The Waddi Tree

By: Kerry McGinnis

Narrated by: Humphrey Bower

Two branches of the McAllister family lead very different lives on cattle stations in Central Australia. Rob, a stickler for correctness, manages a wealthy, company-owned property while his easygoing brother Sandy struggles to support his wife and son on an impoverished leasehold.

When tragedy throws the families together, ultimately driving them even further apart, it's Sandy's young son Jim who suffers the most. Left to rebuild his shattered world, he falls back on the larger-than-life station characters and the comfort of horses. This is tough country, where personal hardship is kept in perspective by drought, fire and isolation. The times are just as unforgiving, and as the years pass, Jim discovers that he must pay for his father's mistake as well as his own. Yet this harshly beautiful land is full of promise, a source of strength to Jim on his road from innocence to independence.

©2006 Kerry McGinnis. By arrangement with Penguin Group (Australia). (P)2006 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

"McGinnis has the eye of a painter; she writes as she sees and the land comes alive." (The Weekend Australian)

"The most evocative and moving account of a childhood in the Australian bush since The Road to Coorain." (Australian Country Style Magazine)

Powerful! A Wonderful Yarn!

If I could give this novel a 6 out of 5 I would. Terrific story where you laugh and cry with the main character, Jim, as he grows and develops after a tragic family accident and the lost of his father to booze. The Australian landscape is vibrant; and absolutely no one is better than Humphrey Bower. I wish there were more books by Kerry McGinnis. This is a 'must download'.

waddi tree

Would you consider the audio edition of The Waddi Tree to be better than the print version?

haven,t read the print

What did you like best about this story?

Humphrey bower as a story teller in the audio is good

Which character – as performed by Humphrey Bower – was your favorite?

as jim

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Enjoyable

Picked this book because Humphrey Bower was narrating. He is on my very very very short list of favorite voices. This story is wonderful; however I believe that this author could have made this into an exceptional book by reducing the amount of characters and going in-depth with main characters.
I just felt that I had not gotten to know anyone in within this novel.

Lovely tale of the Australian outback.

What made the experience of listening to The Waddi Tree the most enjoyable?

Well narrated and a glimpse into a life in outback Australia.

What other book might you compare The Waddi Tree to and why?

It is always good to listen to a story of pioneers.

What does Humphrey Bower bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Very descriptive story, I love family sagas.

Wonderful

I grew up in Whyalla Australia and moved to Canada when I was 13. The writer has such a great knowledge and was able to paint a picture of the country,the weather,the relationships life on a station and so on. I really liked the book up to the ending.
I had hoped sentimentally I suppose that the writer could had provided more detail around the conclusion between Jim and Rob, the with the marriage to Ruth and her acceptance of the brother.Would have been nice to have closure on this perhaps in an epilogue if you didn't want to do a chapter. Leaving it to s to figure let me down a bit.
All in all a great yarn with true blue use of the language.
I reackon some not Australian would have some problems with the lingo. I assume in the written format you have a slang dictionary or they can sure find one on the net. Nice work look forward to more form the writer.

great depiction of bush life

I picked this for the narrator, but really enjoyed the story. If you like Brice Courtenay, you'll probably like this too.

The Australian landscape comes alive.

I picked this book because it was narrated by my favorite, Humphrey Bower. And as always, he does not disappoint. This story, set in Australia, tells the story of two branches of the McAllister family. The main character whom the story unfolds around is Jim, who is a youngster when the story begins. We see him thru to adulthood. Kerry McGinnis gives us wonderful visuals of the outback and the inhabitants who live on a working stock farm/station there. I would recommend this book. It is not a fast paced thriller that burns up the pages with action but is a wonderfully layered story of a family who learns to live with tragedy and each other's quirks!

You can feel the heat and taste the dust

Would you consider the audio edition of The Waddi Tree to be better than the print version?

For me yes the narration was very good and the story is very wonderful

What other book might you compare The Waddi Tree to and why?

Riders of the Purple Sage

Have you listened to any of Humphrey Bower’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.He is very easy to listen to

If you could take any character from The Waddi Tree out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Jim. To learn more of his life

THE WAY IT WAS

Would you listen to The Waddi Tree again? Why?

If you did your "apprenticeship" as a Jackaroo in the 60's or before, you will relive the skills, demands, responsibilities, and sheer hard work of a cattle man.
It brought back memories. The descriptions were accurate (notwithstanding the geography), and the characters were spot on.
As they say…you had to be there to understand.

If you’ve listened to books by Kerry McGinnis before, how does this one compare?

First book I have listened to.

Have you listened to any of Humphrey Bower’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Bower is outstanding!!!
Far and away the top narrator in the world.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed out loud with some of the typical Aussie humour.

Any additional comments?

Kerry McGinnis either did a great deal of research or was really there at the time.

great book

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I loved this book, a great australian story

Would you be willing to try another book from Kerry McGinnis? Why or why not?

yes i will be looking out for titles

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

the narrator was great he gave each person in the book a special way of coming to life

Did The Waddi Tree inspire you to do anything?

yes read more books

Any additional comments?

take to time to listen to this one...great story about an australian family and the lives