The Path Through the Coojong Trees
Leonie Kelsall
Reviewed by Helen
I always get excited when a new Leonie Kelsall story coming out and that is because her stories bring me so much emotion, wonderful characters and of course the setting is fabulous as well and with this new one we are back in one of my favourite places, Settlers Bridge a small country town in South Australia, come along and meet Natasha.
At the young age of nineteen Natasha had her heart broken that just topped of the terrible life she has had, growing up in poverty, an alcoholic mother and a father who loved his beer, she showed such strength by working two jobs making sure the bills were paid and there was some food for her father, but life threw more her way when she found herself pregnant, but she never gave up, she moved to the city, worked hard to become a teacher and now ten years later she has moved back to a small country town with her daughter Zehra looking for a new life.
She is settling in well and making lots of friends even Hamish the local mechanic could there be a chance that she could find that love she had all those years ago? But it was way too hard to forget the man who stole her heart all those years ago, then the town is torn with a new restaurant opening up and the name of the restaurant stirs feelings in Natasha and the past is all of a sudden on her new doorstep, surely her heart could not be broken again is there a chance that it will finally heal?
This is a beautiful story, I loved it, my heart broke for Natasha so many times, MS Kelsall dug deep into family life, love and poverty and growing up and bought all of it to life on the pages, it is filled with so many emotions I cried and I cheered at the strength that Natasha showed through all that she had been through. This is one that I highly recommend, a truly wonderful story.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read and review.
At the young age of nineteen Natasha had her heart broken that just topped of the terrible life she has had, growing up in poverty, an alcoholic mother and a father who loved his beer, she showed such strength by working two jobs making sure the bills were paid and there was some food for her father, but life threw more her way when she found herself pregnant, but she never gave up, she moved to the city, worked hard to become a teacher and now ten years later she has moved back to a small country town with her daughter Zehra looking for a new life.
She is settling in well and making lots of friends even Hamish the local mechanic could there be a chance that she could find that love she had all those years ago? But it was way too hard to forget the man who stole her heart all those years ago, then the town is torn with a new restaurant opening up and the name of the restaurant stirs feelings in Natasha and the past is all of a sudden on her new doorstep, surely her heart could not be broken again is there a chance that it will finally heal?
This is a beautiful story, I loved it, my heart broke for Natasha so many times, MS Kelsall dug deep into family life, love and poverty and growing up and bought all of it to life on the pages, it is filled with so many emotions I cried and I cheered at the strength that Natasha showed through all that she had been through. This is one that I highly recommend, a truly wonderful story.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read and review.
5 stars
July 1, 2025 by Allen & Unwin
