Author: Anna Romer
ISBN: 978-19-220-5242-1
RRP: $29.99
Lyrebird Hill is a story of the distant past and the recent past converging with the present. Written across two very different timelines Romer brings together the stories of Brenna and Ruby, two women who share a connection with the property of Lyrebird Hill.
Romer has written two distinct timelines and two leading ladies, both of whom grew up on Lyrebird Hill. I don’t want to say too much because there is a large element of mystery to the story and I would hate to ruin it for anyone.
The property of Lyrebird Hill has been passed down through the generations for over 100 years and it is still complete, even through drought and rough years none of the land has been sold off to help out.
In the 1800s there was an indigenous clan living on the land of Lyrebird Hill and there were some very mixed feelings about them being there. Brenna’s father wants to keep his land intact in an effort to keep the clan safe. Brenna spends lots of time with the clan, learning about all of the plants and herbs on the land and what they can be used for. Information which she keeps stored in a beautifully self-illustrated notebook that is never far from her side.
A bad crop sees Michael Magavin in dire straits financially and still determined not to sell off any of the land. In the end an associate offers a proposal which will keep Lyrebird Hill safe, it just means Brenna must marry him and move to Tasmania until she bears him a son. An arrangement which made my skin crawl but I am from a very different time. Rather than risk losing the family land that she loves Brenna agrees to the proposal, not unhappily either because she has been quite intrigued by Mr Whitby. It will be quite a transition for her to leave Lyrebird Hill and the Armidale area behind to move to Tasmania but she feels it is a necessary sacrifice for the safety of the family’s legacy.
Brenna soon comes to see a very different side of Mr Whitby once they are married and her time in Tasmania is quite lonely until she forms a very close friendship with Whitby’s sister Adele.
Alternating chapters focus on Ruby Cardel a young woman who spent much of her childhood at Lyrebird Hill, sometime after the tragic loss of her older sister Ruby and her mother moved into Armidale and the property was sold to a neighbor. The day Jamie died remains a mystery, whatever happened is locked away in Ruby’s mind – she has blocked out a year of her life and believes that it was all a tragic accident.
What will happen when she discovers that it wasn’t an accident? Slowly her life begins to come apart at the seams and glimpses of the past start returning.
Ruby is a beautifully drawn character, she incites such empathy even though there are times her insecurities make her a little painful to watch.
The story opens with her heading to an exhibition opening with her boyfriend. He is a well-known and gorgeous author who leaves her wondering, on a regular basis, why her? He could have anyone so why her. This is quite a common thought for a lot of people in relationships but it’s something Ruby really seems to struggle with.
Right from the beginning Rob seems not quite right for her. He is patronizing and just brushes away her fears. He doesn’t address them so they can work through them, just tries to brush them off with snippets from his books.
Ruby heads back home to Lyrebird Hill to find out what she can from the elderly neighbor who bought the property but things don’t quite go to plan.
The door that has been firmly bolted in her memory was unlocked when she studied her mum’s paintings at the exhibition but it isn’t until she returns home that the flow of memories starts to gain momentum.
Ruby’s story is told in present and past tense and the transition is quite rapid, one minute she’s in the present and going about her day and then she slips into the daydream of a returning memory and takes us with her.
Romer has woven the threads of this tale together remarkably well, even through three timelines the story never lacks cohesion and the flow is quite intense as it all moves towards the climactic coming together of all threads.
Lyrebird Hill is a story I love because it has elements of many genres and the central character is a booklover who ran away from home to open a bookstore – what a heavenly idea that is to me. The mystery woven into the history of both women is gripping and there were some fabulous twists in the story. There was a little romance and there was a side of history we often don’t get.
The way there were a couple of things that tied all of the threads so nicely together was convincingly done and even now as I sit and write this I am still connecting dots and putting pieces together, long after I closed the book.
Anna Romer is definitely batting 2 for 2 and I, personally, can’t wait to see what’s in store for us with number 3.
Some of our very lucky book club readers will also be reading Lyrebird Hill and I can not wait to hear what they have to say about it. Don’t forget to check back here for their thoughts.
They will also each have a question for Anna Romer in their comments and the best ones will be compiled for an upcoming author interview with Romer herself. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with.
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 had trouble getting into the start of the book, but was so glad that I persevered, as it was extremely well written and an absolute joy to read. The two stories of both Ruby and Brenna confused me at first, but made sense the more I read. It was beautifully written and I look forward to your next book. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.
My question to the Author is:
Who was your inspiration growing up as a child that helped influence your exceptional writing ability?
I was intrigued and excited to read Lyrebird Hill and I must admit it took a little to get into the story but once I did I couldn’t put it down. Normally I hate going back and forth with characters but the way they intertwined was brilliant They were both such strong characters. The way it kept me in suspense with the twists and turns was spellbinding. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. I loved Lyrebird hill and will recommend to friends and family can’t wait for your next book.
