(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

It is Dallas 1886, and the Wade Family is going from strength to strength: from a thriving newspaper and retail business in Texas to a sprawling sheep station half a world away in Queensland. Yet money and power cannot compensate for the tragedy that struck twenty-three years ago, when Joseph Wade was slaughtered and his seven-year-old daughter Philomena abducted by Apache Indians. Only her uncle, Aloysius, remains convinced that one day Philomena will return. So when news reaches him that the legendary Geronimo has been captured, and a beautiful white woman discovered with him, he believes his prayers have been answered.
Little does he know that the seeds of disaster have just been sown. Over the coming years three generations of Wade men will succumb to an obsession with three generations of mixed-blood Wade women: the courageous Philomena, her hot-headed granddaughter Serena, and her gutsy great-granddaughter Abelena - a young woman destined for freedom in a distant red land. But at what price . . . ?

*3.5 stars*

On the face of it, this was a stunning novel about three generations, 2 continents and a number of different cultures.
It is a novel of belonging, a love of the land, of women who struggled to belong to either culture but not really fitting into any.
It is the story of two nations, their history, their landscapes, their residents. It is a big book full of big "feels" - and I can heartily recommend that...

But it is just too long. 550 pages is a lot for this story. There was quite a bit of drag through the middle of this book. And that really did limit my overall enjoyment. And that is a shame cos this is a big book with a big story to tell...


Paul
ARH

This was different to the usual books I read but I still found it to be very enjoyable.