| Summary Note |
Connie Mulligan, daughter of a fourth-generation Tasmanian dairy farmer, feels like she doesn't belong, anywhere. She's got big dreams and big ideas, but she made a mess of her university degree and has been sent home in disgrace. The man who was responsible for her failure won't get out of her nightmares; her father won't listen to any of her ideas on how to make environmentally-positive changes to the way the dairy farm is being run; her mum thinks she should go on anti-depressants; and she keeps having what her psychologist calls "episodes". Connie is stifled, frustrated, out of sorts and out of step -- with her family, her town, her community and her time. Even when she reconnects with a long-lost relative and moves into her Granny's long-abandoned cottage, it still feels like nothing is quite right. It's not until an opportunity arises to travel to Ireland that a chance encounter with a wise old woman and a knock on the head sees Connie regain her confidence. And it is in Ireland that Connie realises that everything she wants back home -- family, friends, community and a healthy, healing land -- is within her grasp; she's just got to reach out for what she wants and make it happen. The story of how Connie Mulligan uses all her wit, willpower and a community of strong women to seize the day, save her family farm and transform herself, her life and her small town, will have you standing up and cheering. |
