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Adam's Empire
From Publishers Weekly
The protagonist of this robust and sprawling saga set in the untamed Australia of the first half of this century is a true child of the outback. Orphaned at age nine, at home under the stars, completely unschooled, Adam uses his fists and his wits to rise from poverty to prosperity. He befriends an aborigine, performs dangerous work in the opal mines, falls in love with a sensual half-caste, has a run-in with a murderous policeman, marries a cold and manipulative beauty and finally treks west to carve himself an empire. This striking first novel tells a colorful and entertaining story, vividly evoking a vigorous, multiethnic society and a beautiful, diverse, often dangerous land. Green is a journalist and the author of Alice to Nowhere.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Nine-year old Adam is orphaned when his father is buried during an Australian desert sandstorm. A childhood of roaming the outback with his father's drilling partner instills in him a fierce determination to have a place of his own. In this fast-paced, gripping saga, the reader follows the hard-working Adam and his mates, Jimmy, the practical aboriginal, and Josef, the impetuous young German immigrant, from the opal mines to the desert. They feint with death in mine disasters, at the hands of Mailey, the revenge-seeking law officer, and in the ravages of flash floods. A more deadly threat for Adam is his beautiful, calculating, near-mad wife, but a seductive half-caste woman lends her own type of danger to all of the men. Essential for most fiction collections. Joan Hinkemeyer, Englewood P.L., Col.
The protagonist of this robust and sprawling saga set in the untamed Australia of the first half of this century is a true child of the outback. Orphaned at age nine, at home under the stars, completely unschooled, Adam uses his fists and his wits to rise from poverty to prosperity. He befriends an aborigine, performs dangerous work in the opal mines, falls in love with a sensual half-caste, has a run-in with a murderous policeman, marries a cold and manipulative beauty and finally treks west to carve himself an empire. This striking first novel tells a colorful and entertaining story, vividly evoking a vigorous, multiethnic society and a beautiful, diverse, often dangerous land. Green is a journalist and the author of Alice to Nowhere.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Nine-year old Adam is orphaned when his father is buried during an Australian desert sandstorm. A childhood of roaming the outback with his father's drilling partner instills in him a fierce determination to have a place of his own. In this fast-paced, gripping saga, the reader follows the hard-working Adam and his mates, Jimmy, the practical aboriginal, and Josef, the impetuous young German immigrant, from the opal mines to the desert. They feint with death in mine disasters, at the hands of Mailey, the revenge-seeking law officer, and in the ravages of flash floods. A more deadly threat for Adam is his beautiful, calculating, near-mad wife, but a seductive half-caste woman lends her own type of danger to all of the men. Essential for most fiction collections. Joan Hinkemeyer, Englewood P.L., Col.
764 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 17, 2009
Excellent look at Australia at the turn of the 20th century and the hardships of the outback. But, geez, Adam's wife really frustrated me. I wanted to slap her so many times that when she did I was cheering! A damned good read.
December 5, 2013
This is a beautiful story. The characters have such depth and yet the story is quite a simple one. I never fail to marvel at how Green gets inside the head of each one of his characters and makes them so true.
Yes, this is an Australian story but if you're like me and usually suffer from cultural cringe, please put it aside for this book.
I admit I read Kalinda before I read this book, but that was years ago so I'm looking forward to reading Kalinda again. I'm one of those lucky people who can get hold of a copy.
Yes, this is an Australian story but if you're like me and usually suffer from cultural cringe, please put it aside for this book.
I admit I read Kalinda before I read this book, but that was years ago so I'm looking forward to reading Kalinda again. I'm one of those lucky people who can get hold of a copy.
August 25, 2025
Well written, something I wouldn’t usually read but still enjoyed it. Adam’s wife was really something…
November 27, 2018
Gotta say I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I expected a sexist male-centric white-centric story about an Australian cowboy. I actually got a fascinating, well woven and gripping character study of a complicated man and other characters in the Australian outback as well. I loved it and moved right into the sequel, Kalinda, to keep up with the characters I’d become super interested in.
September 10, 2018
The story takes you from New South Wales to Western Australia and onto the shores of Lake Eyre. A fascinating story of dogged determination, calculated cruelty, racial discrimination and plain greed. The descriptions of the landscapes are captivating, and make you understand more fully the diversity of our country. A really worthwhile read.
February 8, 2023
Very interesting, eye opening and informative read about the harsh realitiesof life in outback Australia. Glad to see there is a sequel to this as I felt that the story hadn't finished and I really feel invested in the outcome of Adam, Jimmy And Josef bur not so much his wife Heather. well characterised and a real page turner with a proper moving storyline.
