Margaret Reeson

The lives of three generations of women in Margaret's family is covered in this book, from Anna in 1830 who left England so her family could find work, to Mary in 1851 who suffered great highs and lows in married life and ending with Grace in 1897 who lived as a farmer's wife through the first world war.
Each of these women showed resilience in the circumstances in which she was thrust and clung to a deep faith in God to strengthen them in the hard times. It was surprising to read of the size of the large families and saddening how many children/mothers died in childbirth years ago. It also provided insight into the struggles of working on the land in Australia, and being dependent on the rains, especially in the drought periods.
I also loved reading about how Grace's farm was near where I grew up and how they travelled to small country towns whose names I recognised.
Reading this book highlights the changes in society between then and now, and how hard life is on the land. It also shows how the people relied closely on community/farmily support to get through the hard times.
… (mais)