Author: Jennifer Scoullar
ISBN: 978-1-925827-00-2
RRP: $32.99
Publication Date: 27th August 2018
Publisher: Pilyara Press
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
The Lost Valley is the second book in The Tasmanian Tales trilogy by Jennifer Scoullar but it is one that I think would stand on its own merits if you came to it without having read Fortune’s Son. It has been so long since I read the first book, and I no longer have the time to go back and re-read, that I don’t remember it clearly so it wasn’t fresh in my mind and that didn’t make a difference. I will be interested to read what our members thought if they hadn’t read Fortune’s Son.
Tom and Harry Abbott are orphaned in 1929, at 10 years old, when their parents are killed in tragic circumstances. They can’t stay in Hobart so they are sent to live with their estranged grandmother, Isabelle Abbott, in the Binburra ranges. The move allowed the boys space to grieve, and to grow. Tom fell in love with the wild woods surrounding his new home and made the most of the room to roam and explore. Harry grew a festering resentment towards his twin and a wildness that would not be tamed.
The Abbott twins are as different as twins could be, and they always have been. Harry was the apple of his father’s eye with his interest in maths and the family businesses where Tom was more interested in aviation and books. The bond Harry shared with his father was much stronger than Tom’s, who shared a special bond with his mother. They both missed their parent’s terribly but it was Harry who vowed to track down the person responsible and seek vengeance.
The Lost Valley spans decades and watches over many changes in the world, yet it is a much smaller page count than I would have expected. The twins grow up in the remote Tasmanian mountains and instead of the isolation bringing them closer it seems to allow cracks to form in their bond and rivalries to grow.
Isabelle Abbott was quite reclusive when she took on the boys, retreating into herself after the death of her husband. Her time with the grandsons she had been estranged from helps to bring her back to life, reignite her passions for life and for conservation.
Once again Scoullar has penned a tale of the untamed Tasmanian wilds, the plight of the Tasmanian tiger and the fight that conservationists and naturalists put up to protect the natural habitats and the process of creating National Parks. This environmental side of the story is deftly woven into a tale of sibling rivalry, love, jealousy and romance against a backdrop much bigger than the Tasmanian forests.
Six years in the mountains and finally things come to a head, it’s clear that they need more than can be offered at Binburra so they head into Hobart. Tom meets Emma, a girl about his age with similar ideals, and they spend some time together until she needs to race home to a sick mother. Harry finds a job and stays on in the city while Isabelle and Tom return to their mountain home.
The Lost Valley is the tale of Tom and Harry through the years of apprenticeships, the second world war, love, courtship, marriage and tragedy. It is a tale of sinister rivalry between brothers and the resounding effect bad blood can have for years, the lengths that some will go to.
Scoullar has penned characters that are real and relatable in situations I don’t even want to fathom. This was a story that definitely set me on an emotional roller coaster.
Emma was a young girl who had to step in when her mum had a stroke, leaving her studies and her job behind; as well as her volunteer work in the Zoo. She was left to support her family, do all she could to support her mum’s recovery and in the end she also had to find work. She found herself in a horrible position with very few options and she did what she had to do for her family. She was young and naïve but she was also strong and resourceful. She was an admirable young lady who had to face far too much in her life.
The Lost Valley takes us far from the valley and into Hobart, London and the middle of World War II where a pilot with nothing left to lose risks it all. This is a story that paints a vibrant picture of the Tasmanian mountains and tells an intriguing tale of twins ripped apart by resentment, jealousy and greed.
The Lost Valley is an historical saga that will capture your heart and your imagination. I would recommend it to fans of intricate family drama, passion and romance with an environmental vein.
I love the ending, and it has left me wanting to know what comes next. Not a cliffhanger must know but a sneaky little tease that leaves it open for another book a decade or two down the track. I will be interested to see where it goes from here, but I’m also satisfied with the way it all wrapped up.
The Lost Valley is #37 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2018.
Jennifer Scoullar can be followed on Facebook, JenniferScoullar.com and Twitter.
The Lost Valley is published by Pilyara Press and is available now through Booktopia, Angus & Robertson Bookworld and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Pilyara Press 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading The Lost Valley so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
The Lost Valley is a superb novel by an amazing writer.
This is the first time I have read the works of Jennifer Scoullar
but wow this was outstanding. Jennifer has the ability with her
writing to take you there and make you feel a part of it, it’s
almost magical.
This is set mainly in Tasmania stretching to the UK and back.
It is the story of twin boys, Harry the troubled twin and Tom the gentle
twin who were orphaned at ten years of age in dramatic circumstances.
There is much rivalry between these two boys as they grow from children into men.
They are taken to Binburra in the southern highlands of Tasmania where
their grandmother Isabelle resides.
After a while they visit the township of Hobart and they meet up with Emma,
a working class girl who wants to become a doctor. Emma is there through their teens and into adulthood and becomes a very strong likeable character in this story.
Life and war turn all their dreams upside down with a whole lot of heartbreak and pain but also joy and hope.
Your emotions will be stretched as you enjoy this drama in a beautiful setting of enchanting environment and animal life that is so brought to life by the author.
From the first page you will be transfixed as I was.
Thank you so much to Pilyara Press and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.
The Lost Valley is the second book by Jennifer Scoullar in the Tasmanian Tales series. I had read the first book in the series, Fortune’s Son’ last year, and when I saw another book by Jennifer Scoullar, I jumped at the chance to read it. While you can read ‘The Lost Valley’ in isolation, I would recommend reading ‘Fortune’s Son’ first as it does give more to the background of the characters, and I believe that you will get more from the book (apart from ‘Fortune’s Son’ being another excellent book to read).
The story is mostly set in Tasmania, and follows the lives of twin boys who are orphaned when they are only 8 years old. They meet a girl called Emma when they are young, and it then follows her life too. It is written so sensitively and beautifully that I never wanted the story to end.
Intertwined within the first plot, is the story of the plight of the Tasmanian Tiger (or Thylacine). This was done so expertly so we as readers are able to learn about the history of this amazing animal. I felt deeply saddened to read about this creature, and know that the early immigrants brought about the extinction of this unique animal.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history, romance, Tasmania and our native animals. To Jennifer Scoullar, please write more in this series. I can not rate this book high enough. I loved reading it.
What an interesting read!
I have not read the prequel to this book but would love to, I found the characters interesting and the storyline exciting. The historical element and reading of the Tasmanian tiger was fantastic.
Would highly recommend this book for a great read
The Lost Valley by Jennifer Scoullar was a very enjoyable read with many twists and turns, and some natural history education thrown in. The main characters are twins, Tom and Harry, raised by their grandmother from the age of 10 years, in the remote Binaburra ranges in Tasmania. The boys both develop a connection with the property, but for different reasons. The story focuses on their lives, and their women and their rivalries. A book you can’t put down.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace club and Pilyara Press for the opportunity to read this book.
The Lost Valley by author Jennifer Scoullar is the first book I have read by her and look forward to reading more of her books.
The Lost Valley is set in the Tasmanian Highlands. The story is set around the lives of Tom and Harry Abbott who are orphaned when tragedy strikes their family. They are then to live with their grandmother Isabelle at Binburra. They meet a girl, Emma when they are young and the story also then follows her life too.
The story follows all three lives of Tom, Harry and Emma and the different paths they take. With Tom and Harry’s family relationship falling apart, Tom leaving and going to join the Air Force and leaving Tasmania. Harry who works in the shipping industry and wanting to get the family business back stays in Tasmania. Emma moves to Launceston to look after her unwell mother. From here Emma moves into the world of servings gentlemen’s needs in a Madam’s house trying to earn money to look after her mum and brother. As time goes by Harry tries to rekindle a friendship with Emma, and finds out what she is really doing and in time marry. Tom and Harry still have no contact. Tom is injured in the War and undergoes much treatment for substantial burns, and unfortunately his wife Kitty a movie star does not support him.
Eventually Tom comes back to Tasmania with Kitty to check out his grandmother’s property and has contact with Harry and Emma. When Harry and Kitty meet life takes a further change. You will need to read the story to really see what happens or love or money!
I really enjoyed the story and would highly recommend.
The Lost Valley is the second book in The Tasmanian Tales series by Jennifer Scoullar. While I hadn’t read the first book Fortune’s Son, this didn’t affect my reading of this novel, as past elements from the first book are easily linked into this novel.
The story begins in 1929 and follows twin brothers Tom and Harry, who are sent to live to live with their estranged grandmother after being orphaned. Growing up in the remote and wild Binburra Ranges, Tom develops a love for the wild landscape, while Harry harbors a growing resentment towards his twin brother.
Set against a background of Tasmanian wilderness, WWII, Hollywood and a Hobart of yesteryear, this family saga is cleverly intertwined with the environmental plight facing Tasmania during those years.
The ending, while not a cliffhanger, has left me eagerly anticipating the next novel in the series. A brilliantly engrossing and well-written story!
Thank you to Beauty and Lace, and Pilyara Press, for allowing me to review this novel.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to read The Lost Valley it was an exceptional read and it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read the first one – Fortunes Son – although I definitely will be chasing it up.
The Lost Valley centres around twin brothers Tom and Harry Abbott and the tragedy that befalls them and then their respective lives with the introduction of Emma to their lives, the rift in their relationship and then the preservation of the Tasmanian Tiger. The Lost Valley follows their ups and downs and then culminates in an edge of the seat conclusion.
4.5 stars for me I thoroughly enjoyed it – thank you Jennifer Scoullar I definitely will be on the lookout for more of your stories
This was a fabulously well written novel!
Huge congratulations to Jennifer Scoullar.
The novel was set in the 1920s with young twin brothers tragically loosing their parents.
The story sees them grow up into men and how their lives drift apart from greed and hatred.
The characters are based in Tasmania and set around the War.
In the novel you learn of a young girl, who faces poverty but will do anything to help her mother, even if that means selling herself.
The novel has 3 strong characters, it keeps you interested and begging you to read more!
I loved this book. Can’t wait to read more!
I am very grateful for the opportunity to have read and review this book.
The Lost Valley actually surprised me. I must admit I was a little hesitant about it, unsure whether it was really going to capture my attention but I was so wrong!
Within days of starting, I was messaging Jennifer Scoullar to discuss certain aspects! I am a massive Tasmanian Devil fan so fell in love with those scenes and also love the idea that there are potentially still Tasmanian Tigers in existence.
Some of the treatment of animals made me sad and mad, as did some of the characters especially in regards to the way they treated others, but there were also characters I loved!
I now want to go back and read the first book in the trilogy. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Beauty and Lace and Pilyara press for the opportunity to read and review The Lost Valley by Jennifer Scoullar.
This is the second book in The Tasmanian Tales by Scoullar, the first being Fortune’s Son which I was also privileged to have had the opportunity to read and review. Embarrassingly, I did not realise until I saw a comment by Michelle from Beauty and Lace that this was the second book in a series! On a positive note however, it does mean that this book clearly is able to be read and thoroughly enjoyed as a stand-alone book.
The tale begins in extraordinary fashion. A beautiful scenario of a couple in love celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, crystal vases crammed with roses, a silver ice bucket with her favourite French champagne, oysters and poached salmon as the sun sets, an evening dancing to their favourite tunes in the drawing room, just the two of them, the twins away at boarding school, staff having the night off. The perfect evening, oh, apart from the first paragraph of the tale:
“Mr Robert Abbott, close friend of the Premier and Hobart’s most prominent businessman, was forty-one-years old when he took a rifle and shot his wife in the head. He then turned the gun on himself.”
Suddenly for 10-year-old twins, Henry (known as Harry) and Tom, their world is turned upside down. The official line is that a mysterious intruder burst into the family home blasting their parent’s lives from them. As a result, they have been removed from boarding school and sent to live with their father’s mother Isabelle, the black sheep off the family who they haven’t had any contact with since they were four, at Binburra, her remote homestead in the Tasmanian highlands.
We watch as the boys grow into young men with very divergent personalities, Tom loves the rugged landscape, Harry feels trapped and begins to develop a growing resentment towards Tom, culminating in an incident that nearly costs Tom his life and sets in motion a lifelong division between the twins.
In addition to the boys, Scoullar also develops the characters of 3 women who will have a significant impact on Harry and Tom’s lives. Their father’s mother Isabelle, who ran off with another man leading to a long estrangement from the rest of the family, Emma, who idolises Tom and shares his deep love of animals, and Kitty, an actress beauty who sees Tom as the perfect accessory as she breaks into Hollywood.
As the mountains of Tasmania and Binburra yield up their long-held secrets, events from World War II have a cataclysmic effect on Harry and Tom’s lives and relationships.
Scoullar’s love of Tasmania is again evident in this tale, as is her fascination with the Thylacine, the presumed extinct Tasmanian Tiger. A wonderfully written book that leaves you enraptured by her descriptions of the environment, riding a roller coaster of emotions as you experience the lengths Emma is forced to go to in order to provide medical help to her beloved mother, and the unforeseen impacts this will have on her life, the highs and lows experienced by Harry and Tom and the impact that their parent’s untimely death has on them.
A highly recommended read. I give it 4.5 stars.