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Sunshine
A tale of longing, loss and growing love under the bright Australian sun.
It's 1921 and the Great War has left in its wake untold tragedy, not only in lives lost, but in the guilt of survivors, the deep-set scars of old wounds and the sting of redoubled bigotries.
In the tiny hamlet of Sunshine, on the far-flung desert's edge, three very different ex-servicemen - Jack Bell, an Aboriginal horseman; Snow McGlynn, a laconic, curmudgeonly farmer; and Art Lovelee, an eccentric engineer - find themselves sharing a finger of farmland along the Darling River, and not much else. That is, until Art's wife Grace, a battle-hardened nurse, gets to work on them all with her no-nonsense wisdom.
Told with Kim Kelly's inimitable wit and warmth, Sunshine is a very Australian tale of home, hope and healing, of the power of growing life and love, and discovering that we are each other's greatest gifts.
Praise for Kim Kelly
'colourful, evocative and energetic' - Sydney Morning Herald
'Kelly is a masterful creator of character and voice' - Julian Leatherdale
'Why can't more people write like this?' - The Age
It's 1921 and the Great War has left in its wake untold tragedy, not only in lives lost, but in the guilt of survivors, the deep-set scars of old wounds and the sting of redoubled bigotries.
In the tiny hamlet of Sunshine, on the far-flung desert's edge, three very different ex-servicemen - Jack Bell, an Aboriginal horseman; Snow McGlynn, a laconic, curmudgeonly farmer; and Art Lovelee, an eccentric engineer - find themselves sharing a finger of farmland along the Darling River, and not much else. That is, until Art's wife Grace, a battle-hardened nurse, gets to work on them all with her no-nonsense wisdom.
Told with Kim Kelly's inimitable wit and warmth, Sunshine is a very Australian tale of home, hope and healing, of the power of growing life and love, and discovering that we are each other's greatest gifts.
Praise for Kim Kelly
'colourful, evocative and energetic' - Sydney Morning Herald
'Kelly is a masterful creator of character and voice' - Julian Leatherdale
'Why can't more people write like this?' - The Age
Paperback
First published February 19, 2019
15 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Kim Kelly
14 books187 followers‘Why can’t more people write like this?’ – The Age
‘colourful, evocative and energetic’ – Sydney Morning Herald
Kim Kelly is author thirteen novels. Among them are the bestselling, The Blue Mile, and critically acclaimed, Wild Chicory. Her novella, The Rat Catcher, was longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize, and her latest, Ladies' Rest and Writing Room, was awarded the Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Prize.
Also a well-known book editor, Kim has a Master of Creative Writing from Macquarie University, for which she earned the Fred Rush Convocation Prize for writing. She is currently undertaking a PhD in literature at Macquarie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
December 18, 2019
The Soldiers Settlement Plan was implemented after WWI to aid returning soldiers to regain their feet once they were home. Snow McGlynn was one such ex-serviceman who’d been given the chance and his plan was to grow oranges and lemons, at least to start. On the land next door to him were another couple, Art Lovelee, ex-serviceman and his English wife Grace, who’d been a nurse in the war – their plan to grow fruit; as much variety as they could, was sound. The two properties were along the banks of the Darling River where Jack Bell, Aboriginal and ex-Light Horseman had his camp.
It was 1921 when the three very different men met – but each had their own crosses to bear. Sunshine was the name of their small village and it was near enough to Bourke when the need arose. But it was Grace who became the glue for these men – her warmth, kindness and wisdom eased them through their days, leading them to become friends.
Aussie author Kim Kelly has written another heartfelt and poignant story in Sunshine. Set in the harsh Australian outback with the horrors of war rippling around the edges, it tells of courage, resilience and caring; of hope and love; of compassion and coping. The author writes an evocative tale, her characters coming to life with ease. Also, the cover of this book is divine - it begs to be read 😊 I love Ms Kelly’s work; have read everything she’s written, and will continue to do so. Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
It was 1921 when the three very different men met – but each had their own crosses to bear. Sunshine was the name of their small village and it was near enough to Bourke when the need arose. But it was Grace who became the glue for these men – her warmth, kindness and wisdom eased them through their days, leading them to become friends.
Aussie author Kim Kelly has written another heartfelt and poignant story in Sunshine. Set in the harsh Australian outback with the horrors of war rippling around the edges, it tells of courage, resilience and caring; of hope and love; of compassion and coping. The author writes an evocative tale, her characters coming to life with ease. Also, the cover of this book is divine - it begs to be read 😊 I love Ms Kelly’s work; have read everything she’s written, and will continue to do so. Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2019
What an amazing and beautifully written story. Aussie author Kim Kelly has done an outstanding job in writing this book. Although this book is just over 200 pages for me it was a book that needed to be read slowly to be able to absorb the whole story which I did.
This story is set in a place called Sunshine in outback Australia during 1921. This was a dreadful time for many, especially those involved in The Great War. A time when so many people put their lives on the line for their country, but sadly it was also a time, many lost their lives, lost loved ones and many who suffered painful injury’s and were left with mental and physical scars.
This story takes us on an amazing journey of three ex-servicemen, Jack Bell, Snow McGlenn and Art Lovelee. This is a truly beautiful and moving story and one I think everyone should read.
This story is set in a place called Sunshine in outback Australia during 1921. This was a dreadful time for many, especially those involved in The Great War. A time when so many people put their lives on the line for their country, but sadly it was also a time, many lost their lives, lost loved ones and many who suffered painful injury’s and were left with mental and physical scars.
This story takes us on an amazing journey of three ex-servicemen, Jack Bell, Snow McGlenn and Art Lovelee. This is a truly beautiful and moving story and one I think everyone should read.
March 17, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars
‘To achieve something. Something measurable. Something decent. To rescue himself. A few months ago, he knew nothing of citrus fruit, except oranges were orange and lemons were yellow, and the intensity of all the learning he’d had to do gave his mind its firmest branch to cling to.’
Sunshine, a 2019 historical novella released by Jazz Monkey Publications, is another fine addition to the Kim Kelly collection. I count Kim Kelly as one of my most respected Australian historical fiction novelists and trusted storytellers. In her latest piece of writing, readers can expect a warm but hard hitting tale, revolving around powerful themes of love, loss, friendship, resettlement, injustice and hope. Sunshine reminds us of the endurance, resilience and the fighting spirit of our Great War heroes.
Opening in the year 1921, and based in the compact locale of Sunshine, Kim Kelly exposes the deep set wound left by the scars of WWI. A time of immense loss and tragedy, we receive an insight into the feelings of guilt, regret and sacrifice experienced in the wake of WWI, from a distinct Australian perspective. As part of the Australian government’s soldier resettlement scheme, three very different servicemen converge on Sunshine. One of these returned soldiers is Jack, an indigenous man who served as a light horseman in the war. Then there is Snow, an ill tempered farmer and Art, a quietly suffering engineer. Alongside Art, is his wife Grace, a former nurse on the front line, who manages to work her magic and bring them all together. Sunshine is a compact and heart rendering tale from start to finish. It is a heart rendering examination into the long recovery after war. It has a memorable parting message on learning to embrace the small gifts in life again, after witnessing the horrors of the battlefield.
There can never be too many stories about the Great War and its aftermath in my eyes. As modern Australian citizens, we need to continue to embrace these stories, it is an essential part of where we have come from. One of Australia’s historical fiction figureheads, Kim Kelly, brings to light the varied experiences of post WWI in her brand new novella, Sunshine.
