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Purple Roads…

March 22, 2012 / 33 Comments

FACT: I am a pretty speedy reader (although not as quick as my sister who is notoriusly voracious for the written word – as a child she actually read the Oxford Dictionary cover-to-cover and the original version of the Bible … twice).

I am more your average speed-reader. I adore diving headfirst into a good storyline, and once upon a time (before children) I actually devoured books like nobodies business.  Lately though, it seems I only have time for dipping into the odd blog and skimming the occasional online news site.  It’s not often I get to sit down and read a whole book.

But last weekend – after another crazy old week – I did just that.

For a few sweet, snatched hours I immersed myself in this:
purpleroads_1902

Isn’t it pretty?

I was sent a preview copy of Purple Roads (written by Aussie novelist Fleur McDonald)… and while I don’t profess to be a professional reviewer, I accepted the challenge eagerly.

Fleur (who you may have met via her visits here or at her own blog) writes from her family’s farm near Esperence in WA.

Living deep in the Aussie bush herself, this talented writer breathes real life into her characters and colour and believability into her storylines.
purple roads_1911

Fleur paints her rural landscapes vividly and lovingly – it’s not hard to stand on that verandah, or drive down that highway with her. The reader is drawn into that truck cab right alongside Matt (our hero) and feels the joy and pain of Anna (our heroine) as they seek to live their bush dream.  It’s a dream that seems tantalisingly within reach when a series of events unfolds to thwart them. We find that the line between dream and nightmare is awfully fine sometimes, and the choice between justice and love not always an easy one.

I have to admit that one of the characters was SO real, I darned near wanted to give him a good hard slap (always a good sign I am engaged with a book!).  I love that the relationships in Fleur’s books are a little more gritty and real than your average novel – the romance she explores shares is beautiful but grounded, and often as much to do with the land and the life as it is about the people.

I loved reading Purple Roads – I hope many of you get the chance to do the same.

The book is released this week (see details at Fleur’s website).

Thanks to the generosity of the author…. I just happen to have a COMPLETE set of fabulous Fleur McDonald novels to give away to one lucky person. (I KNOW. How cool is that?)
fleur_2244

That’s right – one lucky person will not only get Purple Roads hot off the press, but also the fabulous Blue Skies and Red Dust.

To be eligible, share with me in comments which part of Australia you would love to visit most, and why.

That’s all you have to do to be in the draw!

I will leave this giveaway open until midnight Wednesday (March 28).

Good luck and look forward to hearing your dream Oz destination.
🙂
BB

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33 Comments

  • norma in alabama
    March 22, 2012 at 11:47 pm Reply

    Australia is the only country outside the USA I have ever dreamed of visiting. Starting at Sydney I would go up the coast to the Great Barrier Reef then back inland to Sydney. I’m an avid reader going through at least a dozen books a month, even more now that I have a kindle. I would loved to have and read Fleur’s books. Thanks for doing a giveaway.

  • Jindivick Wildlife Shelter
    March 23, 2012 at 12:12 am Reply

    Hey BB (and Fleur) – I would love to visit the west – when we did our big trip around half of Australia with the three kids in 2008 for three months it just wasn’t long enough – now with schooling etc we will have to wait till they leave home!

  • Elizabeth
    March 23, 2012 at 1:05 am Reply

    I’m still in love with “A Town Like Alice” so would love to see the places in that book… Alice Springs, the Queensland outback (which thanks to your blog I no longer envision as dry and dusty ALL the time), and the coral reefs…

  • Gretchen in KS
    March 23, 2012 at 1:12 am Reply

    I would hope to someday visit friends I’ve made online who happen to live in Australia… I suppose that means I’d have to do a lot of traveling even after I get there. But assuming I get to bring hubby along, I know his number one spot to visit would be the Great Barrier Reef. He’s already planned to get a t-shirt to swim in, printed with the word BAIT in great big letters. 😉

  • Nancy in Iowa
    March 23, 2012 at 2:02 am Reply

    OK, this would have to assume my back doesn’t hurt and my knees have been replaced so that I could get off the train (the Ghan, of course!) along the way and walk!!! I’d love to take the tour from Adelaide to Darwin, which includes Alice Springs, to see natural wonders and wildlife. I’d probably be too happy to do any reading, but in my real life I read like Norma in Alabama, except probably double her quantity! I really keep my library hopping!