July 17, 2017
Great story & great characters. I loved this book, strong characters and evocative descriptions really brought it to life. Adam, Josef and Jimmy all grow up as you journey through the book and follow their lives. Heather, the woman you like on meeting but grow to despise. All in all a great read.
November 30, 2022
fantastic story telling
Couldn’t put it down.
Really enjoyable read. You get lost in the story with the characters, consistent twists, turns, highs and lows, love lost and found, Australian history and geography.
Recommended for all readers.
Couldn’t put it down.
Really enjoyable read. You get lost in the story with the characters, consistent twists, turns, highs and lows, love lost and found, Australian history and geography.
Recommended for all readers.
March 2, 2017
This book is what it says it is. It is unashamedly romantic and quite simple in its values but its a great read, a nice story, with a happy ending.
I shall be looking out for the sequel.
I shall be looking out for the sequel.
November 10, 2019
Absolutely loved this book - followed it up immediately with 'Kalinda' - 2 of the best books I've read for a long time.
November 15, 2019
3.5 Stars
January 21, 2020
Not a sub-genre I touch on much, but an engaging read.
November 18, 2021
I got so into it! Had the audio book and found myself screaming at the phone at the characters.
Great book.
Heather is the most annoying woman in the world.
Worth a read
Great book.
Heather is the most annoying woman in the world.
Worth a read
November 27, 2022
Excellent
September 7, 2025
Lovely book full of adventure! you learn about Australia in the 20s and get absorbed from the beginning in Adam's life. Reccomend for an easy and entertaining read :)
August 13, 2026
Will read again.
Read this book multiple times. Very enjoyable. Looking forward to the sequel.
I can’t think of anything else to write.
Read this book multiple times. Very enjoyable. Looking forward to the sequel.
I can’t think of anything else to write.
December 10, 2009
recommended by mom, i put down another book that i had lost interest in and decided to give adam a go.
so far i am up to about chapter 8, about page 140, and am neither enjoying nor unejoying it (if there's such a word).
the first chapters suck you in with the story of how a little boy and his dad get stuck out in the desert and after a huge storm the boy wakes to find his dad dead.
the next few chapters must be plot building and scene setting and all that character defining part of the book....
done with book one, heading well on through book two... there's been some violence and blood loss, a bit of opal theivery, and the typical sex with your best friend's girl, to liven the story up a touch. if book one was about character building and scene setting, then book two is building the story... adam's life plods slowly along till he meets the love of his life, whom he falls for and subsequently marries, but then she turns out to be the biggest prude on the face of the earth and refuses to sex him!
so book two (page 335 mind you) is kinda plodding only slightly faster, at the moment through day four of adam's honeymoon - of - no - fun.
i keep waiting for the explosive, exciting moment that the book just hooks me in and smashes me around in the vortex of an enrapturing story... but as yet no explosions.
don't get me wrong, it's a good boook so far, but i'm having no trouble putting it down. i wanna not be able to put it down.............
ok so the last book ends up being a poor disguise for just another love story happy ever after ending.
i guess it got a little exciting with people going everywhere and danger threatening all, but i found it a little drawn out - i pretty much got the point about adam's wife being a nagging mental head, the story began to nag at me also when it should have been wrapping up it was still going on about her nonsense. (did evan green the author get seriously burnt by a nagging bitch or does he just imagine the "bad" one to be that way? i dunno)
the end of the story was a bit like falling off the edge of a cliff..... it just stopped. after all that she just disappeared into thin air so to speak... (well, sunk in the mud anyway) it was almost like the author ran out of ideas on ways to get rid of her so the ending could be the happy happy joy joy love story ending, and so just gave up and drowned her with no one looking and no one being there to help. a bit of an anti climax....
but in all a quite enjoyable read nonetheless.
so far i am up to about chapter 8, about page 140, and am neither enjoying nor unejoying it (if there's such a word).
the first chapters suck you in with the story of how a little boy and his dad get stuck out in the desert and after a huge storm the boy wakes to find his dad dead.
the next few chapters must be plot building and scene setting and all that character defining part of the book....
done with book one, heading well on through book two... there's been some violence and blood loss, a bit of opal theivery, and the typical sex with your best friend's girl, to liven the story up a touch. if book one was about character building and scene setting, then book two is building the story... adam's life plods slowly along till he meets the love of his life, whom he falls for and subsequently marries, but then she turns out to be the biggest prude on the face of the earth and refuses to sex him!
so book two (page 335 mind you) is kinda plodding only slightly faster, at the moment through day four of adam's honeymoon - of - no - fun.