Stepping into one of Kim Kelly’s books, Sunshine included, is like entering a great glass historical elevator. With the simple push of a button, the reader is transported to another time and place, in vivid detail. With any of Kelly’s books, this one included, the reader knows they will be taken right back to Australia’s past. Kelly offers her audience a taste of the historical context, the landscape, the social and moral mindset of the times and a rich exploration of character. Within Sunshine, despite its small size, expect to be faced with many strong themes. These cover plenty of ground, from trauma, PTSD, persecution, prejudice, heartbreak, loss, acceptance and peace. Kelly’s perceptive and insightful tone is applied to all these themes.
The history line is drawn thick in Sunshine and I appreciated this aspect of the story very much. I vaguely recall reading a little about the Australian veterans of the war resettlement scheme set up by the government in the years following the war, perhaps in a previous novel. However, Sunshine delves into this aspect of Australia’s past with a new set of eyes. I was able to learn so much from the experiences of the characters in Sunshine. Sadly, I also gleaned a great deal about the treatment of our returning indigenous soldiers of WWI. I was shocked and disgusted by our treatment of these men.
‘No one would give Jack Bell a flaming job, regardless of all he’d done for his King and his country. Regardless that this country was his by a right likewise unrecognised. But, in the four and a half years he’d been away, things had changed for the worse, and the worse.’
It is a shameful period in our history. The act of discounting the efforts of our indigenous soldiers by engaging in practices such as the forced removal of their family members and children, was utterly appalling. The role of books like Sunshine play in exposing us to the historical methods that were unjust and cruel in our not too distant past, is clearly imperative.
By looking closely at a particular set of characters, Kelly sends a powerful message, that the experience of war is such an individualised set of circumstances. We all react and respond in different modes. We can see this very clearly through the experiences of the male and female leads in Sunshine. This book also goes a long way, reminding us that although the aftermath of war is incredibly gruelling, there is a definite beacon of light. This can come from the small gifts or gestures that we witness in day-to-day life.
I do believe that I could extend my response to Sunshine further, but I think it is wise to leave a parting message of my complete trust and full recommendation of Kim Kelly’s latest historical novella. Sunshine is a book that deserves the highest rank, the writing shows distinct excellence, the level of research has been completed with masterly skill and the characters display longevity. I just wished it didn’t end so quickly! Remember to spend some time reading the insightful ‘Author Note’, as it will be sure to add more to your reading experience of Sunshine.
‘This was a perfect place. She kept her hand pressed to her belly. A perfect place to grow things. All things.’
*I wish to thank the author, Kim Kelly, for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Sunshine is book #34 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
4.5 stars
‘To achieve something. Something measurable. Something decent. To rescue himself. A few months ago, he knew nothing of citrus fruit, except oranges were orange and lemons were yellow, and the intensity of all the learning he’d had to do gave his mind its firmest branch to cling to.’
Sunshine, a 2019 historical novella released by Jazz Monkey Publications, is another fine addition to the Kim Kelly collection. I count Kim Kelly as one of my most respected Australian historical fiction novelists and trusted storytellers. In her latest piece of writing, readers can expect a warm but hard hitting tale, revolving around powerful themes of love, loss, friendship, resettlement, injustice and hope. Sunshine reminds us of the endurance, resilience and the fighting spirit of our Great War heroes.
Opening in the year 1921, and based in the compact locale of Sunshine, Kim Kelly exposes the deep set wound left by the scars of WWI. A time of immense loss and tragedy, we receive an insight into the feelings of guilt, regret and sacrifice experienced in the wake of WWI, from a distinct Australian perspective. As part of the Australian government’s soldier resettlement scheme, three very different servicemen converge on Sunshine. One of these returned soldiers is Jack, an indigenous man who served as a light horseman in the war. Then there is Snow, an ill tempered farmer and Art, a quietly suffering engineer. Alongside Art, is his wife Grace, a former nurse on the front line, who manages to work her magic and bring them all together. Sunshine is a compact and heart rendering tale from start to finish. It is a heart rendering examination into the long recovery after war. It has a memorable parting message on learning to embrace the small gifts in life again, after witnessing the horrors of the battlefield.
There can never be too many stories about the Great War and its aftermath in my eyes. As modern Australian citizens, we need to continue to embrace these stories, it is an essential part of where we have come from. One of Australia’s historical fiction figureheads, Kim Kelly, brings to light the varied experiences of post WWI in her brand new novella, Sunshine.
Stepping into one of Kim Kelly’s books, Sunshine included, is like entering a great glass historical elevator. With the simple push of a button, the reader is transported to another time and place, in vivid detail. With any of Kelly’s books, this one included, the reader knows they will be taken right back to Australia’s past. Kelly offers her audience a taste of the historical context, the landscape, the social and moral mindset of the times and a rich exploration of character. Within Sunshine, despite its small size, expect to be faced with many strong themes. These cover plenty of ground, from trauma, PTSD, persecution, prejudice, heartbreak, loss, acceptance and peace. Kelly’s perceptive and insightful tone is applied to all these themes.
The history line is drawn thick in Sunshine and I appreciated this aspect of the story very much. I vaguely recall reading a little about the Australian veterans of the war resettlement scheme set up by the government in the years following the war, perhaps in a previous novel. However, Sunshine delves into this aspect of Australia’s past with a new set of eyes. I was able to learn so much from the experiences of the characters in Sunshine. Sadly, I also gleaned a great deal about the treatment of our returning indigenous soldiers of WWI. I was shocked and disgusted by our treatment of these men.
‘No one would give Jack Bell a flaming job, regardless of all he’d done for his King and his country. Regardless that this country was his by a right likewise unrecognised. But, in the four and a half years he’d been away, things had changed for the worse, and the worse.’
It is a shameful period in our history. The act of discounting the efforts of our indigenous soldiers by engaging in practices such as the forced removal of their family members and children, was utterly appalling. The role of books like Sunshine play in exposing us to the historical methods that were unjust and cruel in our not too distant past, is clearly imperative.
By looking closely at a particular set of characters, Kelly sends a powerful message, that the experience of war is such an individualised set of circumstances. We all react and respond in different modes. We can see this very clearly through the experiences of the male and female leads in Sunshine. This book also goes a long way, reminding us that although the aftermath of war is incredibly gruelling, there is a definite beacon of light. This can come from the small gifts or gestures that we witness in day-to-day life.
I do believe that I could extend my response to Sunshine further, but I think it is wise to leave a parting message of my complete trust and full recommendation of Kim Kelly’s latest historical novella. Sunshine is a book that deserves the highest rank, the writing shows distinct excellence, the level of research has been completed with masterly skill and the characters display longevity. I just wished it didn’t end so quickly! Remember to spend some time reading the insightful ‘Author Note’, as it will be sure to add more to your reading experience of Sunshine.
‘This was a perfect place. She kept her hand pressed to her belly. A perfect place to grow things. All things.’
*I wish to thank the author, Kim Kelly, for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Sunshine is book #34 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
January 14, 2026
2 ⭐️s
Audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by: Bolinda audio
Read by Katherine Tonkin, Paul English
Duration: 5 hrs, 4 min. 1.25x Speed
Audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by: Bolinda audio
Read by Katherine Tonkin, Paul English
Duration: 5 hrs, 4 min. 1.25x Speed
January 17, 2019
It’s a rare gift to discover an author who writes with such a striking sense of atmosphere and sublime instinct. Such is the storytelling of Kim Kelly, who just never misses a beat ever. In her latest novella, Sunshine, she takes us back to Australia, post WWI where we meet Jack, Snow, Art and Grace, four people who each carry the burden of having been on the frontlines of the war.
