Terrific historical fiction set in 1850s Australia. it's a romance as well as a family saga. A very good read.

I always crave reading a good Australian historical novel. Being Canadian, I have always been fascinated with this continent on the opposite side of the world. Anne Marie Brear, having lived in Australia for numerous years, was able to write an authentic feeling tale that truly thrust me into the era and continent.

She successfully recounted the hardships faced by the new colonists while breathing life into memorable fictional characters. Strong heroines, impossible conflicts, and lovely descriptions grace each page. Anne Marie is one of my favourite authors, evoking emotion and realism into each and every one of her books. Read one of her two books, especially this one and I promise you will never be disappointed.

AnneMarie Brear’s Where Dragonflies Hover was one of my favourite historical reads of last year, and with Where Rainbows End Brear has made the list for 2017 too!

A beautifully written historical novel Where Rainbows End brilliantly depicts early Australian life in the colonies through the eyes of a foreigner, and having never been to Australia myself I lived and learned through the eye of our heroine Pippa as she takes it upon herself to bear the struggles of building a new life in a beautiful, yet harsh and unknown land.

Pippa was the kind of heroine I love. Her fierce devotion to helping her family have the best new beginning, and her willingness to shoulder the burdens herself in order to achieve her dreams made her strong, likeable, and also inspiring. The relationships she forges with those around her, including the respect she earns from the workers on her land, and the others in the area will make you proud of her, as though she is someone you know yourself.

What I loved most about this novel was the perfect timing of the ultra slow-burning romance between Pippa and Gil. The novel takes place over a number of years, and the characters change so much throughout the time after overcoming some of the hardest battles, and through it, Pippa and Gil grow as friends, part and regret as love and jealousy comes to one before the other feels it, and all the while a hope grows in the reader that they will find a way to be happy together.

My only disappointment was that it ended so soon! The last chapter ends so quickly, that you turn the page hoping for more. But this is a firm 5 star read, and a fantastic book for anyone who loves heartfelt historical fiction.

5 Stars!

Take a trip back in time. A story full of strong family ties and friendships.

1850 in Sydney and Pippa and her twin Hilary had recently arrived from England with their parents Esther and Gerald Noble. They had fled the country in disgrace; their father had taken one more loan from his good friend to see them start anew in Australia. When Pippa’s father had an audience with the governor which concluded with them owning a large tract of land near Berrima in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, she was thrilled – within days, she and her father ventured by horse and cart to view their land, planning on making a start on the family’s future.

When Pippa met Millie and her small boy Davy in a cottage in Berrima, she knew they would become fast friends. The overseer Pippa’s father had hired was proving to be a solid investment – Robson’s knowledge and work ethic meant Pippa would trust him with her life. As the building of the stables took hold, the valley which was to be their home – their life – took on a whole new meaning to Pippa. She was determined never to have her family go through what they had in the past. And Pippa’s meeting with both the Meredith and the Ashford families gave her added strength – she had good, solid neighbours.

But trouble was afoot – a visitor from England rocked Pippa’s confidence on top of a recent tragedy which had befallen them. What was she to do? She loved her valley – it was hers and no one would tell her otherwise…

Where Rainbows End by Aussie author AnneMarie Brear is a solid, well –written historical fiction novel of early Australian life in the colonies; it depicts well the struggles of new arrivals to become established in a land that was harsh but starkly beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed Where Rainbows End and although I was somewhat shocked at the rather abrupt ending it doesn’t change my rating. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for my digital copy to read and review.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

1850's Australia, the Noble family moved from England to start a new life. Pippa Noble is determined to reclaim their honour by making her father’s plan for an outback farm reality, although her ambition is frowned upon by a society.

It's an okay book ... there isn't much substance to the story. I suppose this would make a good traveling book or maybe a beach read. It's an okay story but not my favorite genre, so someone who loves chick lit would love this book.

3☆

Novels about Colonial Australia are always a winner for me. That period from the mid-1800s through to Federation was so formative for our nation so I never tire from reading stories that bring that era to life. Where Rainbows End is a good addition to this category, set in 1850 and focussing on a family who have migrated from England to the Colonies with the intent on re-making themselves and leaving their shameful past behind. I enjoyed the story of Where Rainbows End and found the whole notion of the impoverished gentry migrating for a reinvention quite an interesting one. A lot of novels about Colonial Australia have characters from the working classes seeking their own place and carving out their own better futures, so this was an interesting lens to view Colonial History through. However, while the main family within this novel is impoverished gentry, AnneMarie has created many other characters from all walks of life for this story, each of them taking advantage of the opportunities the Colonies had to offer to those who were willing to work hard and live rough. This demonstration of Australian History through story telling was very well done and AnneMarie has a fluid style of sprinkling facts throughout that is to be admired.

In terms of character, Pippa Noble was the main character of this novel, and while we had occasion to experience another person’s perspective, it was only ever to shed light on something Pippa was unable to, and was quite infrequent. Pippa was a strong character from the outset, and I quite admired her initially, however, as the novel progressed, my liking of her deteriorated and unfortunately was never renewed. I found that as her fortunes progressed, her character diminished, and there were times were her dialogue and interactions with other characters came across as brash and arrogant. I also have problems with characters who consistently want something after they’ve lost it. This has always bothered me and I can rarely get past it. I found with Pippa, she seemed so entirely self-absorbed and single-minded. The more she had, the more she wanted and she was entirely blind to the affections of those around her. Her treatment of Grant, who albeit, did not act honourably to her, was still not entirely justified. Her treatment of Gil was appalling, and I confess that the ending that panned out was not my chosen preference. I feel she got off easy and I’m not convinced she deserved the ending she received. All of this is of course my own views and I expect that anyone else reading Where Rainbows End might actually adore Pippa and find her an incredibly strong and brave woman, so take all of this with a heavy grain of salt! I am just rather fussy on characters.

The pacing of the novel was a little fast in places for my liking. There were times when quite a chunk of life seemed to have passed us by, particularly towards the ending. I am a fan of longer novels though, particularly a long historical, so I personally wouldn’t have minded lingering over passages of time for a bit longer. However, this was an action packed story, a real rollicking adventure from start to finish, so perhaps the fast pacing was more complimentary overall than slowing things down would have been.

There are plenty of tense moments throughout, occasions of great sadness that make you contemplate the harsh nature of life during Colonial Australia. AnneMarie has done a fantastic job of bringing the unforgiving landscape to life, in all of its beauty and danger. If you enjoy action packed Australian History with strong female characters, then you will definitely enjoy Where Rainbows End.

Thanks is extended to the publisher, Choc Lit, via Netgalley, for this copy of Where Rainbows End for review.

Where Rainbows End is a terrific historical novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this well written book's storyline and characters. The author is new to me and I liked the style of writing.