Review: A Far-Flung Life by M.L Stedman

* Copy courtesy of Penguin Random House *

A Far-Flung Life by M.L Stedman is going to be in My Top 5 Books of 2026 list, without a doubt. I finished it last month and I still have a long reading year ahead of me but this Australian historical fiction novel blew me away.

Stedman begins this family saga with the history of the MacBride family who took up country in Western Australia (WA) in the 1800s and established Meredith Downs; an outback sheep station. We join the current MacBride family in 1958 and the author provides an excellent overview of the brutal and unforgiving landscape, describing the fierce nature of the heat, the sun, the wind and the rain and their power to both nurture and destroy.

"Everything that can do you good can also do you harm here - that's just the way of it." Page 7*

The MacBrides have worked the land for generations and family is everything, so when an unexpected tragedy takes place - mentioned in the blurb - the trajectory of their lives takes a dramatic turn. A Far-Flung Life is a generational family saga about life, love, purpose and family that also carries more than its fair share of secrets, heartbreak and loss.

Somehow the beauty of the landscape, the ever present demands of Meredith Downs and the resilience of the characters prevent the narrative from becoming too bleak or dispiriting. By contrast, I felt hopeful, optimistic and energised by the steadfast and inspiring characters doing their best to move forward.

As a kid, my family lived in outback New South Wales for 2 years and we had friends who owned vast sheep stations so I read about the diaries and ledgers of Meredith Downs with great interest.

"There are the ledgers; the wool returns; the vermin records; the Field Book of Meteorological Observations for the Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne; the cricket score books; and the little greasy shearing tally books stained with lanolin from pulling them in and out of a shirt pocket as you count the wool clip run by run, shed by shed, day by day." Page 49

Diaries are kept of every day events including sheep bought or sold, new motor vehicles, paddock rotations, staff changes and more to enable the station to provide information to the tax man, Lands Department or Undersecretary for Lands in the case of drought relief.

In addition to being character-driven, the novel seems to be a deep reflection on the inevitable passage of time and its impact on the landscape and the people who inhabit it.

"On any old outback property, you can see them, the skeletons of dreams. Houses long abandoned, windmills rusting, fence posts splintered, tank stands collapsed: every one of them was once a hopeful beginning." Page 64

The ready understanding that many generations have been before us and we will soon join them in history is something I love about Ken Follett's novels. He also writes about the passage of time and the evolution of families from generation to generation and it was brilliant to read such an accomplished Australian point of view of our colonial history.

"Every wreck, every ruin is the vestige of a dream, lasting long after the body of its dreamer has been received back into the earth with love or remorse or indifference." Page 64-65

A Far-Flung Life is being promoted by the publisher as 'the biggest Australian novel of the year' and I wholeheartedly agree. I was moved by the characters and their individual plight, and felt a genuine connection to Meredith Downs despite being a proud city dweller and reading this at sea while on a cruise.

In 2012, I read and reviewed The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman and gave it a glowing 5 star review. In an interview with Good Reading recently, I was impressed to read about the detailed level of research Stedman has been conducting since then in order to write A Far-Flung Life and it's definitely been worth the wait. Stedman now has two stellar Australian novels under her belt and I'm sure this is going to be another huge bestseller.

Highly recommended and you can read an EXTRACT here.

* I read an ARC so the page numbers quoted may vary in the final copy.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

I enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab so much that it made My Top 5 Books of 2021 so I decided to give her 2025 release Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil a try. First and foremost, this is a well written historical fiction novel with multiple female character points of view. All three characters eventually intersect in this plot spanning multiple centuries and multiple countries.

Alice is our contemporary character in 2019 and a student at a university in Boston. Feeling adrift, a one night stand changes the course of her life and sets her on a path of regret and revenge. In 1521, Maria is aged 10 years old and living with her family in a small town on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We meet the third character Charlotte/Lottie later in the book and we pick up her backstory from 1827 in London.

This is a character driven book about these three women:

"In fairy tales, big things happen in threes. Three children. Three beds. Three roads. The third bite is poison, the third gift is great, the third door always leads home." Page 338

Now that I've set the scene and have your attention, it's time to drop a bomb... this is a sapphic vampire romance. Yep, you read that right. The paranormal romance genre rarely features in my reading schedule but I took a chance on this based on the strength of the author's writing. And I was right!

The writing in Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is beautiful. The personal challenges and internal struggles faced by all three women kept my attention and the gothic setting was sublime. As they age over decades and centuries, vampires in Schwab's world start to lose touch with the values and characteristics that made them human.

"Now and then, she wakes to find another little corner of her emptied, some aspect crumbled away in sleep. Perhaps it was a shard of insecurity. A sliver of regret. Sabine probes her mind, trying to find the nature of the absence, like a tongue searching for a missing tooth, but never does." Page 265

Schwab addresses the topic I was most interested in when reading the Anne Rice Interview with the Vampire series: what is it like to be immortal? (Don't worry, there are no sparkly vampires here). The author examines the toll it takes on all three of the characters, including the challenges they face maintaining their existence in the world without revealing their secret nature and evading the dangers that pursue them.

This statement from a male vampire to one of our characters reminded me of the relationship between Lestat and Louis:

"If you wish to stay, then you may do so as my guest, and I will be your gracious host. But you will live as I do, by a certain set of rules. There will be no skulking about in shadows, no victims stolen from the street and cast in the canal. I will show you how to savor every soul you take. How to claim space, and bend minds, how to enthrall, enchant, and masquerade. How to be the last one they think of when the bodies go missing." Pages 206-207

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a unique genre-blending novel that defies easy categorisation and will appeal to a range of readers as a result. Straddling historical fiction, fantasy and queer romance and championing strong feminist characters, this book may appeal to you even if you don't like vampire novels. And if you believe books about vampires aren't for you, consider this:

"And here is the awful thing about belief. It is a current, like compulsion. Hard to forge when it goes against your will, but easy enough when it carries you the way you want to go." Page 401

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab is about female agency, love, power, hunger, control, rage and revenge and is highly recommended for Anne Rice fans.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor is based on the real events that took place between 1917 - 1921 when young girls Frances and Elsie from Cottingley in England took photos of themselves with faeries. The cousins aged 9 and 16 respectively, stirred up quite a storm at the time and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed the photographs were genuine. The photographs were the subject of news and magazine articles and Arthur Conan Doyle was so convinced of their authenticity that he published a book in 1922 called The Coming of the Fairies.

In The Cottingley Secret, Hazel Gaynor imagines what might have happened from Frances' point of view and I found her take on the event to be a convincing one. The story is told in dual timelines and in the present day, 35 year old Olivia has travelled back to Ireland to farewell her late grandfather. With fond memories of their time together, he has bequeathed his beloved second hand bookshop Something Old to Olivia. Going through his belongings, she finds a document with hundreds of typed pages entitled Notes on a Fairy Tale by Frances Griffiths.

Written by Frances later in life, it begins when she is just nine and a half years old in Cottingley in Yorkshire in 1917. Frances loves to be outdoors and spends hours at the local creek where she sees real faeries. In Frances' manuscript, she mentions her father going to war and the heartache of not knowing when he is coming home or when WWI will end. When it eventually does end, the grief that follows leads to the rise of spiritualism right across the country. This was a unique period in time where people were looking for more and wanted to believe in faeries, making this an opportune time to pull off the perfect hoax... or was it?

Apart from dropping her collection of sympathy cards received after the passing of her grandfather into the kitchen bin - who DOES that? - Olivia is a likeable character. Her nana has dementia and is in a nursing home and the connection between Frances' manuscript and Olivia's nana and grandfather is a slow reveal.

Olivia's love of books is highly relatable and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the bookshop and it's eventual glow up; I just love a property makeover and this one had a touch of fantasy about it. Admittedly there is a light romance element but for someone who doesn't like romance novels, I was relieved the romance didn't dominate or interfere too much with the narrative.

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor will appeal to readers of historical fiction interested in the case of the Cottingley Fairies and who enjoy mysteries, family secrets and intergenerational connections.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James

Rebecca James is an Australian author and in 2011 and 2013 I enjoyed Beautiful Malice and Sweet Damage respectively. They were both YA novels set in Australia and in this offering she takes us across the seas to England.

Published in 2018, The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James is an historical fiction novel with dual timelines centred around the ominous property of Winterbourne Hall.

In 1947, Alice takes on the role of governess to twins living at Winterbourne Hall, a property situated on the cliffs of Cornwall overlooking the sea.

In present day New York, adopted art gallery curator Rachel knows nothing about her birth parents and is shocked when she learns she's the heir of Winterbourne Hall after the death of her Aunt Constance.

I love books where a building is its own character and we definitely have this in spades here. Winterbourne sits high on the clifftops and dominates the skyline of small town Polcreath, with a dark wood on the other side. One of the characters is filled with wonder when they see Winterbourne for the first time.

"It's hard to imagine a more dramatic facade. The place instantly brings to mind an imposing religious house - a Parisian cathedral, perhaps, decorated with gaping arches and delicate spires. Turrets thrust skyward, and to the east the blunt teeth of a battlement crown remind me of a game of chess. Plunging gargoyles are laced around its many necks, long and thin, jutting, as if leaping from the building's skin. Lancet windows, too many to count, adorn the exterior, and set on the western front is what appears to be a chapel." Page 15

I think it'd be awesome to see this gothic tale adapted for the big screen, even if it's just to see Winterbourne Hall. If you've been following my reviews for a while, you'll know I also love a book with twins and in this case the twins are manipulative and up to no good; perfect for a struggling governess with secrets of her own.

The romantic elements in both timelines were necessary and well-balanced, but it's fair to say they were the parts I connected with the least. Every time we were in a romance thread I found myself wishing we were back with the haunted mirror, the creepy oil painting and the duplicitous twins.

Elements of Alice's fascination with the late mistress of Winterbourne reminded me a lot of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and I wonder if Rebecca is one of the author's favourite books.

The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James is a dark gothic mystery about secrets, inheritance, haunting and a curse and is perfect to read at this time of year.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox

* Copy courtesy of HQ Fiction *

A Magic Deep & Drowning by Hester Fox is a reimagining of The Little Mermaid set in the Dutch Republic in 1650. Sounds amazing and I certainly enjoyed the first section set in what is now the Netherlands. Clara and her maid take a ride in a carriage to see a whale that has washed up on a nearby beach. The daughter of wealthy parents, Clara wonders if the whale is a bad omen but is excited at the news of a betrothal as it means she can finally leave home and establish a household of her own.

On first sight, Clara believes the soon-to-be love interest Maurits could have easily stepped out of the pages of her nursemaid's fairy stories so we know that he's fae. Both characters quickly become besotted with each other and I was rolling my eyes early on with the descriptions of his tidal-pool eyes and the waves of heat that pass between them.

I reviewed The Widow of Pale Harbour by Hester Fox in 2023 and I'm assuming this is the reason the publisher sent me a copy of the author's latest release, A Magic Deep & Drowning. I commented in my 3 star review of The Widow of Pale Harbour that there was too much romance for my liking but here there's even more. In fact, I'd go so far as to call A Magic Deep and Drowning a romantasy or young adult coming of age paranormal romance. It sounds like a mouthful, but this historical romance will appeal to readers familiar with the genre.

This reimagining of The Little Mermaid involves a gender switch and Maurits hails from the Water Kingdom where his people are in turmoil, disgusted by the way humans have overfished the sea to the point of scarcity.

Clara was an adventurous and courageous protagonist keen to accept accountability for the destruction:

"For the first time in her life, she had made a decision herself, one that did not sit precariously on the axis of her own comfort and duty." Page 249

Wanting to atone for the sins of human kind is obviously admirable, but I have no idea why she had to do it while being hungry all the time. Even when there was food to eat, Clara chose to hardly eat any of it which proved annoying.

I kept reading in hopes of returning and dwelling in the bustling streets and canals of 1600s Amsterdam when in hindsight I probably should have set this aside. The overarching message about being better custodians of the land and the sea will appeal to many readers, but A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox is confirmation that romantasy isn't for me.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

* Copy courtesy of Penguin Random House *

The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown is one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2025. The Book of Doors was a reading highlight last year and it made My Top 5 Books of 2024, so naturally I've been eagerly awaiting the author's next endeavour.

The Society of Unknowable Objects is set in present day London and is primarily told by Magda Sparks, with other character points of view shared throughout the novel. Magda has been attending six monthly meetings of the Society hosted by Frank in the basement of his bookshop for several years now.

"For eighty years the Society of Unknowable Objects had existed with a sole purpose: to collect and protect and keep secret the magical items of the world. For forty years no new item had come to light and the world of magical things had been quiet, the Society's collection undisturbed in the hidden recess behind the bookcase." Page 14*

After years of uneventful meetings, news of the emergence of a new magical item comes as a shock. Magda volunteers to meet with the owner and secure the item for the Society, swiftly learning she's not the only person seeking possession of the item.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sheer creativity and imagination with regard to the unknowable objects housed in the Society's collection. The magic is contained in everyday items, like a necklace or a chess piece and their various powers were interesting.

The writing is compelling and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, enticing the reader to continue long after lights out. There's plenty of adventure, action and of course magic, but the romance really bogged down the story for me.

There were moments of dialogue that made me chuckle like this comment from one society member to another:

"I love you, but you're absolutely the model of a modern major pessimist." Page 198*

The characters engaged in clever use of the magical items while constantly acknowledging the danger of the items falling into the wrong hands, which of course some of them do. The origin story of the objects was believable, although the source of the origin story remained a mystery; to me at least.

I noted the slight nod to the science fiction classic Frankenstein - in the desire by the monster for a mate - but I'm relieved to say I enjoyed this book a hell of a lot more.

In fact, The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown would have been a five star read if it wasn't for the heavy romance element and a little too much greenery in the denouement. Gareth Brown is now an 'auto read' author for me and I can't wait to find out where he plans to take his growing fan base in the future.

* I read an uncorrected proof copy, so the page numbers I've quoted may not accurately correspond with the published version.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

The Lost Bookshop by Irish author Evie Woods is historical fiction meets magical realism with lashings of romance. Published in 2023 to great acclaim, the novel unfolds in alternating chapters and features three main characters.

In 1921, Opaline has run away to France to avoid an arranged marriage at the hands of her brother and finds a job working for Shakespeare and Company bookshop. With an eye for buying and selling antiquarian books her overbearing brother is hot on her trail, sending her to an asylum when he catches up with her in Dublin and finds her pregnant out of wedlock.

The contemporary narrative is set in Dublin where Martha escapes an abusive relationship and takes a job working as a housekeeper for the eccentric Mrs Bowden. Henry is a PhD student searching for a rare manuscript and a bookshop he walked into but can never find again when he meets Martha.

All three narratives were first person perspectives and there were many literary references and bookish quotes to keep book lovers turning the pages. I particularly enjoyed this one concerning the motivations of a rare book dealer:

"Never trust a book dealer who lets sentimentality get in the way. I had to own it because there is only one of it in the world - that's all there is to it. If I own it, then no one else can. I have known men to hazard their fortunes, go long journeys halfway about the world, forget friendships, even lie, cheat, and steal, all for the gain of a book." Page 169

The author does an excellent job creating a bookish atmosphere and I longed to browse the aisles of the Shakespeare and Company bookshop in addition to the mysterious shelves of the lost bookshop of the title.

However, there were romantic relationships in all three narratives that quickly grew tiresome. All too often, romance bogs down a far more interesting plot and this was the case for me here. I also found it difficult to accept that both Opaline and Martha would be ready for romance without more breathing time after their respective prior experiences.

There are some significant elements of magical realism in the story - largely focussed around Martha for some inexplicable reason - and most of these were creative and absorbing, but never adequately explained.

At the end there were a number of loose narrative threads that were left unresolved and too many unanswered questions about the true identity of Mrs Bowden when I wanted needed answers.

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods will appeal to book lovers who enjoy historical fiction, magical realism and romance and who don't mind finding the meaning between the lines.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Buried Life by Andrea Goldsmith

* Copy courtesy of Transit Lounge *

Set in contemporary Melbourne, The Buried Life is about three characters who form a connection. Adrian Moore is a university scholar who studies death, Laura is a highly successful town planner and Kezi is a young artist still coming to terms with being shunned by her family for rejecting their religion.

Written by Australian author Andrea Goldsmith, each of the three characters were well fleshed out and really came alive on the page.

We're introduced to 43 year old Adrian on the first page as he reflects on the fact that his university colleagues call him Doctor Death.

"Adrian believed no malice was intended; it was a term of familiarity, like any nickname. And it was accurate: death was his subject. He studied it, he wrote books about it, he lectured on it. As a result of his endeavours, death had yielded up a good many of its stings and mysteries." Page 3

Wow, what an opening paragraph, I was instantly hooked! Adrian's work was fascinating and my sole reason for reading this book. Thankfully this formed a great deal of the content and I enjoyed references to classic works and graveyard poetry in particular. However Adrian is mourning (sorry, couldn't help it) the demise of a 10 year relationship a year ago and starts to reflect on his career in an attempt to find a new angle in his field of study.

As a town planner, Laura was an interesting character however the author focuses almost entirely on her relationship with her controlling husband, not her career. Laura slowly - sometimes too slowly for my liking - begins to see her marriage in a new light although I quickly recognised her charming, lying husband Tony as a narcissist.

Adrian and Laura share a mutual love of cheese and Adrian is a close friend - almost a parental figure - to Kezi, a young artist who makes hand-made paper. These three characters are brought together in this literary novel with themes of death, parental estrangement, the depths of friendship and connection dominating the pages.

I really enjoyed the familiar setting on the streets of Melbourne:

"Melbourne, a sprawling metropolis of more than five million inhabitants, boasts a unique peculiarity: people accidentally run into friends and acquaintances, or they meet strangers with whom there is just one or two degrees of separation. Sydney is not like this, nor Saint Petersburg, nor Barcelona, all cities of a similar size to Melbourne. ....Melbourne is still a village; but a reason for ridicule by Sydneysiders is a source of delight for Melburnians." Page 119

I particularly enjoyed the mention of the Readings Bookshop on Lygon Street where I plan on taking my friend from Queensland later this month and who actually recommended this book! 

If you enjoy literary fiction about romantic relationships, platonic friendships and familial ties this is for you. If you enjoy music by Mahler, cheese or writings about death this is for you.

I'll leave you with an example of the writing style and Adrian's thoughts on cheese, admitting he shows no restraint:

"Soft cheese, hard cheese, blue mould, white mould, washed rind, cloth-bound, salty cheese, smoky cheese, cow's milk, ewe's milk, cooked cheese, raw cheese: Adrian was captive to them all. Only ricotta and cheese made from goat's milk failed to delight; the former lacked flavour and was the texture of vomit, the latter tasted of charcoal and perspiration." Page 75

The Buried Life by Andrea Goldsmith isn't my usual reading fare but earned an additional star for inspiring me to listen to music by Mahler and check out the hand-made paper scene here in Melbourne.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne

In the year 1219, Haelewise is 78 years old and sets down the story of her life and how she became known as Mother Gothel after the tower in which she lives. Famous for allegedly kidnapping Rapunzel, Haelewise tells us her story from childhood into adulthood and old age.

The book immediately gave me Kate Forsyth Bitter Greens vibes and was on track to be a five star read with descriptions like this setting the scene of 12th Century Germany:

"I noticed for the first time their brightly dyed kirtles, the stilted way they spoke diutsch. Their long, ribboned braids, which my mother called corpse-braids because they were extended with hair from the dead. They were courtiers' wives." Page 64

Reading like a fairytale, Haelewise is a compelling character who suffers from light sensitivity and fainting spells. Living with the fear she may be accused of being possessed by a demon if she has a fit in public, I particularly admired her grit and determination after the death of her mother despite an uncaring and barely-there father.

Having studied under her mother as a midwife, Haelewise travels to an ancient tower to seek out the wise woman who lives there and offer her skills as an apprentice. I would have been happy to follow Haelewise and every step of her apprenticeship as a healer (reminding me of The Binding in many ways) but the author cranks up the story and instead it becomes a quest novel of sorts.

Essentially a retelling of Rapunzel's story from the witch's perspective, The Book of Gothel has all of the elements of a fairytale; a young girl in trouble; an old wise woman and healer; loss of a parent; an ancient tower; creepy woods; a castle fit for a King; a special horse; spells; dark magic and an evil prince.

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne is recommended for historical fiction readers, Kate Forsyth fans and those who enjoy a good fairytale re-telling.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★