‘Too painful being so outstandingly intact on the outside and so smashed on the inside; so unspeakably monstrous all over.’
There are so many themes threaded into the narrative of Sunshine, both political and social. This is what I love about Kim’s writing. She breathes history into each of her novels with love and clarity. You aren’t just treated to a story about four people piecing their lives back together after WWI. In Sunshine, you are fully immersed into the post war period of Australian history, privy to the political environment, the social movements, the policies being enforced, the laws that were in existence. This is all woven so tightly into the characterisation that the imparting of all of these historical facts is seamless. There’s some painful history aired out within the pages of Sunshine. Kim is never one to shy away from the truth, preferring accuracy over gloss and fluff, which of course, is one of her strengths as an Australian writer. Her candid approach is all the more refreshing for its lack of pretension.
‘What creature is a man that one in such deep grief, in such need of having his hand held, had not had that simple need met? She felt the revelation rise inside her and with it her own tears. She kept hold of his hand; she poured all the strength of her affection and respect into this touch, and his tears streamed as she did, blotting into the soft blue flannel of his pyjama shirt.’
At its heart, Sunshine is a love story. Not just between Art and Grace, but between friends, and for the Australian landscape, with its wide open spaces, unique wildlife and endless sunshine. It’s a story about uncovering the beauty, clearing away the rot and saying, “This is what we have. Now what are we going to do with it? How are we going to make this work for everyone?” Grace was such a perceptive character, I loved how she viewed Australia through her English gaze and saw it with such unwavering clarity. There are many deeply felt moments throughout Sunshine and they all seemed to orbit around Grace, as though she was the sun that had risen after the dark days of the war. She was a remarkable woman with an inner strength that set her apart. I loved how she made a decision each day to embrace life, despite her own inner demons. She took such pleasure in everything around her and above all acted with kindness and respect towards everyone she encountered; she’s the type of person that I strive to be.
‘She’d swept everything twice already – all she’d done that first week since they’d arrived was sweep and scrub and scour, the house revealing more and more of its beauty each time, in its tessellated tiles of red diamonds and black stars, its ornate cornices scallop-edged and stuffed with blooms of every kind, garlands carved into every internal door, and tinier reflections of same delicately rendered upon every porcelain handle – but almost three decades’ accumulation of dust, bird-doings and dead insects would take another few rounds, at least.’
Sunshine is the sort of historical fiction that I want everyone to read – young, old and all those in-between. When you read history like this, it becomes all too apparent that we have come so far as a nation, in so many ways, yet in other areas, well, just like in cleaning out the old house, it will take another few rounds, at least.
Thanks is extended to the author for providing me with a copy of Sunshine for review.
‘Too painful being so outstandingly intact on the outside and so smashed on the inside; so unspeakably monstrous all over.’
There are so many themes threaded into the narrative of Sunshine, both political and social. This is what I love about Kim’s writing. She breathes history into each of her novels with love and clarity. You aren’t just treated to a story about four people piecing their lives back together after WWI. In Sunshine, you are fully immersed into the post war period of Australian history, privy to the political environment, the social movements, the policies being enforced, the laws that were in existence. This is all woven so tightly into the characterisation that the imparting of all of these historical facts is seamless. There’s some painful history aired out within the pages of Sunshine. Kim is never one to shy away from the truth, preferring accuracy over gloss and fluff, which of course, is one of her strengths as an Australian writer. Her candid approach is all the more refreshing for its lack of pretension.
‘What creature is a man that one in such deep grief, in such need of having his hand held, had not had that simple need met? She felt the revelation rise inside her and with it her own tears. She kept hold of his hand; she poured all the strength of her affection and respect into this touch, and his tears streamed as she did, blotting into the soft blue flannel of his pyjama shirt.’
At its heart, Sunshine is a love story. Not just between Art and Grace, but between friends, and for the Australian landscape, with its wide open spaces, unique wildlife and endless sunshine. It’s a story about uncovering the beauty, clearing away the rot and saying, “This is what we have. Now what are we going to do with it? How are we going to make this work for everyone?” Grace was such a perceptive character, I loved how she viewed Australia through her English gaze and saw it with such unwavering clarity. There are many deeply felt moments throughout Sunshine and they all seemed to orbit around Grace, as though she was the sun that had risen after the dark days of the war. She was a remarkable woman with an inner strength that set her apart. I loved how she made a decision each day to embrace life, despite her own inner demons. She took such pleasure in everything around her and above all acted with kindness and respect towards everyone she encountered; she’s the type of person that I strive to be.
‘She’d swept everything twice already – all she’d done that first week since they’d arrived was sweep and scrub and scour, the house revealing more and more of its beauty each time, in its tessellated tiles of red diamonds and black stars, its ornate cornices scallop-edged and stuffed with blooms of every kind, garlands carved into every internal door, and tinier reflections of same delicately rendered upon every porcelain handle – but almost three decades’ accumulation of dust, bird-doings and dead insects would take another few rounds, at least.’
Sunshine is the sort of historical fiction that I want everyone to read – young, old and all those in-between. When you read history like this, it becomes all too apparent that we have come so far as a nation, in so many ways, yet in other areas, well, just like in cleaning out the old house, it will take another few rounds, at least.
Thanks is extended to the author for providing me with a copy of Sunshine for review.
March 11, 2019
I read this book through The Pigeonhole, a free online book club, reading it with other readers on the web. It was split into 6 parts, called staves, that I read through the nifty Pigeonhole app. I must admit I was first drawn to this book because of the stunning cover, how could you not what to read a book with a cover full of sunshine?
This was a wonderful historical fiction novel written by a ‘new to me’ author, about a period in Australian history that I’d never read about before.
As the synopsis above tells you it’s set in post World War One Australia, and is about three characters called Jack, Snow and Grace. The writing instantly transported me to Sunshine, a fictional town, but described so perfectly that it was real to me. I instantly warmed to Jack and Grace but found Snow quite scary.
All three characters had taken part in the Great War, Jack and Snow both fighting and Grace was a nurse on the Western Front. As they settle in Sunshine they are coming to terms with what they saw and experienced in the conflict and are struggling to live with those experiences.
Even though this was a short book, just over 200 pages, there was so much emotion and real depth to the characters that I felt like I got to know them very well. The writing was so beautiful that at times I felt like crying especially as I learnt more about Jack, Snow and Grace’s heartbreaking situations.
I definitely recommend this wonderful book to lovers of historical fiction.
This was a wonderful historical fiction novel written by a ‘new to me’ author, about a period in Australian history that I’d never read about before.
As the synopsis above tells you it’s set in post World War One Australia, and is about three characters called Jack, Snow and Grace. The writing instantly transported me to Sunshine, a fictional town, but described so perfectly that it was real to me. I instantly warmed to Jack and Grace but found Snow quite scary.
All three characters had taken part in the Great War, Jack and Snow both fighting and Grace was a nurse on the Western Front. As they settle in Sunshine they are coming to terms with what they saw and experienced in the conflict and are struggling to live with those experiences.
Even though this was a short book, just over 200 pages, there was so much emotion and real depth to the characters that I felt like I got to know them very well. The writing was so beautiful that at times I felt like crying especially as I learnt more about Jack, Snow and Grace’s heartbreaking situations.
