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Notes
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Dedication: For my husband John, who made this book happen, and for my dearly departed Dougall dog.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
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Death and the Australian Rural Romance Novel
2017
single work
criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 45 2017;'In A Natural History of the Romance Novel (2003), Pamela Regis argues that all romance novels have eight essential elements including one she terms the ‘point of ritual death’. This is a moment when the heroine and hero seem unlikely to overcome the real or imagined obstacles preventing their ‘happily ever after’. While the ‘point of ritual death’ can be literal or metaphorical, romance novels traditionally opt for symbolic forms of death such as illness, failing or unsuccessful relationships, or brushes with real death for the heroine or other characters. Representations of ritual death in Australian rural romance novels appear intense in a conspicuous way. In rural romances, ritual death frequently takes on deeper, darker forms arguably amplified by the rural setting. Death also occurs outside the ritual death scene; the death of a family member may serve as a story’s premise, a murder mystery may be entangled with the romantic plot or life and death may visit the rural characters at any time, especially where multi-generation families are concerned. This paper examines the representation of death in selected contemporary Australian rural romance novels published between 2002 and 2017. This article argues that literal and metaphorical representations of environmental, animal and human deaths appear in rural romances frequently and powerfully in various forms. Many rural romance novels fearlessly conjure existential realities that reinforce death as a vital part of the cycle of life.' (Publication abstract)
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Australian Rural Romance As Feminist Romance?
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Journal of Popular Culture , September vol. 3 no. 3 2014; (p. 285-298) 'A short story originally published in 1900 by writer and poet Henry Lawson captured the perceived incompatibility of women and life in remote Australia with its refrain that the bush ‘was no place for a woman!’. The suggestion in Lawson’s story is that the bush could easily prove fatal to women and for men it could undo them, mentally and spiritually. Now at the start of the new millennium, many barriers to women living and working in rural Australia have been challenged or removed altogether. Yet, recent sociological research, such as that undertaken by Margaret Alston, argues that gender inequality is an ongoing problem in rural communities. For example, one persistent stereotype is that men undertake the meaningful work in rural life while women watch from the sidelines, simply ‘help’, or see their contribution downplayed or downright ignored. This article explores how a new breed of bestselling novels, variously dubbed ‘chook lit’ or ‘contemporary Australian rural romance’, use a romantic structure to represent gender inequality in a rural setting. The article draws examples from Jillaroo (Rachael Treasure, 2002), The Bark Cutters (Nicole Alexander, 2010) and North Star (Karly Lane, 2011) to show the varying approaches to the romance plot that construct gutsy heroines, depict important rural issues and leave readers with endings that, as in other romances, offer ‘a utopian projection which expresses a critical evaluation of the contemporary patriarchal order’ (Cranny-Francis 1990: 191). This article argues that contemporary Australian rural romances raise questions about the romance plot while critiquing aspects of gender inequality specific to the context. In turn, such novels may encourage and inspire female readers (if they so choose) to do more in rural life than sit on the fence watching the men.' (Publication abstract) -
Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks? : Romance, Ethics and Human-Dog Relationships in a Rural Australian Novel
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Popular Romance Studies , vol. 4 no. 2 2014;'Rachael Treasure is Australia’s most popular author in the mainstream rural romance genre. Her novels combine bush or agricultural landscapes with gutsy heroines who are keen to transcend the context’s sexist pecking order. This article focuses on the representation of working dogs, romance and the ethics plot in Treasure’s first novel, Jillaroo (2002). Dogs, particularly the heroine’s well trained kelpies, progress and hinder the novel’s romance; they play a central role in some of the romantic elements yet are conspicuously absent in others. Relationships between humans and dogs unlock the novel’s ethics plot. This plot emphasises certain behaviours and attitudes between humans and non-humans and aligns readers’ sympathies with particular characters while encouraging disidentification with others. Jillaroo’s heroine Rebecca Saunders and her dogs undertake typical farm jobs efficiently and economically thereby securing her entry into spaces usually reserved for men. Rebecca shows herself to be equal, if not superior, in action and knowledge to the men who populate such contexts. Dogs therefore assist in constructing Rebecca as an example of Sherri Inness’s ‘tough woman’, heroines who use their “body, attitude, action, and authority” (Inness 24) to challenge the dominance of male heroes in popular culture and disrupt gender roles and stereotypes. Dogs also complicate Rebecca’s gender construction by undercutting and disturbing her feminine gender performances. For the novel’s male characters, interactions with dogs indicate their mental health and their “interspecies competence” (Fudge 11). A close reading of the relationships between Jillaroo’s main characters and dogs reveals that the narrative endorses and rejects particular human-human, human-animal and human-environment behaviours, ultimately positioning readers to value the ethical treatment of others (human and non-human) and the environment. Overall, Jillaroo’s romance narrative and representation of working dogs emphasises contemporary gender, environmental and animal rights issues in rural Australia, imparting a vital lesson to readers about the ethical treatment of others.'
Source: Abstract.
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Books That Changed Me...Fiona Palmer
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 14 April 2013; (p. 12) The Sunday Age , 21 April 2013; (p. 15) -
Profile : Rachael Treasure
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: Writing Queensland , 13 October no. 234 2013; (p. 4-5)
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[Review] Jillaroo
2003
single work
review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 17 no. 1 2003; (p. 38)
— Review of Jillaroo 2002 single work novel -
In Short : Fiction
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 9-10 July 2005; (p. 22)
— Review of Jillaroo 2002 single work novel -
Soft Covers
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 17 August 2002; (p. 8)
— Review of Evidence 2002 single work novel ; When You Wake and Find Me Gone 2002 single work novel ; Jillaroo 2002 single work novel -
Rural Romance
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 26 August 2002; (p. 11)
— Review of Jillaroo 2002 single work novel -
Country Connection
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane News , 25 September - 1 October 2002; (p. 28)
— Review of Jillaroo 2002 single work novel -
Romance and Rodeos Rule as Readers Turn to 'Chook Lit'
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 30 April 2012; (p. 6) -
Books That Changed Me...Fiona Palmer
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 14 April 2013; (p. 12) The Sunday Age , 21 April 2013; (p. 15) -
Profile : Rachael Treasure
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: Writing Queensland , 13 October no. 234 2013; (p. 4-5) -
Australian Rural Romance As Feminist Romance?
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Journal of Popular Culture , September vol. 3 no. 3 2014; (p. 285-298) 'A short story originally published in 1900 by writer and poet Henry Lawson captured the perceived incompatibility of women and life in remote Australia with its refrain that the bush ‘was no place for a woman!’. The suggestion in Lawson’s story is that the bush could easily prove fatal to women and for men it could undo them, mentally and spiritually. Now at the start of the new millennium, many barriers to women living and working in rural Australia have been challenged or removed altogether. Yet, recent sociological research, such as that undertaken by Margaret Alston, argues that gender inequality is an ongoing problem in rural communities. For example, one persistent stereotype is that men undertake the meaningful work in rural life while women watch from the sidelines, simply ‘help’, or see their contribution downplayed or downright ignored. This article explores how a new breed of bestselling novels, variously dubbed ‘chook lit’ or ‘contemporary Australian rural romance’, use a romantic structure to represent gender inequality in a rural setting. The article draws examples from Jillaroo (Rachael Treasure, 2002), The Bark Cutters (Nicole Alexander, 2010) and North Star (Karly Lane, 2011) to show the varying approaches to the romance plot that construct gutsy heroines, depict important rural issues and leave readers with endings that, as in other romances, offer ‘a utopian projection which expresses a critical evaluation of the contemporary patriarchal order’ (Cranny-Francis 1990: 191). This article argues that contemporary Australian rural romances raise questions about the romance plot while critiquing aspects of gender inequality specific to the context. In turn, such novels may encourage and inspire female readers (if they so choose) to do more in rural life than sit on the fence watching the men.' (Publication abstract) -
Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks? : Romance, Ethics and Human-Dog Relationships in a Rural Australian Novel
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Popular Romance Studies , vol. 4 no. 2 2014;'Rachael Treasure is Australia’s most popular author in the mainstream rural romance genre. Her novels combine bush or agricultural landscapes with gutsy heroines who are keen to transcend the context’s sexist pecking order. This article focuses on the representation of working dogs, romance and the ethics plot in Treasure’s first novel, Jillaroo (2002). Dogs, particularly the heroine’s well trained kelpies, progress and hinder the novel’s romance; they play a central role in some of the romantic elements yet are conspicuously absent in others. Relationships between humans and dogs unlock the novel’s ethics plot. This plot emphasises certain behaviours and attitudes between humans and non-humans and aligns readers’ sympathies with particular characters while encouraging disidentification with others. Jillaroo’s heroine Rebecca Saunders and her dogs undertake typical farm jobs efficiently and economically thereby securing her entry into spaces usually reserved for men. Rebecca shows herself to be equal, if not superior, in action and knowledge to the men who populate such contexts. Dogs therefore assist in constructing Rebecca as an example of Sherri Inness’s ‘tough woman’, heroines who use their “body, attitude, action, and authority” (Inness 24) to challenge the dominance of male heroes in popular culture and disrupt gender roles and stereotypes. Dogs also complicate Rebecca’s gender construction by undercutting and disturbing her feminine gender performances. For the novel’s male characters, interactions with dogs indicate their mental health and their “interspecies competence” (Fudge 11). A close reading of the relationships between Jillaroo’s main characters and dogs reveals that the narrative endorses and rejects particular human-human, human-animal and human-environment behaviours, ultimately positioning readers to value the ethical treatment of others (human and non-human) and the environment. Overall, Jillaroo’s romance narrative and representation of working dogs emphasises contemporary gender, environmental and animal rights issues in rural Australia, imparting a vital lesson to readers about the ethical treatment of others.'
Source: Abstract.
- Victoria,
- Rural,