Well written by one who dearly loves bush life in all its moods, it is a quiet and fascinating story of pioneering days in a distant part of New South Wales. It tells of times when a few courageous families, most of them having little or no cash, set out to carve out homesteads and a living from virgin country. Life was no bed of roses for anyone in a tiny community in what was then the real outback.
But among these pioneer settlers who pitted their strong frames and brave hearts against almost overwhelming odds, there were characters who were "originals" in different ways; and among them at all times were folk of sterling principles with hearts of gold. Every reader will delight, for instance, in "Grandmother Dawes," who is the helper, inspirer, and consoler of the whole district.
The story of the lives of these brave settlers is a story of kindliness and bravery in the face of climatic disasters and family bereavements; for the period of "Stability" brings us down to the war years with its toll of the men folk of a sparse community. Love romances are there, too, and the story comes to a strong climax with the Armistice.
– The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 February 1938, p8