  • Kelly
    March 23, 2012 at 6:04 am Reply

    That’s a tough call. Of course I’d want to see your part of the world because you’ve shown us so much of it. Also, I’ve seen so many great photos in the weekend shadow meme I join in, I’d love to visit Sydney and a few others places. Oh…and Perth since I read Cloudstreet.
    Kelly´s last blog post ..I Spy – Junk

  • Linda
    March 23, 2012 at 6:43 am Reply

    To be honest….I’D JUST LOVE TO SEE THE WHOLE COUNTRY. Being realistic (as a purebred Canadian) I’d have to say Queensland…..because a lot of the guys that come here to rodeo have come from there.

  • Barb . B
    March 23, 2012 at 7:35 am Reply

    i would love to see more of the Northern Territory, especially the huge cattle stations and also the top of W.A. love that red dirt.

  • Elizabeth (ejay)
    March 23, 2012 at 7:45 am Reply

    Western Australia would be my choice, in particular Broome, it would be interesting to see the sun setting over the water, I have heard it it’s a beautiful sight.

  • Margie from New York
    March 23, 2012 at 8:25 am Reply

    Which part of Australia you would love to visit most, and why.

    I would like to visit the Australia Zoo, I always loved Steve Irwin and it was such a loss when he passed.

  • Hippomanic Jen
    March 23, 2012 at 10:05 am Reply

    For me it’s a toss-up between the Kimberley and flying over Lake Eyre while there’s water in it. I’d take either, and one day will have to make certain they both happen.

  • Effie Bakkalis
    March 23, 2012 at 1:25 pm Reply

    I’d love to visit Batemans Bay and the surrounding beaches on the NSW coast – I’ve heard the area is wonderful and clean and the locals and scenery are stunning!

  • jeanie
    March 23, 2012 at 2:09 pm Reply

    I think it would be the Kimberley or the Top End – or maybe WA – they’re about the only bits I haven’t visited…

    Oh, and point of order – I didn’t read the original version of the Bible – my Aramaic isn’t that good!! I have only read the King James version and the Good News versions – and I think I skimmed a fair bit of the Old Testament.
    jeanie´s last blog post ..Disaster Quiche

  • Danielle
    March 23, 2012 at 4:11 pm Reply

    Massive fan of Fleur’s novels I have read the others twice as her stories are so awesome and real! Now which part of Australia I would like to visit… have short listed to 3.. 1. Perth (have heard lots of good things) 2. The NT (the culture and the landscapes I believe are out of this world and I plan to go up there once I have completed my degree) 3. North SA (the ag industry there is pretty amazing I believe)… Possibly a bit of a reoccurring theme here… maybe it is the bush!! :):)
    Danielle´s last blog post ..Women

  • Marion
    March 25, 2012 at 2:20 am Reply

    I would like to visit that big monolith thing out in the middle of nowhere that people climb all the way to the top only if they are in good enough shape.

  • Helen G.
    March 25, 2012 at 1:25 pm Reply

    The oceans and the beaches for sure… but mostly the country where I could see cows and horses and maybe even go during campdraft seasons. I’d love that.

    Helen

  • Kaz
    March 28, 2012 at 9:23 pm Reply

    So hard, but I have never been to WA so somewhere on the side of the country maybe Monkey Mia…bushy, beachy and dolphins:)

  • Melissa
    March 28, 2012 at 10:13 pm Reply

    Hey BB and Fleur, where would I love to go? Wittenoom. In 1987 I was there with a group travelling through and we stayed in the town, it was so beautiful but the town was slowly dying. Asbestos killled the town but cannot kill its beauty. I have vivid memories of the red dust roads complete with hard travelled ripples in the dirt. The massive gums and the brown leaves. I also remember watching the asbestos fibres blow across the road, we had no idea what they were at the time. When we were there, there was a pub which doubled as a restaurant for counter meals, a fire station and general store…the store was also the servo, post office and only clothing shop within 100 ks,next closest was Mt Tom Price. Drive a litte way out of town and there were gorges and small pools where you could swim and slide down rock faces that had been smooth by 1000’s of years of year and wind…absolutely beautiful. Sadly Wittenoom has been wiped off most maps because of the asbestos, but it’s still very deep within my heart.

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