Darry Fraser

The milliner of Bendigo by Darry Fraser is a fantastic Historical fiction based in Victoria along the banks of the River Murray nearing the time of the end of the Paddle Steamer age. A story of the resilience of women in that era and the men who would both love and be a champion to them and those that would strive to trick them into losing everything. A time where women were fast moving out from behind the shadows of men to stand proudly in the sun themselves. A good mix of history, hardship, mystery, friendship and endurance. Very well written and well researched.
An excellent book for those chilly evenings, or those sunny afternoons. Has me rushing to the library to search the shelves for more.… (meer)

I've had a number of recommendations by friends that I should pick up a book by this Australian author. The opening pages of this novel tell me this is the author's eighth Australian fiction novel, and it is set in the Flinders Ranges and the Barossa Valley. It is also set in at least two time frames (both historical) with many links between the two. In the Author notes at the end, I learnt of the author's own connections to the general outline of the story.

Although crimes have been committed, this novel is historical "romance" rather than crime fiction, and will have obvious appeal to Australian readers. And while this is the first novel I have read by this author, I'm pretty sure it won't be my last.… (meer)

The Prodigal Sister is a story of betrayal, intrigue, loyalty, and love set in Australia at the turn of the 20th century from Darry Fraser.

Though she was hoping to further study the new science of forensic investigation after completing her Master of Arts in Scotland, Prudence North heeds her father’s request to return home to Melbourne. With the health of both her mother, and younger sister, Valerie, worsening due to Huntingtons Chorea, Prudence is needed to manage the household and support her father, a busy doctor. When family friend, and high ranking police officer Everard Bankston requests an interview with her just a few weeks after her return, Prudence is hopeful of a career opportunity, instead Bankston tells her that her father has been accused of providing illegal abortions, and if Bankston is to stop him from being charged, Prudence must make the acquaintance of a Mr. Jasper Darke, and report on his activities.

There are several intrigues in The Prodigal Sister, including what truth, if any, there is in the accusations levelled at Prudence’s father, who murdered the man found in his clinic, and what Bankston’s interest is in Jasper Darke, but in general the plot is quite busy with secrets, deceptions, and betrayals. Prudence, caught in the middle, struggles to make sense of everything, drawing on the little she knows of forensic investigation, and finding support from an unexpected quarter.

In addition to the mysteries, there is the development of a romance for Prudence, which is complicated by a number of issues, including her belief that she too will develop Huntington’s, of which little is known at the time, except that it runs in families and is always fatal.

Prudence is an appealing heroine, bright, strong and resourceful, though still constrained by the societal expectations of her time. In mourning, subject to blackmail from Bankston, concerned about the health of her sister and her self, and fighting her attraction to Jasper, she is under an extraordinary amount of pressure.

There really is a lot of drama in The Prodigal Sister, and I think overall perhaps a little too much. While Fraser manages it all well, and the various threads converge neatly, the pacing was a little off, and the author’s twists, though clever, didn’t have the impact they could have.

Nevertheless, The Prodigal Sister is an entertaining and engaging work of historical fiction.… (meer)