Review :: The Postmistress :: Alison Stuart

I enjoyed this book so much! I devoured it in a single day on Boxing Day – surely one of the greatest pleasures of that Christmas – New Year week if you can get away with dedicating a full day to reading a book.

I thought Adelaide was a wonderful, strong character, and she also felt authentic to me. I loved that she had been brave enough to set up a life for herself in a new place, and the way she stood up for herself, as well as other women in the town, and stood by her decisions. I felt like the interactions between Adelaide and Caleb felt natural and pretty well paced too – it was neither enemies to lovers nor love at first sight, which made it feel more authentic.

The way the setting was written really charmed me – I knew from the blurb that the story was set in a goldmining settlement in Victoria, but had assumed it would be Ballarat, so it was a lovely surprise to find it set in Gippsland, not far from where I grew up. It was abundantly clear that the book was incredibly well researched, and I was fascinated by the descriptions of what people went through to get the machinery and supplies into the town. I enjoyed reading the notes in the back of the about Walhalla, the actual settlement that was the inspiration for fictional Maiden’s Creek.

I was so pleased to read that Alison is working on another book set in Maiden’s Creek – I’m looking forward to spending more time there!

In terms of content warnings, this one does have a brief reference to violence against women, although it isn’t a key theme. The main warning I’d like to give people considering what’s happening here in Australia at the moment is that there is a part of the plot that involves a bushfire, and this is quite confronting, so if you are not comfortable with that this might be one to pick up a bit later.

I would recommend this to anyone who loved The Woman in the Green Dress.

xo Bron

***
The Postmistress by Alison Stuart
Release: Out now from Harper Collins Australia.
Source: I received a copy of The Postmistress from Harper Collins for review. All views are my own.
Format: Trade paperback, 416 pages
RRP: $32.99
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Find Alison Stuart online here