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'Set in a small riverside community, The River Baptists tells the story of Rose, bunkered down in a borrowed house overlooking the river, grieving for her dead father and waiting for her baby to be born. It is also the story of Danny, another refugee from life elsewhere, hiding out from his violent father and dreaming of owning a block of land on the river. Then there are the river old-timers, who miss nothing and forget less, and a newcomer who cares nothing for the locals, or the secrets of the past. Set over the course of a long hot tense summer, when sparks constantly threaten to ignite bushfires, the tight-knit riverside community is set alight by confidences betrayed and a renewed age-old grudge.
'And through it all flows the mysterious pulse of the river, indifferent, deep and calm, offering the possibility of life and death, renewal and rebirth.' (Publisher's blurb)
Notes
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Dedication: For Brad and Ellie, with love.
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Epigraph: Lord help me... / because my boat is so small, / And your sea is so immense. - Medieval French prayer
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Passion and Promise from Emerging Voices
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 24-25 May 2008; (p. 30-31) -
Secrets and Lies by the Riverside
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 13 October 2007; (p. 23)
— Review of The River Baptists 2006 single work novel -
Writers with Readers in Mind
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , October vol. 2 no. 9 2007; (p. 21-23)
— Review of Napoleon's Double 2007 single work novel ; The River Baptists 2006 single work novel ; Ron McCoy's Sea of Diamonds : A Novel 2007 single work novel ; The Low Road 2007 single work novel -
In the Zone
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 25 September vol. 125 no. 6588 2007; (p. 93)
— Review of Other Country 2007 single work novel ; Rohypnol 2006 single work novel ; The River Baptists 2006 single work novel -
Beauty in Images of Ugly Side
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 1 - 2 September 2007; (p. 23)
— Review of The River Baptists 2006 single work novel
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Untitled
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , July vol. 87 no. 1 2007; (p. 53)
— Review of The River Baptists 2006 single work novel -
In Tune with the Rhythm of Tides
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 11 August 2007; (p. 13)
— Review of The River Baptists 2006 single work novel -
Troubled Waters
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 25 August 2007; (p. 12)
— Review of The River Baptists 2006 single work novel ; Nine Parts Water 2007 single work novel -
Hawkesbury Capers
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 294 2007; (p. 36)
— Review of The River Baptists 2006 single work novel -
Outsider's Eye on Secret River Lives
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 8-9 September 2007; (p. 12)
— Review of The River Baptists 2006 single work novel -
Pick of the Crop
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 16-17 September 2006; (p. 8-9) John Dale reports on the shortlisting of five manuscripts for the 2006 Australian/Vogel Literary Award. A synopsis is provided for each shortlisted work. -
Vogel Prize Buys Some Writing Time
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 20 September 2006; (p. 7) -
No Secret for Vogel Victor
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 20 September 2006; (p. 43) -
Passion and Promise from Emerging Voices
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 24-25 May 2008; (p. 30-31)