The Rust Red Land
‘You ask too many questions, Matilda. It’s not becoming in a girl.’
But Matilda is full of questions. It’s the late 1800s in rural New South Wales and Matilda, as the oldest daughter, is expected to cook, clean and help Mama with her brothers and sisters. But her inquiring mind will not be stilled nor her rebellious spirit tamed. When frustration overcomes her, she finds escape in the land she loves and in her imagination, nourished by books.
In the rust red landscape, both striking and harsh, and against the backdrop of World Wars and a changing Australia, Matilda is torn between her desire for freedom and allegiance to her growing family. With their never-ending demands, and crises of poverty, drought and illness, what Matilda really wants seems further from her reach. Will she ever see the sea? Have a vocation and earn her own money? Have the time to read?
This sweeping novel brings to life the injustices faced by women in the 1800s and 1900s. Punctuated with betrayal and loyalty, hope and despair, love and loss, Matilda and her family come alive showing how the grip of patriarchy tried to strangle the ambitions of women, but there were women who refused to give up.
OCTOBER 2023 | ISBN 9781925950854 | Paperback | 152 x 229 mm | 320 pages
Powerfully evoking time and place, a compelling portrait of an extraordinary woman in an ordinary man's world.
—Noni Hazlehurst
Watch Robyn talk about her book The Red Rust Land on YouTube.
Reviews
Robyn Bishop spins a gripping story, infusing it with true grit and realism. The Rust Red Land is an engaging and intriguing story filled with complex characters and rural Australian themes that remain relevant today. A highly recommended book for readers who enjoyed Maggie by Catherine Johns. Read the full review.
—Books+PublishingThis is vivid and evocative historical fiction, immersive and intensely felt, that’s alive to how societal forces constrain women, and the strength it takes resist them. Read the full review.
—Cameron Woodhead, Nine Media (The Age/SMH)The Rust Red Land is a beautifully written, deeply felt and rich description of Matilda’s life and of the way life in Australia was lived in the eventful years between 1892 and 1950 when so many things changed: the land, cities, war, society, family expectations, and, in particular, the lives of women. Read the full review.
—Dr Ann Skea, Newtown Review of Books
