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Australian Christian Resources |
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She is the one I really want; that wandering spirit, the woman who gave birth to my grandfather and could not let him go, even when he had separated himself from her, from the land of his birth, and from all that he had known./i>
Its a long way from a small southern German village to a farm in New South Wales, but in 1889 Anna Werner sets off alone on a foolish mission, to search for her son who has disappeared in Australia. From Hamburg to the exuberance of the Marvellous Melbourne of the 1800s and the immigrant life of the Riverina German farming community of Jindera, Anna discovers as much about herself as she does about the thriving country she encounters.
In Search of Anna is based on the true story of one womans long and perilous journey from the small German village of Lewin, to the farms of Jindera in Australia. It has been extensively researched and is full of vivid detail about life in Germany and Australia during the 1800s. It is a sensitive exploration of the relationship between mothers and sons, and tells of a womans search for herself.
In crisp, evocative prose, undergirded by meticulous historical research, Volk takes us through the story of the life of Anna. Her story spans two continents and several generations. It is an Australian migrant story that brings to life one of the many forgotten faces from the old, oval framed photographs that still decorate our hallways. It is a haunting tale of heartbreak and loss, interspersed with episodes of love and hope. It is a story that is hard to put down. Dr Mark Worthing, historian and author
