A Waltz for Matilda cover art

A Waltz for Matilda

The Matilda Saga, Book 1

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A Waltz for Matilda

By: Jackie French
Narrated by: Edwina Wren
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About this listen

The story behind Banjo Paterson's iconic Australian song.

"Once a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong

Under the shade of a Coolibah tree

And he sang as he watched and waited till his Billy boiled

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me...."

In 1894, 12-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie, and he's wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter, he makes a stand against them, defiant to the last. "You'll never catch me alive," said he....

Set against a backdrop of bushfire, flood, war, and jubilation, this is the story of one girl's journey toward independence. It is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams.

Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. Paterson and from events rooted in actual history, this is the untold story behind Australia's early years as an emerging nation.

Praise:

"Jackie French has a passion for history, and an enviable ability to weave the fascinating minutiae of everyday life into a good story." (Magpies Magazine)

©2010 Jackie French (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Action & Adventure Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Survival Stories Survival War
All stars
Most relevant  
Easy to listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed all the twists and turns in this well written story. A great Australian read.

Thoroughly enjoyed

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Loved it when I read it, loved it when I heard it, will listen again

Top Shelf Stuff

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Little too much like Mary Elwyn Patchett's stories.
Timelines of Drinkwater generations were questionable, without enough wriggle room to be ok.
However, I still hung on every word, rewound many times, and found myself bawling at various points throughout.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book and am about to embark on Book 2 in the Matilda series.
Thank you once again Jackie French, for keeping me up late coz I couldn't put it down.

bit far fetched

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I feel all Australian’s should read this book, it should be on the school curriculum..

Excellent

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I was surprised at how interesting this story was, the characters well illustrated came to life and captured the imagination.
I learned a whole lot about Australia at its early stages and came to understand more about its struggles and the mettle of the people who forged what we have today.
Very well narrated.
Jacqui of Noosa Queensland

Very informative and revealing.

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So much rich history . Loved it. It may be a tad slow in bits but it suited the book. Life is like that at times . Some brilliant research done for this book too. Incredibly interesting . I’ll be definitely reading the next one ..thanks Jackie . What a wonder you are

A cracking tale

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Brilliant, captivating, great depth and colourfulness of characters. Couldn’t stop listening. Loved every minute if it!

Brilliant

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well written, well narrated and easy to listen to. Some of the themes are a bit intense and I would recommend for kids from ages 12 upwards, especially if they are sensitive.

lovely romp

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A simple & touching story & quite interesting facts about life back then on the land.

Simple but Nice.

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What an informative start to this amazing series of Australia.Loved the books story line wound around the late 1800 into the early I900.How great it is to be able to listen and learn of our Australian history from writers who are willing to dig into our precious history making it such enjoyable book to listen to Most enjoyable book love the extra’s Thank you Jackie and Edwina well done to you both

Wonderful start to this series

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.