My question for Anna Romer is What was the hardest thing about writing Lyrebird Hill?
Lyrebird Hill by Anna Romer.
For me this book was an absolute pleasure to read and instantly I was drawn in by the descriptive language to describe the land and homeland of Lyrebird Hill that was so loved by both main characters. I was intrigued at the various pieces of the puzzle that made up the life of the character of Ruby and how the author Anna Romer had intertwined the past and present to continually keep you guessing.
The parallels between the story of Brenna based in 1898 and Ruby in the present, where perfectly linked. I found that every chapter I read left me wanting to read more to discover the true connections between all of the characters.
I was particularly interested to learn more about the Aboriginal family history in the book and cultural practices. This element could have been used to really draw in more readers and I was surprised to find no mention of it in the blurb.
So this is where my question for the Anna Romer comes in, could you tell me a bit more about your research into the cultural references to the Aboriginal people in the area and if there was any direct historical content around the massacres described in the book?
At times I found the characters a bit hard to keep up with with the alternating chapters however with any good book, I felt that I was dissolved into the plot and consumed to read more. Overall I would recommend this book to others and will definitely be passing it into other family members to read, so they can truly experience the strength and guidance that we can gain from the history of our families.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Lyrebird Hill!
I enjoyed this book. It’s what I would consider a good holiday book – the story grabbed me enough to keep me reading, and to give me a little ‘getaway’ from normal life while I was reading, but it wasn’t a life-changing book.
The characters are well constructed, and as the reader we’re set up to empathise and connect with Ruby and Brenna, which I certainly did. But I found the contrast of the antagonistic characters of Rob and Carsen fairly unrealistic. I prefer characters with a bit more depth and complexity – with both good and bad sides to them (the person closest to having this in the book was Ruby’s mother, and I loved the way we were at first positioned to not particularly like her, but then as we learned more of her story we warmed to her towards the end).
That being said, I loved the settings within the books, and the description of the native Australian bushland. I occasionally work in remote Aboriginal communities and loved reading stories from that timeline of the book! I would have liked to see a stronger link drawn to the lives of these people in modern times.
I loved the character of Pete (and his dogs!), he seemed very genuine and understanding of Ruby’s situation.
My question to the author: How did you go about researching for the storyline set in the past?
HI Anne,
My question for you is – who’s perspective did you prefer to write – Brenna’s or Ruby?
Oh and one more – did you know how the story was going to end before you started writing, or did you go where the story was leading you?
I really enjoyed the stories of these two women. It was well written and brought the characters to life.
I would highly recommend to family and friends.
“Lyrebird Hill” is predominately the story of Ruby, who is realising that the mystery surrounding the death of her sister when they were children is deeper and more complicated than she knew. Ruby’s perfect life is unravelling, and this forces her to look harder at what and who she was in the past – and why.
Ruby’s journey of self discovery is interwoven with the story of her great grandmother, who wound up in jail for murder. How and why did that happen, and what bearing does it have on Ruby’s life?
I found the first few pages of the novel rather awkward – supposedly they were words from a journal, but they didn’t ring true as words anyone would actually write in that situation. But once those half a dozen pages were past, I found both of the plot threads really engaging and interesting. The unfolding of the dual mysteries was really well handled, and kept me reading with a lot of eagerness to find out what would happen next.
Ruby is a character a lot of people will empathise with, and if the denouement of the novel stretches credibility just a tad – well, fondness for Ruby will probably carry you past that. I really enjoyed this novel. It doesn’t have anything very new to say, but it’s well written and engaging, and encourages you to read it in a couple of sittings.
A question for Anna: amnesia (or repressed memories) is such a frequently used plot device that it can easily tip into cliché or a cheap “get out of plot trouble” card. You avoided this, but when you started writing, did you consider any other plot structures because of this?
Hi All – I like many others thoroughly love Lyrebird Hill. I really enjoyed the flicking between eras and characters – and the connections these characters had. The characters and their qualities were well thought out and we could see their personal development throughout the separate stories. I loved the Australian setting and themes that are still important historically for Australia. I did like the descriptions of animals but tired of this after a little while… not sure why – think I just wanted to know more about the characters & their problems. Loved the build up of tension & I really was keen to find out what happened next – for both characters. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great Australian story – will certainly be recommending it for others that love this type of storytelling!
My question to Anna Romer – Did you purposely tie in the Lyrebird extinction from the area to highlight the extinction of the Aboriginal tribe from the same location – just in different times?
Thanks for a great read
What a great read!!
From the moment I started I couldn’t put it down.
I think being an Australian story made it more enjoyable.
I would recommend this to anyone and I will definitely read more of
Anne Romer novels as she writes them… 😀