What do you think?
Rate this book
Gordon #1
The Bark Cutters
The Bark Cutter is a gripping family saga that centres around a family property. Past and prsent interweave in a story that traces the Gordon family from the arrival of Scottish immigrant Hamish Gordon in the 1850s to the life of his great-granddaughter Sarah.
479 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2010
32 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Alexander
36 books189 followersNicole Alexander is the author of eleven novels: The Bark Cutters, A Changing Land, Absolution Creek, Sunset Ridge, The Great Plains, Wild Lands, River Run, An Uncommon Woman, Stone Country, The Cedar Tree and The Last Station.
The Limestone Road will be published March 2025.
Awards: The Bark Cutters - short-listed for an Australian Book Industry Award.
Non-fiction includes;
Poetry: Divertissements: Love. War. Society. - a Anthologies: Dear Mum / Great Australian Writers
Nicole lives in north-west NSW, Australia
The Limestone Road will be published March 2025.
Awards: The Bark Cutters - short-listed for an Australian Book Industry Award.
Non-fiction includes;
Poetry: Divertissements: Love. War. Society. - a Anthologies: Dear Mum / Great Australian Writers
Nicole lives in north-west NSW, Australia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
April 14, 2024
This is a dual timeline family saga by debut Australian author Nicole Alexander. The story moves between Hamish Gordon in Scotland and rural Australia in the 1850s, and his great-granddaughter Sarah in the 1980s. A central concern is the land itself. Hamish works hard, often in none too ethical ways, to acquire the Wangallon property in rural New South Wales, and his son Angus schemes to ensure its succession is taken care of by the later generations. Sarah herself is torn between on one hand her love of the land, working on the property and her attraction to gifted station hand Anthony and on the other, her life in Sydney as a photographer with the stability of her boyfriend Jeremy and freedom from the family tragedies and responsibilities.
This was a pleasant enough read which creates the feel of life on a property in Australia. My personal peeve was the use of some anachronistic “un-Australian” terms which don’t feel authentic in this genre. For example, when did an Aussie ever wear a “sweatshirt”, “hunker down” or call a flour and water mix cooked over the coals “bread” and not “damper!” I also did not find the characters in either timeline particularly likeable or relatable. Hamish was an ruthless old rogue, his wife Rose had an awful life, as did some of the Indigenous women on the property. Sarah clearly couldn’t work out who she was or what she wanted, which although it was fair enough in the context, did eventually make me want to shake her. The only agreeable person was Anthony who was a fairly one-dimensional akubra-wearing cardboard cutout. Although the cover suggests this is a rural romance, it isn’t really. The romantic elements take second place to the land and family saga and were not overly convincing. And lastly if there was a reason for the title I must have missed it. I can only think of one example of any bark being cut. Despite those issues the story was enjoyable enough that I would probably try another book by this author. 3.5 stars.
This was a pleasant enough read which creates the feel of life on a property in Australia. My personal peeve was the use of some anachronistic “un-Australian” terms which don’t feel authentic in this genre. For example, when did an Aussie ever wear a “sweatshirt”, “hunker down” or call a flour and water mix cooked over the coals “bread” and not “damper!” I also did not find the characters in either timeline particularly likeable or relatable. Hamish was an ruthless old rogue, his wife Rose had an awful life, as did some of the Indigenous women on the property. Sarah clearly couldn’t work out who she was or what she wanted, which although it was fair enough in the context, did eventually make me want to shake her. The only agreeable person was Anthony who was a fairly one-dimensional akubra-wearing cardboard cutout. Although the cover suggests this is a rural romance, it isn’t really. The romantic elements take second place to the land and family saga and were not overly convincing. And lastly if there was a reason for the title I must have missed it. I can only think of one example of any bark being cut. Despite those issues the story was enjoyable enough that I would probably try another book by this author. 3.5 stars.
Read
January 25, 20184.5 stars
Not long ago I read Nicole Alexander’s latest novel An Uncommon Woman and from that moment on I knew it was a must to read her backlist titles. I’ve taken the opportunity to start with Nicole Alexander’s debut novel, The Bark Cutters, a book I have wanted to read for some time and is the first book prompt I have chosen which is ‘a book written by an Australian author’ in the Book Bingo game I’m participating in.
