Thank you to Better Reading for the opportunity to review this book.

Set in Ballarat, Victoria between the years 1939 and 1952, we follow the intertwining trials and tribulations of several families through these turbulent years. At the heart of the book, there is always Connie Starr, perched on an upper branch of her precious lemon tree, watching. An unusual child, she ‘ignores the pain of the enormous space between her and the other children’ and lives in a world of her own making.

These are difficult years, embracing the heartbreak brought by the Second World War, polio outbreaks and rationing. The women shine in this novel. They have to contend with the deprivations brought by the war, the fear of losing their sons and husbands to the war-machine and the daily grind of putting a meal on the table. It’s these women - their strength and fortitude in the face of immeasurable loss and tragedy - that make this book sing.

The writing is lyrical, and has a gentle flow that I found mesmerising. It’s a book that works particularly well if read over one or two sittings, so that the reader can settle into its cadence and appreciate the beauty of the prose.

Highly recommended.