MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR A sweeping saga of three families in Tasmania, from its golden era and Federation's birth to the poignant pride and sacrifice of World War I. AN ISLAND OF EXTREMES Van Diemen's Land, an island of stark contrasts- a harsh penal colony, an English idyll for its gentry, and an island so rich in natural resources it was a profiteer's paradise. HOBART'S HARSH REALITY In its heart, Hobart Town, a city of stark divides- the wealthy elite in their sandstone mansions, the exploited poor in the notorious Wapping slum, and the criminals who haunted the dockside taverns. Hobart Town was no place for the meek. STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS Silas Stanford, a wealthy Englishman; Mick O'Callaghan, an Irishman on the run; and Jefferson Powell, an idealistic American political prisoner each navigate this tumultuous world. Their lives intersect with the strong, proud women who loved them, and of the children they bore who rose to power in the cutthroat world of international trade. ---------------------------- 'Mistress of the ripping yarn.' SUN-HERALD '500 pages of perfect reading.' AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY 'Perfect summer reading.' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 'A master of what she does.' WEEKLY TIMES 'A stunning blockbuster.' WOMAN'S DAY 'A prolific writer of bestsellers.' THE AGE