Thomas F. (hardtack) -
For most of the book I thought this was one of the best of Upfield's I've read so far. Then the final chapter spoiled it for me, as I thought it a bit fantastic. To think all that happened throughout the book was caused by that one thing in the final chapter was a bit of a disappointment.
Another thing, and and this is actually a compliment to Upfield, his hero---Bony---is half-Australian aborigine and half white. Yet his stories take place in the mid-20th century. Bony, the protagonist, is usually always accepted in most of Upfield's books, with occasional exceptions. However, at that period, the aborigines suffered extreme prejudice by most white Australians, as was also true for Afro-Americans in the U.S. Yet, in this book, it was as if this prejudice did not exist. Especially, when Bony meets and becomes almost instant friends with an American from Texas. It just didn't ring true.
I speak with some experience, as I lived in Australia in the mid-1950s. As I grew older, I became very proud of my mother, who was Australian, as she never exhibited prejudice toward anyone, except those she learned not to respect. As such, she taught me to respect everyone, until someone proved they were not worthy of my respect.
Another thing, and and this is actually a compliment to Upfield, his hero---Bony---is half-Australian aborigine and half white. Yet his stories take place in the mid-20th century. Bony, the protagonist, is usually always accepted in most of Upfield's books, with occasional exceptions. However, at that period, the aborigines suffered extreme prejudice by most white Australians, as was also true for Afro-Americans in the U.S. Yet, in this book, it was as if this prejudice did not exist. Especially, when Bony meets and becomes almost instant friends with an American from Texas. It just didn't ring true.
I speak with some experience, as I lived in Australia in the mid-1950s. As I grew older, I became very proud of my mother, who was Australian, as she never exhibited prejudice toward anyone, except those she learned not to respect. As such, she taught me to respect everyone, until someone proved they were not worthy of my respect.
