Book Review: The Year of the Farmer by Rosalie Ham

Title: The Year of the Farmer
Author: Rosalie Ham
Publisher: Picador Australia 
Publication Date: 25th September 2018
RRP: $32.99
Pages: 336
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of Publisher

In a quiet farming town somewhere in country New South Wales, war is brewing.
The last few years have been punishingly dry, especially for the farmers, but otherwise, it's all Neralie Mackintosh's fault. If she'd never left town then her ex, the hapless but extremely eligible Mitchell Bishop, would never have fallen into the clutches of the truly awful Mandy, who now lords it over everyone as if she owns the place.
So, now that Neralie has returned to run the local pub, the whole town is determined to reinstate her to her rightful position in the social order. But Mandy Bishop has other ideas. Meanwhile the head of the local water board - Glenys 'Gravedigger' Dingle - is looking for a way to line her pockets at the expense of hardworking farmers already up to their eyes in debt. And Mandy and Neralie's war may be just the chance she was looking for...
A darkly satirical novel of a small country town battling the elements and one another, from the bestselling author of The Dressmaker.

Mitch’s life has been hell. His crops are failing and his sheep are hungry but he has decided that life is going to turn around and this is going to be his year.

First the rain comes then the love of his life, Neralie, returns home after 5 years in Sydney and it looks like he may get the year he envisaged. The only problem is the rain has come too early and may ruin his crop and he is now married; to the town’s nemesis.

The Year of the Farmer is a cleverly written satire, a dark tragicomedy, that will have you laughing out loud at the overly exaggerated characters all placed neatly in their respective boxes and performing perfectly on cue.

The small town is under threat from the drought and the water authority is doing everything it can to make life more difficult (on the pretense of helping them) for the farmers whilst making a little money on the side for themselves; that retirement fund. But the biggest threat will come from one of their own! A furious wife hell bent on fitting in but letting her hurt fuel her need for revenge.

I loved this story! There are a multitude of characters introduced one straight after the other which I found hard to sort out but as the story progresses everyone fits into their place.

The story brings to light the plight of the farmers and the devastating effect of the drought and the nonsensical stipulations and regulations set by the water authorities.

Ham shows the deep connection that the farmers have with their land and how they have intense feelings of letting their ancestors down when they lose their farm that has been handed down through the generations.

They were a town that stuck together when hearts were broken but even more so when their farms and livelihoods were at stake.

‘Then suddenly, in  groups of two or three, the councillors, irrigators, riparians and townies left the pub and went, united, into the black star-speckled night, the smooth barrels of their loaded guns frosted silver by the moonlight’

I felt quite sorry for Mandy, Mitch’s wife, her only aim in life was to be someone, to fit in, but the whole town despised her and where Mitch’s moments of infidelity were encouraged hers were frowned upon. I’d be very interested to know what other readers thought of Mandy and her actions.

In today’s life where we expect everything, including our reads, to be fast paced and instantly gratifying this slow paced and slightly quirky novel may not appeal to everyone.

My rating 4/5                          🌟🌟🌟🌟

Content: for those that are sensitive to animal deaths; animals die in this story.

The Year of the Farmer is book #30 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

and part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge

 

 

 

Rosalie Ham is the author of three previous books, including her sensational bestseller The Dressmaker, now an award-winning film starring Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis and Hugo Weaving.

Rosalie Ham was born, and raised in Jerilderie, NSW, Australia. She completed her secondary education at St Margaret's School, Berwick in 1972. After travelling and working at a variety of jobs (including aged care) for most of her twenties, Rosalie completed a Bachelor of Education majoring in Drama and Literature (Deakin University, 1989), and achieved a Master of Arts, Creative Writing (RMIT, Melbourne) in 2007. Rosalie lives in Brunswick, Melbourne, and when she is not writing, Rosalie teaches literature. Her novels have sold over 50,000 copies. 


 

Book Review- Blog Tour: Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend (Middle Grade)

Title: Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend
Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Publisher:Bublish Incorporated
Publication date: May 2017
Pages: 150
Fornat Read: eBook
Source: Courtesy of Women on Writing Tour

Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend is available to purchase on Amazon.com. 

His one desire...To be a knight.

His future queen...At times reckless.

Best friends…Bound by Friendship and Loyalty.

When their adventure turns deadly & dangerous, Guinevere & Cedwyn find themselves embroiled in a life-or-death struggle.

Not only are they in danger, but so are the kids of Cadbury Castle.

Renegades--foiled in their attempt to kidnap the princess--steal the children of Cadbury Castle to sell as slaves. Guinevere and Cedwyn vow to rescue the children, but a miscalculation puts them all in more danger.

As the plan quickly unravels, Cedwyn chooses to turn his dream of becoming a knight into reality.

Will their courage be strong enough to survive, or will one make the ultimate sacrifice?

 

Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend is the second book in the Tales and Legends for Reluctant Readers series.

In this book Guinevere and Cedwyn sneak out to visit the wizard’s stones. They are eager to see the magic they have heard Merlyn talk about. When their horses are spooked by a piercing scream they flee afraid for their lives. The closest place is the Abbey and they know the monks will take them in. However they will not be safe there when the renegades attack. And what danger awaits Cadbury Castle whilst the men are away fighting?

Guinevere and Cedwyn’s fun adventure turns into a fight for their lives and what they will see and endure will cause the youngsters to grow up fast and take on grave responsibilities.

“Cedwyn’s voice did not crack as it had a day ago. He was no longer a boy on an outing with his best friend. He had become their leader, their protector.”

