AustLit

Anglo-Australian romance of a Girton girl and a handsome young squatter. Driven by family necessity to give up her medical studies after her father's death, Joan Forbes takes a well-paid position as governess in Australia. She is directed at first to the wrong station on the NSW-Victorian border but sets the "boss's" broken arm and is quickly restored to her rightful destination, the neighbouring property. Despite her lack of cooking skills several months later she is engaged to the neighbouring squatter, her employer's brother. Entertaining story, well-written, topical subjects, heroine who slightly challenges traditional role expectations; nice vignettes of colonial Australia. (This author, 'Niente', slowly improving.) (PB)