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A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1)
A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1)
A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1)
Ebook512 pages7 hours

A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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The story behind Banjo Paterson's iconic Australian song.

'Once a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his Billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me...'

In 1894, twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and he's wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter, he makes a stand against them, defiant to the last. 'You'll never catch me alive, said he...'

Set against a backdrop of bushfire, flood, war and jubilation, this is the story of one girl's journey towards independence. It is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams.

Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. Paterson and from events rooted in actual history, this is the untold story behind Australia's early years as an emerging nation.


PRAISE

'Jackie French has a passion for history, and an enviable ability to weave the fascinating minutiae of everyday life into a good story.' -- Magpies Magazine

LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 1, 2010
ISBN9780730493969
Author

Jackie French

Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 2014–2015 Australian Children's Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. In 2016 Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to children's literature and her advocacy for youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia's most popular children's authors and writes across all genres — from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction for a variety of age groups. ‘A book can change a child's life. A book can change the world' was the primary philosophy behind Jackie's two-year term as Laureate. jackiefrench.com facebook.com/authorjackiefrench

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Reviews for A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1)

Rating: 3.999999961904762 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A Waltz for Matilda, written by the well known Australian author Jackie French is set from 1894 to 1915. It follows the adolescent years of a 12 year old girl named Matilda. Matilda flees the city slums after the death of her mother to search for her unknown father and his farm. But the land is in drought and shearers are on strike. She finds her father, only to find that he is wanted by the troopers and he plans to go swaggie. Matilda is living her dream, she has found her father and he is beginning to teach her the beauty of his bush. Then that night he makes a stand, "You'll never catch me alive, said he..."Amongst bushfire, drought, flood and war we witness Matilda's journey towards independence. The book is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams.Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson and from events rooted in actual history, this is the untold story behind Australia's early years as an emerging nation... * * * *Taken and edited from the blurb for the book A Waltz for Matilda, by Jackie French.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the fictional story based on the poem by Patterson "Waltzing Matilda". This is an amazing story of tradegy and resilience in the Australian outback of a young girl Matilda who emerges into this very strong woman. It is a story about loss, relationships and great tenacity. Matilda just "gets on with life" and makes the "best out of life". Towards the end of the book, her life and identity seem to fall into place and you feel a sense of happiness for her as she has worked and battled so hard that she is so very worthy to have things fall into place for her at last. A definite and interesting read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good to read some Australian historical fiction- easy read during isolation and there are six more in the series! Hate the cover - wouldn’t have picked up in library but reading e books these days where cover not so noticed.

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A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1) - Jackie French

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