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'"Me and Ben had been mates since we was boys and if it come to it I knew I would have to be on his side."
Bobby Blue is caught between loyalty to his only friend, Ben Tobin, and his boss, Daniel Collins, the new Constable at Mount Hay. 'Ben was not a big man but he was strong and quick as a snake. He had his own breed of pony that was just like him, stocky and reliable on their feet.' Bobby understands the people and the ways of Mount Hay; Collins studies the country as an archaeologist might, bringing his coastal values to the hinterland. Bobby says, 'I do not think Daniel would have understood Ben in a million years.' Increasingly bewildered and goaded to action by his wife, Constable Collins takes up his shotgun and his Webley pistol to deal with Ben. Bobby's love for Collins' wilful young daughter Irie is exposed, leading to tragic consequences for them all.
Miller's exquisite depictions of the country of the Queensland highlands form the background of this simply told but deeply significant novel of friendship, love, loyalty and the tragic consequences of misunderstanding and mistrust. Coal Creek is a wonderfully satisfying novel with a gratifying resolution. It carries all the wisdom and emotional depth we have come to expect from Miller's richly evocative novels.' (Publisher's blurb)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also large print.
Works about this Work
-
Review of Coal Creek by Alex Miller
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Transnational Literature , November vol. 7 no. 1 2014;
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
Review : Coal Creek
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , February 2014; (p. 36)
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
Review : Coal Creek
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 74 no. 1 2014; (p. 251-253)
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
A Beautifully Crafted Novel about the Uselessness of Language
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 28 no. 1 2014; (p. 234-235)
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
Real Men Roll Their Own
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , March 2014;
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel
-
The Tragedy of People in the Wrong Place
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 21-22 September 2013; (p. 20-21)
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
A Voice from the Fringe
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Monthly , September no. 93 2013; (p. 46-47)
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
[Untitled]
2013
single work
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 19 October 2013; (p. 21)
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
Loyalty and Love Tested in Outback
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 19 October 2013; (p. 31) The Age , 19 October 2013; (p. 29) The Canberra Times , 19 October 2013; (p. 20)
— Review of Coal Creek 2013 single work novel -
Hot Reads
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 14-15 December 2013; (p. 18-19)
— Review of The Very Brave Bear 2013 single work picture book ; Seadog 2013 single work picture book ; Ice, Wind, Rock : Douglas Mawson in the Antarctic 2013 single work biography picture book ; The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie 2013 single work children's fiction ; The Rules of Summer 2013 single work picture book ; The Dying Beach 2013 single work novel ; The Ballad of Dixie Lee 2013 single work picture book ; Life in Outer Space 2013 single work novel ; Refuge 2013 single work children's fiction ; The Midnight Dress 2013 single work novel ; Watching You 2013 single work novel ; The Best Australian Science Writing 2013 2013 anthology short story essay poetry autobiography ; Bitter Wash Road 2013 single work novel ; The Dunbar Case 2013 single work novel ; The Narrow Road to the Deep North 2013 single work novel ; The Night Guest 2013 single work novel ; Questions of Travel 2012 single work novel ; The Rosie Project 2013 single work novel ; The Childhood of Jesus 2013 single work novel ; Divine Comedy : A New Verse Translation Clive James (translator), 2013 single work poetry ; The Best Australian Poems 2013 2013 selected work poetry ; At the Close of Play 2013 single work autobiography ; Ned Kelly : The Story of Australia's Most Notorious Legend 2013 single work biography ; Forgotten War 2013 single work non-fiction ; Kerry Stokes : Self-Made Man 2013 single work biography ; The 39-Storey Treehouse 2013 single work children's fiction ; Twiggy : The High-Stakes Life of Andrew Forest 2013 single work biography ; WeirDo 2013 single work children's fiction ; Boomer & Me : A Memoir of Motherhood and Asperger's 2013 single work autobiography ; The Best 100 Poems of Dorothy Porter 2013 selected work poetry ; Clive : The Story of Clive Palmer 2013 single work biography ; Australian Poetry Journal vol. 3 no. 1 2013 periodical issue ; Shame and the Captives 2013 single work novel ; Coal Creek 2013 single work novel ; Barracuda 2013 single work novel -
Alex Miller : Interview
2013
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 5-6 October 2013; (p. 28-29) The Saturday Age , 5 October 2013; (p. 26) 'Acclaimed author Alex Miller finds the voice for his new novel in his experiences as a young stockman in outback Australia...' -
Rare Empathy in Timeless Tale
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 15 October 2013; (p. 6-7) -
What I’m Reading
2014
single work
column
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2014;
Awards
- 2015 shortlisted Melbourne Prize
- 2014 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards — Fiction Book Award
- 2014 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Fiction
- 2014 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards — Fiction
- 2014 shortlisted ASAL Awards — ALS Gold Medal