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If Blood Should Stain the Wattle

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Set in 1972 Australia, If Blood Should Stain the Wattle captures a pivotal era when the nation yearned for change and a better future. In the rural town of Gibber's Creek, young Jed Kelly faces a heart-wrenching choice between two loves—Nicholas, the local Labor member, and Sam from a commune. Scarlett O'Hara, despite living in a wheelchair, aspires to become a doctor, embodying personal dreams against adversity. Meanwhile, Matilda Thompson, the family matriarch, reflects on her remarkable journey from the slums of Grinder's Alley to witnessing historic events that shaped the nation in 1894. As the '70s unfold with hopes and upheaval, the novel explores the complexities and conflicts within a community caught in Australia's social and political upheaval.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel will appeal to readers interested in historical and social fiction, especially those drawn to Australian history and stories of personal and political transformation. Fans of character-driven narratives set against real-world events will find this a compelling read.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

It’s 1972, and across Australia the catchcry is ‘It’s time’.

Time for old folk, time for young folk, time for a new, idealistic Labour government.

In Gibber's Creek, it's time for Jed Kelly to choose between past love, Nicholas, the local Labour member, and Sam from the Halfway to Eternity commune. And for Scarlett O'Hara, it's time to dream that one day she becomes a doctor - despite being in a wheelchair.

It's also time for matriarch Matilda Thompson to reflect on the life that took her from the slums of Grinder's Alley to the events that began a nation at a billabong in 1894.

The 1970s was a time of extraordinary ideals of a better world, but as the ideals drifted from disaster to the Dismissal there were deep conflicts about what that better world might be.

Jackie French, author of the bestselling To Love a Sunburnt Country, has woven her own experience of that period into an unforgettable story of a small rural community and a nation swept into the social and political tumult of the early 1970s.

Series: The Matilda Saga

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  • A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1)
    In 1894, twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and he's wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter, he makes a stand against them, defiant to the last. "You'll never catch me alive, said...
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  • The Girl from Snowy River (The Matilda Saga, #2)
    The year is 1919. Thirty years have passed since the man from Snowy River made his famous ride. But World War I still casts its shadow across a valley in the heart of Australia, particularly for orphaned sixteen-year-old Flinty McAlpine, who lost a brother when the Snowy River men marched away to war. Why has the man Flinty loves returned...
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    From Australia's best-loved storyteller comes the final book in the bestselling Matilda Saga This is a love song to our nation, told in a single sweeping story. Jed Kelly has finally persuaded her great aunt Nancy to tell the story of her grandparents. The tale that unfolds is one of Australia's greatest romances - that of Clancy of the Overflow,...
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  • Facing the Flame (The Matilda Saga, #7)
    'GRIPPING, EMOTIONAL AND MOVING'-- New Idea There have been fires before, but not like this. In 1978, as the hot wind howls and the grass dries, all who live at Gibber's Creek know their land can burn. But when you love your land, you fight for it. For Jed Kelly, an even more menacing danger looms: a man from her...
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  • To Love a Sunburnt Country
    In war-torn Malaya, Nancy dreams of Australia - and a young man called Michael. The year is 1942 and the world is at war. Nancy Clancy left school at fourteen to spend a year droving, just like her grandfather Clancy of the Overflow. Now sixteen, Nancy's family has sent her to Malaya to bring home her sister-in-law Moira and baby...
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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781460751282

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 August 2017

Country: Australia

Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 362g

Pages: 544

About the Author

Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 2014–2015 Australian Children's Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. In 2016, Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to children's literature and her advocacy for youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia's most popular children's authors and writes across all genres — from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi, to her much-loved historical fiction for a variety of age groups. 'A book can change a child's life. A book can change the world' was the primary philosophy behind Jackie's two-year term as Laureate. jackiefrench.com facebook.com/authorjackiefrench

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    Why does humanity cling to warfare when it destroys the land and people the armies try to claim? Claverton Castle, 1940. Eagles and Spitfires fly in the skies of England as Lady Deanna, the aristocratic granddaughter of the Duke of Claverton, spends her days shovelling manure and her evenings in blue satin, attending dinner parties to gather intelligence from the...
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  • Pirate Boy of Sydney Town
    A swashbuckling adventure from Australia's Children's Laureate Can you still love your father, no matter what his crimes are? Twelve-year-old Ben Huntsmore is the son of a shipowner, an only child who loves the farming life on his mother's family estate, Badger's Hill. But when Ben's father loses their ancestral home in 1809 as payment for a gambling debt, Ben...
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  • Happy Birthday Wombat
    Bestselling Mothball is back -- with birthday cake! (Carrot, of course.) She eats, she sleeps, she scratches. But today it's Mothball's birthday and it's time to celebrate! Created by author Jackie French and illustrator Bruce Whatley, Happy Birthday Wombat is a very funny picture book about enjoying a special day -- as seen through the eyes of the world's most...
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  • Tom Appleby, Convict Boy
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  • Miss Lily's Lovely Ladies (Miss Lily, #1)
    THE STORY IS EQUAL PARTS DOWNTON ABBEY AND WARTIME ACTION, WITH ENOUGH ROMANCE AND INTRIGUE TO MAKE IT 100% NOT-PUT-DOWN-ABLE. Australian Woman's Weekly A tale of espionage, love and passionate heroism. Inspired by true events, this is the story of how society's 'lovely ladies' won a war. Each year at secluded Shillings Hall, in the snow-crisped English countryside, the mysterious...
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  • The Vanishing at the Very Small Castle (The Butter O'Bryan Mysteries, #2)
    It's 1932, the height of the Depression, and Butter O'Bryan and his friends have another mystery to solve. The Very Small Castle is home to Butter O'Bryan, his father, three aunts, friends Gil, Olive and Tish, and their dog, Woofer.But now there's also a monster at the castle!When glamorous film actress Delilah Divine vanishes in the middle of filming on...
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  • The Tomorrow Book
    A timely picture book about a young prince who is determined to rule over a country where the future is filled with environmental hope - and practical solutions, such as common usage of solar and wind power. Lively, fun and positive, this book serves to give young people information about their world and shows them that a lot of environmental...
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  • The Secret World Of Wombats
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    'HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL READERS'-- ReadPlus on Barney and the Secret of the Whales The whisper in the darkness is: rebellion! (Or: death or liberty!) Frog is an orphan, a pickpocket, starving on the streets of Parramatta in 1804. But when the tall, commanding Irish rebel Mr Cunningham talks of freedom from tyranny and the lash, Frog creeps out to...
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