In the misnamed town of Lovely, newcomer Julia Heath is struggling to adapt to life in the country, especially when she begins to suspect that her yoga-teacher husband is having an affair with the butcher’s wife.
Julia soon falls under the spell of Tom, a handsome, if troubled, dairy farmer who experiences the world through extra-ordinary senses.When Julia’s husband sets out to cure Tom’s migraines and memory lapses all three lives become entwined and changed and Julia is forced to heal the wounds of her past and abandon all ideas of the perfect family.
Milk Fever is an uncommon romance. It is a novel of love, yearning, the fragility of modern family and forgiveness. And of how, despite our desire to remain separate, we are all incredibly precious, connected and, ultimately, necessary to each other.
Excerpt
... I grab her hand and pull her down the steps. She stumbles a little and I pick her up and carry her, across the yard to the fruit trees that border the property. The moon is creamy yellow and so full it can barely lift itself above the trees. It lends a milky phosphorescence to the cows grazing in the paddock behind us.
The night is warm and sweetly-scented.
And I am alone, at last, with Julia.
Professional Reviews
Julie Capaldo, best selling author of Love Will Take You Home and Weather
Milk Fever sings.It's graceful and gentle and tender and beautiful. It makes you smile to be alive.
Attic Books
Lisa Reece-Lane has already been likened to Tim Winton, a comparison which is evident in the unique perspective from which this tale, about the fabric of life and love is told, however her insight is also reminiscent of Markus Zusak, with the subtle but powerful prose tackling the true meaning of life and our interdependence on those around us.
Milk Fever touches on many of the hopes and fears, dreams and delusions that we experience in our journey through life. From the trials and tribulations of marriage to the pain we experience when our children suffer rejection at school, Milk Fever is a compelling story full of humour, pathos and perception. Well worth a read.
South Coast Register
"..definitely a high-class debut from a gifted writer."
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Reviews for "Milk Fever"
Reviewed by Dorothy Connop
6/10/2010
It is hard to imagine that this wonderful story could come from a first time novelist, but ‘Milk Fever’ is Lisa Reece-Lane’s first novel. Reece-Lane’s characters are so Australian and so real, it’s scary. Her depictions of towns, families and individual characters are spot-on, but it is this author’s ability to take you into the story and carry you along with the unfolding events that make for an excellent read. This is a book with real soul, from an author who obviously has a depth and purity all of her own. I personally can’t wait for her next offering. *****
Synopsis
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Sylvia Masters, a hot fifty-two year old widow and CEO of her husbands company is challenged by her own instincts, family and friends when the Lieutenant investigating the murder of her ex-fiancee ask her to dinner. After a tumultuous beginning, the