I definitely recommend this wonderful book to lovers of historical fiction.
February 18, 2019
Those of you who know me know that I'm a pretty fast reader, but this was one book that made me slow down so that I could savour every line. Kim Kelly always manages to write in such a beautiful way so as to touch you deep inside. I have just finished reading Sunshine for the second time in a month, as I felt I needed to absorb the writing and the story again, I know it will be one of those rare books I come back to over and over. I highlighted so many passages throughout this short novel because Kim Kelly's words conveyed so much.
We meet Jack, Snow and Grace along with Art, these four damaged and lost souls all trying to rediscover life after physically surviving the war. Sunshine is the place they choose to make their new start, it is the place that draws them together, though Sunshine itself is as much a character in the story as it is a place.
'The earth deepened all its colours, all its own pleasure, the reds of the earth redder, the greens of the scrabbly grass greener and spreading across the land like hands seeking hands, and in every puddle stood flowers of a kind she'd never seen before: white globes atop tall, slender stems, their petals unfurling like feathery suns.'
It's not just Sunshine itself that binds these four people it is their ability to see into each other and realise that they are each connected by the war, by the atrocities they have seen and experienced, by the damage that has been done to them deep inside.
'Yes, horror was everywhere, injustice was everywhere, the whole globe over, but, thought Grace, new life is here. New life in this most ancient of lands.'
Sunshine has been divided up into lots for the Soldiers Settlement Plan, for returned men. Except for Jack, Jack's story is one that many aboriginal people suffered through, he returned from fighting a war in the Light Horse in Palestine, but on return that sacrifice is not acknowledged, nor is he entitled to any of the opportunities given white returning soldiers. The unfairness and discriminatory nature of the way Aboriginal people were (and are) treated makes me so angry and heartbroken.
‘Aborigines are controlled by the state,’ her husband explained further and more dreadfully. ‘They don’t get a say in these sorts of things. Or anything, really. They’re told where to live, where to go, what to do.'
Snow is a broken man, he's barely surviving and is hopeful that Sunshine and his plan to grow citrus trees will help him live again. He's a loner who doesn't have much to say to anyone and doesn't want to be close to anyone again, including his horse, because with relationships comes loss.
'And Snow could only reply, ‘Yep,’ for that word comprised approximately half of his spoken vocabulary – the other half consisting of its opposite, Nah.'
Grace and Art, what a strange but wonderful couple they are, especially Grace, who has so much joy and hope that it seems to spill from her. They are full of dreams and hopes whilst both trying to survive the fallout from the war.
'she should have known he wasn’t recovered. He would never recover. And that was all right. They would live life their way, as it came, and in gratitude that they had lives to be getting on with. She’d go anywhere with him or for him. She’d go to the moon.'
This cast of four unlikely people come together and form friendships of different sorts in an unlikely place that might help them find themselves and start them on their journey towards the future.
Perhaps it wasn’t the most ideal time to bring a child into the world– a world too wounded in every way. A crippled world, a mangled world, a world that would never, ever be the same. But looking out across this bloom-strewn field towards the river, this world seemed nothing less than perfect.
I loved this novel, I highly recommend it and wish I could do it justice in my review. These four characters and Sunshine will stay with me for a long time.
We meet Jack, Snow and Grace along with Art, these four damaged and lost souls all trying to rediscover life after physically surviving the war. Sunshine is the place they choose to make their new start, it is the place that draws them together, though Sunshine itself is as much a character in the story as it is a place.
'The earth deepened all its colours, all its own pleasure, the reds of the earth redder, the greens of the scrabbly grass greener and spreading across the land like hands seeking hands, and in every puddle stood flowers of a kind she'd never seen before: white globes atop tall, slender stems, their petals unfurling like feathery suns.'
It's not just Sunshine itself that binds these four people it is their ability to see into each other and realise that they are each connected by the war, by the atrocities they have seen and experienced, by the damage that has been done to them deep inside.
'Yes, horror was everywhere, injustice was everywhere, the whole globe over, but, thought Grace, new life is here. New life in this most ancient of lands.'
Sunshine has been divided up into lots for the Soldiers Settlement Plan, for returned men. Except for Jack, Jack's story is one that many aboriginal people suffered through, he returned from fighting a war in the Light Horse in Palestine, but on return that sacrifice is not acknowledged, nor is he entitled to any of the opportunities given white returning soldiers. The unfairness and discriminatory nature of the way Aboriginal people were (and are) treated makes me so angry and heartbroken.
‘Aborigines are controlled by the state,’ her husband explained further and more dreadfully. ‘They don’t get a say in these sorts of things. Or anything, really. They’re told where to live, where to go, what to do.'
Snow is a broken man, he's barely surviving and is hopeful that Sunshine and his plan to grow citrus trees will help him live again. He's a loner who doesn't have much to say to anyone and doesn't want to be close to anyone again, including his horse, because with relationships comes loss.
'And Snow could only reply, ‘Yep,’ for that word comprised approximately half of his spoken vocabulary – the other half consisting of its opposite, Nah.'
Grace and Art, what a strange but wonderful couple they are, especially Grace, who has so much joy and hope that it seems to spill from her. They are full of dreams and hopes whilst both trying to survive the fallout from the war.
'she should have known he wasn’t recovered. He would never recover. And that was all right. They would live life their way, as it came, and in gratitude that they had lives to be getting on with. She’d go anywhere with him or for him. She’d go to the moon.'
This cast of four unlikely people come together and form friendships of different sorts in an unlikely place that might help them find themselves and start them on their journey towards the future.
Perhaps it wasn’t the most ideal time to bring a child into the world– a world too wounded in every way. A crippled world, a mangled world, a world that would never, ever be the same. But looking out across this bloom-strewn field towards the river, this world seemed nothing less than perfect.
I loved this novel, I highly recommend it and wish I could do it justice in my review. These four characters and Sunshine will stay with me for a long time.
March 5, 2019
This was a short book, but packed with information that often gets swept under the carpet. It is a deeply moving and distressing story on the one hand of The Soldiers Settlement Plan, implemented after WWI to support returning soldiers, such as Snow McGlynn and the treatment of Aborigines at the time. Snow’s neighbours are the lovely Lovelees with whom he eventually forms a co-op of fruit growing, along the Darling River, where Jack Bell, an Aborigine has camped illegally.
The story takes place in the fictional outback town of Sunshine where through kindness and hospitality these three parties eventually uplift themselves and move forward with their lives. Central to this is Grace Lovelee, a gentle ex-army nurse and her big heart and names of Ozzie towns that had me twisting my tongue, not to mention colloquial saying and expressions. Charming and authentic - a full 5 stars for this novella.
The story takes place in the fictional outback town of Sunshine where through kindness and hospitality these three parties eventually uplift themselves and move forward with their lives. Central to this is Grace Lovelee, a gentle ex-army nurse and her big heart and names of Ozzie towns that had me twisting my tongue, not to mention colloquial saying and expressions. Charming and authentic - a full 5 stars for this novella.
December 29, 2024
Da iawn. Haeddu cael darlleniad ehangach ddudwn i yn ôl yr ystadegau isel iddo fan hyn
March 5, 2019
I’ve just finished reading Sunshine, another novel by Kim Kelly, who brings me rich flavours of Australian places, history and culture in her vivid writing and well-drawn characters - I love all the main characters – and I can’t wait for Kim’s next novel.
October 8, 2024
3.5 stars. Will recommend it to my mum who likes stories set in and around war times. I’m moving on to another audiobook by this author though- The Truth and Addy Loest.
