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The childstone cycle
Rebecca, you must find the Childstones and give them back. My mother told me to find them. She had the dream too. But I never had the time... never did get back to the quest. They were the sacred relics of the local Aborigines. There'll be no peace for us until they're returned to their rightful home.
The trail meanders back through the interwoven lives of the seven daughters, back through Rebecca's ancestors: the unloved schoolgirl encountering the '60s sexual revolution; the cynical Second World War concert pianist; the older woman wandering the desert; the nurse at the time of the influenza epidemic; the deserting soldier killed on the Somme; the brilliant Jenny Wren, the music hall diva; betrayed Mary, the settler's wife, and her first encounter with the Aborigines; winding finally to the vengeful Poll McPherson on the Ballarat goldfields in the 1850s.
For Rebecca, lost in the past, finding the Childstones is only the beginning of her story.
The trail meanders back through the interwoven lives of the seven daughters, back through Rebecca's ancestors: the unloved schoolgirl encountering the '60s sexual revolution; the cynical Second World War concert pianist; the older woman wandering the desert; the nurse at the time of the influenza epidemic; the deserting soldier killed on the Somme; the brilliant Jenny Wren, the music hall diva; betrayed Mary, the settler's wife, and her first encounter with the Aborigines; winding finally to the vengeful Poll McPherson on the Ballarat goldfields in the 1850s.
For Rebecca, lost in the past, finding the Childstones is only the beginning of her story.
- GenresFiction
420 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
1 person is currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Kerry Greenwood
92 books2,560 followersKerry Isabelle Greenwood was an Australian author and lawyer. She wrote many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher, which was adapted as the popular television series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She wrote mysteries, science-fiction, historical fiction, children's stories, and plays. Greenwood earned the Australian women's crime fiction Davitt Award in 2002 for her young adult novel The Three-Pronged Dagger.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 17, 2021
I read this book quite a long time ago and really loved it. Thought it was beautiful.
February 21, 2026
Not really my thing…. All the adolescent sexual stuff was a bit much.
January 29, 2012
I picked this up because I love Ms Greenwood's Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman books, and have also really enjoyed her ancient historical fiction books. I wish I could say the same about this one, but it left me pretty cold.
What I did like: Ms Greenwood's historical research is, for the most part, as meticulous as ever, and it was fascinating to read the parts where that came through (ie most of the book).
What I did not like: I found Rebecca's relationship with Alistair completely uncompelling, the explanation of how Mary had ended up as she was (and not having ever searched for the Childstones) unbelievable, and Ms Greenwood's treatment of the Aboriginal traditions and culture unconvincing and condescending (it seems to me to be a prime example of the "mystical native" trope, which I abhor).
What I did like: Ms Greenwood's historical research is, for the most part, as meticulous as ever, and it was fascinating to read the parts where that came through (ie most of the book).
What I did not like: I found Rebecca's relationship with Alistair completely uncompelling, the explanation of how Mary had ended up as she was (and not having ever searched for the Childstones) unbelievable, and Ms Greenwood's treatment of the Aboriginal traditions and culture unconvincing and condescending (it seems to me to be a prime example of the "mystical native" trope, which I abhor).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews