Dear Fran, Love Dulcie: Life and Death in the Hills and Hollows of Bygone Australia

Dear Fran, Love Dulcie: Life and Death in the Hills and Hollows of Bygone Australia

  • Downloads：9725
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-07 16:31:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Victoria Twead
  • ISBN：1922476471
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Summary

When Dulcie Clarke picks up her fountain pen to write her first letter to her penpal， Fran， she is unaware that their friendship will continue for decades。 Both are newly-weds; Dulcie has a baby girl and Fran is expecting a baby。 But there the similarities end。

Fran is a Detroit city girl enjoying modern conveniences。 Dulcie is a pineapple farmer’s wife enduring the extremes of Australia。 Bushfires， floods， cyclones， droughts， dingo attacks and accidents are all too common。 Regardless， Dulcie’s optimism shines through， revealing her love of the land and fascination for the wild creatures that share her corner of Queensland。

Each book purchased will help support Careflight， an Australian aero-medical charity that attends emergencies， however remote。

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Reviews

Sharon Hayhurst ，

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of this book。 Dulcies story of her life on a farm in rural Queensland is told through letters she wrote to her pen friend in America。 These letters share all of life's good times and bad for Dulcie and her family。 Giving a glimpse of what life was like for a farmers wife in the 50's and following decades facing many adversities and tragedy。 Dulcies strength and courage shines through， her story deserves to be told。 I laughed and cried and was completely I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of this book。 Dulcies story of her life on a farm in rural Queensland is told through letters she wrote to her pen friend in America。 These letters share all of life's good times and bad for Dulcie and her family。 Giving a glimpse of what life was like for a farmers wife in the 50's and following decades facing many adversities and tragedy。 Dulcies strength and courage shines through， her story deserves to be told。 I laughed and cried and was completely floored by some of the events， it is certainly true that true life can be stranger than fiction。 I was left thinking about Dulcie for a long time after I finished the book。 I Wholeheartedly recommend this book。 。。。more

Valerie Poore ，

This is one of the most moving books I have read in years。 In an astonishing turn of events， Victoria Twead has been able to research the story behind this young Australian woman's letters to her penpal in America， and to publish them with the full support of the family。 Dulcie’s letters to Fran are unique in their depiction of Australian rural life from the 1950s to the 1970s。 They reveal the harshness of the land and its merciless demands on those who live and farm it。 The weather， the crop fa This is one of the most moving books I have read in years。 In an astonishing turn of events， Victoria Twead has been able to research the story behind this young Australian woman's letters to her penpal in America， and to publish them with the full support of the family。 Dulcie’s letters to Fran are unique in their depiction of Australian rural life from the 1950s to the 1970s。 They reveal the harshness of the land and its merciless demands on those who live and farm it。 The weather， the crop failures， the tough conditions for Dulcie and her family are all described with a matter of fact acceptance that is somehow shocking and deeply touching。 However， although there is heartbreak and loss， there is lightness and humour too， as well as a closeness between the two penpals that develops gradually over the years。 And it is this closeness that makes the ending all the more heartrending。 I feel privileged to have been able to Beta read Dulcie's letters; it was a truly profound and unforgettable experience and my thanks go to Victoria Twead for transcribing the originals and explaining the background and context of how they came to be published。 。。。more

Julie Haigh ，

Stunning。 I’ve never read anything like it before。I totally loved this book！ It was absolutely wonderful。 Not just a few sweet penfriend letters-it is so much more。 Some bits are so unexpected， it totally floored me。 This is a masterpiece！ And I love how Victoria Twead has presented it。Tells of a pen friend relationship between two girls， Fran and Dulcie， who lived in the USA and Australia。 How wonderful that the letters had been kept。 There is so much downsizing and decluttering nowadays that m Stunning。 I’ve never read anything like it before。I totally loved this book！ It was absolutely wonderful。 Not just a few sweet penfriend letters-it is so much more。 Some bits are so unexpected， it totally floored me。 This is a masterpiece！ And I love how Victoria Twead has presented it。Tells of a pen friend relationship between two girls， Fran and Dulcie， who lived in the USA and Australia。 How wonderful that the letters had been kept。 There is so much downsizing and decluttering nowadays that many people would just chuck out such treasures as these。Fran is now 85， and， having read Victoria's 'Two Old Fools Down Under'， she had asked Victoria to publish the wonderful stories the letters tell。 These weren't school-age penfriends， Fran had been 21， and married with a child when she started corresponding with Dulcie。 This is so well done， and a real treat and privilege to read about these ladies' lives。It tells of laughter and tears， ups and downs; life。 History， popular songs and singers of the time are mentioned， so you really get a feel of the times。 It really got to my emotions; happy， nostalgic feelings， and sadness at the bad times they face。Such an exciting opportunity to publish these precious letters。 And Victoria Twead has certainly done an excellent job presenting them to us。A fascinating book。 To think all this came from just a penfriend set-up。 And the ladies didn't just let it slide， they kept in contact， they shared their experiences， hardships and joys， over many years。There are no words that can do this justice。 Read it。 Experience it。 Something very special。 Stunning。 I usually start a new book as soon as I finish one。 I couldn’t with this-I just had to sit and think for a bit， it was too important to just gloss past。A unique piece of history。 More than just a book。 Something very special and utterly memorable。 I've never read anything like this before。 A stand-out book which I’ll never forget。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dear Fran, Love Dulcie: Life and Death in the Hills and Hollows of Bygone Australia

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dear Fran, Love Dulcie: Life and Death in the Hills and Hollows of Bygone Australia&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dear Fran, Love Dulcie: Life and Death in the Hills and Hollows of Bygone Australia&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0