March 29, 2019
An engaging story set just after WWI in Australia in a small outback town called Sunshine on the banks of a river called Darling. Under the Soldier’s Settlement Plan, returning servicemen could apply for tracts of land to farm on. This tale is about two such soldiers, a soldier’s wife and an aborigine.
Sunshine is an enjoyable and well written story. There’s a good sense of time and place and the descriptions are very vivid - I could easily picture the setting in my mind. The characters are well drawn and interesting. Some of the events which happen to them are quite heartbreaking. It’s a short novel and a lot is crammed into it - I wish it had been a little longer. I read it via the Pigeonhole app and I looked forward to reading the staves every day. I was quite sad when it had finished, a sign of a good book!
Sunshine is an enjoyable and well written story. There’s a good sense of time and place and the descriptions are very vivid - I could easily picture the setting in my mind. The characters are well drawn and interesting. Some of the events which happen to them are quite heartbreaking. It’s a short novel and a lot is crammed into it - I wish it had been a little longer. I read it via the Pigeonhole app and I looked forward to reading the staves every day. I was quite sad when it had finished, a sign of a good book!
April 13, 2023
A simple, but beautiful story of overcoming prejudice and guilt and how friendships can aid healing.
Kim Kelly introduces us to 4 wonderful characters who are hiding their true selves following the horrors of The Great War. But when they work together to avert a tragedy, they realise they did not truly know each other, and open themselves to growing friendship.
A short (200p) but moving story that I highly recommend.
A tale of longing, loss and growing love under the bright Australian sun.
It's 1921 and the Great War has left in its wake untold tragedy, not only in lives lost, but in the guilt of survivors, the deep-set scars of old wounds and the sting of redoubled bigotries.
In the tiny hamlet of Sunshine, on the far-flung desert's edge, three very different ex-servicemen - Jack Bell, an Aboriginal horseman; Snow McGlynn, a laconic, curmudgeonly farmer; and Art Lovelee, an eccentric engineer - find themselves sharing a finger of farmland along the Darling River, and not much else. That is, until Art's wife Grace, a battle-hardened nurse, gets to work on them all with her no-nonsense wisdom.
Told with Kim Kelly's inimitable wit and warmth, Sunshine is a very Australian tale of home, hope and healing, of the power of growing life and love, and discovering that we are each other's greatest gifts.
Kim Kelly introduces us to 4 wonderful characters who are hiding their true selves following the horrors of The Great War. But when they work together to avert a tragedy, they realise they did not truly know each other, and open themselves to growing friendship.
A short (200p) but moving story that I highly recommend.
A tale of longing, loss and growing love under the bright Australian sun.
It's 1921 and the Great War has left in its wake untold tragedy, not only in lives lost, but in the guilt of survivors, the deep-set scars of old wounds and the sting of redoubled bigotries.
In the tiny hamlet of Sunshine, on the far-flung desert's edge, three very different ex-servicemen - Jack Bell, an Aboriginal horseman; Snow McGlynn, a laconic, curmudgeonly farmer; and Art Lovelee, an eccentric engineer - find themselves sharing a finger of farmland along the Darling River, and not much else. That is, until Art's wife Grace, a battle-hardened nurse, gets to work on them all with her no-nonsense wisdom.
Told with Kim Kelly's inimitable wit and warmth, Sunshine is a very Australian tale of home, hope and healing, of the power of growing life and love, and discovering that we are each other's greatest gifts.
March 10, 2019
A stunning story of war and love and friendship. Of loss and grief and overcoming heartbreak and misery! A story about Australia, barren land, unfair treatment of natives. Yet a story of bridging differences and success over nature.
My only regret is that's been very, very short. It fact I'd say it's a novella, rather than a novel. It was so rushed towards the end and I've almost felt like it was a sort of epilogue to another novel or a prequel or definitely a little something to explain events happening somewhere else. And for me that was a huge shame. The prose is so gorgeous, that I really wanted to read more and more and more. And I mean more about this story, not read another. The story could have been easily expanded, there was space for more development without it feeling forced or there just to fill pages. Why couldn't we have more development? Why?? I know I sound as a petulant child but it's legitimate, if I can say so myself :D
*Read via thepigeonhole.com
My only regret is that's been very, very short. It fact I'd say it's a novella, rather than a novel. It was so rushed towards the end and I've almost felt like it was a sort of epilogue to another novel or a prequel or definitely a little something to explain events happening somewhere else. And for me that was a huge shame. The prose is so gorgeous, that I really wanted to read more and more and more. And I mean more about this story, not read another. The story could have been easily expanded, there was space for more development without it feeling forced or there just to fill pages. Why couldn't we have more development? Why?? I know I sound as a petulant child but it's legitimate, if I can say so myself :D
*Read via thepigeonhole.com
April 8, 2021
I think this was a free book on Amazon Kindle (if not, only 99p). It had some great reviews so I 'purchased' it - I'm very glad I did!
I love historical fiction, especially the 20th Century, pre WWII. This is set in Australia after WWI and all the - wonderful - characters have experiences of the War, which they must learn to live with. One of the characters, Jim, is an Aborigine who was 'allowed' to fight. Jim returns to a society that has completely ignored his sacrifice.
My only criticism with the book is that about 80% of the way into it the story seems to stop suddenly and the book begins to conclude the characters' individual stories - I was thinking I had skipped a few chapters on my Kindle without noticing! I guess I'm relieved that Grace doesn't have an affair with either Jim or Snow! 😉
The setting and the characters are well drawn - it's a real shame the book wasn't longer!
I love historical fiction, especially the 20th Century, pre WWII. This is set in Australia after WWI and all the - wonderful - characters have experiences of the War, which they must learn to live with. One of the characters, Jim, is an Aborigine who was 'allowed' to fight. Jim returns to a society that has completely ignored his sacrifice.
My only criticism with the book is that about 80% of the way into it the story seems to stop suddenly and the book begins to conclude the characters' individual stories - I was thinking I had skipped a few chapters on my Kindle without noticing! I guess I'm relieved that Grace doesn't have an affair with either Jim or Snow! 😉
The setting and the characters are well drawn - it's a real shame the book wasn't longer!
January 29, 2023
Following WW1, the Soldiers Settlement Plan was created to help returning servicemen to resettle. In the tiny settlement of Sunshine, three very different ex-servicemen find themselves sharing a small sliver of not-very-fertile ground along the river.
Snow McGlynn is a cantankerous farmer with plans to grow oranges & lemons; Jack Bell is an Aboriginal horseman, not entitled to any help due to his race; Art Lovelee lives with his English wife & ex-nurse Grace and also hopes to grow citrus fruit or anything else he can.
The four unlikely people are brought together through a variety of circumstances and Grace, with her kindness and wisdom, is the one who ultimately brings them together. She helps them each to find themselves, become friends and work towards a future.
The story is a very Australian tale of resilience, courage, compassion, home, hope & belonging.
Snow McGlynn is a cantankerous farmer with plans to grow oranges & lemons; Jack Bell is an Aboriginal horseman, not entitled to any help due to his race; Art Lovelee lives with his English wife & ex-nurse Grace and also hopes to grow citrus fruit or anything else he can.
The four unlikely people are brought together through a variety of circumstances and Grace, with her kindness and wisdom, is the one who ultimately brings them together. She helps them each to find themselves, become friends and work towards a future.
The story is a very Australian tale of resilience, courage, compassion, home, hope & belonging.
December 16, 2020
Kim Kelly, you are a national living treasure!
I've only recently discovered your books (where was I?) and can't wait to read more.
Sunshine is brilliant in every way: its quirky characters, some more loveable than others; its evocation of place; and because of that gift you have of exposing harsh historical realities without ever being didactic.
This novel is about love.
And I loved every moment of it.
I've only recently discovered your books (where was I?) and can't wait to read more.
Sunshine is brilliant in every way: its quirky characters, some more loveable than others; its evocation of place; and because of that gift you have of exposing harsh historical realities without ever being didactic.
This novel is about love.
And I loved every moment of it.
July 4, 2023
I loved the small number of characters and the sensitive portrayal of the mental health of Art, Snow and Jack. Their lives before and after the war are fragile. Not many authors write about the fears of male characters and their vulnerabilities. The shame of how aborigines were treated is most clearly confronted with directness and honesty.
March 8, 2019
This is such a charming and heart warming story that it took me completely by surprise. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it before I started reading but what I didn't expect was to be so completely swept away in it all and left with such a hopeful feeling when it finished; finished all too soon it must be said, I could have happily spent another 2 or 3 hundred pages with this cast.
Set after the end of World War I and with the Australian Forces now repatriated it follows their struggles to move back to a normal existence. This book taught me such a lot about Australian History from this time period - the setting up of "reservations" for the Aboriginal People, the land act that meant their land was sold off in parcels to returning white men who had served. All things I had no real prior knowledge of and now intend to research in to more fully. In fact, the book deals with some real, and extreme, atrocities perpetrated on the indiginous peoples at this time - children being stolen from their parents, Aboriginal men who had served being declared dead so their dependants didn't get their pay which then "disappeared". It also deals with Shell Shock, or as we know it now Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have some knowledge of it's treatment (or lack thereof) during the Second world War as a former boss suffered from it at the time and it was still impacting his life in the early 1990's - but at least he could talk about it which he confessed provided some relief.
The main story centres around Jack Bell; an Aboriginal man who comes from the small town of Sunshine and served in the Light Horse during the conflict. Now he finds himself without a home and on the run as the Government have decided that any Aboriginal person not living under their control on a reservation is dangerous. Despite this he is determined to camp on his land, fish in the same river he always fished in and just keep himself to himself. As his story unfolds you realise that he has lost so much during the war but he somehow manages to ward off bitterness and hatred. He has Anger but directed in the right way at the right people.
Snow McGlynn went to war with his three friends but only two of them made it back. Lucky enough to receive a parcel of land that is fertile he plans carefully to begin a new life as a citrus farmer. He was perhaps a loner by nature before the war but the things he saw in the trenches have definitely changed him for the worse. Despite his ascerbic nature there is such empathy on the page for his situation that even though he doesn't complain you find yourself wanting him to succeed in business and in life.
Grace Lovelee was a frontline nurse during the conflict and English by birth. Meeting Art Lovelee during his hospitalisation and nursing him through the early stages of Shell Shock they fall in love, marry and move to his home country of Australia. They too manage to purchase some land in Sunshine and Art hopes to begin a fruit nursery there. Grace's descriptions of how the trauma Art suffered still effects him are vivid and even humorous - giving them names such as Dancing Dawg and Naughty Boy - but still managing to evoke the true devastation war wrought in men's psyches.
Despite all this gloom the story itself is rather joyous with trials and tribulations offset by moments of simple friendship as the three disparate people move closer together, recognising kindred spirits who understand, without words, just what they have all been through. As I said earlier the tale itself is full of hope - hope for love, for friendship, for family and for happiness.
I could easily have given this a 5 Star review. However, the end of the story feels very rushed and a handful of years are dispatched in as many pages, so rather than being able to savour the triumphs of the Sunshine Fruit Co-Operative and follow Jack's progress to Brewarinna it is glossed over in a few paragraphs. Still a beautiful tale and one I highly recommend.
THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED VIA THE PIGEONHOLE.
Set after the end of World War I and with the Australian Forces now repatriated it follows their struggles to move back to a normal existence. This book taught me such a lot about Australian History from this time period - the setting up of "reservations" for the Aboriginal People, the land act that meant their land was sold off in parcels to returning white men who had served. All things I had no real prior knowledge of and now intend to research in to more fully. In fact, the book deals with some real, and extreme, atrocities perpetrated on the indiginous peoples at this time - children being stolen from their parents, Aboriginal men who had served being declared dead so their dependants didn't get their pay which then "disappeared". It also deals with Shell Shock, or as we know it now Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have some knowledge of it's treatment (or lack thereof) during the Second world War as a former boss suffered from it at the time and it was still impacting his life in the early 1990's - but at least he could talk about it which he confessed provided some relief.
The main story centres around Jack Bell; an Aboriginal man who comes from the small town of Sunshine and served in the Light Horse during the conflict. Now he finds himself without a home and on the run as the Government have decided that any Aboriginal person not living under their control on a reservation is dangerous. Despite this he is determined to camp on his land, fish in the same river he always fished in and just keep himself to himself. As his story unfolds you realise that he has lost so much during the war but he somehow manages to ward off bitterness and hatred. He has Anger but directed in the right way at the right people.
Snow McGlynn went to war with his three friends but only two of them made it back. Lucky enough to receive a parcel of land that is fertile he plans carefully to begin a new life as a citrus farmer. He was perhaps a loner by nature before the war but the things he saw in the trenches have definitely changed him for the worse. Despite his ascerbic nature there is such empathy on the page for his situation that even though he doesn't complain you find yourself wanting him to succeed in business and in life.
Grace Lovelee was a frontline nurse during the conflict and English by birth. Meeting Art Lovelee during his hospitalisation and nursing him through the early stages of Shell Shock they fall in love, marry and move to his home country of Australia. They too manage to purchase some land in Sunshine and Art hopes to begin a fruit nursery there. Grace's descriptions of how the trauma Art suffered still effects him are vivid and even humorous - giving them names such as Dancing Dawg and Naughty Boy - but still managing to evoke the true devastation war wrought in men's psyches.
Despite all this gloom the story itself is rather joyous with trials and tribulations offset by moments of simple friendship as the three disparate people move closer together, recognising kindred spirits who understand, without words, just what they have all been through. As I said earlier the tale itself is full of hope - hope for love, for friendship, for family and for happiness.
I could easily have given this a 5 Star review. However, the end of the story feels very rushed and a handful of years are dispatched in as many pages, so rather than being able to savour the triumphs of the Sunshine Fruit Co-Operative and follow Jack's progress to Brewarinna it is glossed over in a few paragraphs. Still a beautiful tale and one I highly recommend.
THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED VIA THE PIGEONHOLE.
March 12, 2019
I want to start by saying what a lovely little story this was but I don't think that is quite right to describe this book. Based in the early 1920s after the Great War has ended, set in Australia we are slowly introduced to 3 ex soliders who all have one thing in common - their lives have been altered by what they saw and did in the war.
As the government offer land and grants to returning soldiers, 2 of our characters end up in Sunshine where the begin their new life of growing fruit. our 3rd story teller, Jack Bell, is an aboriginal who isn't treated or respected in quite the same way despite also having fought for the country. He is returning to Sunshine to live, where he grew up, where he hopes to be left alone long enough to survive.
As Art and Grace and Snow settle into their new way of life, Jack watches from the sidelines until he inadvertently becomes involved with these newcomers and eventually becomes entwined with them.
It's obvious to me that Kim did her research before writing this book as there were lots of references to historical moments and groups that did exist in real life. it was interesting for me to see how aborigines were treated and how even their kids were taken from them. Also to discover that they had to have permission to leave the land they work and were offered the same as other returning soldiers. I really felt quite sorry for Jack Bell, to return home to find his wife has made a new life without their daughter who was snatched from her in an awful way.
All 3 of the soldiers seem to have post traumatic stress disorder and are struggling to re adjust. As Snow re lives the nightmare of losing his best friend, and Art fights to recover from the depression that seems to eat away at him, the 3 men seem to become the strength for each other and become to help each other recover.
Grace seems to be the glue that keeps them together as she supports husband Art and becomes so in your face friendly to Snow that he can't help but return it and she sees Jack as something other than the colour of his skin. As all 3 men come to a crossroads on their paths and make life changing decisions its nice to see how Sunshine seems to turn things around for them and they all find the power they need to re live life.
I loved how easy it was to read this book. Its quite a short book so can be read quickly and is written in such a way that you so easily become engrossed in the lives and adventures of the characters. Sunshine sounds like a stunning place that I so wish wasn't fictional so I could go visit in real life. I really did enjoy this story and would recommend to anyone that wants a happy ending book to get stuck into.
As the government offer land and grants to returning soldiers, 2 of our characters end up in Sunshine where the begin their new life of growing fruit. our 3rd story teller, Jack Bell, is an aboriginal who isn't treated or respected in quite the same way despite also having fought for the country. He is returning to Sunshine to live, where he grew up, where he hopes to be left alone long enough to survive.
As Art and Grace and Snow settle into their new way of life, Jack watches from the sidelines until he inadvertently becomes involved with these newcomers and eventually becomes entwined with them.
It's obvious to me that Kim did her research before writing this book as there were lots of references to historical moments and groups that did exist in real life. it was interesting for me to see how aborigines were treated and how even their kids were taken from them. Also to discover that they had to have permission to leave the land they work and were offered the same as other returning soldiers. I really felt quite sorry for Jack Bell, to return home to find his wife has made a new life without their daughter who was snatched from her in an awful way.
All 3 of the soldiers seem to have post traumatic stress disorder and are struggling to re adjust. As Snow re lives the nightmare of losing his best friend, and Art fights to recover from the depression that seems to eat away at him, the 3 men seem to become the strength for each other and become to help each other recover.
Grace seems to be the glue that keeps them together as she supports husband Art and becomes so in your face friendly to Snow that he can't help but return it and she sees Jack as something other than the colour of his skin. As all 3 men come to a crossroads on their paths and make life changing decisions its nice to see how Sunshine seems to turn things around for them and they all find the power they need to re live life.
I loved how easy it was to read this book. Its quite a short book so can be read quickly and is written in such a way that you so easily become engrossed in the lives and adventures of the characters. Sunshine sounds like a stunning place that I so wish wasn't fictional so I could go visit in real life. I really did enjoy this story and would recommend to anyone that wants a happy ending book to get stuck into.
October 20, 2024
Kim Kelly's "Sunshine" impresses with its engaging and assertive characterisation, which breathes life into its protagonists. Snow and Jack, two returned servicemen, and Grace, a British nurse married to damaged Aussie veteran Arthur, share the narrative in a clever interweaving of perspectives. This tripartite setup allows the reader to delve into the complex expectations these characters grapple with, especially against the backdrop of a society still shaped by its patriarchal, racist and colonial roots.
There's an undeniable charm in Kelly's sparse prose. It isn't ostentatious, but rich in nuance, capturing place with a delicate, unembellished beauty. The novel touches on weighty themes like the horrors of war, Aboriginal rights, PTSD, and homosexuality, yet does so with a light touch. While there are moments where the characters' attitudes and interactions might feel anachronistic, the strength of the story makes these easy to overlook. The anachronisms seem like necessary indulgences in the service of a more vivid, accessible tale, and I was happy to forgive them.
At its heart, "Sunshine" is about connection, romantic, platonic and spiritual. Beyond the relationship between Grace and Art, the novel delves into the bonds of friendship and the characters' affinity with the land itself, with its wide-open spaces and relentless sunshine. There's a palpable sense of longing and belonging here that elevates the story beyond the expected wartime romance.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/ 2
There's an undeniable charm in Kelly's sparse prose. It isn't ostentatious, but rich in nuance, capturing place with a delicate, unembellished beauty. The novel touches on weighty themes like the horrors of war, Aboriginal rights, PTSD, and homosexuality, yet does so with a light touch. While there are moments where the characters' attitudes and interactions might feel anachronistic, the strength of the story makes these easy to overlook. The anachronisms seem like necessary indulgences in the service of a more vivid, accessible tale, and I was happy to forgive them.
At its heart, "Sunshine" is about connection, romantic, platonic and spiritual. Beyond the relationship between Grace and Art, the novel delves into the bonds of friendship and the characters' affinity with the land itself, with its wide-open spaces and relentless sunshine. There's a palpable sense of longing and belonging here that elevates the story beyond the expected wartime romance.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/ 2
January 9, 2020
This beautifully crafted novel set in rural Australia in the aftermath of WWI, is an incredibly moving story of loss, betrayal, masculinity, and terrible and entrenched bigotry. The story is told from three perspectives – that of two returned servicemen, Snow and Jack, and explores the expectations placed on them by themselves, others and especially patriarchal and white society – and a British nurse, the appropriately named Grace, who, married to an Australian returned serviceman, the eccentric and damaged Arthur, travels with him when he returns to his homeland and takes up the grant of land offered to all white soldiers. Only Jack, an Indigenous former Light Horseman is not given the opportunity to either own (by white laws) or work the land which is his anyway. Accustomed to being treated as if he has no rights, his service and sacrifice for his country so swiftly forgotten, Jack remains a drifter on the soil that is his.
Like Jack, both Arthur and Snow – the latter who most people give a wide berth - carry the internal wounds of their experiences and actions, the horrors to which they bore witness and played a part in - unable to quite readjust to their survival and the role that the land and the government now demands of them – never mind others. But what none of the men, who prefer to keep others at a distance anticipated is firstly, Grace, and the ability she has to recognise their pain and seek ways to heal them and herself, but also the land and the capacity it has to regenerate – not just what’s grown but those who work it. The land and each other.
I found this book achingly beautiful. Sparse yet so rich in its descriptions I found myself lingering on the words, the richness of the characters, the setting (which is marvellously represented), their memories and current interactions long after I’d finished the tale. The writing is sublime and the story that is told so important. It’s one that makes you squirm at the way the men, especially Jack, are treated – feel a deep shame that this happened – and the knowledge that it still does in parts. But it’s also such an important and unknown part of our history that needs to have a light shone on it. Kim Kelly does that and more and in relaying such a tragically-beautiful story, infuses not just sunshine on a dark past but imbues it with hope for the future. Simply superb.
Like Jack, both Arthur and Snow – the latter who most people give a wide berth - carry the internal wounds of their experiences and actions, the horrors to which they bore witness and played a part in - unable to quite readjust to their survival and the role that the land and the government now demands of them – never mind others. But what none of the men, who prefer to keep others at a distance anticipated is firstly, Grace, and the ability she has to recognise their pain and seek ways to heal them and herself, but also the land and the capacity it has to regenerate – not just what’s grown but those who work it. The land and each other.
I found this book achingly beautiful. Sparse yet so rich in its descriptions I found myself lingering on the words, the richness of the characters, the setting (which is marvellously represented), their memories and current interactions long after I’d finished the tale. The writing is sublime and the story that is told so important. It’s one that makes you squirm at the way the men, especially Jack, are treated – feel a deep shame that this happened – and the knowledge that it still does in parts. But it’s also such an important and unknown part of our history that needs to have a light shone on it. Kim Kelly does that and more and in relaying such a tragically-beautiful story, infuses not just sunshine on a dark past but imbues it with hope for the future. Simply superb.
March 9, 2019
For those who bring us together and grow love’
The story is told through three of the characters: Jack, Snow, and Grace. We view the sleepy town of Sunshine (no electricity, running water) from the perspectives of an Aboriginal, who charged with the Light Horse in Palestine; an English transplant, a nurse who has married a former patient; and a suicidal soldier, grieving the loss of a friend, a lover, on the battlefield. The horrors of that so-called Great War continue to haunt all of them (even the assistant postmaster with his eye patch from ‘whatever screaming piece of military metal smashed that side of his face’) as they try to carve something new out of ruined lives.
The author skillfully intertwines their stories with the plight of native Australians, deprived of their land and their rights, their children torn from them. Through the pain, however, there is healing and hope. A lovely, sweetly sad, short read. Definitely recommended. Thank you @Pigeonhole and Kim Kelly for the opportunity to enjoy this ‘little sunshine on a page’.
The story is told through three of the characters: Jack, Snow, and Grace. We view the sleepy town of Sunshine (no electricity, running water) from the perspectives of an Aboriginal, who charged with the Light Horse in Palestine; an English transplant, a nurse who has married a former patient; and a suicidal soldier, grieving the loss of a friend, a lover, on the battlefield. The horrors of that so-called Great War continue to haunt all of them (even the assistant postmaster with his eye patch from ‘whatever screaming piece of military metal smashed that side of his face’) as they try to carve something new out of ruined lives.
The author skillfully intertwines their stories with the plight of native Australians, deprived of their land and their rights, their children torn from them. Through the pain, however, there is healing and hope. A lovely, sweetly sad, short read. Definitely recommended. Thank you @Pigeonhole and Kim Kelly for the opportunity to enjoy this ‘little sunshine on a page’.
March 10, 2019
I read this through the Pigeonhole, so thank you to them. I loved this book. It's set in Australia, just after the first world war, when ex-soldiers were given the opportunity to buy land - a mixed blessing in Australia. It touches on the horrors of war, Aboriginal rights, PTSD, but with a light touch: all is integral to the story.
The main characters are 3 ex-soldiers - one of them of Aboriginal descent - and an ex-army nurse (who has experienced as much trauma as the rest of them) - and the Australian landscape. Kim Kelly has the knack of describing a landscape she obviously knows and loves as if she is seeing it for the first time. She captures the beauty of Australia, but also the scariness of that great empty land.
It reminded me of being in the art gallery in Adelaide, and wandering round the landscape paintings. At first, they all look like versions of Europe, and then suddenly it's as if artists could really see Australia and paint it as it was. Kim does that in words.
If you want a break from winter, read this book. It's a delight.
The main characters are 3 ex-soldiers - one of them of Aboriginal descent - and an ex-army nurse (who has experienced as much trauma as the rest of them) - and the Australian landscape. Kim Kelly has the knack of describing a landscape she obviously knows and loves as if she is seeing it for the first time. She captures the beauty of Australia, but also the scariness of that great empty land.
It reminded me of being in the art gallery in Adelaide, and wandering round the landscape paintings. At first, they all look like versions of Europe, and then suddenly it's as if artists could really see Australia and paint it as it was. Kim does that in words.
If you want a break from winter, read this book. It's a delight.
March 14, 2019
A warm and empathetic account of WW1 returnees to Australia with shocking revelations as too the continuing gross mistreatment of Australian aboriginals. It alludes very clearly to the legacy of empire, which still exists, and a ruling class quick to send a generation of youth to war with little or no understanding or care of the personal consequences.
The family of characters are delicately and sympathetically explored. Each one trying to return to some form of normality ....... if that is even possible? Exquisite prose describe the passing days and seasons and labours in an incredible landscape. ..... it is this combination which starts to heal and rejuvenate lost and broken spirits.
My one criticism is that the book although beautifully written and nuanced throughout was too short. It actually felt like an long introduction to what could have become an epic novel or perhaps even a trilogy ..... I was definitely left wanting more!
The family of characters are delicately and sympathetically explored. Each one trying to return to some form of normality ....... if that is even possible? Exquisite prose describe the passing days and seasons and labours in an incredible landscape. ..... it is this combination which starts to heal and rejuvenate lost and broken spirits.
My one criticism is that the book although beautifully written and nuanced throughout was too short. It actually felt like an long introduction to what could have become an epic novel or perhaps even a trilogy ..... I was definitely left wanting more!
March 15, 2025
Sunshine 🌞 is a very well written story. The cover and title may be a little deceiving as some of the subject matter was heavy. All four main characters had experienced trauma from the first world war and were now attempting to make a new life in a small farming community in a fictional town called Sunshine 🌞 on th Darling River. Some of the themes touched upon include racism, the forced removal of indigenous students and the lack of understanding and support for returned soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD). These issues are raised with sensitivity. Kelly's descriptions of the scenery and life on the land during this period are vivid. Kelly is a keen observer of nature. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend.
August 9, 2024
A short book with a lot in it, the year is 1921 and we follow the journeys of Jack Bell, Snow McGlenn and Art Lovelee, all left scarred by their experiences during WW1 and trying to move forward with life after war. The story deals with the soldier settlement scheme, but we also learn about the plight of indigenous returned soldiers, after serving as a lighthorseman overseas, Jack returns to find the white Australia policy has cost him his wife and daughter, and made it almost impossible for him to find employment. A difficult time in history, and a shameful part of Australia's history, it's important to have books like Sunshine to bring this history to life.
March 12, 2019
Set in the fictitious town of Sunshine, this is the story of recovery. Snow, Jack, Alf and Grace are all recovering from PTSD after the first world war. Each has their own story and heartache, but after being thrown together, they help each other reconcile their losses and grow in strength, until they all find peace in their own ways. It's beautifully written and opens the reader's eyes to some of the atrocities committed to the Australian Aborigines, as well as how war affects both soldiers and support people in the front lines.
March 13, 2019
This book about the time after World War 1 is a reflection of the light and dark times after the war. The psychological injuries caused by this war were long lasting. It is hard to believe that even after a war where so much life was lost that Australia remained unchanged in their attitude toward Aboriginals and would allow them to fight for the country but not recognised their rights to it. This book brings such heart ache for Jack. I think each person was portrayed well in how they responded to the war and the effects they had after.
March 6, 2019
This was a story of three men and a women who served in the First World War and then wanted to live their own lives in Australia.
Jack, Art and Snow all had their own bittersweet memories of war, as did Art’s wife Grace who was a nurse on the front line.
It was a very moving combination of all their stories and a reminder that not everyone was rewarded for their services in war by their country of birth.
This book was read via Pigeonhole.
Highly recommended.
Jack, Art and Snow all had their own bittersweet memories of war, as did Art’s wife Grace who was a nurse on the front line.
It was a very moving combination of all their stories and a reminder that not everyone was rewarded for their services in war by their country of birth.
This book was read via Pigeonhole.
Highly recommended.
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