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Book Review By Brittney
The Australian by Diana Palmer

Johnathan Sterling is a twenty-eight year old Australian ranch owner. Priscilla Johnson is his eighteen year old neighbor. Priscilla or Priss has an infatuation for John, but John never notices her. Getting tired of people saying that John only wants friendship, she starts to ignore him. Before she leaves for Honolulu, Hawaii to study to become a teacher, John gets irritated with her ignoring him and storms into her house when her parents are gone. They embrace and kiss. John tells her to write while she's gone, but when she asks him to write back to her he says he'll make his mother do it. Getting the wrong impression, Priss goes to Hawaii to forget John. Months pass and John doesn't get a letter or a phone call. He gets mad and hops onto a plane to Hawaii. He calls Priss and she picks him up so that he can stay with her at her aunt's house. John tells her how he felt when she didn't write back and they get engaged. John leaves to go back to Australia.
When Priss doesn't get a single call from John about the engagement, she calls him. He says that she's too naive for him and that it was only desire and not love. He says that he's with another woman and Priss hangs up on him.
Years later, Priss comes back a sophisticated graduate. She sees John, but he looks worn out. She finds out from his brother that the ranch had gone bankrupt the same time John had ended the engagement. Shocked, she runs to John and says that she would've stuck with him even if it would've been hardwork. He mistakes it for pity and gets mad at her. Fed up with being hurt by him a lot, Priss gives up loving him. John feels the impact of that and tries to win her back.


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story
Searching/Rekindling love? Yes
Lost Lover:
If one lover chases another... - they alternate

Main Male Character
Profession/status:
Age/status: - 20's-30's

Main Female Character - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Unusual characteristics:

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Hawaii
Island? Yes
Island: - naive Brooke Shields-ish virgin
Farm/Ranch? Yes
Farm/Ranch: - ranch

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
What % of story is romance related? - nearly 100%
How explicit is the sex? - actual description of sex
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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