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Book Review By Susan D. Minkalis
The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway

Author, Jill Ker Conway's narrative is candidly written about her childhood in New South Wales, Australia. She had lived on an isolated sheep farm in the grasslands and had never saw or meet another female child until the age of seven. An eight year drought took its' toll on the family farm but perseverance availed.   Education in their household was a hobby unbeknownst to Jill. She felt very secure and loved by both parents in the lonely outback and work was made to be a strong value for her.

Beautifully descriptive images of life in the bush push the imagination as Jill depicts her surroundings in an introverted childhood. At the age of eleven she was sent to school in wartime Sydney with her despondent newly widowed mother. Jill's quest for knowledge rewarded her with achievement. Through her detailed struggles and travels, she ends up to be president of Smith College and now is a professor at MIT.


Plot & Themes
Ethnic/Relig. of subject (inside)
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Kind of living: - pioneering in countryside
Ethnic/regional/gender Yes
Period of greatest activity? - 1950+

Subject of Biography
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - Australian

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Prairie? Yes
Farm/Ranch? Yes
Farm/Ranch: - farm - lot of descript of animal care
Century: - 1930's-1950's

Writing Style
Book makes you feel? - challenged
Pictures/Illustrations? - None
How much dialogue in bio? - significantly more descript than dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 0-25% of book
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