A. D. Parsons

In school I won a literary competition and got a voucher to the bookstore and got this. At the time McLeods Daughters was a huge hit on TV and being a country girl I was all for it. Even then I do find the main character to be too perfect - unrealistically so- infact a lot of the dramas in this book and its sequel read completely like a TV drama but I still loved it.
If you loved McLeods Daughters on your screen you will love this- I always thought it could be used to become a movie because it has all the plot characters etc readily available- so when the world is ready to idolize the country life again this story is ready.
… (altro)

“Back to the Pilliga” by Tony Parsons
Robin
chose the book because Tony Parsons is an Australian author with many books published with good press,and she hoped to discover a good Australian author she could read more of. Delivering the book turned out to be more exciting than reading it.
It was an OK read, very light. Wasn't quite believable, too pat. Liked the outback descriptions. The author sounds like he writes when you hear him interviewed. Some of the plot didn't fit well.
Wendy
struggled with it, thought it was appalling. Couldn't believe good reviews. Reminded her of penny dreadfuls. Flat, unbelievable. How did it get published? Humourless, no redeeming features, was bored with it and forced herself to grind though it.
Sheena
agrees, finished it because it was easy to read. Sadly lacking, no tension. Couldn't make up his mind what he was writing about. Waste of time.
Ros
agrees but can imagine a market for it, especially in the country. Storyline was obvious, characters not convincing. Flat. Style and phrasing indicated his age.
Norriel
agrees. “What is this that I'm reading?” Amazed by language. Incredible leaps of faith. Irritating, pathetic. Amazed that he is a well known author.
Enid
agrees. Language flat and outmoded. Never heard of author. No-one in libraries worked at has ever asked for him. his camera even though the setting is current, looked him up and decided he seems to be past his writing prime. The clumsy way the romance was handled was contrived as padding. Quaint, reminiscent of Women's Weekly stories from the 50's and 60's.
Lynn
Could have been a good saga if written by someone else. Characters not believable. Flat. No passion or building of emotion. Sad that reasonable plot not put together in a way you would want to read it.
Jenny A
Read it in one sitting and thought “thank god it'd not Dickens”. Thought it was promising initially, then found it to be naive. Didn't mind it, easy to read. Flat. Did we agree that the father was responsible for the brothers death? (Discussion indicated not entirely.)
Jenny M
Read in one session. Quite enjoyed it. Disappointed as expected a whodunit. Flat. Interesting that the question of parents and children and responsibility discussed. Liked outback descriptions. Read a couple of his earlier ones and they were much better.
Lorita
Thought of 30s and 40s – it was nothing like them. Old fashioned values and language. Pedestrian. Lacked sense of place. Descriptions not evocative. Repetitive in places. Two stripe and one stripe for police officers was ridiculous. Very predictable, became boring. Lack of depth. Disappointed. Shortness was good.
Score: 5… (altro)

Tony Parsons, OAM, has worked as a professional sheep and wool classer, a journalist, news editor and rural commentator, a consultant to major agricultural companies, and an award-winning breeder of animals and show poultry. It’s this Australian country background that gives his novels, which includes the bestselling The Call of the High Country, their ring of authenticity.

In Back to the Pilliga, Lachlan Sinclair returns to his home town on the North West Plains of New South Wales in pursuit of a young woman kidnapped and held hostage in a violent bank heist. An ex cop turned private investigator, Lachie knows the area well – his family is one of the largest landowners in the area, though he left town as a young man after a bitter confrontation with his father and older brother and has visited only rarely since. With the support of the women’s wealthy mother, and a lot of leeway from the state and local police, Lachie tracks down the robbers in the scrub, planning a daring raid to recover the victim.

With the criminals and their location easily identified there isn’t really a mystery as such for Lachie to solve. Instead his task is to figure out how to safely rescue the hostage. For that he draws on a little subterfuge with the help of a young female detective, whom he quickly comes to admire. The action is short and confined, almost anti-climatic as the focus of the story is instead slanted towards Lachie’s personal life.

Told in the first person with a cadence that identifies the age and background of the character, it took me a little while to get used to the characters voice. Lachie is part outback ‘ocker’ farmer, part noir detective giving him a distinctive personality and manner.

Parsons paints a picture of a man who is quintessentially ‘salt of the earth’ so that Lachie’s decision to trace the missing woman, even at risk to his own life, seems valid. Of course the money her worried mother is offering if he is successful is also tempting, as it will provide him with the means to return to the Pilliga.

Lachie’s journey reveals a feud with his authoritarian father that came to a head with the tragic death of his youngest brother, a broken marriage and an impressive service as a police officer that saw Lachie shot in the line of duty. With his father now gone, Lachie is longing to return to the bush, but his relationship with his older brother, ‘a chip off the old block’ makes the idea of claiming his third of their family property, Kamilaroi, untenable.

Though it was a little rough at the start, I enjoyed Back to the Pilliga as a novel with strong characterisation, and an engaging storyline. What I found most fascinating however is the way in which it compares and contrasts to the many rural fiction novels I have read recently which feature women as the primary protagonist. It’s surprising the way in which they are so similar in terms of themes and plot, but the masculine perspective alters the tone so comprehensively. If you have been reading a lot of rural lit by Australian women authors recently I recommend you read Back to the Pilliga and discover what I mean for yourself.… (altro)