A River TownA novel based on real events in the life of Thomas Keneally's grandfather, A River Town takes us back to the turn of the century. Like the immigrants who came to America's shores, Tim Shea has left his native Ireland and its confining social codes to seek the wide-open spaces of Australia. Struggling to make a living as a storekeeper and to support a growing family, Shea finds his stubborn integrity has made him vulnerable to the kinds of social pressures he thought he had left behind in Ireland. A River Town tells of how a man triumphs through compassion, of the heroism of looking beyond a community's easy prejudices. Engrossing, funny, and touching, it is, in short, vintage Keneally. |
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Albert Rochester amongst Annie asked Australian Bandy Habash Bandy's Belgrave Street bloody Borger bugger Burrawong called camp child Constable Hanney Crescent Head cricket dear door drink Ellen Burke Ernie Malcolm Ernie's Erson eyes face father feller fellow felt girl Glenrock grey hand hawker heard horse Imelda Jerseyville Jesus Joe O'Neill Johnny Johnny's Kempsey Kenna Kitty Kitty's knew laughed letter looked Lucy Macleay Macleay River Mamie mask Missy Molly Mother murmured night Offhand Old Burke paperbarks Patriotic Fund Pee Dee plague poor Port Macquarie Primrose river Rochester Schindler's List seemed Shea shoulder Sister Raymond smiled Smith Street South Wales stood Sutter Sydney tell Terara thing Thomas Keneally Tim's told took town turned verandah Victor Daley wagon waited walked watched wife Winnie's woman women Wooderson young