Two women and three men, displaced in different ways by the rapid
transformation of Victorian England, travel separately to a small
settlement on Australia's western rim. With them, they carry social
ambitions and psychological wounds. As their lives intersect in the Swan
River Colony, what they encounter is not quite what they expect. Who
will struggle, who will thrive, and how will each react when secrets
emerge? Though fictional, The Mind's Own Place is partly based on the
actual experiences of historical figures: a pair of convicts from
respectable backgrounds, talented and enterprising, but troubled; two
female immigrants, free settlers not equally fortunate or resilient; and
the first detective in Western Australia who eventually uncovers more
than he intends. Like Ian Reid's previous acclaimed novels, this
powerful story explores intricate relationships between the shaping of
character and the pressure of adversity. It reveals damaged families,
mixed motives, and the long shadows thrown by the past. ***
Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO *** An impressively
executed work of meticulously written fiction, 'The Mind's Own Place'
clearly documents author Ian Reid as a master storyteller of the first
order. Absolutely absorbing from beginning to end...very highly
recommended for personal reading lists, as well as for both community
and academic library Historical Fiction collections. -- Midwest Book
Review, Reviewer's Bookwatch: January 2016, Buhle's Bookshelf [Subject:
Adult Fiction]
