The Heart of Thornton Creek

I Have read 5 books of Bonnie Leon These are very good books each of them

First in a series aptly subtitled "The Queensland Chronicles," author Bonnie Leon introduces Rebecca Williams, a Boston socialite to Australian cattle rancher, Daniel Thornton. Despite his father's disapproval Daniel and Rebecca marry and begin their new life together on the family's remote Douloo cattle station in Australia. Not only must Rebecca adapt to her new culture, she has doubts about her love for Daniel and finds herself at odds with his controlling father. The Heart of Thornton Creek is a timeless study in family conflict and pathos. Rebecca must learn to love her husband and accept her new life, while Daniel is constantly torn between his father and the woman he has married. Rebecca's only ally is her aborigine servant, Callie and her new mother in law who both must answer as well to the patriarch of the family. From Boston to the outback, Rebecca seeks freedom to be independent and acceptance. Author Bonnie Leon could have incorporated more of Australian culture to drive the story home. The scene stealer of this book is Callie, Rebecca's aborigine servant with her common sense and folklore delightfully sprinkled throughout the book.

Bonnie Leon has started another series with the same flare and finness of her previous books. The book opens with action, tension and heartfelt emotions. Those emotions and quandries are woven throughout the book creating a colorful tapestry of life in Thorton Creek and the Douloo Station. As Rebecca struggles with her grief, her new home in Australia, her loveless marriage and new family, her faith grows as does the faith of her husband and their love for one another begins to bloom. The drama between Rebecca and her father-in-law lends to the intensity of the book as it comes to a climatic end. A must read for the historical fiction reader!

Heart of Thornton Creek Bonnie Leon Revell, 2005, $12.99, 344 pp. ISBN: 080075896X In 1871 Boston, feisty independent socialite Rebecca Williams meets Aussie Daniel Thornton. He courts her and proposes. Though she has some doubts about dealing with relocating to Australia and not loving Daniel, she accepts because she is fond of him, respects his kindness towards people and lacks money to maintain her current American lifestyle; she hopes to one day love her husband and looks forward to increased freedom Down Under. The married couple moves to his family's cattle station in Queensland, Australia. There the self-reliant Rebecca runs into problems with Daniels' father Bertram, the iron-fisted patriarch who controls everyone including her husband through his contention of divine commission. She is not what Bertram had in mind for his daughter-in-law as he prefers barefoot, pregnant and fear of brimstone not a spirited defiant Yank. This character driven historical tale will grip the audience once Rebecca and Bertram meet. The triangular lead trio all feels frustration with one another. Rebecca, who anticipated increased freedom away from home, feels thwart and restricted; Daniel feels yanked in opposite direction by the two most important people in his life; while Bertram thinks a female serpent has entered the station. Together, they make for a deep look at clashing cultures in the opening saga of the Queensland Chronicles. Harriet Klausner