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Girl Alone
Mardie Forester is overjoyed to inherit a tiny store, miles from the nearest settlement in the Western Australian desert.But her peace of mind in her new retreat is soon broken by a mysterious man who comes to buy stores only after dark, and never so much as glances at Mardie.'Mr Mystery Man' she calls him, before she learns he is Jard Hunter, a geologist at the nearby Mining Exploration Camp.Why, she asks herself, does he bother her so?Can this be love...?
- GenresRomance
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
60 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Walker
101 books27 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Lucy Walker (1907–1987) was the most famous of a few pseudonyms used by Dorothy Lucie Sanders (née McClemans). She was born in Boulder, Western Australia, on 4 May 1907. Her father was of Irish stock, a minister of the Church of England. Her mother was from New Zealand. Dorothy began writing at an early age, despite her father’s scepticism about her ability.
A qualified teacher from Perth College (1928), she taught in state schools in Western Australia until 1936. She continued teaching later in London while her husband, a fellow school teacher whom she married in 1936, completed his doctorate in education.
They returned to Perth, Australia in 1938 but Dorothy Lucie Sanders only began her writing in 1945, producing articles, short stories, and later novels. In 1948 her first novel, Fairies on the Doorstep, was published.
As Lucy Walker, she wrote about 39 romance books:
Fairies On the Doorstep (1948)
Who Leaves the Crowd (1952)
The One Who Kisses (1954)
Sweet and Faraway (1955)
Come Home Dear (1956)
Heaven is Here (1957)
Master of Ransome (1958)
Kingdom of the heart (1959)
The Stranger from the North (1959)
Love in a Cloud (1960)
The Loving Heart (1960)
The Moonshiner (1961)
Wife to Order (1961)
The Distant Hills (1962)
Down in the Forest (1962)
The Call of the Pines (1963)
Follow Your Star (1963)
The Man from Outback (1964)
Reaching for the Stars (1964)
A Man Called Masters (1965)
The Other Girl (1965)
The Ranger in the Hills (1966)
The River Is Down (1967)
Home at Sundown (1968)
The Gone-Away Man (1969)
Shining River (1969)
Six for Heaven (1969)
Joyday for Jodi (1971)
The Bell Branch (1971)
The Mountain That Went to the Sea (1971)
Ribbons In Her Hair (1972)
Pepper Tree Bay (1972)
Pool of Dreams (1973)
Girl Alone (1973)
Monday in Summer (1973)
Runaway Girl (1975)
Gamma's Girl (1977)
So Much Love (1977)
These romance novels were very successful in Australia and overseas. The stories were meticulously researched; the writer travelled extensively in the Western Australian outback, recording details of scenery, personalities and social customs in her notebooks and diaries.
Other pseudonyms used by this author: Shelley Dean, Dorothy Lucie Sanders, and Lucy Walker.
Dorothy Lucie Sanders was widowed in 1986 and died the following year. Her daughter and two sons survived her.
Lucy Walker (1907–1987) was the most famous of a few pseudonyms used by Dorothy Lucie Sanders (née McClemans). She was born in Boulder, Western Australia, on 4 May 1907. Her father was of Irish stock, a minister of the Church of England. Her mother was from New Zealand. Dorothy began writing at an early age, despite her father’s scepticism about her ability.
A qualified teacher from Perth College (1928), she taught in state schools in Western Australia until 1936. She continued teaching later in London while her husband, a fellow school teacher whom she married in 1936, completed his doctorate in education.
They returned to Perth, Australia in 1938 but Dorothy Lucie Sanders only began her writing in 1945, producing articles, short stories, and later novels. In 1948 her first novel, Fairies on the Doorstep, was published.
As Lucy Walker, she wrote about 39 romance books:
Fairies On the Doorstep (1948)
Who Leaves the Crowd (1952)
The One Who Kisses (1954)
Sweet and Faraway (1955)
Come Home Dear (1956)
Heaven is Here (1957)
Master of Ransome (1958)
Kingdom of the heart (1959)
The Stranger from the North (1959)
Love in a Cloud (1960)
The Loving Heart (1960)
The Moonshiner (1961)
Wife to Order (1961)
The Distant Hills (1962)
Down in the Forest (1962)
The Call of the Pines (1963)
Follow Your Star (1963)
The Man from Outback (1964)
Reaching for the Stars (1964)
A Man Called Masters (1965)
The Other Girl (1965)
The Ranger in the Hills (1966)
The River Is Down (1967)
Home at Sundown (1968)
The Gone-Away Man (1969)
Shining River (1969)
Six for Heaven (1969)
Joyday for Jodi (1971)
The Bell Branch (1971)
The Mountain That Went to the Sea (1971)
Ribbons In Her Hair (1972)
Pepper Tree Bay (1972)
Pool of Dreams (1973)
Girl Alone (1973)
Monday in Summer (1973)
Runaway Girl (1975)
Gamma's Girl (1977)
So Much Love (1977)
These romance novels were very successful in Australia and overseas. The stories were meticulously researched; the writer travelled extensively in the Western Australian outback, recording details of scenery, personalities and social customs in her notebooks and diaries.