Within the pages of this book we’re taken on an incredible journey from one side of the world to the other in this dual timeline narrative, a captivating multi-generational saga set around Wangallon Station in North-west NSW, spanning over 120 years. From the Scottish Highlands in 1850 to North-west NSW in the present day, we follow the lives of Hamish Gordon and his great-granddaughter Sarah Gordon.
An enthralling and rousing saga that gripped my attention and would not let go until I turned the last page.
It was only when I shelved this book under ‘currently reading’ on Goodreads that I became aware that there is a sequel to this book and as I loved it so much 'A Changing Land' was the perfect choice for my next read.
Not long ago I read Nicole Alexander’s latest novel An Uncommon Woman and from that moment on I knew it was a must to read her backlist titles. I’ve taken the opportunity to start with Nicole Alexander’s debut novel, The Bark Cutters, a book I have wanted to read for some time and is the first book prompt I have chosen which is ‘a book written by an Australian author’ in the Book Bingo game I’m participating in.
Within the pages of this book we’re taken on an incredible journey from one side of the world to the other in this dual timeline narrative, a captivating multi-generational saga set around Wangallon Station in North-west NSW, spanning over 120 years. From the Scottish Highlands in 1850 to North-west NSW in the present day, we follow the lives of Hamish Gordon and his great-granddaughter Sarah Gordon.
An enthralling and rousing saga that gripped my attention and would not let go until I turned the last page.
It was only when I shelved this book under ‘currently reading’ on Goodreads that I became aware that there is a sequel to this book and as I loved it so much 'A Changing Land' was the perfect choice for my next read.
January 26, 2011
The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander is a story of epic proportion. As the first born daughter of 3 generations of graziers who own 'dirt' in Australia, I can say that the portrayal of life on the land is genuine. The storyline is absolutely enchanting and the characters are all very unique. My take away was in the way that most everyone knows who Sarah is and it takes Sarah herself a long while to admit to herself who she is. If you were born on the land, you will relate. If you are not lucky enough to be born on the land, this novel gives great insight into a very special way of life. Loved it. Highly recommend. Can't want for book 2 to be released.
May 20, 2019
I really enjoyed the way this story chopped back and forth between the past and future. It kept me interested the entire way through and I enjoyed all of the various characters.
March 30, 2017
3.5 Stars. I liked the way that the story intertwined the different generations of the Gordon family. A few twists towards the end that you don't expect, otherwise a typical Australian/Farm style of writing.
September 20, 2010
I did like this book and I'm loving this genre at the moment. There seem to be many new releases that fit into the Australian outback theme. In Australia there is anyway.
The start of this was amazing. I loved how she managed to tell two stories and each read differently. You could tell, without needing names, which story was Hamish's and which was Sarah's.
Towards the end I found it to get boring. I did finish it just so I could see what happened but it wasn't as enjoyable as the first half. I don't know why it changed but I felt like it did. It was still bearable and the ending was quite obvious, I knew how it was going to end about half-way. Getting there was still fun though.
It was a great first novel for Nicole Alexander and I can't wait to read her next book.
The start of this was amazing. I loved how she managed to tell two stories and each read differently. You could tell, without needing names, which story was Hamish's and which was Sarah's.
Towards the end I found it to get boring. I did finish it just so I could see what happened but it wasn't as enjoyable as the first half. I don't know why it changed but I felt like it did. It was still bearable and the ending was quite obvious, I knew how it was going to end about half-way. Getting there was still fun though.
It was a great first novel for Nicole Alexander and I can't wait to read her next book.
July 15, 2010
Past and present interweave in a story that traces the Gordon family from the arrival of Scottish immigrant Hamish Gordon in the 1850s to the life of his great-granddaughter Sarah, on their family property, Wangallon, in the Australian bush.
I was lucky enough to see this debut fiction novel before it was published. An engrossing multi-generational saga set around Wangallon, the Gordon family homestead, this multi-layered story of romance, risk and family secrets by Nicole Alexander, 'Australia's Newest Bush Storyteller', is highly recommended.
