As this story evolves another story is interleaved. This is the story of 1853 and the New South Wales of convicts, settlers, and Della Atterton: a young female taxidermist. Trying to carve an existence from preserving Australia’s native creatures for the growing tourism trade, she is living an isolated existence in Mogo creek in the Hawkesbury district. When she meets Austrian Stefan von Richter her life takes a dramatic turn as they hunt for what is believed to be the first Australian opal.
I am usually not a fan of novels with a dual timeline. I feel like I am just getting into one story when I am dragged away to read another story. It’s a useful technique however for bringing layers of detail to a novel and a clever way to build suspense and intrigue. In The Woman in the Green Dress this is exactly what the author has successfully achieved. Both stories could easily stand alone but by interweaving them Tea Cooper has shaped a great story, which I for one did not want to put down.
Like New Zealand, Colonial Australia was a hard place to live and work, and there are many books depicting life on both sides of the Tasman, albeit mostly from the male perspective. Thus it is refreshing to read this; a fictionalised account of two strong women carving an existence in an often harsh and inhospitable land. However, this novel is more than a description of colonial life, for Tea Cooper has hidden secrets inside this story, including how the two stories are linked.
Portrayed as both a romance and historical writer, Tea Cooper has eight novels published, with another to be released later in the year. The Woman in the Green Dress is available in print, large print and audio CDs.
Reviewed by Miss Moneypenny
Catalogue link: The Woman in the Green Dress
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