i keep waiting for the explosive, exciting moment that the book just hooks me in and smashes me around in the vortex of an enrapturing story... but as yet no explosions.
don't get me wrong, it's a good boook so far, but i'm having no trouble putting it down. i wanna not be able to put it down.............
ok so the last book ends up being a poor disguise for just another love story happy ever after ending.
i guess it got a little exciting with people going everywhere and danger threatening all, but i found it a little drawn out - i pretty much got the point about adam's wife being a nagging mental head, the story began to nag at me also when it should have been wrapping up it was still going on about her nonsense. (did evan green the author get seriously burnt by a nagging bitch or does he just imagine the "bad" one to be that way? i dunno)
the end of the story was a bit like falling off the edge of a cliff..... it just stopped. after all that she just disappeared into thin air so to speak... (well, sunk in the mud anyway) it was almost like the author ran out of ideas on ways to get rid of her so the ending could be the happy happy joy joy love story ending, and so just gave up and drowned her with no one looking and no one being there to help. a bit of an anti climax....
but in all a quite enjoyable read nonetheless.
February 8, 2017
I enjoyed this book, although it is very different to what I normally read. I tend to go for literary fiction, whereas this is much more plot driven than I'm used to. To my mind, literary fiction uses form (structure, prose, characterisation) itself as a part of the creation. Plot driven novels don't place a great emphasis on form, but take those elements as given, set their characters in motion and describe the events as they unfold. The consequence of Adam's Empire being so focused on plot was that when it became slow or predictable, I quickly found I stopped enjoying it. Fortunately this only happened in book 3 and the second part of book 5, both of which I found rather predictable and thus somewhat tedious to read. Unfortunately, book 5 is the final book of the novel and so it didn't end on a high point for me.
The prose is mostly clear and describes the action well. Only very occasionally is it witty or lyrical, however. The greatest stylistic weakness is really the dialogue, which is often pretty heavy on exposition and often seems unrealistic or clunky. The characterisation is also rather weak, with most of the characters not developing much, and some of the characters' attributes seemingly evaporating as the story progresses. As a consequence, each of them - maybe apart from Adam himself - could be summed up by one word by the end of the story - mad, gullible, impulsive, etc.
I chose to take the problematic politics of the novel as reflective of the time in which it was set. It's certainly the case that women didn't have many choices open to them at that time other than manipulation, compromise or destitution, however many readers might have put the book dow non the basis that it is misogynistic, which would certainly be a fair response, I think. The treatment of Indigenous Australians is stronger, and the depiction of racism, while sometimes harrowing, didn't generally feel gratuitous or exploitative.
I can't seem myself picking up the sequel to this book, but I did enjoy the brief departure from my normal reading habits.
The prose is mostly clear and describes the action well. Only very occasionally is it witty or lyrical, however. The greatest stylistic weakness is really the dialogue, which is often pretty heavy on exposition and often seems unrealistic or clunky. The characterisation is also rather weak, with most of the characters not developing much, and some of the characters' attributes seemingly evaporating as the story progresses. As a consequence, each of them - maybe apart from Adam himself - could be summed up by one word by the end of the story - mad, gullible, impulsive, etc.
I chose to take the problematic politics of the novel as reflective of the time in which it was set. It's certainly the case that women didn't have many choices open to them at that time other than manipulation, compromise or destitution, however many readers might have put the book dow non the basis that it is misogynistic, which would certainly be a fair response, I think. The treatment of Indigenous Australians is stronger, and the depiction of racism, while sometimes harrowing, didn't generally feel gratuitous or exploitative.
I can't seem myself picking up the sequel to this book, but I did enjoy the brief departure from my normal reading habits.
December 31, 2012
Defined as a macho Aussie romance, set in the Outback during the 20's and 30's, involving a love triangle between empire-builder Adam Ross; his parched wife, Heather; and his half-aboriginal lover, Nellie.
Definitely the male side of romance, with a beery, blustering tone and full-bodied characters who do engage; slow-moving, however, and a trifle long.
Definitely the male side of romance, with a beery, blustering tone and full-bodied characters who do engage; slow-moving, however, and a trifle long.
January 22, 2011
just loved this book a real aussie story
January 19, 2013
Loved this story...so Australian!!! The kindle version however is full of typos which was very annoying!!!
May 6, 2014
Ödets vindar.
December 11, 2014
Quite a good read, have read previously.
June 24, 2017
Very entertaining Australian outback story
February 8, 2016
Quite a good tale.
Lots of adventure.
Character Heather reminds me of someone once close to me.
Lots of adventure.
Character Heather reminds me of someone once close to me.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews