Bereft by Chris Womersley

Bereft by Chris Womersley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1909 at the age of 16, Quinn Walker is accused of killing his 12 year old sister, Sarah, and flees the small rural community of Flint in fear of retribution. Ten years later at the end of World War I, he returns to the town a designated war hero, befriends a mysterious orphan girl by the name of Sadie Frost, and together they seek refuge in the hills and scrub surrounding the township. The unlikely duo set about righting the wrongs that continue to be committed against the vulnerable and innocent in Flint, crimes that stretch back more than a decade.

Bereft is one of those novels that is so gripping that it is almost impossible to put down. The characters are fascinating: The damaged, the wronged, the misled, and the downright evil. At around 250 pages in length the story unfolds perfectly from start to finish, the author effortlessly bringing together the past and present, the living and the dead.

Bereft is an intriguing novel filled with murder, mystery, magic and revenge, with a wonderfully Australian gothic feel.

Highly recommended.

**I won this novel in 2010 via a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to read and review this book; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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THE RED QUEEN GIVEAWAY:

I am currently holding a giveaway for The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory.

All you have to do to enter the draw is to leave a comment on the original post. Entries will be taken until midnight (Australian Central Standard Time) on Sunday, 23 October 2011, with the winner being announced the morning of Monday, 24 October 2011.

Giveaway is open to everyone, on the condition that the Book Depository ships free to your country.

The winner will receive this paperback copy of The Red Queen.

Best of luck!