AustLit

'Passions and intrigues abound in this epic historical novel. Kagami follows three families in 19th Century Japan, the Yamamotos and the Okuras, traditionalists dedicated to the old feudal Samurai ways, and the commercial Fukudas, eager to seize trading opportunities opened up by the arrival of Commodore Perry's force in 1853.

'The Kagami, or sacred mirror, is said to reflect the secret self of anyone who looks into it; what will it reveal of Lady Masa, the gentle aristocrat; her son, Renzo, a student at one of the mysterious Seignorial schools, once Japan's only point of contact with the outside world; the swaggering Samurai, Kenichi, and his sharp witted friend, Fukuda; free-thinking Aiko, with her quick tongue, and Osen, the beguiling courtesan?'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2017 ed.).

'Molly Blake is a woman with a gruesome secret from which she cannot escape. A secret which lies buried beneath her husband's camellias – and the fear of its discovery will drive her to madness.

'John and Molly Blake are a quiet suburban couple leading a quiet suburban life. It comes as a shock to John when their happy relationship suddenly begins to break down. Why has a certain waspishness crept into Molly's voice? Why is she withdrawing from him?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Orphaned by the holocaust that consumed Germany during World War II, Hans Herman Baum has no clue to his identity other than a battered name tag. He cannot remember either his parents or his home - his only memories are of many other faceless, homeless children who never smiled or laughed. Brought to live in New York with his great-aunt Trudy, the frightened, bewildered child that was Hans becomes Harm, the warm friendly boy who gradually grows in self-confidence within the close community of the street. But when the tragedy of his past comes back to haunt him, he must try to understand what it truly means to be a child of the holocaust.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2017 ed.)

Set in early colonial Australia, Luke's Kingdom follows the various fortunes of Jason Firbeck, who emigrates to Australia with his three children, and his son Luke, who is far more suited to life in the new country.

According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, the program 'is not only a drama concerned with a man's settlement in a savage, hostile wilderness but is also a psychological drama wherein the son displaces the father. Jason is shown to be ineffective in the new land in contrast to Luke, who is a down-to-earth pragmatist who takes what he wants.'

A British and Australian co-production--both financially and in terms of cast and crew--the program did well when it aired on the Nine Network.