Australia Felix Part I

by Henry Handel Richardson

Overview

Australia Felix Part I delves into the lives of gold diggers portraying their struggles, dreams, and the harsh realities of the gold rush. The story begins with Long Jim, a miner reflecting on his own misfortunes after the tragic death of a fellow miner, Bill, who was buried in a cave-in. Jim's grief is not for Bill, but for his own failed search for wealth and the disappointment of his journey. His longing for home and regret for leaving behind his life as a lamplighter in England reveal his deep homesickness. As the narrative unfolds, it shifts to the bustling goldfields, where miners find themselves caught in the chaos of searching for fortune. The novel captures the tension between hope and despair, revealing how the diggers' dreams of wealth often clash with the harsh conditions and political unrest of the time. It paints a vivid picture of the gold rush era, illustrating the emotional and physical toll of those who sought fortune amidst uncertainty and hardship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789369424993
Publisher:	Double 9 Books
Publication date:	01/02/2025
Pages:	86
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.21(d)

About the Author

Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, known by her literary name Henry Handel Richardson, was an Australian author. Ethel Florence (who liked to be known as Et, Ettie, or Etta) was the eldest daughter of Walter Lindesay Richardson MD and his wife Mary (née Bailey). She was born in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, into a rich family that later struggled financially. Throughout Richardson's childhood and youth, the family moved about Victoria. These included Chiltern, Queenscliff, Koroit, and Maldon, where Richardson's mother was a postmistress (her father died of syphilis when she was nine). The Richardsons' home in Chiltern, "Lake View," is now held by the National Trust and open to the public. Richardson left Maldon in 1883 to become a boarder at Presbyterian Ladies' College (PLC) in Melbourne, where she studied from the ages of 13 to 17. H. G. Wells appreciated the coming-of-age novel The Getting of Wisdom, which was inspired by this experience. At PLC, she began to hone her ability to blend fact and fiction convincingly, a technique she later employed to great effect in her novels.