`Stellar debut Aussie fiction combining historical tragedy, romance, and true stories ... Superb and enriching' * Better Reading * `A tumultuous journey across the country, from order to bedlam, and from naive acceptance of the status quo to the gradual getting of political wisdom.' * Sunday Age * `An epic tale, grand in scope ... Packs an emotional punch that will reverberate far and wide.' * The Weekly Times * `Captures the intensity of a brutal and unforgiving war, successfully weaving love, loss, desperation and, finally, hope into a gripping journey of self-discovery.' * The Courier Mail *