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From Alice With Love
After the end of a long-term relationship, Alicia's life is at a crossroads when news that her mother is critically ill takes her back to her childhood home of Alice Springs.
Though she hasn't consciously intended to remain in central Australia, when Alicia is offered a job setting up a school on an indigenous outstation she decides to stay. Surrounded by the mesmerising beauty of the desert, Alicia takes charge of the new school, and though the challenges are substantial, she finds the work deeply fulfilling.
When Alicia meets Patrick through her work she's instantly attracted to him. Patrick shares much of Alicia's outlook on life and their relationship flourishes until they hit a crisis regarding their future together...
From Alice With Love is both a beautiful love story and a thought-provoking novel set in the exotic red centre of Australia.
Though she hasn't consciously intended to remain in central Australia, when Alicia is offered a job setting up a school on an indigenous outstation she decides to stay. Surrounded by the mesmerising beauty of the desert, Alicia takes charge of the new school, and though the challenges are substantial, she finds the work deeply fulfilling.
When Alicia meets Patrick through her work she's instantly attracted to him. Patrick shares much of Alicia's outlook on life and their relationship flourishes until they hit a crisis regarding their future together...
From Alice With Love is both a beautiful love story and a thought-provoking novel set in the exotic red centre of Australia.
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384 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 9, 2014
Modern day Australia, in the NT at the time of the intervention and then the Sorry speech which is where the novel ends. I am now reading it in 2014 with the knowledge that the Sorry speech should have been the first step forward in finally taking this country forward toward balance and harmony and knowledge in our complex racial problems. But politics has been allowed to grind to a halt on this issue. Rave over, sorry for that.
An enjoyable read. I am not a big romance reader, and in the early stages I did wonder if the personal relationship with Patrick was going to annoy me into putting the book aside, but I am glad I continued as the relationship just became interwoven into the pattern of the whole.
I loved the word pictures describing the countryside. The complexities of teaching in a small school in a small bush community rang true.
All the way through the reading I kept wondering about the author and her connection to the region, and those questions were answered at the end in the acknowledgements and notes about the author.....I make it a rule to never skip forward in reading, I like to let a book unfold as the author desired it to.
3.5 stars I think may have been a closer rating, possibly because of my personal bias toward romance fiction. I noticed a couple of the other reviewers were troubled by the obvious politics, I wish more people in this land were troubled by our history with our first peoples.
An enjoyable read. I am not a big romance reader, and in the early stages I did wonder if the personal relationship with Patrick was going to annoy me into putting the book aside, but I am glad I continued as the relationship just became interwoven into the pattern of the whole.
I loved the word pictures describing the countryside. The complexities of teaching in a small school in a small bush community rang true.
All the way through the reading I kept wondering about the author and her connection to the region, and those questions were answered at the end in the acknowledgements and notes about the author.....I make it a rule to never skip forward in reading, I like to let a book unfold as the author desired it to.
3.5 stars I think may have been a closer rating, possibly because of my personal bias toward romance fiction. I noticed a couple of the other reviewers were troubled by the obvious politics, I wish more people in this land were troubled by our history with our first peoples.
June 3, 2014
When her mother is ill, Alicia returns to Alice Springs where she grew up. It is obvious from the outset that this author knows a lot about her location and the people there, so it is no surprise to find the author lives in Alice Springs. There is that ring of authenticity in descriptions of the place and people. Many of the pictures presented, particularly those of the school situation, tallied with those I had heard from a teacher who worked in the area.
Alicia is quickly drawn back into life there with the Aboriginal people who are like family to her and her mother Ros. Ros had in the past been a big campaigner of the tights of the Indigenous people.
While I enjoyed this book, I wonder whether it came too close on the heels of Cicada for me. I found myself skipping or skimming bits, which I say to me that it could have done with more severe editing. Also at times feel there was an agenda being presented by the author to convince the reader, to think and feel a certain way.
I enjoyed some of the incidents like the footy team started in an effort to help the children, but got a bit annoyed at the romance aspect with Patrick, although it was not without its complications. Also got tired of the f word. So while it passed the time this story never quite engaged me the way it should have. Good but not a great or emotionally involving read.
Alicia is quickly drawn back into life there with the Aboriginal people who are like family to her and her mother Ros. Ros had in the past been a big campaigner of the tights of the Indigenous people.
While I enjoyed this book, I wonder whether it came too close on the heels of Cicada for me. I found myself skipping or skimming bits, which I say to me that it could have done with more severe editing. Also at times feel there was an agenda being presented by the author to convince the reader, to think and feel a certain way.
I enjoyed some of the incidents like the footy team started in an effort to help the children, but got a bit annoyed at the romance aspect with Patrick, although it was not without its complications. Also got tired of the f word. So while it passed the time this story never quite engaged me the way it should have. Good but not a great or emotionally involving read.
September 16, 2021
An easy to read, slow moving story, set in Alice Springs. Just a little too slow for my liking, reflecting perhaps the easy going, laid back lifestyle of many people in Central Australia.
6/10
6/10
July 27, 2013
From Alice With Love is an impressive novel that explores many of the social and political issues related to Aboriginal communities in Australia, set around the recent time of the government’s interventions into rural communities to investigate the prevalence child sexual assault up until the “Sorry” speech led by Kevin Rudd. These big issues are sometimes in the backdrop of the protagonist Alicia’s journey of returning home and sometimes at the forefront, affecting the day to day lives of the Aboriginal community in which she resides and works.
Following a divorce from her long-term partner, Alicia has taken the chance of starting fresh and hopes to find a partner who shares her desire to start a family one day. She returns to her home town in Alice Springs to spend time with her ill mother and during her stay accepts a teaching role that involves the setup of the first school in an Indigenous outstation. There are plenty of challenges to overcome in creating a learning environment for this group of children, but Alicia is supported by the community and her childhood friend Lekisha.
Alicia meets Patrick who shares her values and passion about supporting the Indigenous communities in Central Australia. However, just when their relationship starts to take off, Patrick’s custody difficulties begin to put a strain on their budding relationship and they must decide whether they have a future together.
Alicia, as a character was quite likeable as was Patrick. In terms of the growth of these characters and the conflict they face, it did feel a little weak at times. However, there is a real sense of growth and conflict faced by the community and in some ways the community in which Alicia lives and work is the real protagonist of this book. So, while in most stories I’d find the lack of direction or conflict for the protagonist frustrating, the broader story arc moved forward enough for me to feel wholly satisfied by the end. This was also why I didn’t feel the political issues overshadowed the story, because it was part of the conflict faced by the community, the country and the people- even if it didn’t directly affect Alicia.
From Alice With Love was an ambitious story that explores the challenges faced by Aboriginal communities and those who work in rural regions. I liked how the author tied it in to recent political events and showed the impact of these decisions on the lives of Aboriginals in Central Australia and the Northern Territory. An enjoyable read and a book that I learnt from.
Following a divorce from her long-term partner, Alicia has taken the chance of starting fresh and hopes to find a partner who shares her desire to start a family one day. She returns to her home town in Alice Springs to spend time with her ill mother and during her stay accepts a teaching role that involves the setup of the first school in an Indigenous outstation. There are plenty of challenges to overcome in creating a learning environment for this group of children, but Alicia is supported by the community and her childhood friend Lekisha.
Alicia meets Patrick who shares her values and passion about supporting the Indigenous communities in Central Australia. However, just when their relationship starts to take off, Patrick’s custody difficulties begin to put a strain on their budding relationship and they must decide whether they have a future together.
Alicia, as a character was quite likeable as was Patrick. In terms of the growth of these characters and the conflict they face, it did feel a little weak at times. However, there is a real sense of growth and conflict faced by the community and in some ways the community in which Alicia lives and work is the real protagonist of this book. So, while in most stories I’d find the lack of direction or conflict for the protagonist frustrating, the broader story arc moved forward enough for me to feel wholly satisfied by the end. This was also why I didn’t feel the political issues overshadowed the story, because it was part of the conflict faced by the community, the country and the people- even if it didn’t directly affect Alicia.
From Alice With Love was an ambitious story that explores the challenges faced by Aboriginal communities and those who work in rural regions. I liked how the author tied it in to recent political events and showed the impact of these decisions on the lives of Aboriginals in Central Australia and the Northern Territory. An enjoyable read and a book that I learnt from.
August 4, 2013
This book had every potential to be great. Written by the author with inside knowledge. A love story on the background of turbulent, difficult times. Glimpses of culture that still fascinates anthropologists from all over the world. Every generation duly represented, from kids playing sports to the wisdom of elders.
It made me think of a movie I have seen recently: Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah, where the story also takes place in small isolated Aboriginal community and in Alice Springs. The movie broke my heart. The book... didn't even come close.
If I was to describe the book in one word, I'd say "tepid". Not a literary fiction, in my opinion there is not enough character development to justify that, the closest genre I can think of is mainstream fiction. And yet it doesn't follow the 'prescribed' story arc, there is no clear antagonist, no 'villain' and so it fails to deliver strong conflict.
It is a pleasant enough reading and for anyone who wants more insight into the historical facts it portrays be assured that these are first hand impressions, not something researched in Wikipedia. This is the book's saving grace.
It made me think of a movie I have seen recently: Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah, where the story also takes place in small isolated Aboriginal community and in Alice Springs. The movie broke my heart. The book... didn't even come close.
If I was to describe the book in one word, I'd say "tepid". Not a literary fiction, in my opinion there is not enough character development to justify that, the closest genre I can think of is mainstream fiction. And yet it doesn't follow the 'prescribed' story arc, there is no clear antagonist, no 'villain' and so it fails to deliver strong conflict.
It is a pleasant enough reading and for anyone who wants more insight into the historical facts it portrays be assured that these are first hand impressions, not something researched in Wikipedia. This is the book's saving grace.
May 15, 2019
I picked this title because I am keen to explore Alice Springs and love it when a book references culture and points of interest in an area I am hoping to visit however this book felt like it was trying too hard to educate me in Aboriginal culture and the layout of the bush and didn't focus enough on developing a story.
Unfortunately I didn't even finish as I was more inclined to hop online and read up on Alice Springs and it's heritage and forego the story Jo Dutton was failing to develop quick enough to capture my interest!
Unfortunately I didn't even finish as I was more inclined to hop online and read up on Alice Springs and it's heritage and forego the story Jo Dutton was failing to develop quick enough to capture my interest!
July 23, 2022
Mother-daughter novel set (unusually for Australian fiction) against the backdrop of the Federal Intervention into Aboriginal communities, and the issues faced by non-Indigenous people living and working in Aboriginal Australia. Written with sensitivity and thoughtfulness by an author with real experience of Central Australia.
August 8, 2018
This was more of a diary, very plot driven and in the first person which is always difficult to make into interesting prose. I liked the setting and the premise and it deals with an interesting problem for Outback schools and communities but the writing was very bland.
July 17, 2013
I was fortunate enough to attend the book launch of this book in Alice Springs. I had already sternly told myself not to buy any more books. I was travelling, after all, and more importantly flying home with Tiger, whose strict baggage allowances don’t allow for a glut of books.
But after hearing the author read from two passages in the book, I was hooked. After all, when you are on holidays there’s something very compelling about buying a book set in the place you are staying.
The plot: Alicia flies to her hometown of Alice Springs when she gets word her mother is sick. She ends up getting offered a teaching position on the homeland of her adopted Aboriginal family and sticks around, falling in love with another settler teacher from a nearby homeland school. Meanwhile, army trucks roll in with The Intervention and throw everyone into disarray, affecting Alicia's own life in unexpected ways.
At its centre (pun intended), From Alice With Love is a love story. But the plot of the love story was a bit thin on. I didn’t mind because I saw the plot more as a get-out-of-jail free card. It was like, okay cool we’ve got a plot, tick. Now we can talk about the more interesting things, like Alicia’s relationship with her best friend/Aboriginal sister Lekisha, and the start of The Intervention, and the notion of family, and the role of settlers in Aboriginal people’s lives.
From Alice With Love follows the structure of the Great Australian Novel, novels about broad issues that are explored through people’s relatively small lives. The Northern Territory Intervention was and continues to be a huge event in Australia’s history, affecting many lives. But as humans we don’t relate to statistics; we relate to stories. This novel tells the story of how The Intervention plays a role the lives of a few people, in a way that is most likely representative of a broader sample.
Dutton described the book as a fantasy, inspired by the idea of “what would happen if settlers actually listened to the what the Aboriginal people wanted?” Given this, I expected it to be a bit more radical and less realistic, but in fact I found it rang quite true. I haven’t had much interaction with “desert mob” people, as the Yolngu call them where I used to live in Arnhem Land, but there seem to be similarities.
Having said that, the main character had a great relationship with her Aboriginal family/people she worked with (the venn diagram of these two groups, by the way, would pretty much be a circle). Most books and films depicting white women working with Aboriginal people shit me to tears. The archetypal White Woman Working With Aboriginal People sees herself as the angel of salvation and becomes bitter when the people don’t fall at her feet in gratitude. Archetypal White Woman venerates their Culture to the extent that she doesn’t see them as people, just vessels of Tradition.
By contrast, Alicia doesn’t see herself as so separate to the people because she grew up with them. She doesn’t get shocked by the kind of things that put off a newbie. At the same time, there is always an unbreachable gap between the two cultures, and this is acknowledged.
I thoroughly enjoyed From Alice With Love. It is an easy yet insightful read.
But after hearing the author read from two passages in the book, I was hooked. After all, when you are on holidays there’s something very compelling about buying a book set in the place you are staying.
The plot: Alicia flies to her hometown of Alice Springs when she gets word her mother is sick. She ends up getting offered a teaching position on the homeland of her adopted Aboriginal family and sticks around, falling in love with another settler teacher from a nearby homeland school. Meanwhile, army trucks roll in with The Intervention and throw everyone into disarray, affecting Alicia's own life in unexpected ways.
At its centre (pun intended), From Alice With Love is a love story. But the plot of the love story was a bit thin on. I didn’t mind because I saw the plot more as a get-out-of-jail free card. It was like, okay cool we’ve got a plot, tick. Now we can talk about the more interesting things, like Alicia’s relationship with her best friend/Aboriginal sister Lekisha, and the start of The Intervention, and the notion of family, and the role of settlers in Aboriginal people’s lives.
From Alice With Love follows the structure of the Great Australian Novel, novels about broad issues that are explored through people’s relatively small lives. The Northern Territory Intervention was and continues to be a huge event in Australia’s history, affecting many lives. But as humans we don’t relate to statistics; we relate to stories. This novel tells the story of how The Intervention plays a role the lives of a few people, in a way that is most likely representative of a broader sample.
Dutton described the book as a fantasy, inspired by the idea of “what would happen if settlers actually listened to the what the Aboriginal people wanted?” Given this, I expected it to be a bit more radical and less realistic, but in fact I found it rang quite true. I haven’t had much interaction with “desert mob” people, as the Yolngu call them where I used to live in Arnhem Land, but there seem to be similarities.
Having said that, the main character had a great relationship with her Aboriginal family/people she worked with (the venn diagram of these two groups, by the way, would pretty much be a circle). Most books and films depicting white women working with Aboriginal people shit me to tears. The archetypal White Woman Working With Aboriginal People sees herself as the angel of salvation and becomes bitter when the people don’t fall at her feet in gratitude. Archetypal White Woman venerates their Culture to the extent that she doesn’t see them as people, just vessels of Tradition.
By contrast, Alicia doesn’t see herself as so separate to the people because she grew up with them. She doesn’t get shocked by the kind of things that put off a newbie. At the same time, there is always an unbreachable gap between the two cultures, and this is acknowledged.
I thoroughly enjoyed From Alice With Love. It is an easy yet insightful read.
July 5, 2013
From Alice With Love, Jo Dutton's third novel, is both the story of a woman making a fresh start in life and love and an examination of the political and social issues of indigenous community management in the Northern Territory.
Drawn back to Alice Springs when her mother falls ill, Alicia, who is in the midst of an amicable divorce and unemployed, allows herself to be reabsorbed into her childhood community, which includes the Indigenous mob who considers her family. She is persuaded by her best friend, Lekisha and her 'nana', Magdelene to take on the challenging position of the lone teacher at the newly approved school at the Promised Land Mission for its children. This is how Alicia, who is in her mid thirties and wanting to start a family, develops a complicated relationship with Patrick, also a teacher.
I think it would be fair to say however that Alicia's journey is both inseparable from, and overshadowed by, Dutton's portrait of Indigenous issues and community in the Top End. From Alice with Love is a thought provoking, though skewed, perspective into the complex issues that trouble our country and defy simple resolution. Against the background of several significant events that affected Aboriginals including the National Apology (Sorry Day), Centerlink's introduction of 'income management' and The 'Little Children Are Sacred' report (which highlighted the prevalence of sexual abuse in some Indigenous communities), the author tries to bring into focus the humanity, dignity and dreams of the Indigenous peoples with the emphasis of the narrative clearly on their connection to family and the land and on challenging the negative cultural stereotypes endemic in society.
While the descriptions of the unique Territory environment are evocative, I did find that the first person narrative, which is light on dialogue, sometimes took on the qualities of a lecture. I found the pace a slow, it is 100 pages in before the school is even mentioned, and nearly at the 200 page mark before Alicia teaches her first class.
Despite my admiration for Jo Dutton's intention to 'write from love' and my general agreement with her political position, unfortunately From Alice With Love didn't resonate with me as I had I expected it to. Ultimately, I felt the author's reach was too ambitious and the story was overwhelmed and undermined by the myriad of issues Dutton introduced. However I don't want my opinion to discourage anyone from reading From Alice With Love as I believe this book has the potential to both inform and enlighten readers.
November 30, 2015
* 3.5 stars
The red centre of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia is the locale for Jo Dutton third book, From Alice With Love. I discovered soon after opening this book that it is much more than an outback romance. It offers the reader incredible insight into the array of social and political issues surrounding the indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. As a proud Australian this is a subject that is close to the heart and it is important that these complex issues concerning our indigenous are brought to the forefront. Dutton uses the vehicle of first person narrative to spin the tale of a young woman who is at a turning point in her life. Alicia is drawn back to her home of Alice Springs, after her mother is taken gravely ill. While caring for her mother, Alicia is also offered a position to help set up a local indigenous station school. Despite the challenges of caring for her mother and setting up a school, Alicia finds a strong sense of gratification from her new job. An opportunity at romance also comes Alicia’s way and she realises her home truly is the Alice.
From Alice With Love is a book that I found both inspiring and thought provoking. I applaud author, Jo Dutton, for highlighting the important dangerous issues she interweaves within this book. Some may question this book as having a strong political agenda, but I found nothing but appreciation, it is story that needs to be continually retold. I also hope that this book reaches both the national and international forum as it is so crucial that the voices of our indigenous people are heard. Dutton’s book contains a strong air of authenticity and reading up on the author, I was pleased to discover she has first hand experience teaching in a remote school in central Australia. The teaching side of the novel is another aspect that I found deeply insightful, as a teacher myself I was interested in the differences in remote area teaching as opposed to city based teaching. Dutton depicts a good sense of place in her book, the heat of the red centre is expressed well in her writing. The romance side of this book is gentle, a lot like the pace of the book, but nevertheless, it was a good read.
If outback stories are your thing, From Alice With Love offers the reader more than the generic contemporary Australian romance, rather, it is a thoughtful examination into issues affecting the beautiful region of Alice Springs.
The red centre of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia is the locale for Jo Dutton third book, From Alice With Love. I discovered soon after opening this book that it is much more than an outback romance. It offers the reader incredible insight into the array of social and political issues surrounding the indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. As a proud Australian this is a subject that is close to the heart and it is important that these complex issues concerning our indigenous are brought to the forefront. Dutton uses the vehicle of first person narrative to spin the tale of a young woman who is at a turning point in her life. Alicia is drawn back to her home of Alice Springs, after her mother is taken gravely ill. While caring for her mother, Alicia is also offered a position to help set up a local indigenous station school. Despite the challenges of caring for her mother and setting up a school, Alicia finds a strong sense of gratification from her new job. An opportunity at romance also comes Alicia’s way and she realises her home truly is the Alice.
From Alice With Love is a book that I found both inspiring and thought provoking. I applaud author, Jo Dutton, for highlighting the important dangerous issues she interweaves within this book. Some may question this book as having a strong political agenda, but I found nothing but appreciation, it is story that needs to be continually retold. I also hope that this book reaches both the national and international forum as it is so crucial that the voices of our indigenous people are heard. Dutton’s book contains a strong air of authenticity and reading up on the author, I was pleased to discover she has first hand experience teaching in a remote school in central Australia. The teaching side of the novel is another aspect that I found deeply insightful, as a teacher myself I was interested in the differences in remote area teaching as opposed to city based teaching. Dutton depicts a good sense of place in her book, the heat of the red centre is expressed well in her writing. The romance side of this book is gentle, a lot like the pace of the book, but nevertheless, it was a good read.
If outback stories are your thing, From Alice With Love offers the reader more than the generic contemporary Australian romance, rather, it is a thoughtful examination into issues affecting the beautiful region of Alice Springs.
February 21, 2014
This is the second of Jo Dutton's books that I have read and it didn't disappoint. She lives in Alice Springs and showed her connection with indigenous families in a really great way, as she wove her storyline.
October 30, 2013
Gave up after 100 pages as the politics implied were too annoying
March 25, 2016
I did not enjoy the book much. i was just glad to finish it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews