I am still off having a great family holiday, I have snuck a little computer time while the family are all sleeping. My reading is going pretty slow, and today I ended up not reading while we drove because I was looking out the window at the scenery. So slow reading means I need to do some more short posts for reviews to be left and review properly later.
Tea Cooper is an established Australian author who writes captivating historical fiction. The Naturalist’s Daughter is her latest novel and it encompasses a dual timeline set in both 1808 and 1908 in NSW. It is the tale of two women, separated by a century. There seems to be quite an interesting mystery that I can’t wait to unravel.
The synopsis according to Harlequin:
1808 Agnes Banks, NSW
Rose Winton wants nothing more than to work with her father, eminent naturalist Charles Winton, on his groundbreaking study of the platypus. Not only does she love him with all her heart, but the discoveries they have made could turn the scientific world on its head. When Charles is unable to make the long sea journey to present his findings to the prestigious Royal Society in England, Rosie must venture forth in his stead. What she discovers there will change the lives of future generations.
1908 Sydney, NSW
Tamsin Alleyn has been given a mission: travel to the Hunter Valley and retrieve an old sketchbook of debatable value, gifted to the Public Library by a recluse. But when she gets there, she finds there is more to the book than meets the eye, and more than one interested party. Shaw Everdene, a young antiquarian bookseller and lawyer seems to have his own agenda when it comes to the book – and Tamsin. In an attempt to discover the book’s true provenance Tamsin decides to work with him.
The deeper they delve, the more intricate the mystery becomes. As the lives of two women a century apart converge, discoveries rise up from the past and reach into the future, with irrevocable consequences…
Thanks to Harlequin 20 of our Beauty and Lace club members will be reading The Naturalist’s Daughter 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!
I have been most impressed by this beautiful novel written by the talented Australian author, Tea Cooper.
1808 Agnes Banks, NSW. Rose Winton lives in a rural setting with her father Charles Winton, an eminent naturalist who is studying the platypus. They work closely together and love each other very much. When their world is turned upside down, Rose must be brave and venture alone to ensure her fathers research and discoveries are duly recognised.
1908 Sydney, NSW. Tamsin Alleyn works at the Mitchell Library in Sydney and has been tasked with travelling to the Hunter Valley to receive an old sketchbook, gifted to the library. What she discovers is a book of questionable value but one that opens up the proverbial Pandora’s Box of intrigue and mystery. Who does the book belong to? Was there more than one contributor?
I was initially sceptical at the thought of a book based on the study of the platypus; of all the subjects one could base a story on, the platypus didn’t seem to be of great interest to me. However, Tea has masterfully wound an intriguing story, spanning two lives a century apart and developed an intriguing tale of scientific discovery, family units, colonial Australia, history, mystery, scandal and a touch of romance. The cover artwork is also of a wonderful design. A true representation of the location, Agnes Banks and appearance of the character Rose Winton.
Thank you Tea Cooper for sharing your talents for writing. I have visited your website, signed up to your newsletter and look forward to hearing of your next literary ventures. Thank you also to Harlequin, HQ Fiction and Beauty & Lace Book Club for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harlequin Australia for gifting me this wonderful book to read.
Where to begin.
The Naturalist’s Daughter is a story based around the platypus that funny little Australian animal we don’t really know much about.
It begins in 1808 as Charles Winton has made his discovery of the platypus and has spent many hours with his daughter studying it’s life and habits.
Rose is the daughter of Charles and when he is unable to go to England and present his findings to the Royal Society of England she goes off on an adventure in his place.
The story then introduces us to Tasmin who in 1908 works for the Mitchell Library and she has an interest in historical books.
We follow along on her discoveries she makes as she is looking for a sketchbook.
This story has two strong female lead characters in Rose and Tasmin who are interconnected by time and both are on a mission involving the mallangong.
Time takes us from 1808 to 1908 throughout the story and we follow the adventures of Rose and Tasmin and the two times are easy to separate and easy to follow, they seem to flow into each other without the reader getting lost.
In both times it gives a little snippet into life as it was back then.
I enjoyed this story so very much and was actually a little disappointed to discover Charles Winton was not real.
This is such an enchanting read and would recommend anyone to read it.
Tea Cooper’s book “The Naturalist’s Daughter” was a delightful surprise.
When reading the first chapter I was so sure where this was going and thought it would be story behind a study of the platypus set in the early 1800s
It was, but it was so much more. The story alternates between the two main characters: Rose Winton who is the Naturalist’s Daughter and Tamsin Alleyn a librarian who is sent to bring back a unique document bequeathed to the library she works for
The story is a very interesting, intertwined web, and it is not until the final chapters that all falls into place. You will be left guessing as this is not a predictable tale
I really enjoyed this book as it flipped back and forth between the two women, the 2 centuries and 2 countries.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace book club and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this enjoyable book
I loved this book! For some reason, I thought it would be a bit hard to plough through. Was I wrong about that!!! This book was both captivating and sensitive, riveting and thoughtful and very entertaining. I love historical novels, and ones that swap between different eras are often my favourites.
This book followed the lives of Rose Winton (in 1808) and Tasmin Alleyn (in 1908). Both these women were strong and courageous, clever and thoughtful, I loved that as a bonus, I learnt some interesting facts about the Platypus.
This book kept me guessing until the last pages. I will definitely be looking to read more Tea Cooper’s books. She is a wonderful story teller!
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this book and review it. I loved it!
I 100% loved this wonderful story. The Naturalists Daughter flicks between two different time periods…the early 1800’s and the early 1900’s.
Tamsin works in a library and has a strong passion for history so when she is sent to the Hunter Valley to take receipt of an old sketch book it seems like a fun adventure and she is thrilled as she believes that the sketch book used to belong to Charles Winton who is a great naturalist. When she arrives to collect the sketch book for the library things dont go quite to plan and she finds herself in a battle to prove that the sketchbook should not be kept by one person but should be gifted to the library so that the public can view it. In her process to prove this she also finds out much about herself.
The sketch book and the story of Charles Winton take you into the story of Charles daughter, Rose Winton and we learn a lot about her childhood and her relationship with her father. Her wonderful talent for drawing and her knowledge of the platypus which she gained thanks to her father.
This story kept me interested and puzzling right up until the last.
I would love to read more of Tea Coopers books and have no hesitation in suggesting that fellow readers get a copy of this book and add it to their reading pile.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harlequin Books for the opportunity to read and review Tea Copper’s The Naturalist’s Daughter.
This is the second book of Cooper’s that I have been privileged to read and review and having loved “The Currency Lass” I couldn’t wait to read this book. The Naturalist’s Daughter did not disappoint, I was enthralled from the moment I started to read it.
Cooper has that wonderful ability to seamlessly blend historical fact and fiction together in order to create a piece of work that holds your interest from beginning to end.
This book is the tale of two Australian women, 100 years apart, the elusive Ornithorrhyncus anatinus, more commonly known as the mallangong, or platypus, a sketchbook, Colonial Australia and female convicts, the disbelief of the Royal Society in London that a creature such as the platypus could be real, dark rites and unanticipated family connections.
Charles Winton is the naturalist, Rose Winton his daughter, together they observe and document the strange creature known as the platypus. In 1808 Charles is summoned by Sir Joseph Banks to London to present his findings at the Royal Society, but fate intervenes and he is unable to attend. Rose agrees to go in his stead with the precious sketchbook and platypus taxidermy. Nothing could have prepared her for what she faces on arrival.
100 years later in 1908 a young librarian, Tamsin Allen, from the Public Library in New South Wales is sent to visit a Mrs Quinleaven who lives just outside a small town in the Hunter. Tamsin is advised by her superior that Mrs Quinleaven wishes to donate a sketchbook that she states belonged to Charles Winton to the library.
However on her arrival Tamsin is shocked to discover that Mrs Quinleaven was buried that morning, and her estranged daughter Mrs Rushworth has no knowledge of any supposed donation, and has no interest in honouring her late mother’s wishes anyway. And then there is the mysterious Shaw Everdene who seems to be the point of liaison between herself and Mrs Rushworth, clearly is as fascinated by the sketchbook as she is and as interested in determining its authenticity.
As Shaw and Tamsin work to determine the provenance of the sketchbook, and how it came to be in Mrs Quinleaven’s possession the more intricate the mystery becomes, and the more Tamsin is determined to ensure the book takes it rightful place in the Library.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written Australian historical fiction, with the added benefit of learning more about that strange enigma and Australian monotreme, the platypus.
Thank you for the opportunity to review ‘The Naturalist’s Daughter’ by Tea Cooper This is an historical Australian novel that covers the stories of two women, Rose set in 1808 and Tamsin 1908. Both women are educated and forthright believing, against the mores’ of the time, that women are equal to men.
Rose is working closely with her beloved father on his ground breaking study of the platypus. Tasmin mission is to retrieve a mysterious sketchbook from Rose’s time.
The author is a expert at intertwining timelines and linking people across them. Rose has close bonds with the local indigenous people and they are able to teach her and her father the intricacies of the platypus.These bonds become important for Tamsin, a century later, in her search for the history of the scrapbook.
In this novel Cooper weaves mystery, romance, murder and adventure into a story that could almost be true. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to everyone.
Tea Cooper takes us back to the 19th and 20th centuries and the discoveries of Australia’s unique flora and fauna, taking us on an enchanting story of the Mallagong or Platypus as we now know it. There are two central storylines that develop throughout the story, their connection being discovered at the end of the book. Primarily, the story surrounds Rose and her Pa, a naturalist who is researching the Platypus, his discoveries to be shared with Sir Joseph Banks in England. Rose takes her Pa’s work to the Royal Society in England and is met with various hurdles along the way.
100 years later, Tamsin has been given the task to recover the sketchbook that was taken to Sir Joseph Banks as a donation to her library, however the benefactor passes before she is able to take custody and Tamsin faces her own hurdles to overcome as well as trying to figure out the mysteries surrounding Rose’s story and what eventuated with the Platypus sketchbook.
This book is best recommended for those that enjoy Australian historical fiction and bibliophiles.
The story has pace, intrigue, romantic suspense and leaves a bit of mystery at the end. It was a fairly light, enjoyable read, I found the ending a bit quickly wrapped up however.
Tea Cooper has again crafted a masterpiece that weaves its way into your mind that has you picturing each scene she sets out before you.
The storyline brings with it mystery, intrigue, Australian history, and, of course, a touch of romance.
Rose Winton aims to take her father’s life’s work to the world, but is stopped by women not being able to attend places where only men could in the 1800s. A century later, Tamsin Alleyn is determined to find out the truth behind a sketchbook, which finds her life inextricably connected with that os Rose’s life 100 years earlier.
Cooper is an author who manages to educate her readers gently using fiction and they finish her novels feeling they’ve not only been entertained, but learned plenty along the way.
The Naturalist’s Daughter is the story of the discovery of the platypus and the study of its habits and habitats as well as a story of greed and finding your roots. It also touches on the relationship between white Australians and our original inhabitants, the Aborigines, and how the knowledge of Indigenous Australians aided in much of the knowledge we have of our native flora and fauna. Cooper also explores the place of women in society in previous centuries, with strong, independent women as the central characters.
I love the women in Cooper’s novels as they are always strong and wanting to improve the world. They are never indecisive, but always have their faults to make them real. They also give other women inspiration and character traits to aspire to.
This is another fantastic novel from Cooper for those readers who want something a little deeper to sink their teeth into, rather than a run-of-the-mill romance.
Thank you to Harlequin and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Absolutely loved it! Although it took me a little while to get into and I am not used to reading books set in that location and era I soon fell in love and learnt so much! I kept googling things to learn more!
Thank you Tea Cooper for a very enjoyable read and I look forward to future releases from you!