The Mind's Own Place

Ian Reid

Two women and three men, displaced in different ways by the rapid transformation of Victorian England, travel separately to a small settlement on Australia’s western rim. With them they carry social ambitions and psychological wounds. As their lives intersect in the Swan River Colony, what they encounter is not quite what they expect. Who will struggle, who will thrive, and how will each react when secrets emerge?

Though fictional, The Mind’s Own Place is partly based on the actual experiences of historical figures: a pair of convicts from respectable backgrounds, talented and enterprising but troubled; two female immigrants, free settlers, not equally fortunate or resilient; and the first detective in Western Australia, who eventually uncovers more than he intends. Like Ian Reid’s previous acclaimed novels, this powerful story explores intricate relationships between the shaping of character and the pressure of adversity. It reveals damaged families, mixed motives, and the long shadows thrown by the past.

Praise for The Mind's Own Place:

It’s been a long time since I came to the end of a novel and immediately wanted to read it again to uncover more of its nuances. Ian Reid is a revelation, and he deserves the widest recognition as a remarkable ambassador for Australian historical fiction.

HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY

PRAISE FOR IAN REID:

Wherever his characters go, Ian Reid places us vividly there.

THE AGE

Perth comes alive in Reid's hands.

THE AUSTRALIAN

Intense...poetic...It stayed with me and has been hard to shake off.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Reid is also a poet... he writes beautifully.

ANZ LIT-LOVERS

Book details

PUBLICATION DATE: July 2015
FORMAT: Paperback
EXTENT: 328 pages
SIZE: 198 x 128 mm
ISBN: 9781742587479
RIGHTS: World
CATEGORY: Fiction, Ian Reid,