Cirrus@Austlit

'Handsome Englishman Marcus Southey is running from the law after an illicit affair goes wrong. As he flees across the Scottish border, his path crosses that of fiery red headed Roberta Kyle, herself desperate to escape from the clutches of the loathsome Hamish McGheill. A partnership is born out of desperation, their mutual destination Glasgow. Along the way they meet up with a prize fighting troupe. Roberta encourages Marcus - against his better judgement - to partake in a bout. He wins and this sets him on the road to boxing success. Taking them from the slums of Glasgow to the halls of the aristocracy. Theirs is a strange relationship, at times tempestuous and at others contemptuous, layered over with an abiding care for each other.' (Publication summary)

'The River of Dreams, is the epic saga of the dislocation of tens of thousands of people, to lands far away from all they have previously known; a result of the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800's. The story begins in 1832 and follows the fortunes of several families. Barnaby Essington, the second son of the Earl of Waldringham and his family, are encouraged to emigrate to the Swan River Colony. They will be financially assisted in their relocation, by his father, the Earl. Barnaby's brother Edmund, has an abiding hatred of his younger brother, involving Barnaby's wife Alice and is glad to see then go. It is different for the impoverished Marsh family, who lost their livelihood at the flax mill. Now homeless and destitute, they are thrown a lifeline, by becoming indentured servants to the Essington's. Sarah Royston, the spoiled, wilful daughter of the newly appointed Advocate General, Sir Gilbert Royston, will shock the colony with her scandalous activities. And what of the sad, beautiful aristocratic Isla, desperately in love with an indentured servant. From the outset the voyage is far from routine, when an unknown body is discovered in the hold, together with two young stowaways fleeing the crime ridden slums of London's docklands. If the emigrants thought the hardships on the voyage were harsh, life in the new colony will throw up even more challenges, including desperate encounters with the Aboriginals. Can such a disparate group survive the challenges and prosper?' (Publication summary)

'The 1800's, was a time when a woman was expected to conform to the expectations of a male dominated society. Courtship was followed by marriage and a life dictated to by the whims of her husband, the raising of countless children and dependency on his financial acumen. For those brought up in those times, the thought of a woman being financially independent was the cause of gossip and innuendo. Idle speculation as to how they had managed to achieve such status, without a man in their lives, enlivened many a high tea and soiree. ' (Publication summary)