us.

13 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

A five star read but not enjoyable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

I felt that this book needed better editing: there was far too much (very boring) engineering and mining information which would have been better suited to a book of non-fiction. If this had been done, the underlying story with it's very absorbing characters would have truly shone. However, all that said, the novel had sufficiently enmeshed me, that I cried buckets when Alexander died. The leading players were all well-defined and well-written so that one either loved or loathed them; and either sympathised with their situation (Alexander for me) or wanted to give them a quick boot up the backside (Elizabeth with her totally selfish and indulged personna). The only people that I really liked were Ruby and Nell: both one-offs, happy to cock a snoop at the world. The very fact that I cared about the people at all was why I gave the 5 star review: the characters lived and breathed from the pages.

4 people found this helpful

Keith Sanderson

A must read Australian historical family epic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 12, 2022

Verified Purchase

A magnificently authored family and historical saga set in the rough and tough days of the Australian gold rush in the late 1800s. The characters are realistic and the story true to life. Passing from one theme to another as the saga develops, it all comes together as a truly tremendous story of epic proportions. A must read!

One person found this helpful

Anna W

Don't read the reviews!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

I'm only part way through the book and admit I am skipping some of the more technical details.

However - do not read all the reviews before reading as some reviews contain spoilers, one of which has ruined the book for me.
Why do people do that without warning?

2 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Fasinating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

A beautiful well researched saga. There is a lot of detailed information regarding engineering and fold mining which at times distracts from the story. However it is necessary to the story. The characters are interesting and and well described making then believable . The story draws the reader in and holds the readers attention. I personally couldn't put the book down as I was so eager to discover what happened to each of the characters.

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