Return to the High Country

by Tony Parsons

In the beginning there had been only High Peaks, the MacLeod family property in the heart of Australia's rugged high country. Andrew and Anne MacLeod struggled on the land to give David, their only son and heir, a better life.

Wracked by grief following his father's death, David is determined to succeed. With the MacLeod love of the land running in his blood, and the beautiful Catriona at his side, he builds an impressive empire of grazing properties for the sons he hopes will follow him.

But grooming a suitable heir proves as challenging and heartbreaking as rural life itself. It is David's passion for his beloved high country, and the support of the women in his life, that keep his dream alive.

Here is a story that will transport you to the heartland of Australia's bush and keep you spellbound till the very last page.

'If you're looking for a saga that provides action, romance and intrigue with a particular Australia flavour, then look no further then Return to the High Country.'
Southern Highland News

636 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Credited as Tony Parsons on his works.

Anthony David Parsons, OAM, has worked as a professional sheep and wool classer, a journalist, news editor and rural commentator, a consultant to major agricultural companies, and an award-winning breeder of animals and show poultry. He owned his first kelpie dog in 1944, and in 1950 established 'Karrawarra', one of the top kelpie studs in Australia. In 1992 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the propagation of the Australian kelpie.

His novels, The Call of the High Country, Return to the High Country, Valley of the White Gold and Silver in the Sun, have all been bestsellers. He is also the author of Training the Working Kelpie, The Australian Kelpie and, in 2010, The Kelpie, now regarded as classic works on the breed.

Tony lives with his wife, Gloria, near Toowoomba. He still maintains a keen interest in kelpie breeding.

Reviews

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read but very much a product of its time. Agree with all the comments about a true insight into the Australian bush and farming scene, lost some stars as some parts were uncomfortable from a more modern view point. Would have liked to see some character growth/movement for David rather than everyone thinking he was gods gift to earth. Also a bit tricky to keep up with the timeline, I have no idea how old the characters are at any given point and the story jumps around a fair bit.

[Candace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe how bad this book was compared to the first one. The dialogue was embarrassing and there was no story. I couldn't read past the first quarter. Very disappointing because I loved The Call of the High Country.

[Beatté · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read the first 200 pages cannot go on - no story just rambling

[Linda Wakeham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first book. I couldn't put it down.

[Sarah Scowen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately the lowest rating on Goodreads is 1 out of 5, and this doesn't really express my genuine rating. I wouldn't even give 1 out of 100 this book was so bad. The back of the book reads like it would be a great story within the cover. I struggled to read it, which is why it took so long to get through it, but I did read the entire book. I regret buying this book and will never, ever read another book by this author. This book of nonsense is written in such a way that it is as if the author is narrating and telling you what is happening and what people are thinking without the book telling the story. The author forces slang into the sentences that doesn't make any sense and feels like the author wanted to use the terms as often as he could wherever he could do so that it makes a lot less sense than it would in the real world where it is added appropriately. My interpretation of the story and what my impressions are of the storyline, in a lot less words than the author used are as follows... Once upon a time there was a perfect man (in more ways than his physical handsomeness) who married a perfect woman (in more ways than her beauty) and had three children who were not so perfect, except their daughter, who was so beautiful her looks were only second to her mother's. In their own ways the two boys were good at what they did, and though the perfect man never really liked his eldest son he did come to appreciate his younger son after he got married. The perfect man had perfect parents and though his wife's parents weren't perfect they got better after being in instructed by the perfect man. The perfect man was the best at everything he said, did and thought and no fault could be found in him, other than his arrogance, which only some saw, but thought it added to his charisma because everything he said, thought and did was perfect. Everyone who saw the perfect man fell in love with him, and they all lived happily ever after ....

[Naomi Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a struggle to get into, and I feel I now know more about livestock in Australia than I ever needed to, but I became invested in this family's story and had to keep reading.

Low stars because the way the POV switch felt clunky to me. Also there was a lot of repetition of information. Each chapter felt like a new TV episode where they did a recap and referred to information read previously. That does make it easy to put down and pick up later, but can be frustrating for a continuous read.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read both "Call of the high country" and now the sequel "Return to the high country" and found both books amazing. The respect that people on the land have for the land and how hard it is, really shone through these two books. They were a pleasure to read. couldn't get enough of them. well done to Author.

[Erin Morphett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this author writes. More along the lines of what life on the land is really about.