Are you curious about Australia’s early modernist literary movement?
Then Her Sunburnt Country by Deborah FitzGerald is the perfect introduction.
Many Australians should know of Dorothea Mackellar’s poem – “My Country”, with its captivating prose and beautiful description of Australia. Since the poem’s publication in 1908 it has only grown in popularity, quickly became a patriotic favourite and has since been honoured with a place in Australia’s curriculum.
Throughout Her Sunburnt Country you can be expect to indulge in Dorothea’s extraordinary life. However, keep in mind, Dorothea is not always the central subject within this biography. Guest appearances in the book range from members of Dorothea’s family, friends, and loved ones to the major historical events that occurred throughout her lifetime. The inclusion of multiple significant people and events was a welcome addition as it enabled me to better understand Dorothea’s life and what makes her life so extraordinary. It also helped put the period in context, highlighting its aesthetics, political tensions, and ideologies.
Dorothea was a member of upper-class Australia, which enabled her to associate with the significant and prominent people of the time, especially those who called Sydney home. Many of these people had set up companies, schemes, and welfare legislations that were historically significant then, and even now.
Through FitzGerald’s captivating prose, I was able to get a strong sense of Dorothea’s self, the battles she had endured through the deaths of her loved ones, the relationship breaks downs, and the career successes that led to her being a significant woman in the literary world.
The way that FitzGerald explored Dorothea’s life was all encapsulating, and overall, well done. Though admittedly towards the end, I found that the book quickly dried up and struggled to keep my attention. But, I could put this down to detail overload – as there is a significant amount of detail and information there.
But, that said I believe that The Extraordinary Life of Dorothea Mackellar is an ideal read for literature fanatics, researchers of modernist literature, and of course, those readers who are simply interested in Dorothea’s extraordinary life.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Deborah FitzGerald’s Her Sunburnt Country: The Extraordinary Life of Dorothea Mackellar is available now from Simon & Schuster. Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE.