I was lucky enough to see this debut fiction novel before it was published. An engrossing multi-generational saga set around Wangallon, the Gordon family homestead, this multi-layered story of romance, risk and family secrets by Nicole Alexander, 'Australia's Newest Bush Storyteller', is highly recommended.
October 29, 2015
Not a bad Rural Romance. As usual the main character, Sarah, was a bit of pain. But the background story from 186? onwards was a lovely lead into the present day. Never found out where the title of the book came from tho'.
July 26, 2016
Read this before I used Goodreads and just remember when I saw another book by the same author.
I remember liking the current romance, but not being a fan of the past stories that were put in as flashbacks. I like my stories to focus on one main couple/story.
I remember liking the current romance, but not being a fan of the past stories that were put in as flashbacks. I like my stories to focus on one main couple/story.
November 27, 2013
Sarah Gordon grew up a farm girl. Life on Wangallon Homestead, her family's sheep and cattle station in north-west NSW, is one of hard work, dust and, sometimes, death, but growing up in the 80s, Sarah knows it's home and doesn't think of the future much. Her older brother Cameron will inherit, according to the family patriarch, her grandfather Angus Gordon. Angus has inherited his own father's determination and arrogance, and doesn't see his own son, Sarah's father Ronald, a worthy successor. But Angus is a meddler, and when he hires Anthony - first as a jackaroo and later as station manager - he already plans for him and Sarah to marry, to keep it all in the family.
And then tragedy strikes: young Cameron is killed while riding his horse, and Sarah learns he was only her half-brother. Her mother, Sue, had an affair with a wool grader. It doesn't change her love for Cameron, but her mother seems to hate her and she feels like even her grandfather considers her second-best and not worthy of Wangallon. Angus is determined to pass the station down to a Gordon, and her brother wasn't even a real Gordon! Having finished high school, Sarah leaves Wangallon for life in Sydney as a photographer, where she meets Jeremy, a yuppy accountant who offers her a very different way of life.
But her grandfather calls her back to the station time and again, even after her parents pack up and move to the Gold Coast. It's just Angus and Anthony on Wangallon now, and Angus lays out his plans for Sarah: she can inherit Wangallon, but she has to move back to the land and marry Anthony. His heavy-handed, dictatorial approach only alienates her further, and Sarah's convinced Anthony knows all about it and doesn't trust her attraction to him, or his to her. She doesn't know her own heart, and baulks at the idea of moving back to Wangallon if only because her grandfather demands it. It will take more than a directive from Angus to clear up the doubt and anguish in Sarah's heart.
Alongside Sarah's story, which takes place between the years 1982 and 1987, is the story of Wangallon Homestead itself, which is the story of her great-grandfather, Hamish Gordon. Having left Scotland in anger with his younger brother Charlie following in 1854, he ends up in the gold fields of Victoria, struggling to strike it rich. After his brother dies, Hamish embarks on a new plan: to steal a lot of sheep (a common enough occurrence), establish his own farm and become a big landowner. His plan includes marrying Rose, a young woman in the nearby small town in New South Wales, but their marriage is a cold, unfriendly one and they never see eye-to-eye. It is a hard life, in rural Australia in the mid-1800s, and it takes its toll on Rose, while Hamish has his eye on a girl he saw once in Sydney.
It is Rose's story as much as it is Hamish's and Sarah's, a story about the deep connections forged between individuals and the unique Australian land, shaped by humans but never conquered. It is a story about love and loyalty, about belonging, identity, and following the heart.
It is partly my own fault that I struggled with this novel, and partly the novel's fault for being a bit sluggish. I had just arrived back in Australia after nearly eight years overseas, and was eager to try a Rural Romance. I'd seen plenty of them reviewed on other blogs, and they have very distinctive covers - covers just like this one. And when I read the blurb, I read it through a "rural romance" lens, and ended up misinterpreting it. This is a case of a book misrepresenting itself, and it all comes down to the cover. Covers not only serve to catch the eye; they also give browsers a quick, instant genre label. Every genre has its own style, and while the styles change over the decades, and there's room for movement within a style, they still scream "ROMANCE!" or "FANTASY!" or "YA!" or "MYSTERY-THRILLER!" and so on. Even literary, or general fiction, books abide by this, and you'll have noticed that books that publishers think will appeal more to women readers have covers that they think will appeal more to women (the downside being that men will never pick up the book). So this book has a Rural Romance cover, and that's what I thought I was getting: a romance, set in rural Australia.
