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The Burnt Country

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The Burnt Country

By: Joy Rhoades
Narrated by: Edwina Wren
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About this listen

 The stunning new novel from the author of The Woolgrower's Companion, whom the Australian Women's Weekly described as ‘a wonderful new voice in literary rural fiction'.

A scandalous secret. A deadly fire. An agonizing choice.

Australia 1948. As a young woman running Amiens, a sizeable sheep station in New South Wales, Kate Dowd knows she’s expected to fail. And her grazier neighbour is doing his best to ensure she does, attacking her method of burning off to repel a bushfire.

But fire risk is just one of her problems. Kate cannot lose Amiens, or give in to her estranged husband Jack’s demands to sell: the farm is her livelihood and the only protection she can offer her half-sister Pearl, as the Aborigines Welfare Board threatens to take her away.

Ostracised by the local community for even acknowledging Pearl, Kate cannot risk another scandal. Which means turning her back on her wartime lover, Luca Canali . . .

Then Jack drops a bombshell. He wants a divorce. He’ll protect what’s left of Kate’s reputation, and keep Luca out of it – but for an extortionate price.

Soon Kate is putting out fires on all fronts to save her farm, keep her family together and protect the man she loves. Then a catastrophic real fire threatens everything . . .


‘This sweeping epic set in rural NSW is about love, family and testing our mettle – and it’s compulsively readable. Just the thing for those lazy summer days’ Marie Claire on The Woolgrower's Companion

'Joy Rhoades’ Kate Dowd is Elizabeth-Bennet-meets-The-Drover’s-Wife . . . an accomplished debut' The Saturday Age©2019 Joy Rhoades (P)2019 Penguin Random House Australia Fiction Historical Fiction Divorce
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I really like Australian based stories and thought this woukd be a good start to begin my audio book library. The story line was good but became very predictable especially in relation to how the men treated Kate. I did like the twist at the end though. Did not see that coming.

Liked it but didn't love it

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Was very predictable and the voice too monotone and uninteresting voice for each person in the story

Was very predictable and the voice too monotone

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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.