This novel - I believe it is her first - was the first I ever read by Tamara McKinley. I picked it up at the flea market, and really didn't think it would be more than a quick read. I was mistaken: it turned out to be a very enjoyable novel, with interesting plot turns.Tamara McKinley takes us back through time, first to Matilda Thomas in the 1930s. Matilda lives in the Australian outback with her father on the sheep station Churinga - the connecting element between her story and that of Jenny, who inherits Churinga forty years later.Matilda is only thirteen when her mother dies and she has to keep the farm running and fend off the advances of her father. It is only when he dies that she gets a chance at life. She takes Churinga back to old prosperity by dedicating her entire life to the farm and neglecting her own life entirely: no friendships except with her employees, no family. When she finally meets a young man and marries him, the secret of her life is unveiled, and she dies from grief.Forty years later, Jenny finds Matilda's diaries. Having grown up in the city, the diaries help her understand life on Churinga. But she also feels a connection between her and Matilda that is slowly being uncovered in the course of the novel - along with the dark secret that Matilda records in her dying moments.The novel has several weak points, to be sure:- The connection between Jenny and Matilda is very artificial. It borders on a miracle that Jenny should find the diaries and find out about Matilda and her own connection to Churinga.- The romance between Jenny and Brett is absolutely predictable. We haven't even met him when we realize that they're inevitably going to be an item - and the silly way in which the writer attempts to show them as constantly quarrelling thinly veils her purpose. Besides, the novel wouldn't lose anything without a character as shallow and boring as Brett Wilson.- This is perhaps generally true: The male characters are not too convincing. The female characters, most notably Matilda and Jenny's friend (whose name escapes me just now) are intricate and portrayed with all their flaws.Overall, Matilda's Last Waltz is a beautiful novel with wonderful descriptions of landscapes and great female characters. The plot is entertaining and never boring, in fact, it turned out to be difficult to put it down once I had started. However, there are a few flaws, which must result in four stars rather than five.
Sous la plume de Tamara McKinley se dessinent plusieurs visages de l'Australie, celles des colons du début du siècle XX et ceux d'une nouvelle génération citadine des années 1950s.J'ai lu cette saga de 550+ pages dans le train. J'avais envie de savoir davantage, de comprendre la malédiction, de connaître l'histoire de Mathilda, de savoir ce que Jenny, après de telles découvertes, ferait de Churinga, alors qu'il y avait des offres alléchantes pour sa vente.À un moment, je me suis dit que c'était prévisible. On sait bien que le directeur de la station, le Brun ténébreux Brett Wilson, serait parfait pour aider Jenny à faire son deuil. On sait bien, que malgré toute la douleur, ils sont faits pour être ensemble. Mais on ne sait pas comment. Et on ne sait pas comment non plus, Mathilda scellera le destin de tous les zigotos de Churinga et comment son âme tourmentée hantera encore et encore les habitants de cette partie de la New South Wales... Trop de questions, trop de doutes, trop d'angoisses... C'est une histoire d'horreur (presque !), de fatalité, de cruauté, d'injustice... Tant de choses, tant de sentiments dans cet univers si particulier de terre rouge...C'est un très très grand coup de coeur.
What do You think about Matilda's Last Waltz (2000)?
Misses McKinley writes many books which take place in the Australian outback. This also includes this one. First you think that this is a trivial, fluffy love story. It is, actually but there's a quite dark secret hidden in a diary, which young Matilda wrote.There are many moments, where I just couldn't help but yelp, because there were so shocking or surprising! Seriously, you're gonna be nearly staggered by anything in this book. Have a try. Go to the library or buy it. It's really, really good.
—Jules
Ich habe das Buch nun genervt nach 200 Seiten abgebrochen. Ob es an der Übersetzung oder wirklich an der Wortwahl McKinleys liegt... ich weiß es nicht. Das erste Mal wunderte ich mich, als hochgesteckte Haare einen Blick auf einen dünnen Hals und die sich durch die Bluse drückenden Brüste freigaben. Dann spürte Jenny den Herzschlag eines Mannes in seinen Händen. Hä?? (als der sie mit starken Händen vom Pferd hob).Ach ja und eine andere Dame wogte missbilligend mit ihren Brüsten. (wie sieht das denn aus?)Irgendwie ist mir das jetzt zu doof. Die Geschichte um Matilda finde ich wirklich interessant, aber den Rest möchte ich mir nun nicht mehr antun.
—Zara
A very engaging and enjoyable read. We begin with Jenny who is struggling with the recent loss of her husband and her son. She discovers she has inherited a working sheep station in the outback and out of curiosity she decides to travel from her beachside Sydney home and visit the station.We meet an interesting array of characters as she adjusts to life on the station, the most interesting is in the form of diaries from the previous owner Matilda. We learn of Matilda’s struggles and successes and through these stories, Jenny finds the strength to begin her own healing. There are twists and turns along the way for both Jenny and Matilda that keep the reader hooked.It is clear from the writing that the author is in love with the outback, the pictures painted of the scenery, the lifestyle and the characters really bought the story to life. This is not a book I would normally select but having read another novel from Tamara McKinley I knew it would be a page-turner and I was not disappointed.
—Lildamek
