[REVIEW] River Run by Nicole Alexander

River Run

Nicole Alexander
Rating: 4.5 / 5

Combining a passion for the Australian landscape with historical narrative, Nicole Alexander’s latest offering transports us to 1940s rural NSW. Protagonist Eleanor is a worldly 26-year-old, and after living in Sydney she returns to her family farm River Run, to recover from a broken heart. 

Politics and fear run rife in her family and on a national scale. The threat of Communism fuels paranoia in her young stepbrother—especially when a stranger appears. This culminates in a dramatic week full of intrigue, romance, and ultimately a young woman finding herself. 

Alexander’s choice to narrate seven days—shearing week—is smart, ensuring you fully understand the diverse and articulate characters. Ultimately, the land is the grand master of this story, framing the passion, familial tension and political climate. River Run is Australian historical fiction at its best.