The setting is correct, but this isn't a romance. It's fiction, a blend of contemporary and historical. It's also long - too long - and rather slow. While Alexander successfully conjures up the setting, especially Australia in the 1860s, the 1980s was too often a messy, vague picture in my head. I found the writing to be a bit weak at times, especially in Sarah's chapters. The story was much stronger in the 1860s setting, for some reason. I was much more invested in Hamish and Rose's story than I was in Sarah's. Hamish was a bit of a scary character, and I totally felt for Rose, who was separated from her daughter Elizabeth and who struggled with loneliness and depression on Wangallon Homestead. Hers is a tragic story, but while Hamish's side of the story helped explain Angus, the son he had when he was rather old, Rose's story doesn't really add anything to Sarah's.
I never came to like Sarah very much. In fact, I never really understood her. She was one of those frustratingly stubborn heroines who would get the bit between the teeth and that was it. There was no chemistry between her and Jeremy, and none between her and Anthony. Anthony was one of the most likeable characters in the whole story, if perhaps the only likeable character. But he's not very well developed, there isn't much to his character aside from being a good station manager.
There's quite a lot going on in this story, which concentrates around family dynamics, the mistakes of the past and lost love. Sue, Sarah's grumpy mother, has a fair bit in common with Rose, but aside from the characters feeling reasonably realistic and true to life, I never felt particularly empathetic with any of them. I even had trouble remembering some of their names - and there aren't many characters to remember. Sarah's trip to Scotland towards the end of the novel was a bit messy and slipped into cliché-land, and didn't add much to Sarah's character at all. I found her hollow and confusing. I never understood what her problem was, really, because she was never able to reflect on it, articulate it or show it. It was all rather frustrating.
Where the story is strongest is, as I mentioned, in the chapters set in the 1800s, Rose and Hamish's story. It's quite dark at times, and there's a palpable sense of tension and even a brooding kind of threat in the air. Hamish is rather merciless and ruthless and doesn't stop at having people killed to serve his own ends. The period settling is recreated convincingly and realistically. I found it a bit implausible that Angus would be Hamish's son, not because Hamish would be incapable of having a kid in, what, 1901? when he was in his 70s perhaps? But because his wife would have been too old, especially in those days. The dates and ages didn't quite add up, a niggling detail that bothered me throughout. Maybe, instead of the 1980s, Sarah should have been growing up a couple of decades earlier, and Angus born earlier.
While the history of Wangallon and Hamish's story added a bit of depth to Sarah's story, Sarah's story added nothing to Hamish and Rose's story. I found Sarah's story to be slow, long-winded, and rather dull. She's a self-indulgent sort of character, and that's a big put-off for me. For a debut novel, The Bark Cutters is rather ambitious and only half-successful; it doesn't make me inclined to read the next book in the Gordon family saga, A Changing Land - the story of Wangallon is quite interesting, but I've had enough of Sarah.
And then tragedy strikes: young Cameron is killed while riding his horse, and Sarah learns he was only her half-brother. Her mother, Sue, had an affair with a wool grader. It doesn't change her love for Cameron, but her mother seems to hate her and she feels like even her grandfather considers her second-best and not worthy of Wangallon. Angus is determined to pass the station down to a Gordon, and her brother wasn't even a real Gordon! Having finished high school, Sarah leaves Wangallon for life in Sydney as a photographer, where she meets Jeremy, a yuppy accountant who offers her a very different way of life.
But her grandfather calls her back to the station time and again, even after her parents pack up and move to the Gold Coast. It's just Angus and Anthony on Wangallon now, and Angus lays out his plans for Sarah: she can inherit Wangallon, but she has to move back to the land and marry Anthony. His heavy-handed, dictatorial approach only alienates her further, and Sarah's convinced Anthony knows all about it and doesn't trust her attraction to him, or his to her. She doesn't know her own heart, and baulks at the idea of moving back to Wangallon if only because her grandfather demands it. It will take more than a directive from Angus to clear up the doubt and anguish in Sarah's heart.
