The Opal Seekers

by Patricia Shaw

1898. Battling deprivation in Ireland, Trella Court has no choice but to turn her husband's brother Brodie out of the house. What else could she do with a family to feed? A bitter Brodie travels to Dublin, where he's offered a passage to Australia -- a land, it's rumoured, of untold riches. Arriving in Brisbane, Brodie is soon recruited by the owner of Fairlea cattle station. But the sight of a dazzling opal necklace in a jeweller's window leaves him with a dream. He vows one day to find the mesmerising stones and make his fortune. Brodie adjusts well to life at the station, but when his passionate affair with the spoilt mistress causes trouble, he decides to leave and join the hunt for opals. Yet back in Ireland, a destitute Trella and her son are boarding a ship bound for Australia. Can Brodie's obsession with opals save them from ruin, or will it spell tragedy for them all?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Australia

506 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 1997

About the author

Patricia Shaw was an Australian novelist and non-fiction writer.

Reviews

[Muphyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm such a sucker for these 'mindless' beach reads where you can so turn off your brain you sometimes wonder whether you're reading on auto-pilot... and yet, I cannot get myself to rate them very highly even though they divert my attention so nicely and make no intellectual demands of me whatsoever. So very relaxing when it is summer. :)

'The Opal Seekers' got everything a good historical novel of this ilk should have: passionate (albeit utterly ridiculous) love and romance, tragedy and deaths, mystery, a mean and selfish daughter-in-law, kind-hearted but stubborn Irish immigrants, vagabonds and liars, hardy farmers and crazed seekers, rough countryside and romanticised 19th century towns in outback Australia, and for good measure, a few Aboriginal people thrown in. Mix it all together and you can easily find yourself engrossed in a story that you will have forgotten in a book or two.

2.5 stars.

[Mrs Christine Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story

So sad that I've just read the last of this author's books...15,16, I'm not sure.I have thoroughly enjoyed every book. I have family in Queensland,Bribie Island,I have been lucky enough to have made that long flight about 7 times,I love Queensland,shame its so far away,The wildlife and nature are well worth the journey,shame about the snakes though.More to the point,are there going to be any more books?Thank you Patricia for such great reads,it was nice to connect with names and places ,that I have been to.Thank you. Chris .x

[paul c hitches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living the story

This book is so well written that you are actually living the story. I, feel as though I was mining the opals, and you can see the good people should succeed and the rich ones get their come uppence. I have read a few of Patricia Shaws' books and everyone is good and refreshing and I hopefully can read as many as possible.

[Edward Jenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant read

This time we learn a lot about opals, which have always been a wonder for me. Once again a story with so many facets like a well cut diamond or the many colours in a boulder opal. Now for the next of Patricia' s books

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very enjoyable historical Australian saga by the wonderful storyteller Patricia Shaw!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Peter Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossed in this novel from page 1. I would have given it a 5 stars but I felt the last few chapters were hastily written. It covered a thirty year period in about thirty pages.