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Outback Saga #1
Outback
Savage, vast, lawless and rugged was the Australian outback of 1808. This is where Patrick Garrity chose to carve a life for himself, raise a family, and work his land.
This is an epic story of endurance, hardship, and heartbreak--and of the steadfast and passionate women who bold-heartedly defended all that was Garrity. Patrick's hearty native wife, MAYRAH, was the family cornerstone. SHEILA, their daughter, grew to raise her bastard son with a strength and will superior to most men. ELIZABETH, a minister's daughter, married into the brave family--and earned their love by standing with the Garritys when the time came to fight for their Australian dream.
This is an epic story of endurance, hardship, and heartbreak--and of the steadfast and passionate women who bold-heartedly defended all that was Garrity. Patrick's hearty native wife, MAYRAH, was the family cornerstone. SHEILA, their daughter, grew to raise her bastard son with a strength and will superior to most men. ELIZABETH, a minister's daughter, married into the brave family--and earned their love by standing with the Garritys when the time came to fight for their Australian dream.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
February 2, 2019
"I was a pretty girl once, you know. And with a heart, so that I loved those around me. And the land. I have a brain too, and I grew me some sand.
The heart, the brain, and the sand. It takes all three... It takes the brain to say what to do, the sand to go ahead and do it, and the heart to hurt over it, when it's done."
An amazing historical fiction of Australia, from the convict ships that delivered the first European settlers in the 18th century all the way to the Industrial Revolution that allowed steam engines to somewhat bring the great, isolated Outback closer to civilization .
It is also a generational saga focusing on four different women, all of them absolutely kick ass, from the founding matriarch of Wayamba station, an aborigine whose fierceness is only equalled by her love, to her daughter and her Pommie daughter-in-law, and finally the woman who is to inherit the stupendous burden of maintaining the empire built by one lone pair of intrepid sheep farmers.
This is all that historical fiction should be: brutal, realistic, unsentimental, and ruthless but somehow managing to evoke the deepest emotions of awe, sympathy, sorrow and horror.
It is the first in a lengthy series and I can't wait to read the rest!
The heart, the brain, and the sand. It takes all three... It takes the brain to say what to do, the sand to go ahead and do it, and the heart to hurt over it, when it's done."
An amazing historical fiction of Australia, from the convict ships that delivered the first European settlers in the 18th century all the way to the Industrial Revolution that allowed steam engines to somewhat bring the great, isolated Outback closer to civilization .
It is also a generational saga focusing on four different women, all of them absolutely kick ass, from the founding matriarch of Wayamba station, an aborigine whose fierceness is only equalled by her love, to her daughter and her Pommie daughter-in-law, and finally the woman who is to inherit the stupendous burden of maintaining the empire built by one lone pair of intrepid sheep farmers.
This is all that historical fiction should be: brutal, realistic, unsentimental, and ruthless but somehow managing to evoke the deepest emotions of awe, sympathy, sorrow and horror.
It is the first in a lengthy series and I can't wait to read the rest!
July 7, 2025
“A novel as great-hearted as Australia itself!”
I agree! This was everything I wanted it to be and more. Aaron Fletcher can keep you turning the page, that’s for bloody sure. I wanted to know what was going to happen to all these characters I’d grown to care about so deeply, and I loved how it was broken up into 3 different generational sections all showing how Wayamba Station came to be. I loved the character arch of Elizabeth the most, she was SO amazing and I feel a deep fondness for her. Sheila was also 10/10. Go Aaron for knowing how to write some bad-A female MC’s!
I agree! This was everything I wanted it to be and more. Aaron Fletcher can keep you turning the page, that’s for bloody sure. I wanted to know what was going to happen to all these characters I’d grown to care about so deeply, and I loved how it was broken up into 3 different generational sections all showing how Wayamba Station came to be. I loved the character arch of Elizabeth the most, she was SO amazing and I feel a deep fondness for her. Sheila was also 10/10. Go Aaron for knowing how to write some bad-A female MC’s!
October 24, 2015
I no longer enjoy those complicated family sagas like I used to..maybe it's because I'm now the 'old' generation. Ha.
July 27, 2018
As a previous reviewer mentioned, there are typos in the Kindle edition, but they don't take away from the gripping characters or the spurs to look things up (I found a recipe for damper on line) and learn more about Australia's history!
Glad a friend pointed this out to me via Goodreads!
Glad a friend pointed this out to me via Goodreads!
January 25, 2019
A bit of a vocab adventure for nonAussies but a truly fun read. Whoda thought an epic tale about the Outback, sheep stations, railroads, mining, gender inequality and life and death in such harsh conditions could take such a feminist turn! A great read and a lively backgrounder in Aussie culture.
October 29, 2025
This was the most Australian book I've ever read. Some parts were amazing; very descriptive of the land and people. Some of the tough exterior dialogue felt a bit over the top, and the animal cruelty was maddening. Thanks to my Kindle or I would never have come across this author.
August 23, 2024
A gritty look at running a sheep station in the unforgiving Australian Outback.
This book is composed of three short stories/novellas that tell the overarching story of the Garritty Family.
In the first story, a young man managing a lonely sheep Paddock buys an aborigine woman as a wife, and the couple overcome cultural barriers to become an effective team. This is the most adventurous and romantic section. It’s reminiscent of the part in Jeremiah Johnson before everything goes horribly wrong. This is a good western adventure-romance to open the saga.
The second story composes the majority of the novel. The story of an abused wife coming into her own on a sheep station as she is molded by her harsh surroundings. This section is really an ode to friendship as an unlikely friendship blooms between the preachers daughter protagonist and the rough tough daughter of the first story’s couple. This story really takes the reader into the hard life on a sheep station and portrays the period unflinchingly.
The final story is rather short and is about a young teacher moving to the station and becoming the next leader of the Garritty clan. Really a greatest hits of the middle story but is pretty light and closes the novel with hope for the next generation.
If you like your historical fiction on the tough side this is a good pick!
This book is composed of three short stories/novellas that tell the overarching story of the Garritty Family.
In the first story, a young man managing a lonely sheep Paddock buys an aborigine woman as a wife, and the couple overcome cultural barriers to become an effective team. This is the most adventurous and romantic section. It’s reminiscent of the part in Jeremiah Johnson before everything goes horribly wrong. This is a good western adventure-romance to open the saga.
The second story composes the majority of the novel. The story of an abused wife coming into her own on a sheep station as she is molded by her harsh surroundings. This section is really an ode to friendship as an unlikely friendship blooms between the preachers daughter protagonist and the rough tough daughter of the first story’s couple. This story really takes the reader into the hard life on a sheep station and portrays the period unflinchingly.
The final story is rather short and is about a young teacher moving to the station and becoming the next leader of the Garritty clan. Really a greatest hits of the middle story but is pretty light and closes the novel with hope for the next generation.
If you like your historical fiction on the tough side this is a good pick!
June 27, 2014
'Outback' is the first in a five book series of historical fiction set during the early settlement of Australia. Since I have a passion for Australia, historical fiction, and just about any novel set in Australia, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have all five books in this series on my two Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire) and am looking forward to reading the whole series this summer.
September 22, 2019
This is a great story about life in the early years of the colonization of Australia. It follows the history of a family through three generations.
The characters are what make this read worthwhile. The author does a great job of bringing them to life, and making their stories believable.
This book includes love and loss, tragedy and triumph, and an overall feeling of the joy of living. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys human stories.
I look forward to reading more in this series.
The characters are what make this read worthwhile. The author does a great job of bringing them to life, and making their stories believable.
This book includes love and loss, tragedy and triumph, and an overall feeling of the joy of living. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys human stories.
I look forward to reading more in this series.
January 1, 2025
Setting: Outback NSW, Australia; 19th century.
This historical family saga tells the story of the dynasty that established and developed a massive sheep estate in an area in the vicinity of Broken Hill on the NSW/South Australia border, known by the aboriginal known of Wayamba.
It all starts with orphan Patrick Garrity who, rescued from a Sydney orphanage by a sheep farmer, learns his trade as effectively the farmer's son and then takes the risk on moving out west to run sheep for him. He eventually sets up on his own, takes a local aborigine woman, Mayrah, as a bride - and the couple never look back.....
This was a great family saga, told in three sections as the years pass and the generations come and go. If I had one criticism of the book, the transition into each new section was a quite long jump in years and what had happened in the intervening years was only gradually revealed in the new section, so you really had to be on the ball to remember character names and to realise who these 'grown-ups' in the new section had been in the previous section! Other than that, it was a good tale, possibly a bit predictable at times and also stretching believability (if that's even a word) at times but still an enjoyable read with a good Aussie feel - 8/10.
This historical family saga tells the story of the dynasty that established and developed a massive sheep estate in an area in the vicinity of Broken Hill on the NSW/South Australia border, known by the aboriginal known of Wayamba.
It all starts with orphan Patrick Garrity who, rescued from a Sydney orphanage by a sheep farmer, learns his trade as effectively the farmer's son and then takes the risk on moving out west to run sheep for him. He eventually sets up on his own, takes a local aborigine woman, Mayrah, as a bride - and the couple never look back.....
