Sisters of the Southern Cross

De: Jean Grainger

Narrado por: Siobhan Waring

Queensland, Australia, 1936 Sister Claire McAuliffe has been called from Dungarvan, County Waterford, to do God’s work in Jumaaroo, Queensland. Along with four other sisters, she is charged with setting up a Catholic school for the education of the gold rush families. But life between the tropical Australian rainforest and the azure ocean is far from the spectacular paradise it seems.

Sister Claire finds life challenging in more ways than she can count—the heat, the terrifying creatures that lurk in every nook and cranny, the crocodiles and snakes—but far more worrying is the constant presence of the much-loved mayor of Jumaaroo, Joseph McGrath. Why does a person so respected give Claire such cause for concern? Is it the cruel way he speaks about the Aboriginal people who live on the mission? A closed community run by a peculiar religious leader who seems to deeply resent the arrival of the nuns?

As Claire learns of the manner in which the Bundagulgi are treated, she is forced to act, but nobody wants to upset the status quo, and a meddlesome nun suddenly is a dangerous one.

©2020 Jean Grainger (P)2023 Jean Grainger

Sisters of the Southern Cross

Wonderful book, author & narrator. Jean Grainger always delivers! Now onto another one of her books.

Couldn’t stop listening

I would sit in my car, just to listen to the story! Loved it! Will look into more from this author

Amazing narration

Great story! I love her, Jean Granger weaves history and story together. Siobhan Waring doe an outstanding job.

A thoroughly pleasant bookj

When trying to find good books, at times I end up disappointed with my choices: many of them seem to be just the same plot reheated and dressed up a bit, with boring and at times frankly irritating characters. Not the case with this one. The story held my interest from start to finish and I was introduced to a very different setting and relatable characters. I also liked the reader: a pleasant voice and balanced interpretation, emphatic where required but not overbearing.

So sad it was over!

I thoroughly loved this book. Am traveling for the first time to Australia in a few months and wanted to read something to get me in the mood for the trip. It was such an excellent story and so well told. It was funny and poignant. When I heard the epilogue at the end of how the author came to write the story, I loved it even more. The narrator is also FABULOUS. I would listen to her read the phone book. Such an incredible job with voices and accents. Thank you! Looking forward to discovering more Jean Grainger books.