Book Reviews for Plantation by Di Morrissey

This book brought tears to my eyes. Not only was the story set in parts of Malaysia that I have fond memories of, the story line was excellent. First time that I have read a book by this author but I was not disappointed at all.In fact, I was sorry when I read the final page.

Brisbane marketing consultant Julie Reagan is drawn to the jungles of Malaysia in search of family secrets. Intrigued by the gaps in her family tree, Julie travels to Utopia, the rubber plantation run by the half of her family that no-one speaks about. In particular, her aim is to find out about her great aunt Bette, who spent time with the headhunters of Borneo. The Plantation by bestselling novelist Di Morrissey is similar to previous titles such as The Islands and The Silent Country—it takes the reader into the world of a strong, professional and unmarried woman whose experience in a foreign location will change her life. It offers readers an effective escape from real life, with exotic destinations, historical intrigue and a page-turning plot—in particular, the when the action moves to the 1941 invasion of Malaya. However, if readers are also looking for complex, believable characters and oblique dialogue, The Plantation falls short. Many of the novel’s characters are slaves to exposition, their conversations force-feeding the reader with facts. While I did not love this book, I’m confident The Plantation will appeal to Morrissey’s considerable fan base and sell a good deal of copies. (2.5 stars)

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (November 2010, Vol 90, No. 4) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.