Other pseudonyms used by this author: Shelley Dean, Dorothy Lucie Sanders, and Lucy Walker.
Dorothy Lucie Sanders was widowed in 1986 and died the following year. Her daughter and two sons survived her.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 31, 2022
Heroine inherits an Outback truck stop (along with a kindly married couple who run it). Hero is a hydro-geologist at a nearby nickel mine. They survive a helicopter crash together and each is smitten with the other. There is an OW and OM to slow the romance down, but it was inevitable.
The life of an overland highway truck stop was really interesting. Same with the high $ stakes in the mines. All vintage romance rules apply. 😊
The life of an overland highway truck stop was really interesting. Same with the high $ stakes in the mines. All vintage romance rules apply. 😊
May 1, 2016
I read oodles of Harlequins back in the 70s and 80s. I always enjoyed the ones set in Australia, by Lucy Walker and Margaret Way and Joyce Dingwell and others. But it's only been in recent months that I've revisited old favorites and it's interesting to see which have held up.
Mardie has inherited a way station - a truck stop, if you like - in the Outback from her godfather. It is extremely busy and Mardie has ideas for making it even more profitable.
She meets a hydrogeologist, Jard Hunter, and is immediately intrigued by him. Each time she sees him, she realizes she is more and more interested in him. Unfortunately, they don't meet all that much. On only one occasion do they spend much time together; he takes her for a helicopter ride and they run into some eagles, crashing the helicopter. Jard is seriously injured, unconscious, and they are stranded alone in the bush overnight. Because it gets quite cold at night and Jard is suffering from shock, Mardie removes their clothing and lies next to him to share her body heat.
Early in the morning a couple of men come along, crooks with whom Jard had a run-in earlier. The men leave without giving them any assistance and a bushman called Mister Falldown comes to their aid.
A few weeks later after Jard has recovered, these same men stop at The Breakaway and recognize Mardie. They begin spreading rumors about Mardie and Jard being naked together. A female geologist who fancied Jard makes sure Mardie knows that she, Joanna, considers Jard as her property.
When Mardie gets wind that Jard is going to propose because of the rumors, she determines to turn him down even though she is in live with him. Luckily, it isn't long before Jard convinces her that he truly loves her, too.
This one is very interesting for its background - mining - but it was unfortunately rather light on the romance.
I liked Mardie a lot. She is intelligent, has good business- and common-sense. She tries to be kind to Joanna but isn't intimidated by her.
As for Jard, well, sadly we don't see enough of him to really learn much about him. Aside from the helicopter ride, he and Mardie spend very little time together, so it's a bit difficult to believe they fall in love as we are meant to think.
3.25 stars.
Mardie has inherited a way station - a truck stop, if you like - in the Outback from her godfather. It is extremely busy and Mardie has ideas for making it even more profitable.
She meets a hydrogeologist, Jard Hunter, and is immediately intrigued by him. Each time she sees him, she realizes she is more and more interested in him. Unfortunately, they don't meet all that much. On only one occasion do they spend much time together; he takes her for a helicopter ride and they run into some eagles, crashing the helicopter. Jard is seriously injured, unconscious, and they are stranded alone in the bush overnight. Because it gets quite cold at night and Jard is suffering from shock, Mardie removes their clothing and lies next to him to share her body heat.
Early in the morning a couple of men come along, crooks with whom Jard had a run-in earlier. The men leave without giving them any assistance and a bushman called Mister Falldown comes to their aid.
A few weeks later after Jard has recovered, these same men stop at The Breakaway and recognize Mardie. They begin spreading rumors about Mardie and Jard being naked together. A female geologist who fancied Jard makes sure Mardie knows that she, Joanna, considers Jard as her property.
When Mardie gets wind that Jard is going to propose because of the rumors, she determines to turn him down even though she is in live with him. Luckily, it isn't long before Jard convinces her that he truly loves her, too.
This one is very interesting for its background - mining - but it was unfortunately rather light on the romance.
I liked Mardie a lot. She is intelligent, has good business- and common-sense. She tries to be kind to Joanna but isn't intimidated by her.
As for Jard, well, sadly we don't see enough of him to really learn much about him. Aside from the helicopter ride, he and Mardie spend very little time together, so it's a bit difficult to believe they fall in love as we are meant to think.
3.25 stars.
January 8, 2023
Ehh it was fine I guess. The location was super cool and the first part of the book was really exciting... but for me it was a bit of a miss because the other woman/other man absolutely DOMINATED the story to the complete determent of any actual romantic development between our two leads. The h and H barely spend 5 minutes alone together, and when they do they are either talking about or thinking about the OW/OM. It got to the point where I was getting really pissed off with it, and sadly had to skim the last 20% because by then the almost non-existent romance was stale and the book was dragging.
April 6, 2021
I have recently discovered Lucy Walker an Australian author whose stories I have been enjoying. Unfortunately this is the third book in the few that I have read that has the main background theme of mineral exploration, claim jumping And people spying via a helicopter as well as seeking out information by any means possible. Heck even the names sound as if they have been used in aa previous story. I stuck with the book and read it to the end.
