OUR BOOK REVIEW

This latest novel from Heather Rose is her first historical fiction. It’s a sweeping family saga spanning generations and continents and is as rich in historical detail as it is in beauty.
The narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives, but at its heart, the story belongs to Caroline.

Caroline has emigrated willingly to Van Dieman’s land under a new identity to escape several things: her family history as French aristocrats overthrown in the French Revolution, her father’s murder sentence and her own crimes. During her long journey on a ship, she informally adopts a boy who was sold to the ship’s captain by his father to settle a debt. They arrive at Van Dieman’s land as mother and son and begin a new life in a place that is inhospitable and challenging.

The novel shifts between different times and characters, so the story unfolds in a less traditional, non-linear way. New details are revealed just when we need them, making some moments more powerful and others more deeply moving. We hear from all of the major players, some more than others, but each section offers a new perspective, a new angle, and a deepening of the story.

The language in this novel is exquisite, showcasing Heather Rose’s remarkable talent. Unlike her previous works, this story takes a fresh direction, and I especially loved discovering the world of Tasmanian champagne.

The ending is bittersweet; with it both breaking my heart and lifting it in turn. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Nicola Skinstad

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather Rose is the Australian author of nine novels. Her most recent novel, Bruny, won the 2020 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year Award, Her seventh novel, The Museum of Modern Love, won the 2017 Stella Prize. It also won the 2017 Christina Stead Prize. It has been published internationally and translated into numerous languages. Both The Museum of Modern Love and The Butterfly Man were longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

The Butterfly Man won the Davitt Award in 2006, and in 2007 The River Wife won the international Varuna Eleanor Dark Fellowship. The memoir Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here was shortlisted for the nonfiction prize in the 2022 Indie Book Awards and the Tasmanian Premiers Prize in 2025. Heather lives in Tasmania.

Visit Heather Rose’s website HERE.