Book Review: Burning Fields By Alli Sinclair

It’s 1948 and the world is reeling from the devastation of World War II. In the Australian Women’s Army Service, women have been doing men’s jobs for years. Now the war is over, they are expected to return home, don their aprons and allow the men to slot back into their pre-war lives. Rosie Stanton returns home to the family farm in far north Queensland where she finds she has new neighbours; the Conti’s, an Italian family trying to escape the horrors of the recent past. With her brothers gone, Rosie is fully prepared to take the reins and manage the farm. But her father is a stubborn man; he will not break tradition and allow a woman to run his business. On top of this, his contempt towards their Italian neighbours makes Rosie’s desire to break the constraints of society even stronger. So when her father suffers a stroke, she takes the opportunity to fight against the male dominated world and throws herself into running the farm. It’s not long until Rosie starts developing a relationship with the Italian next door, Tomas. However, with both families against the union and family secrets set to tear them apart, Rosie and Tom must decide between rebuilding their families and their lives, or choosing love over all else. Set in the sugarcane fields, this historical fiction by one of our favourite local authors is more than just another war story. With themes of sexism, misogyny, racial discrimination and archaic family traditions, Burning Fields is a multi-layered and beautiful work of fiction.

Harper Collins Australia $29.99