September 26, 2020
A terrific tale in a wild place with rugged characters and possibly multi-billions of reasons to be there - for some.
An unexpected move by a young lonely woman from the busy Sydney City to such a desolate place sends us on extraordinary adventures of friendships and love.
What a different and interesting story in a truly alternate world. I really enjoyed this read!
An unexpected move by a young lonely woman from the busy Sydney City to such a desolate place sends us on extraordinary adventures of friendships and love.
What a different and interesting story in a truly alternate world. I really enjoyed this read!
March 12, 2021
Lucy Walker never disappoints.
March 13, 2023
Every book tugs at your heart.
July 15, 2020
I'm not too keen explicit sex scenes in a romance but some chemistry I do expect. This book was such a flat read even Bertha Ruck's "His Official Fiancee" published in 1918 had more oomph (I'm know I'm always comparing dated contemporary romances to this specific title of Ms Ruck's). It was so bland and emphasized all the boring conversations, one would think it was written for a pre-teen. The h was nice though, sweet, had some backbone and ambitious.
August 21, 2020
Didn't finish.
September 13, 2012
I adore Lucy Walker. I love her romances as much as I love brownies or chocolate chip cookies. I have a bunch of them in my TBR pile, and I ration them out, cuz I know when I finish the last one I'll be very sad.
Girl Alone, however, did not quite live up to what I've become accustomed to. It was a little - dare I say it? - boring. Mardie is a great heroine, like all of Walker's heroines. I can' really say much about Jard, the hero, as I really did not get to know him, at all.
Mardie is quite taken with Jard from the moment she sees him, even though she only gets a fleeting glimpse of him. Unlike all the other customers in the area, he doesn't eagerly come in to meet the new owner of the store but just goes about his business. His hat shades his face so she doesn't even really know what he looks like.
For most of the book, Mardie and Jard are in different locations and rarely interact with each other. At one point, when they run into each other while taking animals to see the vet, they do finally have a conversation, and Jard invites her for a ride in his plane. But then they crash, and Jard is unconscious until help arrives and he's taken off with the medics while she goes home.
The immediate aftermath of the crash is the best scene in the book. Their night together in the cold outback later causes a mild scandal, and I was a bit surprised by Mardie's daring action, simply because Walker's books are always so tame and quaint. As with all her books, there is no sex, nothing more than some chaste kisses. But one character does say "bitch" one time, which was another shocker for a Walker book.
I just wish the beginning and ending of the book had been as good as that plane crash chapter.
Girl Alone, however, did not quite live up to what I've become accustomed to. It was a little - dare I say it? - boring. Mardie is a great heroine, like all of Walker's heroines. I can' really say much about Jard, the hero, as I really did not get to know him, at all.
Mardie is quite taken with Jard from the moment she sees him, even though she only gets a fleeting glimpse of him. Unlike all the other customers in the area, he doesn't eagerly come in to meet the new owner of the store but just goes about his business. His hat shades his face so she doesn't even really know what he looks like.
For most of the book, Mardie and Jard are in different locations and rarely interact with each other. At one point, when they run into each other while taking animals to see the vet, they do finally have a conversation, and Jard invites her for a ride in his plane. But then they crash, and Jard is unconscious until help arrives and he's taken off with the medics while she goes home.
The immediate aftermath of the crash is the best scene in the book. Their night together in the cold outback later causes a mild scandal, and I was a bit surprised by Mardie's daring action, simply because Walker's books are always so tame and quaint. As with all her books, there is no sex, nothing more than some chaste kisses. But one character does say "bitch" one time, which was another shocker for a Walker book.
I just wish the beginning and ending of the book had been as good as that plane crash chapter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2024
A too sweet story. I didn't find it better 2nd time around. Girl is attracted to a tall, quiet, hydro-geologist. He invites her on a helicopter ride; they run into eagles attracted to their blades and crash. He's hurt and unconscious, she's ok so she cares for him during the hot day and the freezing night by removing his and her clothes, letting their body heat keep them warm. So in the days of short skirts and hot pants all the desert people gossip about them. I can't recommend this book to anyone, maybe little girls.
Another Sweet Girl Finds Love
Most of Lucy Walker's female heroines are young, innocent and yes, to me, even a little silly. I can't relate to these young girls who fall in love, of course, with the male hero. The men are always silent, dominating, tall and goodlooking. Does she ever have a cool, intelligent female?
Another Sweet Girl Finds Love
Most of Lucy Walker's female heroines are young, innocent and yes, to me, even a little silly. I can't relate to these young girls who fall in love, of course, with the male hero. The men are always silent, dominating, tall and goodlooking. Does she ever have a cool, intelligent female?
Read
August 6, 2011Not one of Walker's best efforts: there's something not quite romantic about a romance between a girl who runs a truckstop and a man who works for a huge company. Maybe if he'd owned the company! Still, the basic essence of a Walker romance was there - man, woman, outback Australia.
August 28, 2017
I liked the book but the story was a bit slow and not very exciting. Love Lucy Walker.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews