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The Call of the Pines
Cherry Landin had had little experience of life when she went as a governess to a large cattle station in North West Australia. Then, many new and exciting things happened and Cherry enjoyed them all - until she found herself in a jungle rainstorm...
"The plane lurched sideways, bumping badly as it hit the top of the trees and swooped along them. There was a dreadful pause and Cherry shut her then the plane righted and with a tearing breaking sound of splitting wood beneath them, it rolled over sideways.
In the cabin there was complete silence...."
"The plane lurched sideways, bumping badly as it hit the top of the trees and swooped along them. There was a dreadful pause and Cherry shut her then the plane righted and with a tearing breaking sound of splitting wood beneath them, it rolled over sideways.
In the cabin there was complete silence...."
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1963
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115 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Walker
102 books27 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Lucy Walker (1907–1987) was the most famous of a few pseudonyms used by Dorothy Lucie Sanders (née McClemans). She was born in Boulder, Western Australia, on 4 May 1907. Her father was of Irish stock, a minister of the Church of England. Her mother was from New Zealand. Dorothy began writing at an early age, despite her father’s scepticism about her ability.
A qualified teacher from Perth College (1928), she taught in state schools in Western Australia until 1936. She continued teaching later in London while her husband, a fellow school teacher whom she married in 1936, completed his doctorate in education.
They returned to Perth, Australia in 1938 but Dorothy Lucie Sanders only began her writing in 1945, producing articles, short stories, and later novels. In 1948 her first novel, Fairies on the Doorstep, was published.
As Lucy Walker, she wrote about 39 romance books:
Fairies On the Doorstep (1948)
Who Leaves the Crowd (1952)
The One Who Kisses (1954)
Sweet and Faraway (1955)
Come Home Dear (1956)
Heaven is Here (1957)
Master of Ransome (1958)
Kingdom of the heart (1959)
The Stranger from the North (1959)
Love in a Cloud (1960)
The Loving Heart (1960)
The Moonshiner (1961)
Wife to Order (1961)
The Distant Hills (1962)
Down in the Forest (1962)
The Call of the Pines (1963)
Follow Your Star (1963)
The Man from Outback (1964)
Reaching for the Stars (1964)
A Man Called Masters (1965)
The Other Girl (1965)
The Ranger in the Hills (1966)
The River Is Down (1967)
Home at Sundown (1968)
The Gone-Away Man (1969)
Shining River (1969)
Six for Heaven (1969)
Joyday for Jodi (1971)
The Bell Branch (1971)
The Mountain That Went to the Sea (1971)
Ribbons In Her Hair (1972)
Pepper Tree Bay (1972)
Pool of Dreams (1973)
Girl Alone (1973)
Monday in Summer (1973)
Runaway Girl (1975)
Gamma's Girl (1977)
So Much Love (1977)
These romance novels were very successful in Australia and overseas. The stories were meticulously researched; the writer travelled extensively in the Western Australian outback, recording details of scenery, personalities and social customs in her notebooks and diaries.
Other pseudonyms used by this author: Shelley Dean, Dorothy Lucie Sanders, and Lucy Walker.
Dorothy Lucie Sanders was widowed in 1986 and died the following year. Her daughter and two sons survived her.
Lucy Walker (1907–1987) was the most famous of a few pseudonyms used by Dorothy Lucie Sanders (née McClemans). She was born in Boulder, Western Australia, on 4 May 1907. Her father was of Irish stock, a minister of the Church of England. Her mother was from New Zealand. Dorothy began writing at an early age, despite her father’s scepticism about her ability.
A qualified teacher from Perth College (1928), she taught in state schools in Western Australia until 1936. She continued teaching later in London while her husband, a fellow school teacher whom she married in 1936, completed his doctorate in education.
They returned to Perth, Australia in 1938 but Dorothy Lucie Sanders only began her writing in 1945, producing articles, short stories, and later novels. In 1948 her first novel, Fairies on the Doorstep, was published.
As Lucy Walker, she wrote about 39 romance books:
Fairies On the Doorstep (1948)
Who Leaves the Crowd (1952)
The One Who Kisses (1954)
Sweet and Faraway (1955)
Come Home Dear (1956)
Heaven is Here (1957)
Master of Ransome (1958)
Kingdom of the heart (1959)
The Stranger from the North (1959)
Love in a Cloud (1960)
The Loving Heart (1960)
The Moonshiner (1961)
Wife to Order (1961)
The Distant Hills (1962)
Down in the Forest (1962)
The Call of the Pines (1963)
Follow Your Star (1963)
The Man from Outback (1964)
Reaching for the Stars (1964)
A Man Called Masters (1965)
The Other Girl (1965)
The Ranger in the Hills (1966)
The River Is Down (1967)
Home at Sundown (1968)
The Gone-Away Man (1969)
Shining River (1969)
Six for Heaven (1969)
Joyday for Jodi (1971)
The Bell Branch (1971)
The Mountain That Went to the Sea (1971)
Ribbons In Her Hair (1972)
Pepper Tree Bay (1972)
Pool of Dreams (1973)
Girl Alone (1973)
Monday in Summer (1973)
Runaway Girl (1975)
Gamma's Girl (1977)
So Much Love (1977)
These romance novels were very successful in Australia and overseas. The stories were meticulously researched; the writer travelled extensively in the Western Australian outback, recording details of scenery, personalities and social customs in her notebooks and diaries.
Other pseudonyms used by this author: Shelley Dean, Dorothy Lucie Sanders, and Lucy Walker.
Dorothy Lucie Sanders was widowed in 1986 and died the following year. Her daughter and two sons survived her.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 25, 2021
First published in 1963, this is the story of an extremely naive, over-protected nineteen-year-old who takes her first job as a nanny/governess with a family that lives in the Australian outback. Cherry Landin is on a mission to prove to herself that she is all grown up.
Stephen Denton is the 30-ish brother of Hugh Denton. Together, they run the ranch with Stephen taking care of the business-side. Hugh's wife suffers from migraines and needs help with their young daughter and toddler son. For the most part, Cherry assists the young mother with Peter. She becomes very attached to the little boy.
Tracy, Hugh's sister-in-law, also lives on the ranch. A couple years older than Cherry, the family has assumed Stephen will one day marry her. Well-groomed, attractive and flirtatious, she spends quite a bit of her free time with Stephen when he is not working.
Several months go by and Cherry is asked to take Peter to get his polio vaccine. The doctor dispensing the immunization is far away. the two of them will have to fly and Stephen and Tracy are going with them. The pilot takes off but before they arrive their plane is hit by lightning. All survive with just some minor scratches except now that have to live in the bush until they are rescued.
This story contains very few outright romantic gestures. It is more about defining Cherry and Stephen's relationship or lack thereof. A lot of what goes on with Cherry is contained in her thoughts. Stephen notices Cherry but she is referred to as a girl or child. There is also the factor that Stephen and Tracy appear to be a couple. And yet, after all their adventures are over and Cherry will be returning home, he approaches her with the big question.
Whew! After reading this off-balanced romance, I think sort of but not really, in a warped way I consider this goofy story okay. I wish I could have rated it higher, but the actual romance was too dry.
Stephen Denton is the 30-ish brother of Hugh Denton. Together, they run the ranch with Stephen taking care of the business-side. Hugh's wife suffers from migraines and needs help with their young daughter and toddler son. For the most part, Cherry assists the young mother with Peter. She becomes very attached to the little boy.
Tracy, Hugh's sister-in-law, also lives on the ranch. A couple years older than Cherry, the family has assumed Stephen will one day marry her. Well-groomed, attractive and flirtatious, she spends quite a bit of her free time with Stephen when he is not working.
Several months go by and Cherry is asked to take Peter to get his polio vaccine. The doctor dispensing the immunization is far away. the two of them will have to fly and Stephen and Tracy are going with them. The pilot takes off but before they arrive their plane is hit by lightning. All survive with just some minor scratches except now that have to live in the bush until they are rescued.
This story contains very few outright romantic gestures. It is more about defining Cherry and Stephen's relationship or lack thereof. A lot of what goes on with Cherry is contained in her thoughts. Stephen notices Cherry but she is referred to as a girl or child. There is also the factor that Stephen and Tracy appear to be a couple. And yet, after all their adventures are over and Cherry will be returning home, he approaches her with the big question.
Whew! After reading this off-balanced romance, I think sort of but not really, in a warped way I consider this goofy story okay. I wish I could have rated it higher, but the actual romance was too dry.
September 25, 2021
The situation the h found herself in was fascinating. Unfortunately, so much of the time was spent on the unbearable, narcissistic OW that it was impossible to respect the H, who admired the OW for her character.
Seriously, the OW is so ghastly and so perfectly written that I think Lucy Walker based her on someone she knew and loathed in real life.
Seriously, the OW is so ghastly and so perfectly written that I think Lucy Walker based her on someone she knew and loathed in real life.
November 22, 2022
Quaint. So very typical of the times when it was written in the mid '60's. The typical recipe - young naive girl, gets a job, falls for the boss, struggles and hardships, dramas, misunderstandings, then an announcement at the end they truly do love each other...queue the sigh.
In that era, women were encouraged to be typists, nannies, teachers, or other unskilled workers then get married, have babies, look after the man and that's that! This book is no less glimpse into the past of the young girls aspirations.
For me, it was very typical of the writer to use the female's first person perspective in her thoughts, then switch back to third person in the telling of events. It reeked of the fallen female needing a knight in shining armour to save her, but her pride will not allow it! A thoroughly young modern women is doing her best to find her way, even if her adoptive parents arranged the flying of the nest.
I find it always an amusing read of the dashing male being many years older, the female so demure yet fiesty, a scenario of hardships to overcome, and then the lerv (my term for it!) comes spilling out after much repression of emotions along the way.
Did I enjoy it? I would say yes, because of the fact the writer portrays a time most of the readers now would have no knowledge or understanding of. A step back in time to when this lifestyle of man/woman story was real. The quintessential cigarette smoking dashing male who rarely showed his emotions, the Aussie bushie bloke as rough as guts (that is an old Aussie saying), the fashions of the times, and lack of email, internet and phones!
The thing which I kept thinking of was the lack of swearing, lack of sex, the lack of bodily functions e.g. kid needing a nappy changes, women having menstrual bleeds, urinating, pooping, etc. It seemed always to be everyone needing a wash! However, this was the times of modesty, not to mention the censors.
It was a lovely delightful book - just do not use your 2022 mindset and experiences to spoil a sweet little romantic story.
In that era, women were encouraged to be typists, nannies, teachers, or other unskilled workers then get married, have babies, look after the man and that's that! This book is no less glimpse into the past of the young girls aspirations.
For me, it was very typical of the writer to use the female's first person perspective in her thoughts, then switch back to third person in the telling of events. It reeked of the fallen female needing a knight in shining armour to save her, but her pride will not allow it! A thoroughly young modern women is doing her best to find her way, even if her adoptive parents arranged the flying of the nest.
I find it always an amusing read of the dashing male being many years older, the female so demure yet fiesty, a scenario of hardships to overcome, and then the lerv (my term for it!) comes spilling out after much repression of emotions along the way.
Did I enjoy it? I would say yes, because of the fact the writer portrays a time most of the readers now would have no knowledge or understanding of. A step back in time to when this lifestyle of man/woman story was real. The quintessential cigarette smoking dashing male who rarely showed his emotions, the Aussie bushie bloke as rough as guts (that is an old Aussie saying), the fashions of the times, and lack of email, internet and phones!
The thing which I kept thinking of was the lack of swearing, lack of sex, the lack of bodily functions e.g. kid needing a nappy changes, women having menstrual bleeds, urinating, pooping, etc. It seemed always to be everyone needing a wash! However, this was the times of modesty, not to mention the censors.
It was a lovely delightful book - just do not use your 2022 mindset and experiences to spoil a sweet little romantic story.
January 12, 2020
Nineteen year old Cherry Landins has been over-protected by her adoptive parents. Even they believe she needs to spread her wings to explore the world before settling down and teaching at her former school. Stephen Denton hires her to help care for his brother's children on their Outback cattle station. Cherry is determined to prove she is an adult, not the child Stephen calls her. (Honey, you really are just a child!) There's a plane crash, jealousy, a conniving young woman who only wants to dance, and an alpha male hero who doesn't make his move until it is close to time for Cherry to return home.
It's been a long time since I last read a Walker romance, mostly during the mid-to-late 1970s. I was new to contemporary romances, having been a fan of regencies and some historicals since slightly before I graduated from high school in 1972. (Yes, I'm telling my age. Don't care.) I think my taste has moved on since I read Lucy Walker, Glenna Finley, and Emilie Loring. None of these authors, despite being categorized as romance writers, were really physically or emotionally expressive in their books. I get that with a historical, with a regency, but it much harder to deal with in a contemporary. I'll still always have a fond soft spot in my memories for these women. I thank them all for opening a world of fiction that I had never explored before. 3.5 out of 5.
It's been a long time since I last read a Walker romance, mostly during the mid-to-late 1970s. I was new to contemporary romances, having been a fan of regencies and some historicals since slightly before I graduated from high school in 1972. (Yes, I'm telling my age. Don't care.) I think my taste has moved on since I read Lucy Walker, Glenna Finley, and Emilie Loring. None of these authors, despite being categorized as romance writers, were really physically or emotionally expressive in their books. I get that with a historical, with a regency, but it much harder to deal with in a contemporary. I'll still always have a fond soft spot in my memories for these women. I thank them all for opening a world of fiction that I had never explored before. 3.5 out of 5.
June 13, 2025
A nanny position turns into a adventure story after their plane crashes in the jungle.
Heroine, her toddler charge, hero (baby's paternal uncle), the pilot and the hero's sister-in-law (baby's maternal aunt) spend days together. Hero thinks the heroine is in love with the pilot. Heroine thinks hero is in love with sister-in-law.
While the romance was a long time coming, the survival skills, setbacks, and challenges were interesting and made for a fun read. I also appreciated the heroine's devotion to the child.
The reunion with her prim and prissy adoptive parents was sweet.
Just a nice story.
Heroine, her toddler charge, hero (baby's paternal uncle), the pilot and the hero's sister-in-law (baby's maternal aunt) spend days together. Hero thinks the heroine is in love with the pilot. Heroine thinks hero is in love with sister-in-law.
While the romance was a long time coming, the survival skills, setbacks, and challenges were interesting and made for a fun read. I also appreciated the heroine's devotion to the child.
The reunion with her prim and prissy adoptive parents was sweet.
Just a nice story.
August 25, 2021
Truly old fashioned romance
This life seems eons away not 50 years! It’s almost like a Regency romance transported to the Australian outback - young heroine of 18 and the confident experienced man of 30 who calls her “my
dear child “ . Very evocative descriptions of the Australian outback far outweigh the sense of being old fashioned and this became unexpectedly addictive reading .
This life seems eons away not 50 years! It’s almost like a Regency romance transported to the Australian outback - young heroine of 18 and the confident experienced man of 30 who calls her “my
dear child “ . Very evocative descriptions of the Australian outback far outweigh the sense of being old fashioned and this became unexpectedly addictive reading .
January 5, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It took a while to get into the swing of the writing but once I'd gotten to know the characters over a few chapters I was hooked on the storyline and couldn't put it down. Such a change from the books written in today's world, this romance novel from the 60s captured the innocence of first loves beautifully. I would recommend this book
May 31, 2022
Usual childish heroine and much older hero. I wasn't crazy about this until they crashed and then it was much better, but I couldn't read it again. There are only 3 books of hers to which I gave 5 points and these are the ones I would read again. Lucy Walker tried to give readers an insight mainly into the Australian outback and seems to have succeeded.
November 5, 2020
As with the other Lucy Walker book I've read, I enjoyed the setting quite a bit, but again, there is very little indication of how the hero feels about the heroine until the very end of the book. I'm sensing a trend here...
May 31, 2021
Clean romance in the splendor of the Australian outback.
I first read Lucy Walker"s books when I was in my early teens. I am enjoying them In my 60th year as much as I did 45 years ago. I have added 15 of her books to my library and am eagerly waiting the release of more.
I first read Lucy Walker"s books when I was in my early teens. I am enjoying them In my 60th year as much as I did 45 years ago. I have added 15 of her books to my library and am eagerly waiting the release of more.
March 3, 2022
I got stuck on the outdated language. It shows that the book was first published in 1963...
March 13, 2023
One of her best!!!
August 14, 2017
Favourite book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews