Rating: 
Summary: A slight, delicious romp in the Blue Mountains
Review: Colleen McCullough is known for long and winding novels like "The Thorn Birds," so I was surprised at the light touch in this story. It reminds me a bit of "Persuasion," by Jane Austen, but with an inimitable stamp of Australian life. McCullough really makes the charm and deceptive quiet of the Blue Mountains region - still beautiful and aloof from nearby Sydney today - come to life, and her plucky heroine is easy to like.
Rating:
Summary: A slight, delicious romp in the Blue Mountains
Review: Colleen McCullough is known for long and winding novels like "The Thorn Birds," so I was surprised at the light touch in this story. It reminds me a bit of "Persuasion," by Jane Austen, but with an inimitable stamp of Australian life. McCullough really makes the charm and deceptive quiet of the Blue Mountains region - still beautiful and aloof from nearby Sydney today - come to life, and her plucky heroine is easy to like.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!!!!
Review: I've read it twice now, and I still love it! I couldn't make myself put it down when I first read it. You are instantly drawn into the story! I highly recommend reading this book at least once! I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!
Rating: 
Summary: Yuck..
Review: Judging from the reviews it seems all that have read The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery weren't happy with this book at all. The same is true for me. The Blue Castle is full of beauty and humor...while this novel was a pale shadow of it. The story line is very much the same, but holds none of L.M. Montgomery's magic. Frankly, the book was boring and I skipped through most of it once I got to the middle. In my opinion, skip this novel and read The Blue Castle.
Rating:
Summary: Why Bother?!
Review: My Gosh! After reading this following part of the description, I can see why people are up in arms about this book being a copy of The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery! Just read this:
"it tells of the blossoming of Missy Wright, 33-year-old spinster and poor relation of the town's ruling family, the Hurlingfords. Missy, her widowed mother and crippled aunt live in genteel poverty, victims of the Hurlingford inheritance policy that gives riches and power to the male members of the family, who heartlessly abuse the women they dominate. Plain, painfully thin and doomed to dress always in serviceable brown, shockingly dark-haired in a clan of luminous blondes, Missy seems fated for da dreary future"
How horrible! That is WORD FOR WORD the beginning of The Blue Castle! Valancy talks about being too thin, about hating her "snuff brown" dress and about how she hates rubbing Redfern's Liniment on her old cousin Stickle's back. She also bemoans the fact that they live on the cheapest food around and there is never enough heating in the house! She also constantly compares herself to Olive, the blonde wonder-child of her family. Valancy hates her limp brown hair and as far as the abusive males go, Valancy is always ruled by what her uncles think and the horrible jokes her Uncle Benjamin inflicts on her. Her Uncle James tries to drag her home from Roaring Able's house and Uncle Wellington bosses EVERYONE around!
Geez, I haven't read this book and I can already tell you that you're better off just to read The Blue Castle! I ADORE that book, and no copy could ever compare to it!
Rating:
Summary: I liked the story better when I read it in "The Blue Castle"
Review: Sure, McCullough wrote the brilliant "The Thorn Birds", but she clearly lacked the common sense to know that if you MUST plagiarize, do not plagiarize the work of a country's most famous and beloved author, and don't do it so badly!
This book is, at best, mediocre. At worst, a complete waste of paper, ink and time. Read "The Blue Castle" instead.
Rating:
Summary: how to be brilliant and not show it
Review: Talk about taking the mickey out of the male dominated
society of the time! Superb insight into the social
mores of the 19th century. An excellent and sometimes
satirical/caustically witty expose` by undoubtedly one
of Australia's greatest writers.
Rating:
Summary: --Absolutely splendid--
Review: THE LADIES OF MISSALONGHI is the story of Missy Wright, a 33 year-old-woman who has had a very dismal life. She lives with her widowed mother and maiden aunt in a small town called Byron in the Blue Mountains of Australia. The three ladies are part of the very large and self-important Hurlingford family. The story takes place shortly before World War I.The family members are very wealthy, and happen to own a lot of the land in and around the town of Byron. They also own most of the shops and stores in Byron. To be a Hurlingford is to be very tall and very blond. Missy who is brunette and a little shorter than the other family members is the exception to the rule. Also, Missy Wright, her mother and aunt are the poor relations who live in genteel poverty. Their brothers and uncles rule the family, and life for the widows and unmarried ladies is indeed drab. The ladies are not allowed to work outside the home, and their pride stops them from asking for financial help. The Hurlingford men are mean spirited and have taken advantage of their sisters and nieces in money matters and inheritance. Missy is so painfully thin that her body is that of a tall and skinny child. They live farther away from the other members of the family in a house called Missalonghi. Missy must walk a round trip of about 10 miles whatever she makes the shopping trip to town. Life starts to change for Missy when Una, a distant relative begins working in the Byron library. Una is divorced and apparently not welcomed by the wealthy Hurlingford clan. She befriends Missy and recommends books that are wonderfully romantic and causes the inexperienced Missy to dream of love. The appearance of a strong and forceful new man, who comes to Byron and buys property right under the noses of the Hurlingford men, also makes Missy aware that just maybe she could find love and happiness. Once she dares to dream she starts to live. My tape was beautifully read by Davina Porter. This story is so good that I listened to the entire book in just two sessions. It's entertaining and full of surprises!
Rating:
Summary: --Absolutely splendid--
Review: THE LADIES OF MISSALONGHI is the story of Missy Wright, a 33 year-old-woman who has had a very dismal life. She lives with her widowed mother and maiden aunt in a small town called Byron in the Blue Mountains of Australia. The three ladies are part of the very large and self-important Hurlingford family. The story takes place shortly before World War I. The family members are very wealthy, and happen to own a lot of the land in and around the town of Byron. They also own most of the shops and stores in Byron. To be a Hurlingford is to be very tall and very blond. Missy who is brunette and a little shorter than the other family members is the exception to the rule. Also, Missy Wright, her mother and aunt are the poor relations who live in genteel poverty. Their brothers and uncles rule the family, and life for the widows and unmarried ladies is indeed drab. The ladies are not allowed to work outside the home, and their pride stops them from asking for financial help. The Hurlingford men are mean spirited and have taken advantage of their sisters and nieces in money matters and inheritance. Missy is so painfully thin that her body is that of a tall and skinny child. They live farther away from the other members of the family in a house called Missalonghi. Missy must walk a round trip of about 10 miles whatever she makes the shopping trip to town. Life starts to change for Missy when Una, a distant relative begins working in the Byron library. Una is divorced and apparently not welcomed by the wealthy Hurlingford clan. She befriends Missy and recommends books that are wonderfully romantic and causes the inexperienced Missy to dream of love. The appearance of a strong and forceful new man, who comes to Byron and buys property right under the noses of the Hurlingford men, also makes Missy aware that just maybe she could find love and happiness. Once she dares to dream she starts to live. My tape was beautifully read by Davina Porter. This story is so good that I listened to the entire book in just two sessions. It's entertaining and full of surprises!
Rating:
Summary: a quick and enjoyable read
Review: This is the charming of tale of Missy and her sudden realization that there is more to life than penny-pinching, rationing, and wearing brown. The ending was a little weird and almost discredited the rest of the book. But if you overlook that, this is a nice little book.
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