*Editorial Book Review*
Wylde Oates
by Dell Brand
When Tom Wylde lands a job at the New Lanark Cotton Mill he is fourteen and has his life planned out. His sweetheart, Bella Oates, joins him there two years later and all is on track for their marriage. However their plans are shattered when Tom’s temper gets the better of him. Convicted of a serious crime, he is sentenced to transportation to New South Wales. Tom urges Bella to forget him and make a new life for herself in Scotland.
On reaching the colony, Tom is taken on by Simeon Lord to work in his textile factory at Botany and he meets Jane. Having not heard from Bella since leaving Scotland, he assumes she heeded his advice and remained behind. He decides to pursue Jane and they fall in love and marry but soon after a letter from Bella arrives telling him she is on her way.
Married to one and betrothed to another, Tom’s life is once again catapulted into turmoil.
"His voice was low but urgent. 'Miss Oates! Wake up, Miss Oates! There's a fire in the tavern. You need to come downstairs now.'"
Things seemed to be going well for young Tom Wylde. A hard worker and quick learner, he has a decent job in the mills at the established settlement of New Lanark in Scotland, and the love of the girl he adores – Bella Oates.
But dark clouds gather over the manufacturing village as a bully from his school days keeps taunting him about Bella. Eventually, Tom sees red – with accidental but very serious consequences.
In a cruel twist of fate, he finds himself on a ship to the colonies on the far side of the world, to work off his punishment of 14 years’ hard labour.
Having told Bella to stay behind and find another man, he is initially grateful for her promise to follow him.
But whilst his hard work, quick learning, and reliability earn him praises – and more responsible jobs in the new penal colony – a couple of years pass, and Bella still has not arrived. Thinking she has abandoned him, he courts and falls in love with his best friend Ed's sister, Jane. But not long after their wedding, he receives news from Bella that she is on her way. Once again, his life threatens to spiral out of control...
Bella, meanwhile, has ended up in Portsmouth, minus a prospective employer whom she was to accompany to Australia. Stuck in the southern English port town, and aware of her vulnerable situation, she finds a suitable job at a post office, but she must take lodgings in a whorehouse, as the recent end of the war with France has flooded the town with former soldiers and their families. She is left alone by the women and their clients, until she hears someone knocking on her door, saying there was a fire. That night, her life changes inexorably...
What happened next? Well, make sure to read the novel to find out!
Wylde Oates covers the period between 1810 and the late 1830s, beginning in Scotland, an industrial hub at the time, and ending in the New World, in Sydney, Australia. It is a saga of two young people's resilience, taking chances where needed, and building a strong future for themselves.
There are two main characters in Wylde Oates: Tom – a reliable worker with some education and a knack to learn as he goes; and Bella – Tom's teenage sweetheart and betrothed, whose determination to follow him to the colonies provides challenging. The narrative shifts between the two (mainly) in different chapters.
We also have Ed – a friend Tom made whilst incarcerated in England, who joins him on the convict ship; Jane – Ed's sister and Tom's wife, and mother of his children, who fears for her family when she hears about Bella's arrival. And there are several other secondary characters – employers, friends, and government officials – whose path cross Tom's or Bella's.
Tom is very likeable, a friendly guy whose temper occasionally lets him down. His work ethic is remarkable, as he carves his path to climb the employment ladder. But he has a heart of gold, and he's not ruthless – unless forced (read the book!). At times, he's also a little too easy-going, relying on his good fortune to dig him out of any holes he manoeuvres himself into. Some would consider him boring, content with a quiet life, but I think his character fits well into the colony's environment he finds himself in. He doesn't want to get punished further, and wants to provide Jane and his children with a safe home.
Bella is one determined young woman. Keen to follow Tom to the ends of the world, she has to face a series of heart-wrenching situations. Putting a brave face to her predicament, she forges a new life for herself in Australia, where she keeps her deepest secrets from anyone but her friend, Sarah. Whilst she suffers much bad luck, we rarely see a glimpse of her emotions which, at times, would have been overpowering. I thought this was a sadly missed opportunity to show her human side.