This was a great family saga, told in three sections as the years pass and the generations come and go. If I had one criticism of the book, the transition into each new section was a quite long jump in years and what had happened in the intervening years was only gradually revealed in the new section, so you really had to be on the ball to remember character names and to realise who these 'grown-ups' in the new section had been in the previous section! Other than that, it was a good tale, possibly a bit predictable at times and also stretching believability (if that's even a word) at times but still an enjoyable read with a good Aussie feel - 8/10.
July 22, 2024
Enjoyable historical fiction! It moves along quickly. The book starts out following the patriarch but quickly changes to the strong willed matriarchs. Some brutality true of the time period. I quickly became attached and interested in the next generation with the jumps in time period. Some things are left to your imagination and you don't really know the whole story of what happened. The tall tales that were told down the line may or may not be true. The audio book on Hoopla was rough but worth it.
February 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this for the history of Australia, and the bigger-than-life people who populated it.
July 31, 2019
Very confronting and sad as to how the animals were treated, which I didn't enjoy but did enjoy the rest of the book
June 15, 2024
My first Aaron Fletcher book
Totally delightful. I've traveled in some of the areas mentioned and he brings them alive. Thoroughly enjoyable story. Can't put it down.
Totally delightful. I've traveled in some of the areas mentioned and he brings them alive. Thoroughly enjoyable story. Can't put it down.
October 19, 2014
THE LAND WILL MOLD ITS PEOPLE INTO WHAT IT NEEDS
Australia is a land of contradictions, where rain forests are not that distant from the desert. At its heart, it is a vast island. The original human inhabitants lived in difficult partnership with the rugged land, their method of subsistence dependant on their location.
Beginning after the American war for independence, the British court system established several penal colonies in specific parts of Australia. Although some sentences were for only a few years, transportation to the new world was, essentially, banishment from the old.
From the clash of these two different, and desperate, cultures, came a dramatic world. This story (romanticized, no doubt) attempts to chronicle a portion of that.
The author uses the intertwining of several different stories, from a young English boy with a convict mother, to an Aboriginal girl who becomes his wife, through their daughter and a woman who becomes her sister-in-law but is really perhaps a bit more. It chronicles their adventures, and the decisions they have to make to survive, and to some extent, how they impact people around them.
The summation of the character of almost all the main protagonists comes Elizabeth, the sister-in-law, long after most of the rest of the initial characters are gone:
"It takes a brain to say what to do, the sand to go ahead and do it, and the heart to hurt over it when it's done."
It ends with a definite plan for additional story - and leaves the reader craving that story. I ended up with all the books, and kept several for some years.
Australia is a land of contradictions, where rain forests are not that distant from the desert. At its heart, it is a vast island. The original human inhabitants lived in difficult partnership with the rugged land, their method of subsistence dependant on their location.
Beginning after the American war for independence, the British court system established several penal colonies in specific parts of Australia. Although some sentences were for only a few years, transportation to the new world was, essentially, banishment from the old.
From the clash of these two different, and desperate, cultures, came a dramatic world. This story (romanticized, no doubt) attempts to chronicle a portion of that.
The author uses the intertwining of several different stories, from a young English boy with a convict mother, to an Aboriginal girl who becomes his wife, through their daughter and a woman who becomes her sister-in-law but is really perhaps a bit more. It chronicles their adventures, and the decisions they have to make to survive, and to some extent, how they impact people around them.
The summation of the character of almost all the main protagonists comes Elizabeth, the sister-in-law, long after most of the rest of the initial characters are gone:
"It takes a brain to say what to do, the sand to go ahead and do it, and the heart to hurt over it when it's done."
It ends with a definite plan for additional story - and leaves the reader craving that story. I ended up with all the books, and kept several for some years.
February 28, 2020
Give it 20 stars
Let me start by saying that I I have always loved James Michener novels he goes into detail with his characters and whatever Earth lies subject he is writing about. Mr. fletcher rights along those lines,He makes the characters real, he makes them lovable, he makes them fierce, but most of all he makes you want to know what happens next.This is a family saga through the ages from the way back when Australia was a penal colony for England But that's not what this book is about.This is about the men and women who scraped in the dirt and started out with a couple hundred head of sheep Usually someone else's at 1st And then dynasty's were built I can hardly wait to get to the next book it is that good!!And if it wasn't 12:30 AM I would start 1 right now I couldn't put this down and I'll bet you a dozen doughnuts you won't be able to either.
