The Lost Valley (The Tasmanian Tales #2) in Aussie Readers

Aug 15, 2018 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, reviewing-by-request, 5000-books, read-on-kindle, 2018-release, arc, own-read, historical-fiction, gift-from-author

The shocking death of Tom and Harry Abbott’s parents when they were only ten years old meant they were taken to Binburra, the home of their grandmother, Isabella, their father’s mother. Tom settled in well, taking to the vast and remote Tasmanian bush just like his great-grandfather, Daniel Campbell, had. But Harry was too much like his father – everything was a competition, including who would receive the most affection from their Nana; it had been the same when their father was alive. And the The shocking death of Tom and Harry Abbott’s parents when they were only ten years old meant they were taken to Binburra, the home of their grandmother, Isabella, their father’s mother. Tom settled in well, taking to the vast and remote Tasmanian bush just like his great-grandfather, Daniel Campbell, had. But Harry was too much like his father – everything was a competition, including who would receive the most affection from their Nana; it had been the same when their father was alive. And the rivalry would intensify as the boys got older.

When the boys were sixteen, they travelled with their Nana to Hobart. Tom and Harry’s lives would change once again – but the sadness Tom felt as he noticed Harry drifting away from him was immense. They had been close as youngsters – now it seemed they were so far apart, nothing would breech the gap. Harry’s rage at Tom and the bitterness he felt about many things meant Harry would distance himself from his twin for a considerable period.

Tom’s desire to become a pilot saw him head to England and as World War II advanced, Tom flew Spitfires, becoming a Wing Commander. But once again lives changed immeasurably when the war ended, for both Tom in England, and Harry back in Tasmania. What would their lives become; these two men who had known tragedy and sadness all their lives? Would they overcome the past?

The Lost Valley is the second in The Tasmanian Tales series by Aussie author Jennifer Scoullar and it is just as well-written, heartbreaking and breathtaking as the first. When we meet the twins, they are ten years old. The story takes us from that young age, through their teenage years, into their twenties and beyond and is set in the rugged bushland of Tasmania as well as England in the 1930s. I loved the character of Isabella, Tom and Harry’s grandmother. She was a strong, kind and caring woman. A fabulous sequel, The Lost Valley is historical fiction at its best, and I have no hesitation in recommending it highly. A phenomenal read!

With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read and review.
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Jul 06, 2018 Janine rated it really liked it

The long awaited sequel to Fortune's Son which I loved reading. Jennifer writes with such knowledge about the environment and the animal world. Much research has obviously gone into each one of her books. The Lost Valley continues the story of the Abbott family and starts off with a bang (literally). The orphaned twins Tom & Harry are very different and are doomed to become rivals throughout their lives. Tom is very much like his grandparents whereas Harry is determined to win back the family bu ...more

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Sep 25, 2018 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, australian, historical-fiction, rural-lit

This is the second in rural lit author Jennifer Scoullar’s Tasmanian Tales series. The first book introduced us to a part of Tasmania that had remained mostly untouched – old growth forest teeming with wildlife, including the elusive thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. It gave us a love story that spanned decades of heartache and separation and this book picks up into the future with the grandchildren of Isabelle, 10 year old twins Tom and Harry who unexpectedly come into her care after a family trag This is the second in rural lit author Jennifer Scoullar’s Tasmanian Tales series. The first book introduced us to a part of Tasmania that had remained mostly untouched – old growth forest teeming with wildlife, including the elusive thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. It gave us a love story that spanned decades of heartache and separation and this book picks up into the future with the grandchildren of Isabelle, 10 year old twins Tom and Harry who unexpectedly come into her care after a family tragedy.

Belle has to adjust to having two young children to care for, at a time in her life when it wouldn’t be particularly expected. She takes to the task with enthusiasm however, wanting to give them safety and sanctuary, a place to heal their grief. They retreat to country Tasmania, to her family’s old property and there the boys explore and play, scaring off private tutor after private tutor. It’s not all fun and games though – the boys have their challenges and Harry in particular has a darkness that lurks inside of him, shadowing his relationship with his brother into their adulthood.

Woven into the story of Tom and Harry is that of Emma, a young girl the twins meet when their grandmother takes them to the city. Emma has passion for wildlife and spends her days trying to bulk up the feed of animals at the local zoo, which has fallen into mismanagement. The animals are starving, pacing their cages. Nocturnal animals have their burrows or hidey holes shut off in the day, forcing them to stay out in the open for people to observe them. It seems that no one wants to pay to go to the zoo and then have all the animals be sleeping and out of sight. This messes with their body clocks and makes them miserable and this part of the story was truly hard to read. I’ve been to zoos plenty of times, when animals haven’t been visible. One of my favourite animals is a wombat – try spotting any of them when you visit a zoo or sanctuary! They’re always asleep and so they should be, because that’s how they are. Thankfully zoo-type conservation has moved on and the animals are given habitats and routines as close to their wild and native habitats as can be perfected. There are still plenty of issues surrounding zoos and the like but the way they are run has definitely changed for the better.

Emma is soon forced to return home to care for her mother and her story takes such an interesting turn. She’s motivated by a need to earn money to care for her mother, who needs round-the-clock nursing. Her brothers are mostly unhelpful and useless and it falls to Emma to assume responsibility for not just herself but her mother as well. She crosses paths with one twin or the other over the years, her destiny tied to theirs in the most complicated of ways. I thought Emma’s story was handled remarkably well, providing a different insight into a certain sort of life that I don’t think many authors have portrayed so well. I think the reader was really given the chance to understand Emma’s position and her motivations and the ways in which she was able to make these choices for herself. It perhaps may not have started that way but she did use what happened to take control and power for her own destiny. She really does use what happened to her, the position she was put in, to better her own life and to be the one in charge. She goes from being very helpless to financially independent, reclaiming herself and her ability to choose her future. She is a really interesting character and I enjoyed the time devoted to her a lot.

As always, conservation is a strong thread running through this book, from the beginning of the boys exploring their new home to Belle confiding her secrets so that they may be preserved for many years to come. This creates conflict between the two siblings, amplifying the chip Harry seems to have on his shoulder regarding his brother and his confused and muddled feelings after their parents’ deaths. This builds so well throughout the novel novel, Scoullar expanding on the tension that has simmered between the boys since their childhood until it explodes.

This was a fantastic follow up to the first book – these books just flow so well and they’re so readable. I read both on my iPad and sometimes it can be difficult to judge how long you have to go until the finish but these simply fly by so fast I don’t even get time to wonder. I fall into the story of this family so easily – their loves and losses, the passion for the land that underpins everything. I think there’s another book to come and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

***A copy of this book was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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