Through Tom and Bella, we experience the harsh realities of life in the New World. As a penal colony, Australia was full of convicts keen to escape, alongside regular immigrants from Great Britain, looking for new opportunities. We also see the grim reality of life in early 19th-century Scotland, where rich landowners have a say, and poor workers must toil long days. Their learning curve is steep, and we worry with them along the way.
Some of the secondary characters Ms Brand has created seem a little too good to be true, most notably Tom's and Bella's recurring 'kind' employers. In several places, I thought it would have been too coincidental, and to me, it lacked a sense of gritty realism that would have been on display in that era. Yes, they were looking for hard workers; but would they really have gone to such great lengths to help?
The research undertaken by the author is impeccable, and she provides a list of references at the end of the book for further reading, which I found excellent. The authentic setting, both in Scotland and in Australia, is proof of Ms Brand's extensive research, and comes across as completely realistic. Through the narrative, we witness the changes that happen in Australia between 1814 and 1837 – new cities spring up, manufacturing and sheep-rearing becomes established, and buildings turn from practical huts to real homes for the intrepid families who dared build new lives so far away from home. An exciting if challenging time.
However, it is through Ms Brand’s unique narrative style – and the inclusion of her local, useful research – that the novel, at times, reads like a history book, rather than a fictional tale. The balance veers more towards inclusion of historic facts and developments, rather than showing the emotional side of the characters. Here, I thought, the novel lacked a personal touch, especially given all the things Tom and Bella are going through.
Having said that, the detailed narrative will perfectly suit readers who prefer a novel with a literary slant, rather than a commercial tone, and the historical details will delight any fan of real history in novels. I, for one, have discovered a lot!
Despite the distinct sense of realism, Ms Brand's prose never slides into gratuitous violence or explicit description, given the nature of several events. There is occasional violence in the novel, all within its correct context, and several mild love scenes. But all these are well-founded within the utterly gripping plot.
The timescale reaches from 1810-1837, during which time many changes happened across the world. In newly, founded Australia, the various governors ruled a vast land, and I'm grateful that the author doesn't shy away from mentioning the fate of the aboriginal people, who were displaced by the newcomers. But this aspect played a very minor part in what is essentially an evocative 19th-century love story between two strong, kind, and hard-working characters.
Wylde Oates is a wonderfully-plotted novel of hardship, fate, new beginnings, and enduring love. Tom and Bella's strong sense of determination, keen to make the most of their changing circumstances, weaves a powerfully strong thread through the whole book, and their refusal to be cowed by cruel twists of fate is a shining example of how one can achieve the (almost) impossible, even against all odds.
Recommended especially for fans of literary family sagas and riveting adventures in the New World in the 19th century will enjoy reading Wylde Oates.
Review by Cathie Dunn
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Dell Brand grew up in Sydney and taught in state high schools during her working life. Trained in PDHPE, she was recognised with the Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Outstanding Achievement in Education Award for the development of alternate courses for senior students who wished to stay on at school and complete Years 11 and 12 but with little desire to pursue purely academic study.
She has three degrees in Education and her Ph.D. reflected her keen interest in working with children with challenging behaviours. For a number of years Dell worked with the South Coast Wilderness-Enhanced Program aimed at turning around young people’s lives. As a teacher in this program, she was able to involve herself in many of her recreational passions including abseiling, rock-climbing, wilderness trekking, canyoning and canoeing.
Dell loves the outdoors, especially the wilderness. In her younger years she was a keen swimmer and an A grade squash player. She now enjoys all outdoor pursuits and tries to play golf regularly. She has a loving family, with two grown-up children and five funtastic grandchildren.
Whilst still teaching, Dell completed a course in journalism and became a part-time freelance journalist, enjoying regular copy in a number of magazines and newspapers in Australia and abroad.
She has a particular interest in family history and history in general and this is reflected in the books she writes.
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