"Newton controls her narrative pace to perfection. Her story builds patiently and artfully towards its climax, and along the way unveils a side of the colonial experience that is unexpected and, up to now, unexplored."
Judges' comments, Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists Awards 2004
"...Newton's ability to mine the gap between aspiration and reality, the settled and the unsettled, makes [the characters'] fate utterly convincing."
The Australian
"...Newton's limpid and invigorating prose brings something new... She is a disciplined craftswoman and a compassionate storyteller."
Sydney Morning Herald
"An absolutely beautiful story that deserves its major literary award and short-listing for another."
Woman's Day
"Newton's narrative flows effortlessly. Clever use of metaphor and the ubiquitous themes of displacement and belonging allow the reader to immerse themselves in the characters' lives."
Courier Mail
"...Newton's voice and style are strong... ...there are powerful passages to admire... ...she jump-cuts from Ella's story to Lok's odyssey with the aplomb of a veteran..."
The Canberra Times
"All the characters are comfortably at home in their setting; warm and human, yet vulnerable - particularly to the challenging countryside in which they are all trying to make something of themselves. Their lives, like the country, are rough and stark. It's not hard to empathise with such difficult circumstances."
"The author - with the use of poetic language, characters and story - has successfully portrayed the subject matter and surroundings. This novel has been extensively researched and will be appreciated by readers who enjoy thoroughness and detail."
Campus Review
"Newton's engaging novel ... is a bittersweet tale of love and loss."
Launceston Examiner
"Nerida Newton has crafted a confident, haunting and wonderful novel. It stands out from the others on the shortlist because of its assured style, its powerful characterisation and its generous scope.
Whilst an historical novel it also deals most convincingly with the emotional lives of young people striving to make a worthwhile life, in the foreign place of the hostile inland of Australia, in the late nineteenth century.
It evokes a powerful sense of the timeless Australian landscape and the physical and emotional challenges laying in wait for those adventurers attempting to make new lives for themselves, amongst a culture both ancient and new.
With beautifully paced narrative, powerful storytelling and original, well drawn characters, this novel will be enjoyed by a wide cross section of readers and is a most worthy winner of the 2002 Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Best Manuscript of an Emerging Queensland Author."
Judges' comments, Queensland Premier's Literary Awards 2002