Let me start by saying that I I have always loved James Michener novels he goes into detail with his characters and whatever Earth lies subject he is writing about. Mr. fletcher rights along those lines,He makes the characters real, he makes them lovable, he makes them fierce, but most of all he makes you want to know what happens next.This is a family saga through the ages from the way back when Australia was a penal colony for England But that's not what this book is about.This is about the men and women who scraped in the dirt and started out with a couple hundred head of sheep Usually someone else's at 1st And then dynasty's were built I can hardly wait to get to the next book it is that good!!And if it wasn't 12:30 AM I would start 1 right now I couldn't put this down and I'll bet you a dozen doughnuts you won't be able to either.
August 15, 2016
A peak into life in the Australian Outback
I especially liked the descriptiveness of each life episode throughout the story. It held my interest from beginning to end. The use of the language of the Outback gave the story a unique feel. The transitions from one generation to the next were smoothy accomplished and tied the storylines together expertly. I wanted to move to the next event, the next chapter. I was not ready to reach the end of this adventure in the lives of the characters! A most enjoyable read!
I especially liked the descriptiveness of each life episode throughout the story. It held my interest from beginning to end. The use of the language of the Outback gave the story a unique feel. The transitions from one generation to the next were smoothy accomplished and tied the storylines together expertly. I wanted to move to the next event, the next chapter. I was not ready to reach the end of this adventure in the lives of the characters! A most enjoyable read!
July 9, 2009
Excellent. I now really want to read more about this time period in Australia's history. The story focuses on three different generations of an Outback sheep raising family. I will look for more books by this author or on this subject.
September 28, 2012
I really really really enjoy this book. The females are incredibly strong women, and the story is just transportive (yes, I just made that up). It draws you in and takes you through a lifetime and legacy.
May 4, 2018
Well written story with strong female leads
This is a beautifully written story taking place in the 1800s. It follows several generations of strong women on a sheep station in the Outback of Australia. The storyline is very good and the writing is wonderful. I highly recommend it.
This is a beautifully written story taking place in the 1800s. It follows several generations of strong women on a sheep station in the Outback of Australia. The storyline is very good and the writing is wonderful. I highly recommend it.
February 2, 2023
“They had been doomed to birth and condemned to live.”
🐑
Review: Outback
By: Aaron Fletcher
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
🐑
A few people have said that if you loved The Thorn Birds, Outback should be your next read. This book is wildly similar to The Thorn Birds. An epic family saga that spans many generations and the hardships that plague the life of sheep shearers in this brutal environment. I really loved this novel and was excited to see it’s part of a long series. However, the romance was heavily lacking. The relationships all throughout the story were either brutal or marriages of convenience, rather than love. This story was also very gritty and harsh with descriptions and situations. It feels like Colleen McCullough and Cormac McCarthy cowrote a novel and this was it. Highly recommend if you love books similar to The Thorn Birds!
🐑
Book 1 of the Retro Romance Readathon hosted by @stormreads43 @libraries_and_labradors and @the.bookish.knitter
🐑
Review: Outback
By: Aaron Fletcher
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
🐑
A few people have said that if you loved The Thorn Birds, Outback should be your next read. This book is wildly similar to The Thorn Birds. An epic family saga that spans many generations and the hardships that plague the life of sheep shearers in this brutal environment. I really loved this novel and was excited to see it’s part of a long series. However, the romance was heavily lacking. The relationships all throughout the story were either brutal or marriages of convenience, rather than love. This story was also very gritty and harsh with descriptions and situations. It feels like Colleen McCullough and Cormac McCarthy cowrote a novel and this was it. Highly recommend if you love books similar to The Thorn Birds!
🐑
Book 1 of the Retro Romance Readathon hosted by @stormreads43 @libraries_and_labradors and @the.bookish.knitter
September 19, 2018
No connection emotionally between characters. Only the matriarchs were important. When progressing from one part of the book to another, there were new characters with many years time lapse between them . The book ended abruptly with no view into a future.
The sentences were either run-on or the subjects of the sentence were not clear. Many times I thought the action was from one character to another when the action was actually from one to one's self. The reverse was also true. For example, "Sheila touched her face" I thought it was her own face, but it was Elizabeth's face, etc.
A glossary could have been included in the book. The Kindle dictionary did not have definitions for certain words. I was, however, able to discern the definitions from context.
The sentences were either run-on or the subjects of the sentence were not clear. Many times I thought the action was from one character to another when the action was actually from one to one's self. The reverse was also true. For example, "Sheila touched her face" I thought it was her own face, but it was Elizabeth's face, etc.
A glossary could have been included in the book. The Kindle dictionary did not have definitions for certain words. I was, however, able to discern the definitions from context.
May 29, 2018
I read this series of 5 books while visiting Australia. This is book #1. I enjoy learning history through historical fiction. I am going to leave the same review for all 5 books. I enjoyed the first two books because I felt I learned quite a bit about the aborigine culture, the transportation of convicts to Australia, and the beginnings of the giant sheep stations. However, I found the subsequent three books not as good. The author basically used the same boy-meets-girl formula as a focus in the final three books, and there was not as much history to be gleaned. In fact, I skimmed quickly through the "romance" scenes because they got rather abnoxious and over the top.
February 23, 2022
The Book Deserves 10 Stars
I have read books from 100's of authors over the last 50+ years and have a short list of favourites. Mr. Fletcher has just been added to this list.
He has an extensive knowledge of the Outback, the Sheep stations and the way of life of the Aborigines throughout Australia. Right from page 1 you are transported into the Outback and you gain such an intimate relationship through his descriptions of the environment and the characters. You feel their heartbreak, their fear, their joy and anticipation as well as their loss and defeat.
I highly recommend this book, the only disappointment you will have is that you did not read it sooner.
I have read books from 100's of authors over the last 50+ years and have a short list of favourites. Mr. Fletcher has just been added to this list.
He has an extensive knowledge of the Outback, the Sheep stations and the way of life of the Aborigines throughout Australia. Right from page 1 you are transported into the Outback and you gain such an intimate relationship through his descriptions of the environment and the characters. You feel their heartbreak, their fear, their joy and anticipation as well as their loss and defeat.
I highly recommend this book, the only disappointment you will have is that you did not read it sooner.
October 8, 2024
I enjoyed this book. The story moved along well and I loved the history and geography portrayed. Sometimes I found the descriptions of what was happening too extensive, and rambling, the writing could have been crisper and more concise. Nevertheless, it was a well told tale. I did find the way the two characters of Elizabeth and Alice adapted so quickly to life in the outback stretched credibility, but took it with a pinch of salt and let it go. Some of the events were quite predictable and the ending was a little rushed. Despite these criticisms, I still give it 4 stars, as I found it an enjoyable read.
August 29, 2021
Remarkable book.
Aaron Fletcher marching along behind the pied piper of James Michener. An epic story on the broad deserts of mid-Australia. A family first started in the earliest days of the first and second fleets. Struggles, victories, heartache, happy days from one generation to the next.
Can you say thousands of sheep? Dingoes. Paddock fires. Terrific celebrations.
Family. Home. Love. Adventure. A really nice book.
Aaron Fletcher marching along behind the pied piper of James Michener. An epic story on the broad deserts of mid-Australia. A family first started in the earliest days of the first and second fleets. Struggles, victories, heartache, happy days from one generation to the next.
Can you say thousands of sheep? Dingoes. Paddock fires. Terrific celebrations.
Family. Home. Love. Adventure. A really nice book.
June 18, 2024
Outback
When you are something of a bushie yourself and you get to read a great story like this, it absolutely warms the heart. I am very fascinated with early Australia and rue the fact that, whilst times were a great deal harder, there was also a code to bush life and a steeliness to the people of the time that made Australia what it was, and now, a lot of that has gone and we are poorer for it. A great story and very well told.
When you are something of a bushie yourself and you get to read a great story like this, it absolutely warms the heart. I am very fascinated with early Australia and rue the fact that, whilst times were a great deal harder, there was also a code to bush life and a steeliness to the people of the time that made Australia what it was, and now, a lot of that has gone and we are poorer for it. A great story and very well told.
May 17, 2025
Enthralling historical saga
While I enjoyed each generation I was disappointed how the story skipped so many years of people I had begun to love and admire. I didn’t like the female protagonists being relegated as “the old woman “ in the following generation’s story. Elizabeth would only be mid fifties and would hardly be tottering around on a walking stick and not still riding horses.
While I enjoyed each generation I was disappointed how the story skipped so many years of people I had begun to love and admire. I didn’t like the female protagonists being relegated as “the old woman “ in the following generation’s story. Elizabeth would only be mid fifties and would hardly be tottering around on a walking stick and not still riding horses.
September 26, 2025
Aaron Fletcher presented a vivid and impressive image of the rural beauty of this far-away land. The Outback in the 19th century is a place for brave and strong people, who are ready to face the hardships and the dangers of this vast and barely known continent. Fletcher especially focuses on creating independent women, who may sound way ahead of their time, but who also adapted very well to their surroundings and made the best of their situations.
May 20, 2021
Not my normal read, but I found it on the trophy case of my local dive bar and nobody claimed it so I thought I'd give it a go. A solid tale of three generations of the Garrity clan and there struggle to survive and thrive as shepherds/ranchers in the Australian outback. It had some raw spots and some really sweet spots, but overall was just an entertaining read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews