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y separately published work icon The Bark Cutters single work   novel  
Issue Details: First known date: 2010... 2010 The Bark Cutters
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Sarah Gordon knows what she wants: the family homestead, Wangallon. When it comes to working the homestead she's a natural but as a woman, it's not her birthright. Even when her beloved brother, Cameron James, first born and heir, is killed in a tragic accident, nobody looks to Sarah to inherit. Instead her grandfather passes management to the one man she truly loves. Feeling betrayed she runs away to Sydney to try to put Wangallon, behind her, but it's in her blood. She is constantly drawn back to Wangallon but when will she finally admit that it's not just Wangallon she longs for but the station's manager, Anthony.

'The Bark Cutters is an Australian family saga that centres around the family property, Wangallon. Past and present interweave in a story that traces the Gordon family from the arrival of Scottish immigrant Hamish Gordon in Australia in the 1850's to the life of his great granddaughter, Sarah, in the 1980's.' (From the publisher's website.)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • North Sydney, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Bantam Books , 2010 .
      image of person or book cover 2813776767318116244.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 480p.
      Description: illus.
      Note/s:
      • Publication date: 1 April 2010
      ISBN: 9781741669428
    • North Sydney, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Bantam Books , 2011 .
      image of person or book cover 6518812375844834603.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 480p.
      Note/s:
      • Published May 1st 2011
      ISBN: 9781864711622 (pbk.)
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Surrender to Summer Margareta Osborn , Nicole Alexander , North Sydney : Random House , 2012 7129754 2012 selected work novel North Sydney : Random House , 2012
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Other Formats

  • Sound recording.
  • Large print.
  • Dyslexic edition.
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Related Works

y separately published work icon A Changing Land Nicole Alexander , North Sydney : Bantam Books , 2011 Z1936326 2011 single work novel 'It's the early 19th Century and Hamish Gordon has a massive rural holding built on stock theft and is determined to ensure that his son and heir, Angus will inherit an enlarged property. Embarking on a final stage of land acquisition, a ruthless plan to buy out his neighbours, Hamish's actions nearly destroy Wangallon and have serious repercussions for generations to come. ' (Publisher's blurb)
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Works about this Work

Australian Rural Romance As Feminist Romance? Lauren O’Mahony , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Journal of Popular Culture , September vol. 3 no. 3 2014; (p. 285-298) 'A short story originally published in 1900 by writer and poet Henry Lawson captured the perceived incompatibility of women and life in remote Australia with its refrain that the bush ‘was no place for a woman!’. The suggestion in Lawson’s story is that the bush could easily prove fatal to women and for men it could undo them, mentally and spiritually. Now at the start of the new millennium, many barriers to women living and working in rural Australia have been challenged or removed altogether. Yet, recent sociological research, such as that undertaken by Margaret Alston, argues that gender inequality is an ongoing problem in rural communities. For example, one persistent stereotype is that men undertake the meaningful work in rural life while women watch from the sidelines, simply ‘help’, or see their contribution downplayed or downright ignored. This article explores how a new breed of bestselling novels, variously dubbed ‘chook lit’ or ‘contemporary Australian rural romance’, use a romantic structure to represent gender inequality in a rural setting. The article draws examples from Jillaroo (Rachael Treasure, 2002), The Bark Cutters (Nicole Alexander, 2010) and North Star (Karly Lane, 2011) to show the varying approaches to the romance plot that construct gutsy heroines, depict important rural issues and leave readers with endings that, as in other romances, offer ‘a utopian projection which expresses a critical evaluation of the contemporary patriarchal order’ (Cranny-Francis 1990: 191). This article argues that contemporary Australian rural romances raise questions about the romance plot while critiquing aspects of gender inequality specific to the context. In turn, such novels may encourage and inspire female readers (if they so choose) to do more in rural life than sit on the fence watching the men.' (Publication abstract)
Nicole Alexander – Author Interview 2011 single work interview
— Appears in: The Australian Literature Review , March 2011;
[Review] The Bark Cutters Kate Cuthbert , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , March vol. 89 no. 6 2010; (p. 35)
— Review of The Bark Cutters Nicole Alexander , 2010 single work novel
[Review] The Bark Cutters Kate Cuthbert , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , March vol. 89 no. 6 2010; (p. 35)
— Review of The Bark Cutters Nicole Alexander , 2010 single work novel
Nicole Alexander – Author Interview 2011 single work interview
— Appears in: The Australian Literature Review , March 2011;
Australian Rural Romance As Feminist Romance? Lauren O’Mahony , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Journal of Popular Culture , September vol. 3 no. 3 2014; (p. 285-298) 'A short story originally published in 1900 by writer and poet Henry Lawson captured the perceived incompatibility of women and life in remote Australia with its refrain that the bush ‘was no place for a woman!’. The suggestion in Lawson’s story is that the bush could easily prove fatal to women and for men it could undo them, mentally and spiritually. Now at the start of the new millennium, many barriers to women living and working in rural Australia have been challenged or removed altogether. Yet, recent sociological research, such as that undertaken by Margaret Alston, argues that gender inequality is an ongoing problem in rural communities. For example, one persistent stereotype is that men undertake the meaningful work in rural life while women watch from the sidelines, simply ‘help’, or see their contribution downplayed or downright ignored. This article explores how a new breed of bestselling novels, variously dubbed ‘chook lit’ or ‘contemporary Australian rural romance’, use a romantic structure to represent gender inequality in a rural setting. The article draws examples from Jillaroo (Rachael Treasure, 2002), The Bark Cutters (Nicole Alexander, 2010) and North Star (Karly Lane, 2011) to show the varying approaches to the romance plot that construct gutsy heroines, depict important rural issues and leave readers with endings that, as in other romances, offer ‘a utopian projection which expresses a critical evaluation of the contemporary patriarchal order’ (Cranny-Francis 1990: 191). This article argues that contemporary Australian rural romances raise questions about the romance plot while critiquing aspects of gender inequality specific to the context. In turn, such novels may encourage and inspire female readers (if they so choose) to do more in rural life than sit on the fence watching the men.' (Publication abstract)
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Last amended 29 Jan 2021 10:13:59
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