Books for reluctant readers need to be fast paced and the plot uncomplicated and easily visualised. Guinevere: On the Dawn of Legend delivers on all these aspects.

The two main characters are likeable. Cedwyn has made a vow to protect Guinevere for life and he takes this very seriously. Guinevere is headstrong and determined although she still has a lot to learn about her future role as Queen.

There are themes of decision making, responsibilities and ruling with your head not your heart. The story has plenty of action, danger and breath-holding suspense with a splattering of light humour.

I didn’t agree with all the characters’ decisions and I think this leaves scope for good discussions.

The story is open ended and will leave many readers eager for the next instalment.

If your young reader loves stories filled with adventure, magic and mystery, heroes, strong women and good prevailing over evil then I recommend this series.

The book also has discussion questions at the end, ideas for further research and a rundown on the King Arthur legend.

My rating 4.5/ 5                     🌟🌟🌟🌟

Suitable for ages 8-12 years

Content: one non-graphic scene where the characters come across men killed by arrows.

I’m a retired high school English teacher. Currently I'm on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Authors' League, the oldest writing organization in Colorado. I also belong to the RMC-SCWBI, the Historical Novel Society, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and the Egyptian Study Society.

A devourer of books growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long past. Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Now, I hope to inspire young readers and those Young-at-Heart to read more through my Tales and Legends for Reluctant Readers set in these worlds—Ancient Egypt, Medieval Wales, and coming soon, the ancient world of Atlantis.

This review is part of the Women On Writing blog tour. You can follow the other blogs on the tour below:

 

October 15th @ The Muffin

What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Be sure to stop by the launch day post for Cheryl Carpinello's blog tour for her book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend where we interview the author and you have the chance to win a copy of the book.

http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com

October 16th @ Write Like Crazy

You'll go nuts today over at Mary Jo Campbell's blog where author Cheryl Carpinello talks about finding stories within stories as you write. Also you can enter to win a copy of the book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

https://www.writelikecrazy.com/

October 19th @ Lori's Reading Corner

Visit Lori's blog where you can read Cheryl Carpinello's post about where her search for the Legend of King Arthur has taken her.

http://www.lorisreadingcorner.com/

October 19th @ Jill Sheets Blog

Visit Jill's blog today where Cheryl Carpinello talks about the continuing popularity of the King Arthur Legend.

https://jillsheets.blogspot.com/

October 19th @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf

You'll want to stock up your bookshelf once you visit by Veronica's blog, where she reviews Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend by Cheryl Carpinello.

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/

October 20th @ A New Look on Books

Stop by Rae's blog and take a glance at author Cheryl Carpinello's blog post the importance of reading and understanding myths, legends, and mythology.

https://anewlookonbooks.com/

October 22nd @ A New Look on Books

Come by Rae's blog and get a new look on Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

https://anewlookonbooks.com/

October 23rd @ A Day in the Life of a Mom

Stop by Ashley's blog where she shares Cheryl's guest post about do boys respond to reading and writing differently than girls? And what should parents do about that?

https://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

October 25th @ A Day in the Life of a Mom

Check out Ashley's blog again where she shares her opinion on Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

https://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

October 25th @ Fiction Thoughts

Stop by Emilie's blog where she shares her opinion about the book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

https://www.fictionthoughts.com/

October 28th @ Leonard Tillman’s Blog

http://leonardtillerman.com/ 

October 29th @ A Storybook World

Journey to today's blog post where Deirdra shares Cheryl Carpinello's blog post about how the author's years as an educator led her to writing Tales & Legends, (or why the author writes Tales & Legends for Reluctant Reader).

http://www.astorybookworld.com/

November 1st @ Look to the Western Sky

Make sure you look to Margo's blog today where she interviews the author Cheryl Carpinello, author of the Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

http://margoldill.com/

November 2nd @ Author Anthony Avina Blog

Visit Anthony's blog where he shares his thoughts about Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend and read an interview with the author.

https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

November 3rd @ The World of My Imagination

Stop by Nicole's blog where she shares her thoughts on Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com

November 4th @ Author Anthony Avina Blog

Stop by Anthony's blog today where you can read author Cheryl Carpinello's blog post about whether it is really necessary for kids today to read the classics such as stories and plays from Ancient Greece, Rome and Shakespeare.

https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

November 5th @ Coffee with Lacey

Grab a cup of your favorite brew, and join us at Lacey's blog where Cheryl Carpinello talks about the definition of reading and what medium qualifies as actual reading.

https://coffeewithlacey.wordpress.com/

November 7th @ Choices

Visit Madeline Sharples' blog where she shares Cheryl Carpinello's blog post about building characters that young readers bond with and how the author uses a combination of traits from my students over the years.

http://madelinesharples.com/

November 8th @ Fiona Ingram's Blog

Stop by Fiona's blog where she interviews a character from Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/

November 9th @ For the Hook of a Book

Make sure you stop by the book blog For the Hook of a Book and catch their review of Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend. 

https://hookofabook.wordpress.com/

November 10th @ Chatty Patty's Place

Stop by Patty's blog where she spotlight's Cheryl Carpinello's book and also does a giveaway of the book for one lucky reader.

http://www.chattypattysplace.com/

November 11th @ Bri's Book Nook

Stop by Briennai's blog where she shares her thoughts about Cheryl Carpinello's book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend. 

https://brisbooknook.wordpress.com/

November 18th @ David Chuka Blog

Stop by David's blog where he interviews author Cheryl Carpinello about her and her book Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend.

http://davidchuka.com/blog-2/