Alongside Sarah's story, which takes place between the years 1982 and 1987, is the story of Wangallon Homestead itself, which is the story of her great-grandfather, Hamish Gordon. Having left Scotland in anger with his younger brother Charlie following in 1854, he ends up in the gold fields of Victoria, struggling to strike it rich. After his brother dies, Hamish embarks on a new plan: to steal a lot of sheep (a common enough occurrence), establish his own farm and become a big landowner. His plan includes marrying Rose, a young woman in the nearby small town in New South Wales, but their marriage is a cold, unfriendly one and they never see eye-to-eye. It is a hard life, in rural Australia in the mid-1800s, and it takes its toll on Rose, while Hamish has his eye on a girl he saw once in Sydney.
It is Rose's story as much as it is Hamish's and Sarah's, a story about the deep connections forged between individuals and the unique Australian land, shaped by humans but never conquered. It is a story about love and loyalty, about belonging, identity, and following the heart.
It is partly my own fault that I struggled with this novel, and partly the novel's fault for being a bit sluggish. I had just arrived back in Australia after nearly eight years overseas, and was eager to try a Rural Romance. I'd seen plenty of them reviewed on other blogs, and they have very distinctive covers - covers just like this one. And when I read the blurb, I read it through a "rural romance" lens, and ended up misinterpreting it. This is a case of a book misrepresenting itself, and it all comes down to the cover. Covers not only serve to catch the eye; they also give browsers a quick, instant genre label. Every genre has its own style, and while the styles change over the decades, and there's room for movement within a style, they still scream "ROMANCE!" or "FANTASY!" or "YA!" or "MYSTERY-THRILLER!" and so on. Even literary, or general fiction, books abide by this, and you'll have noticed that books that publishers think will appeal more to women readers have covers that they think will appeal more to women (the downside being that men will never pick up the book). So this book has a Rural Romance cover, and that's what I thought I was getting: a romance, set in rural Australia.
The setting is correct, but this isn't a romance. It's fiction, a blend of contemporary and historical. It's also long - too long - and rather slow. While Alexander successfully conjures up the setting, especially Australia in the 1860s, the 1980s was too often a messy, vague picture in my head. I found the writing to be a bit weak at times, especially in Sarah's chapters. The story was much stronger in the 1860s setting, for some reason. I was much more invested in Hamish and Rose's story than I was in Sarah's. Hamish was a bit of a scary character, and I totally felt for Rose, who was separated from her daughter Elizabeth and who struggled with loneliness and depression on Wangallon Homestead. Hers is a tragic story, but while Hamish's side of the story helped explain Angus, the son he had when he was rather old, Rose's story doesn't really add anything to Sarah's.
I never came to like Sarah very much. In fact, I never really understood her. She was one of those frustratingly stubborn heroines who would get the bit between the teeth and that was it. There was no chemistry between her and Jeremy, and none between her and Anthony. Anthony was one of the most likeable characters in the whole story, if perhaps the only likeable character. But he's not very well developed, there isn't much to his character aside from being a good station manager.
There's quite a lot going on in this story, which concentrates around family dynamics, the mistakes of the past and lost love. Sue, Sarah's grumpy mother, has a fair bit in common with Rose, but aside from the characters feeling reasonably realistic and true to life, I never felt particularly empathetic with any of them. I even had trouble remembering some of their names - and there aren't many characters to remember. Sarah's trip to Scotland towards the end of the novel was a bit messy and slipped into cliché-land, and didn't add much to Sarah's character at all. I found her hollow and confusing. I never understood what her problem was, really, because she was never able to reflect on it, articulate it or show it. It was all rather frustrating.
Where the story is strongest is, as I mentioned, in the chapters set in the 1800s, Rose and Hamish's story. It's quite dark at times, and there's a palpable sense of tension and even a brooding kind of threat in the air. Hamish is rather merciless and ruthless and doesn't stop at having people killed to serve his own ends. The period settling is recreated convincingly and realistically. I found it a bit implausible that Angus would be Hamish's son, not because Hamish would be incapable of having a kid in, what, 1901? when he was in his 70s perhaps? But because his wife would have been too old, especially in those days. The dates and ages didn't quite add up, a niggling detail that bothered me throughout. Maybe, instead of the 1980s, Sarah should have been growing up a couple of decades earlier, and Angus born earlier.
