Come Home, Dear: An Australian Outback Romance Kindle Edition

Enjoyed this book very much.

Lucy Walker is one of my favorite romance authors, and this is one of my favorites: Come Home Dear.All of Lucy Walker's books are clean romance, written in the mid 1950-1960s, set in the Australian outback. Her heroes are strong men who know what they want and go get it. Her characters are all likeable because she does not give them psychological issues or baggage from the past to work through ! Lucy Walker's stories are told from the view of the female. The hero usually reveals himself only in the end, although if you are an astute enough reader, it is easy to pick up cues as you go. Some moderns might say her books are too slow, but Lucy Walker is a master at creating a romantic attraction that builds until the very end.Come Home Dear is about a young woman, Penny, who returns from school to live with her father in the outback. Her father hired a housekeeper, Lucille, to live with them. Penny is interested in making friends with Lucille, but at almost every turn, Lucille sneakily undermines Penny's authority; she ignores Penny's wishes at home, spreads gossip and tells lies to neighbors and to Penny's father. If you have ever seen the old movie, Rebecca, Lucille is as adept at making Penny feel as unwanted in her own home as Mrs. DeWinter does to Rebecca. Lucille keeps twisting the screw until the reader wonders how much more Penny will take.Penny is naturally optimistic until nothing more about Lucille can be misinterpreted. What Penny does to gain the upper hand (especially to get her man) is a great satisfaction !

Lucy Walker writes Australian outback romances; written in the 60s-70s. I love her books because her (main) characters are thoughtful and deliberate in their actions. They know who they are, what they want, and set out to get it. They do not compromise their values. In Come Home Dear, the heroine, Penny has just returned home to her ranch from college (or some school like that). Her father hires a housekeeper to help her. The housekeeper, Lucille, tries to worm her way into Penny's life. She sneakily tries to pawn Penny off on other people, steal her love interest, take over the household, and even tell Penny's father lies about her. At first, Penny is too polite to voice her resentment because she hopes things will work out. As things build, however, Penny finds has to devise a plan that lets Lucille know just who is in charge. If you've ever seen the movie Rebecca, Lucille reminds me of Mrs. DeWinter in the subtle ways she tries to make Penny feel unwelcome in her own home. Lucille keeps twisting the screw until the reader feels sick and indignant for Penny.. The surprise is seeing how Penny, a decent and self-respecting young woman gets the last word!

She just gets better.Her characters come to life, love some,dislike some and that awful housekeeper.Well read it yourself to see what I mean.Lucy

Lucy Walker at her best.

The story has the usual characters but some of them, such as Miss. Ditton and Ross, are far more complex and very well-drawn. The situation appears similar to Lucy Walker's other books but is tweaked so that it ends up quite different. The story unfolds through small, almost insignificant actions, a couple of major events, the changing landscape of Penny's emotions and her coming of age. It is one of the most sophisticated pieces of writing by Lucy Walker that I have ever read, and needless to say, thoroughly enjoyable.