AustLit

'A entertaining example of the family history kind of novel. This particular family, descended from the historic Simon to begin with, has been enlivened about a hundred and fifty years ago by the irruption of a frivolous and enchanting French lady, Madeleine des. Baux. One of her grandsons, Henry, sails with his family to join a brother, Simon, who has taken up land near Port Phillip and becomes one of the makers of his colony. The marriages of his children and their cousins, and their inter-mixture with Spanish, Irish and Scots colonists, provide the matter of the book; and, since their characters are varied and whimsical, it is entrancing matter. Incidentally we get some vivid impressions of Australia before and after the gold rush. The early love story of Richard and Aida provides a passage of singular beauty; and when at the end of the book Raoul, who looks "like a cynical angel," sinks into the frank embrace of her daughter Madeleine, we feel that the French ancestress is still triumphant. This is a witty and picturesque book, with a keen sense of flavor in place and personality. ...'