In Prussia, in the 1830s, Hanne is a nature-loving girl on the brink of womanhood. Her family are old Lutherans, and the practice of their religion is banned, so her town sets out to emigrate to South Australia via a harrowing sea voyage. This is the interesting historical setting, but the heart of the book is a love story between Hanne and another young girl, Thea. A love for nature, the nature of love, and how nature is involved in love; it has supernatural elements, is deeply atmospheric, poetic and lyrical. Perhaps I am a touch old and jaded, but while I found it evocative and beautiful most of the time, occasionally the girls’ consuming passion became wearisome to me. For lovers of language, love, nature, and history.
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