While the history of Wangallon and Hamish's story added a bit of depth to Sarah's story, Sarah's story added nothing to Hamish and Rose's story. I found Sarah's story to be slow, long-winded, and rather dull. She's a self-indulgent sort of character, and that's a big put-off for me. For a debut novel, The Bark Cutters is rather ambitious and only half-successful; it doesn't make me inclined to read the next book in the Gordon family saga, A Changing Land - the story of Wangallon is quite interesting, but I've had enough of Sarah.
September 7, 2019
I read this book some time ago and just found the paperback today clean out my box of books. The story come back to me as a great family saga in the great Australian outback. The book flips from the present to the past as we get to read both Hamish's and Sarah’s story that intertwines from the Scottish highlands 1850’s to Wangallon in the Australian outback as three generations make there make of the Gordon Family homestead.
Sarah Gordon lived and love the family property, she loved to work on the land and she was a hard worker for a female. But tragedy strikes her grandfather Angus Gordon passes the management of the property the families former jackeroo come manager of the Wangallon station Anthony Carrington. Sarah has been overlooked as the new caretaker of this great property as it’s the old way of thinking her Grandfather believes is the right thing to do.
Dishearted Sarah left her home and moved to the big city of Sydney but the pull to return to the place she loves and possibly to the plan her Grandfather has made for her?
As I have refreshed myself with this book I have learned that there is a sequel that I will be checking out very soon. As there is nothing like sinking yourself into a great family saga set in the Australian outback.
Sarah Gordon lived and love the family property, she loved to work on the land and she was a hard worker for a female. But tragedy strikes her grandfather Angus Gordon passes the management of the property the families former jackeroo come manager of the Wangallon station Anthony Carrington. Sarah has been overlooked as the new caretaker of this great property as it’s the old way of thinking her Grandfather believes is the right thing to do.
Dishearted Sarah left her home and moved to the big city of Sydney but the pull to return to the place she loves and possibly to the plan her Grandfather has made for her?
As I have refreshed myself with this book I have learned that there is a sequel that I will be checking out very soon. As there is nothing like sinking yourself into a great family saga set in the Australian outback.
October 27, 2017
The Bark Cutters by Nicole Alexander is the story of three generations of graziers. Nicole Alexander writes with great understanding about life on the land. The story has all the things I love, family secrets, romance, and the Australian bush. The story is linked by Hamish Gordon a Scottish immigrant who settles in north eastern New South Wales in the 1850’s and his present day great-granddaughter Sarah. I love stories that interweave the past and the present and the storyline kept me turning the pages. The Bark Cutters is an exceptional story from a wonderful storyteller. Highly recommended.
July 31, 2019
The Bark Cutters is about a family with Scottish heritage, who built up a property in New South Wales by any means available to hand down through generations. With this came many problems for the family members running the sheep station. As the book goes through it twists and turns it swaps between the stories of Hamish, Angus, Ronald, and Sarah Gordon, being the four generations on the property, and Anthony the manager (and Sarah's eventual fiancé), who have some say in how the station is run at different periods in time. There is a lot of loss and heartache, but the property that is Wangallon Station always seems to draw them back to the bush.
September 20, 2018
I found this book to be poorly written - confusing descriptions/imagery that were difficult to follow, details frequently skimmed over, a writing style that came across as more of a recount of events than a story.
I finished this book as I was on holidays with no other books. Would not recommend, sadly.
I finished this book as I was on holidays with no other books. Would not recommend, sadly.
July 15, 2024
Sarah Gordon has always loved her home Wangallon and would one day hope to inherit it. However after her beloved brother's death she's had to get away.
After Cameron's death she finds that the management has passed to Anthony Carrington, who was once the jackaroo.
Sarah has a promising career as a photographer and happy with her boyfriend Jeremy but her heart is back on Wangallon
After Cameron's death she finds that the management has passed to Anthony Carrington, who was once the jackaroo.
