Dreamscapes

by Tamara McKinley

Catriona Summers' debut in show business came early. Her father, the leader of a travelling music hall troupe that toured the small towns of the Outback, carried her on stage when she was barely minutes old in order to introduce her to her first audience. From such humble beginnings Catriona had grown up to emerge as a rare talent, her voice garnering her praise from the public and critics alike. But her journey from performing popular songs for a few pennies to becoming an acclaimed opera diva on the Sydney stage, has been fraught with hardship and tragedy. And now some old scandalous secrets from her teenage years are threatening her present, her family and all she has achieved...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Roman, Romance, Drama, Family, Australia, Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

TAMARA MCKINLEY was born in Launceston, Tasmania, and was forced to come to England with her grandmother to finish her education at an all girls’ boarding school in Sussex. Her childhood experiences and the enduring memories of her amazing grandmother and two extraordinary great-aunts, form the back-bone of her novels which are coloured with the red, green and gold of her beloved Australia.

Having raised her three children in the Eastbourne area she started to write psychological thrillers before returning to her roots in the form of Australian family sagas set against the backdrop of the outback pioneers. She is now household name in Germany where her books go straight into the bestsellers' list with each title selling around 4 million copies. Her books are also popular in Scandinavia, especially Sweden where her first saga, Matilda's Last Waltz was voted the booksellers novel of the year. In her homeland of Australia she is considered by many to be "Britain's Best Kept Secret".

Her eight Aussie sagas to date are published in at least 15 different languages and can be found worldwide.

Tamara now lives and writes on the south coast of England but travels to her homeland every year to promote her work, carry out research and visit her eldest son and her two grandsons.

Psychological Thrillers: Reap the Whirlwind and Queens Flight (Hodder & Stoughton)

Family Sagas: Matilda's Last Waltz (2000), Jacaranda Vines (2001), Windflowers (2002), Summer Lightning (2003), Undercurrents (2004) and Dreamscapes (2005) (Piatkus Books)

Lands Beyond the Sea, the first book of her Oceana trilogy, has been published in hardback and paperback by Hodder Stoughton. A Kingdom For The Brave, the second in the trilogy, was published in hardback in the UK on 6th March 2008.

Reviews

[Sue Gerhardt Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Tamara McKinley’s books, not a dud among them in my opinion. There is nothing better than a well written book that has a strong and intriguing storyline and this is that book. And the striking characters and breathtaking scenery descriptions makes this an incredible read.

The start of this story is wonderful. It was a joy to follow the traveling musical hall troupe, Catriona Summers, her mother and her father who is leader of the troupe, from Charleville to Lightning Ridge to the tiny settlement of Goondiwindi through to Toowoomba, showcasing their talents and entertaining the country folk. When tragedy strikes everything changes and from this point on the author weaves and spins a dramatic and heartbreaking tale. Catriona Summers is now the focus of this story, and wow, what a story it is! Catriona becomes an acclaimed opera diva on the Sydney stage and performs on international world stages, after many curtain calls and the stage covered in red roses the audience threw at her, Catriona had finally achieved her dream. Before long there was another dream she was longing for, to own Belvedere. Making her home in a little town in Atherton more characters come into play, secrets are revealed and a mystery is uncovered.
The ending, absolutely perfect! A great and happy surprise.

A bonzer book!

*Book #1 of my coffee table to-read challenge

[Okidoki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vi får följa Catriona från tioårsåldern fram till hennes ålderdom. Detta är inte chicklit som det smaklösa omslaget antyder, utan en underhållande och spännande äventyrsroman. En hyllning till den australiska naturen som McKinley skildrar mycket levande. Ett rent nöje att läsa.

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich fand dieses Buch einfach unglaublich. Ein ganzes Leben von Anfang bis Ende zu verfolgen, mit allen Höhen und Tiefen. Man war so gefangen von den Erlebnissen, von den Landschaften, die man ob der intensiven Beschreibung vor seinem inneren Auge hatte, von der Stärke dieser Frau.
Ich bin sehr begeistert.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really have mixed feelings about this book. A lot of the Outback scenes were enchanting and delightful. The writing was good.
But. I found the missing years annoying, especially the way the author uses phrases like "In the past ten years" (not a direct quote... I'm too tired to search one out) fairly frequently.
The ending is really disappointing. It feels like a whole chapter must have been edited out to give a surprise - but I want to know how (I can't say what without ruining the whole book).
Shame.

[Daphne (Signé Daphné) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was a bit too predictable for my tastes, but all in all, a nice, easy read.

[M. P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was my first pure drama novel, and I must say I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed reading it. The descriptions McKinley wrote were beautiful and rich, painting a very vivid picture of the natural wonders of rural Australia especially.

Granted, there were a few things that bothered me while reading, namely how the effects of the traumatic events Kitty goes through in her childhood aren't really explored. In fact, the scars left in her soul aren't visible in her thoughts and actions at all, until much much MUCH later, when Kitty's already an old lady, spending her retirement in the boonies, and something happens that effectively forces her to face the demons of her past and come to terms with everything that happened. The ending where practically every younger character magically finds a soulmate was pure cheese and syrup as well.

Still, despite all its faults, I really enjoyed the novel. The flow was good, the language beautiful, and though much of the plot was very predictable, the story kept me interested to the end. The book may not have been particularly deep, but it was definitely entertaining enough. I need to thank the retired lady living downstairs from me for introducing me to McKinley and lending this book to me.

[Kristy Drážovská · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kde začať? Je to také na 3,5 hviezdičky. Dcéry vetra sa mi veľmi páčili a od momentu ako toto vyšlo ma kočovnícke prostredie príbehu veľmi lákalo. Nečakala som, že to bude prepracovaný, náročný, kvalitný román, ALE predsa len bol ešte o kúsok jednoduchší, než som čakala. Aj napriek tomu sa mi páčil. Po úvode do ktorého som sa nevedela začítať ma kniha začala úprimne baviť, no mala svoje chybičky krásy. A autorka je nepochybne drama queen. Každopádne veci, ktoré mi prekážali boli typu, ako napríklad extrémne skoky v čase. Čítam, čítam a zrazu "10 rokov ubehlo ako voda.." V zápätí ďalšie dva roky. Taktiež mi vadil štýl písania, respektívne premýšľanie postáv, ktoré chvíľami nedávalo zmysel. Napríklad hrdinka spomínala, že neupratuje a nemá rada poriadok a hneď v momente celý deň venovala upratovaniu a vravela ako skvele jej to padlo. Sú to také maličkosti, ale často som sa pozastavila nad tým, čo presne sa to deje a aký význam to dáva? Alebo skôr nedáva.
No malo to aj svetlé stránky. Takéto rodinné ságy alebo knihy podobného druhu milujem a aj tentoraz to u mňa fungovalo. Od autorky si isto prečítam aj niečo ďalšie.

[Robyn Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Velda and her Irish husband Declan travelled through Australia's outback in coloured wagons with their troupe of entertainers, all living a hard life on the track. Their daughter Catriona was born while a show was in progress and was immediately taken on the stage by her proud father.
A tremendous storm changed their lives as their wagon's wheel hit a rock and smashed, sending Declan careering out of the wagon, his body hitting the rock. Kane was part of their troupe and took on the role of protecting Velda and Catriona so they headed for his 'friend's' house, where they found work. Kane was not the man he at first seemed.
Poppy was Velda's friend and a little Cockney dancer with the troupe.
The story goes through Catriona's life; she becomes an opera singer with a beautiful voice, takes ownership over a cattle station in the outback; her story is quite lovely.

[Rosalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a wonderful multi-generational storyline and characters, but is spoiled for me by lack if research on the part of the author. Her understanding of the lives and working conditions of our First Nation Aboriginal people is based back in the early 1900s, and the word "lubra" for the women is offensive.

In Australia we have a State controlled Police Service, where a promotion moving an officer between Brisbane and Sydney would not happen. Regional cities like Toowoomba and Bundaberg have been relegated to towns with "a few pubs and a couple of churches". The characters' favourite word "bonzer" for something great, disappeared from general use the vernacular after WWI. The term "broad walk" is not Australian. We have "footpaths". And I could go on infinitum.

Tamara McKinley, please write about places you know well, or improve your research.

[Sylvie Hurstel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je ne suis jamais déçue par l'écriture et les romans de Tamara McKinley - on est très vite happée dans l'histoire et on s'évade en Australie dans le bush. J'ai adoré les descriptions de ces paysages, les traditions des aborigènes et on s'attache très rapidement au personnage principal. Bref une très belle lecture.
***
Tamara McKinley's writing and novels never disappointed me. Quickly you are in the story, travelling in Australia, in the bush, almost you can feel the heat... I loved the landscape description, the stories and the believes about native australian. The main caracter is amazing of strong. I had a very great reading time with this book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a story that is well told and moves along at a fast pace, and this fits that category perfectly. Set in the early to late 1900s in Australia, the book follows the story of Catriona, a daughter of a nomadic travelling act, from the traumatic times of her childhood to her fame as an opera singer. A tale of tragedy, journeys in life, family and romance in the outback, it was hard to put this one down.

[Elin Johansson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragedi/roman. En klassisk Tamara Mckinley bok.
Catriona Summers föds 1921 i Australien. Hennes första år tillbringas med sina föräldrar i ett kringresande varietésällskap. Boken följer Catriona från att hon är en liten flicka som upplever tragedi och ensamhet till att hon står på scen som en av Australiens största operasångare och sedan när hon väl pensionerar sig på en avlägsen farm i Australiens bush.
Spänningen håller hela boken igenom.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. Parts of the book that include the Outback and caravan family scenes were engaging and the writing was good. I did not enjoy how the years seemed to just be passed by and suddenly she goes from 20 to 28, to 39 and the gaps are filled with light conversation to fill the missing years.
2 star for the first half
The second half of the book was much better and focused on a group of people
I enjoyed the last half more than the first.
I had been recommended this writer and I will give her another go but this book was disappointing. I am not enjoy the way the book was structured. The content and the characters were interesting and I ended up with a 3 star overall.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this story and I've come to view Tamara McKinley as one of my favourite authors. I love that the story was set in the early 1900's in outback Australia - what a harsh environment it must have been back then. It is a touching story of the changing of times, hardship, loss and determination. A beautiful story!

[Merle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. It’s the story about Kitty‘s life and the story is just magical and left me feeling warm and happy

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, nice ending, a bit all over the place.

[Myra McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story and great read.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing life story which touched my heard.

[Anke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik ben fan van Tamara McKinley. Er is altijd een verrassende twist ergens in het verhaal.

[Radynka]

DNF s. 52

Asi mě to nezajímá a vůbec mi nesedí styl.

[Marcella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kwam langzaam (is ook wel de schrijfstijl denk ik) op gang maar bleef toch boeiend. 3,5 ⭐️

[Mariposa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une fois encore, je me suis laissée entraîner dans ces paysages et cet environnement parfois hostile. Une bouffée d'exotisme. Une fois encore, la saga nous tient en haleine, les pages se tournent l'une après l'autre. Mais une encore, le même décor, les mêmes schémas, les mêmes éléments perturbateurs du récit... Pourtant, le fait de retrouver des éléments communs, voire répétés, d'un roman à l'autre ne m'a pas gênée. Un livre que je vous conseille si l'Australie sauvage vous attire...

[Ingrid Fasquelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'auteure de La Dernière Valse de Mathilda entraîne une nouvelle fois ses lecteurs au coeur de l'outback australien pour une saga familiale dépaysante et passionnante.

Quel bonheur de retrouver Tamara McKinley ! J'ai retrouvé dans Le Chant des Secrets tous les ingrédients qui avaient fait le succès de ses romans précédents ! Paysages sauvages de l'outback australien, terres arides, brûlées par le soleil... Tamara McKinley nous emmène loin, très loin, là où les hommes vivent de peu et s'accommodent d'une nature dure, hostile, mais tellement belle ! C'est un véritable dépaysement, une bouffée d'oxygène et d'exotisme que l'auteure nous offre tout au long de ces 500 pages ! J'ai lu, avec fièvre, le destin extraordinaire de Catriona, la vie de cette petite troupe de saltimbanques, et découvert beaucoup de choses que j'ignorais des coutumes aborigènes !

Dès les premières pages, je me suis sentie entraînée dans cette vie de bohême, fascinée par les portraits de femmes que Tamara McKinley a décrits. Ses personnages sont si attachants, si vivants et leurs personnalités si fortes, qu'il m'était impossible de ne pas les admirer ! Peu importe finalement que le schéma et le décor m'étaient déjà familiers, il y avait tant d'émotion entre ces pages que je n'ai pas été dérangée de retrouver certains éléments communs aux précédents romans de l'auteure !

Bien sûr, comme souvent dans ce genre de fresque, on sait d'avance comment les choses vont se terminer mais le côté prévisible de l'intrigue n'est rien à côté de ce que l'auteure tisse, de l'ambiance et de l'atmosphère qu'elle crée pour son lecteur ! Et la magie opère ! On sentirait presque les cahots des routes poussiéreuses, la brûlure du soleil et cette chaleur toujours implacable ! C'est fascinant ! Le dépaysement vient aussi que fait que Tamara McKinley a choisi de raconter la vie d'une troupe itinérante de music-hall, un sujet pour le moins original qui interpelle le lecteur et pique sa curiosité dès les premières pages.

J'ai tout simplement adoré faire partie de ce voyage magnifique au coeur de l'Australie sauvage ! La vie de Catriona, ses succès, ses désillusions et ses secrets (je vous en laisse le plaisir de la découverte...) m'ont véritablement tenue en haleine ! Malgré tout, j'aurais aimé trouver un peu plus de rythme dans la deuxième partie du roman ! J'ai parfois regretté que la vie de Catriona, devenue alors riche et célèbre, prenne cette allure de croisière languide et monotone ! Il manque décidément de relief, d'aspérités dans cette partie du récit ! Fort heureusement, Tamara McKinley sait comment renouveler l'intérêt du lecteur avant que celui-ci ne faiblisse. Les personnalités fortes de ses héroïnes ainsi que les valeurs universelles qu'elle véhicule (l'amour, l'amitié...) relancent le récit jusqu'à un final surprenant !

Si vous aimez les paysages sauvages, arides et inhospitaliers qui s'étirent à perte de vue, les grandes fresques qui s'étendent sur plusieurs générations, les secrets de famille et les personnages bien campés, n'hésitez pas ! Le Chant des Secrets vous bercera à coup sûr de sa musique envoûtante !

[Tilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catriona Summers' debut in show business came early. Her father, the leader of a travelling music hall troupe that toured the small towns of the Outback, carried her on stage when she was barely minutes old in order to introduce her to her first audience. From such humble beginnings Catriona had grown up to emerge as a rare talent, her voice garnering her praise from the public and critics alike. But her journey from performing popular songs for a few pennies to becoming an acclaimed opera diva on the Sydney stage, has been fraught with hardship and tragedy. And now some old scandalous secrets from her teenage years are threatening her present, her family and all she has achieved...

Dreamscapes is the very first book that I've read by this author and I feel somewhat blessed by this introduction to Tamara McKinley's writing. She tells a story in such a vibrant way without suffocation on too much detail.

The Summers' Music Hall troupe introduces us to Declan and Velda Summers, itinerants from Ireland who enjoy quite a gypsy lifestyle, traveling through the Australian Outback and bringing entertainment to each of the small towns that cross their path. There are not a great deal of people who know what they want to do with their life, so I found the passionate determination of Declan and Velda to be so very inspiring. Even despite challenges like the Australian heat and the occasional monsoonal Wet season, they continue to travel and do what they love best.

Catriona Summers is born into this lifestyle and from an extremely young age, discovers the desire to perform is in her blood despite the occasional stage nervousness. Tutored on the verses of Shakespear, she also learns songs from vinyl records and an old wind up gramophone, and takes after her Soprano mother. When technology advances and the moving pictures venture into the Australian Outback, Catriona and her family start to discover a different sort of hardship and it's from this moment onward that tragedy will shadow the young girl.

Dreamscapes is marvelously written and introduces us to such a varied range of memorable characters. The plight of Catriona as she grows up is both inspiring and heartbreaking, inviting us along on an adventure that at times seems both overwhelming and unbelievable. There are lifelong lessons within these pages and a strong message of persistence; never give up even when all seems lost because there's always a way.

I was strongly reminded of the film Australia through parts of this book and having grown up in rural Queensland myself, I was quite delighted at how familiar some of the settings were for me. This was a book that I could relate to on many levels and enjoyed all the more because of that.

[Kate Loveday · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just missed giving this book 4 stars. Tamara McKinley is one of my favourite authors, and I loved three quarters of this book. Catriona Summers grew up as part of a travelling troupe in Australia in the 1920's and became a girl with a golden voice. Through many troubles in her young life, she succeeds as an opera diva, and becomes world-renowned, with the wealth and acclaim that this brings her, but never loses her common touch. After she retires she goes to live on an outback station, enjoying the freedom of this new life. But the results of a terrible experience in her late childhood always haunts her, and a revelation threatens her comfortable life-style. I felt that the ending was just a bit too neat, but overall I enjoyed it.

[Yang Shu-yuan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die kleine Kitty wächst in einem Wandertheater auf, mit dem ihre Eltern durch Australien ziehen. Inmitten der bunten Truppe von Sängern, Tänzerinnen und Akrobaten erfährt sie Glück und Geborgenheit - bis ein geheimnisvoller Fremder die Bühne betritt und ihr Leben zum Drama wird ... Vor der eindrucksvollen Kulisse Australiens inszeniert Tamara McKinley erneut ein Leseerlebnis, das dem grandiosen Schauspiel des Lebens gleicht und doch zum Träumen verführt

[Séverine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce livre nous conte la vie de Catriona Summers, de sa naissance dans une roulotte au fond de l'outback jusqu'à ses vieux jours. L'héroïne vit des moments tragiques, des moments joyeux, tout ça avec pour décor les merveilleux paysages d'Australie et le XXème siècle.

Un excellent divertissement, une écriture fluide, un personnage très attachant. Un bon livre à recommander !

[Pauliina Lassila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kesäloman pakollista hömppää. Hömpäksi tämä oli aivan mukavaa luettavaa huolimatta juonen ennalta-arvattavuudesta (ryysyistä rikkauksiin, Australian luonto ja suuri tila, epäonnea ja onnea rakkaudessa jne), juuri sopivaa kolmen tähden kesälomalukemista :)

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat enjoyed it but thought it was disjointed in parts and found myself losing interest. Struggled to finish it.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book by Tamara. Excellent~