FIVE-STAR REVIEW FOR
CLANCY TUCKER'S
- 'A DROVER'S BLANKET' -
G'day folks,
Well, one of my former guests, best-selling Canadian author, Diana Sobolewski, has read the sequel to 'Gunnedah Hero' - 'A Drover's Blanket', and written a great review. Here it is ...
Customer
Review
By Amazon Customer on April 2, 2018
Fourteen year old Gunnedah 'Gunnie' Danson has more in common with his
great, great, great grandfather, Smokey Danson, the Gunnedah Hero, than he
knows. Smokey is a drover (cattleman) in drought-stricken Australia of 1910
with a love for his family, the land and his homestead Wiralee Station. Gunnie
is a city slicker in modern drought-stricken Australia and not very aware of
what life was like back then nor even of the hardships gripping farmers in his
own time. But that all changes when he reads Smokey's journal.
Gunnie reads a young drover's account of how he drove cattle far from his homestead because Wiralee Station could not sustain them and the family couldn't survive the loss. Along the way he encountered many difficulties, but discovered his inner strength, made life-long friendships, learned about the Aboriginal way of life and came to understand what's truly important. An act of courage and kindness earned fourteen year old Smokey Danson the title of Gunnedah Hero. His good deed was rewarded and Smokey came home victorious in more ways than one.
Australian author Clancy Tucker weaves a fascinating tale of two young men of the same age living decades apart in his award-winning book, 'Gunnedah Hero'. All indications are that Gunnie Danson has more than a little Smokey in him. In the sequel, A Drover's Blanket, Clancy Tucker confirms it.
Gunnie reads a young drover's account of how he drove cattle far from his homestead because Wiralee Station could not sustain them and the family couldn't survive the loss. Along the way he encountered many difficulties, but discovered his inner strength, made life-long friendships, learned about the Aboriginal way of life and came to understand what's truly important. An act of courage and kindness earned fourteen year old Smokey Danson the title of Gunnedah Hero. His good deed was rewarded and Smokey came home victorious in more ways than one.
Australian author Clancy Tucker weaves a fascinating tale of two young men of the same age living decades apart in his award-winning book, 'Gunnedah Hero'. All indications are that Gunnie Danson has more than a little Smokey in him. In the sequel, A Drover's Blanket, Clancy Tucker confirms it.
A 'Drover's Blanket' continues the story, but this time the writings of great-great-grandmother, Molly Jane Danson, impact Gunnie's life and his attachment to Wiralee grows much to the delight of his uncle Wirra. We are introduced to other characters that Gunnie bonds with; blurring generational lines. Gunnie makes valuable contributions not only learning the jobs at Wiralee Station and working hard for his place, but by suggesting improvements to benefit the family going forward. I really like how the author promotes the idea that young people have a lot to offer given the chance. In this book, the adults are astute enough to recognize this.
Gunnie copes quite well during a series of unfortunate events and does his best work when the plane his friend Jenni Danson is traveling home on crashes, and harsh weather hamper search efforts. Gunnie comes up with an ingenious idea to enlist the help of the Aboriginal people.
One calamity after another since his arrival, including his uncle Wirra being diagnosed with a tumor, finally has Gunnie succumbing to depression. This is alarming and unexpected to those around him and the reader. But don't worry, you'll be smiling by the end of the book.
The author is a great storyteller so he can't help but write a book that has vivid descriptions, interesting characters and snippets of Australia's history, but it's obvious that he set out to do more with the Gunnedah Hero and A Drover's Blanket.
Clancy Tucker brings awareness to how a young person who's excelling can still be vulnerable to negative thoughts and depression. He's also quite effective at showing how we need each other in this divisive world and that we are stronger when we stand together.
Molly's letter to the reader at the end of the book is uplifting and inspirational. That alone is worth the price of this book.
Suitable for young adults, but adults can learn something too.
Diana Sobolewski
Best-Selling Canadian Author
www.dianasobolewski.com
Clancy's comment: Much appreciated, Diana. It's always an honour for an author to receive a book review from a best-selling author.
Love ya work!
I'm ...
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