Sarah has a promising career as a photographer and happy with her boyfriend Jeremy but her heart is back on Wangallon
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2022
Well written and evocative, but very slow moving.
Unfortunately, I could see the twists from very early on. Skipped to the end to confirm.
I’m sure many readers would enjoy this novel.
It just wasn’t right for me at the moment.
Unfortunately, I could see the twists from very early on. Skipped to the end to confirm.
I’m sure many readers would enjoy this novel.
It just wasn’t right for me at the moment.
December 19, 2022
I really enjoyed this family story.
I was invested in the characters & both storylines - past & present flowed nicely.
I look forward to the conclusion in the next book.
X - for my A-Z Authors challenge, now completed for 2022.
I was invested in the characters & both storylines - past & present flowed nicely.
I look forward to the conclusion in the next book.
X - for my A-Z Authors challenge, now completed for 2022.
September 16, 2025
The Bark Cutter is a gripping family saga that centres around a family property. Past and prsent interweave in a story that traces the Gordon family from the arrival of Scottish immigrant Hamish Gordon in the 1850s to the life of his great-granddaughter Sarah.
April 18, 2018
Karen suggested this book, so far so good.
June 9, 2019
A great read. The story was back and forth from the 1850's to the 1980's and I must admit that the flashbacks were long, which made it feel like you were actually reading two books at once IYKWIM
August 9, 2019
Absolutely loved this book, can’t wait to read the sequel. Easy to read and living on the land myself I could totally relate.
May 4, 2020
great Story, Hard to put down
May 19, 2020
Beautiful!!! what a lovely, lovely book.
July 5, 2020
Great story line. Australian as I love, it just couldn’t get into it. I couldn’t finish it. Not sure what the problem was just not a fan of this writer.
January 24, 2022
I've got a pile of books to read by Australian female authors. After reading this one, I ordered the sequel from the library.
Definitely an Australian saga!
Definitely an Australian saga!
July 26, 2022
Quite good. Now to read the next one.
Read
October 10, 2023Kindle
March 4, 2017
This was a great book and gave wonderful insight into Colonial living in the early years of Australia as well as going forward to more recent times in the same area.
July 2, 2013
This is a fascinating if somewhat slow story of two strong characters in Australia’s bush history. The past and present are interwoven in the family saga of the Gordon family. Beginning with the painful story of Scottish, Hamish Gordon, who immigrated to Australia in the 1850s to the life of his great-granddaughter Sarah, on their family property, Wangallon, in the magical bush of north eastern New South Wales.
The growing up of Sarah is the focus of this saga and the influence of her Grand-father, Angus is strongest on Sarah. She adores her older brother Cameron who is the apple of his dysfunctional parents’ eyes. The story is further enhanced by the arrival of Anthony, an excellent jackeroo of Cameron’s age and Sarah now has two heroes to worship.
This is an accurate and fascinating tale of the love of the land and the obsession of dynasty which will fracture a family and yet build and strengthen the love of two young people.
Available: Amazon, Google Play, Book Depository
The growing up of Sarah is the focus of this saga and the influence of her Grand-father, Angus is strongest on Sarah. She adores her older brother Cameron who is the apple of his dysfunctional parents’ eyes. The story is further enhanced by the arrival of Anthony, an excellent jackeroo of Cameron’s age and Sarah now has two heroes to worship.
This is an accurate and fascinating tale of the love of the land and the obsession of dynasty which will fracture a family and yet build and strengthen the love of two young people.
Available: Amazon, Google Play, Book Depository
September 8, 2013
This is an interesting tale of a 19th century migrant from Scotland whose creation of a dynasty is through questionable means. The ramifications of Hamish's early life and marital history affects the family when the story moves to the 1980s. Descriptions of life on the land in the late twentieth century is combined with complex relationships to hold this reader's interest. Sarah the 20th century protagonist is an interesting character who eventually decides just who she is. Nicole Alexander demonstrates her own love of country life through her story-telling.
Spelling errors do annoy me; eg flem for phlegm.
Spelling errors do annoy me; eg flem for phlegm.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews