Feb 25, 2010

You crave for the one that you didn't get

"You crave for the one that you didn't get"
This would be how you summarize Janet Gover's 'The Farmer Needs a Wife'. Delightful debt novel, a slightly different for the usual 'chic-lit' category. 'The farmer' is a story or rather four stories revolving around a single campaign by magazine "Australian Life".

Let’s meet the protagonists:

'Helen', the magazine's editor looking for the ever illusive success for sustaining her magazine.
'Matt', the stud farmer who is unaware of his photo being sent to a national magazine.

One running way from the past while the other embracing it. They touch the part of our careerist lives that dominate our dreams. On the scenic backdrop of Sydney's Opera House you rekindle your own hopes for long forgotten dreams.


'Greg', cane farmer by profession... a silversmith by passion, by heart. Stuck on his father's cane farm. In search of acceptance of love of a father, who never really loved anyone but his own farm. Looking to find someone to share his passions through the 'Farmer' campaign
'Jasi', from Melbourne, writing to Greg, while chasing a dream of a husband and children and leisure of countryside. To innocent to understand her own good, too naive to share his passion for sliver.
'Molly', the model turned freelance photographer. Arriving at cane farm to shoot Greg and Jasi for Australian Life. Finding more than just beautiful landscapes and scenes to photograph. Shunning a dream for better life and not finding it till the very end.


'Peter' and Jenny, loving siblings, in middle of harsh Australian Outback, raising two wonderful twins and working a way out of grief or Peter's Wife, Karen's Death. Peter unaware of Jenny's plan to find him a wife, awaiting a nanny for his adorable kids
Enter 'Sandra', a brit girl, in love with Australia, and all it has to offer, sunlight and sand. Searching for a way to stay in the country and finding a family to belong to instead.


'Leigh', a wine farmer. Spending her days and efforts in growing wine at a farm, and fighting against memories of a fiancé, who walked out of her life with her money and a neighbor who helped him do that.
'Simon', the neighbor, who lost something vital on the day Leigh's fiancé walked out on her. Grieving the loss, looking for comfort from Leigh, but only finding dislike from her. Seeing the campaign from Australian Life as his chance to do something good for Leigh, failing miserably at it and falling head over heels in love himself.


Four stories, four couples and a wonderful backdrop of Australia. The presence of the continent is like the fifth element of the story. Unlike other chic-lits this is set in UK or US. The influence of her upbringing is pretty clear in her debut novel. Even though, she is moved to UK now, her love for her birth-country is etched through the pages of novel. Sydney, Melbourne, Australian Outback, River Downs and farm life... all walks out of the pages into your living room. You can feel the breeze on the harbor, the heat of desert, and call of the wild from farms.


If you happen to pick this one up for a typical Chic-Lit romance, you are in for a treat of a different variety. 'The Farmer' not only gives you romance, but it gives you a warm walk through memory lane, of those days when you dreamt of being something you really loved, because you thought doing what you love mattered. It shows you that it’s never too late to chase your dreams.... coz sometimes, Dreams do come true.

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