The Black Dress: Mary MacKillop's Early Years

by Pamela Freeman

This is the story of an unconventional young women who was born into a time and religion bound by convention. What Mary Mackillop did with her life is part of history.

Genres: Historical

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Pamela Freeman is an Australian author of books for both adults and children. Most of her work is fantasy but she has also written mystery stories, science fiction, family dramas and non-fiction. Her first adult series, the Castings Trilogy (Blood Ties, Deep Water and Full Circle) is published globally by Orbit books. She is best known in Australia for the junior novel Victor’s Quest and an associated series, the Floramonde books, and for The Black Dress: Mary MacKillop’s Early Years, which won the NSW Premier’s History Prize in 2006.

As of 2015, she will also be publishing historical novels under the name Pamela Hart.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I asked my mum if we had any books on Australian history, I was a little taken aback to be handed a fictionalised account of Mary Mackillop's childhood, but there it is. And to be fair, I guess I am a bit more knowledgeable about Australian history having read it.
Overall "The Black Dress" was an interesting, and dare I say inspiring story, and while I've never been very curious about Australia's first and only saint, I definitely didn't finish the book feeling my time had been wasted.
The book is based on true events, though much of the time it felt like I was reading pure fiction, not because the story was unbelievable (I can definitely believe times were that rough), but maybe because the writing was geared towards younger readers, and so situations like her family's (numerous) financial difficulties were ... not romanticised, but glossed over a bit, I suppose. Bad things happened, but the impact never lingered. Maybe it was just the structure of the book, too, with the story drifting back and forth between young Mary and Mary on her death-bed. I can't pin it down, I guess, but my main gripe is that we spend all of our time in Mary's head, yet by the end I was still left feeling distanced from her, as if she was never a real person at all.
The only other complaint that comes to mind is a bit spoilery. Basically, Mary spends time with an Aunt who can't have children of her own, and the experience helps convince the Aunt that she could adopt children and still love them as her own. Mary only learns of this years later when she meets the adopted children, and "old" Mary reflects on her initial disappointment at the prospect of not being able to have children if she wanted to become a nun; and then of love for the children she was able to care for as a nun. Later we see "then" Mary muse about how different her life would have been had she not become a nun, and how she might not have been able to have children anyway due to menstrual issues (or something. The book kinda glosses over that, too). She laments on what an unfulfilled marriage it would have been without children ... despite the fact that she and the reader have already seen that adoption is a completely viable option! It struck me as a very odd and inconsistent moment, considering how touched Mary had been when her aunt had told her truth, and how completely accepting Mary had been of adoption

I enjoyed her relationship with her family, however, especially her relationship with her unreliable dad. You might say you'd need the patience of a saint to put up with him (but I won't, of course. Ahem.) Dare I say it, her dad felt more "real" to me than Mary did. Her relationship with her mother was quite touching, too. It was these sorts of elements that I enjoyed most about the book.
I think what I really wanted to read is what we only get a glimpse of: Mary's actual work as a nun. This isn't the book's fault, of course. It says "Early Years" right there on the front cover.
So for an embellished account of the events that led Mary to become a nun, I think it was interesting and enjoyable, but also a bit shallow.
Would recommend with that caveat.
Edit: I liked Freeman's account of writing the story, too, found here.

[M.S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Black Dress is a book that I was forced to rread for school. In the first place, it was something I had no interested in, but it was this or Tim Flanery's global warming crock of shit 'We Are The Weather Makers'. I'm not big on autobiographies. Nothing against them, I just don't enjoy them. The story of Mary MacKillop was for me, while at some points interesting, just another story of a person who rose from nothing to become someone important. While a good story, it's one I've seen over and over agian. 8 Mile, the Persuit of Happyness, etc. etc. Mary's life story, however interesting, would be better read in a Wikipedia summary, you'd get the information you need in a much shorter time frame.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of Mary MacKillop's childhood. At times, the story was a little slow; for children, I think this book may have been more interesting had it covered all of her life, in particular, her contribution to Australia's history.

[Amanda Witt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and easy read of Mary's early life and what led her to become a nun and start the new order in Penola, SA. Written in first person narrative and simply for the child and teenage years of her life.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. So interesting and intriguing I am left wanting to know more about the life of Mary Mackillop.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cleverly written book which I quite enjoyed. It is written like a novel, with Australia's one an only saint; Mary McKillop slowly dying in bed, being tended by nuns. The book is basically her looking back on her life and the struggles she went through as a child while she lapses in and out sleep. It is great history book as well and I enjoyed the honest and often brutal reflection on the early settlers contact with Aboriginals. The relationship between Mary and her father is fascinating and how in the end she forgave him for all the wrongs he did to their family. A very interesting book.

[Ruth Bonetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra stars for writing an unashamed Christian life journey with depth, sensitivity and insights. The hardships of poverty due to a profligate and irresponsible father cause a theme of the necessity and resulting power of forgiveness.
Granted, the subtitle alerts to a primary focus on Mary MacKillop early life, but I would have liked more information about her life work and the situations leading to her excommunication. The pace could have moved faster, but overall an honourable tribute to an exceptional woman and to her faith.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a surprise find and a delight. I only wish it went further into Mary MacKillop’s later life and work.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book! I gave it to my friend to borrow and she loved it too.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting in the way that Pamela Freeman takes a real life character that existed and gives her a background. There is historical research involved in the development of this book. As a result I enjoyed the story as presented as a possibility to how Mary Mackillop lived her life.

[Mallee Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found her early family life interesting but unfortunately, every few pages, there was a preachy reference to forgiveness or prayers and I found myself skipping those after a while and looking for the story.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable. Good pace. Nicely tempers objective history with personal impressions.