Overview

There is nothing quite like parrot pie for breakfast. First one must catch one's parrot, of course, and build the hearth to bake it, but that is all in a days work for the woman pioneer. This riveting anthology tells the story of over 100 such women spanning four centuries, from the lowliest kitchen skivvy to ambassadors' wives: emigrants who settled the wildernesses of the world in search of new and better lives. Many were lured abroad by the promise of work or fortune; some went because imperial duty called, while for others it was a most unfeminine lust for adventure that drew them away. But all faced challenges in their homes from home that were to test to the limit their spirits, their resourcefulness, even their survival.

Full Product Details

9780192880208

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Jane Robinson has a good touch with titles.' - The Sunday Times, 10.10.99 'The 100 plus voices that make up this anthology are ruch and varied, ranging from missionaries to prostitutes and gold diggers to distressed gentlewomen hunting for husbands... For tips on how best to cook kangaroo meat, shoot quick and count your blessings - this is the book.'- Daily Mail, 1.10.99 'Jane Robinson's anthology contains some startling information.... there is more to this slim book than drama. We hear a variety of female voices and views. Some of the entries are touching and others amusing. Perhaps the most appealing aspect is the impression of the everyday joys and struggles of women accustoming themselves to the challenges of life in the British Empire.' - Anastasia Tolstoy, Literary Review, October 1999

When the author began to research this book - to find women who left their homes in the 18th and 19th centuries in search of a better life - she was nearly put off the task by Harriet Roche and Mrs C E Humphries. These formidable ladies, who wrote of their treks in books published at the end of the last century, exemplified all she wanted to get away from: a disagreeable mixture of imperialism, patronization and parochialism. But when she came across a photograph taken in Australia - showing the details of the life of a pioneer woman and sparking her imagination - she began to get a feel for the real emigrants. And the book which resulted is a fascinating blend of extracts from diaries, letters and other lost narratives: this skilled and modest approach bears great fruit by conveying snapshots of these women's amazing lives. (Kirkus UK)

'Jane Robinson's anthology contains some startling information... there is more to this slim book than drama. We hear a variety of female voices and views. Some of the entries are touching and others amusing. Perhaps the most appealing aspect is the impression of the everyday joys and struggles of women accustoming themselves to the challenges of life in the British Empire.' - Anastasia Tolstoy, Literary Review, October 1999 'The 100 plus voices that make up this anthology are ruch and varied, ranging from missionaries to prostitutes and gold diggers to distressed gentlewomen hunting for husbands... For tips on how best to cook kangaroo meat, shoot quick and count your blessings - this is the book.'- Daily Mail, 1.10.99 'Jane Robinson has a good touch with titles.' - The Sunday Times, 10.10.99

Author Information

Jane Robinson was born in Edinburgh and brought up in North Yorkshire. After graduating from Somerville College, Oxford, he joined a firm of antiquarian book dealers specializing in travel, later leaving to pursue a writing career. She lives near Oxford with her husband and two sons. This is her fourth book.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available