A witty, tongue-in-cheek novel in which James Aldridge plays in his own way with the classic cliches of Victorian “touching” literature, the 18th-century “educational novel”, and typical “Australian” prose with its strong local flavor. The fascinating story of a poor girl from either a gypsy or simply a thieves, declassed family, adopted by rich squatters and subsequently exchanging wealth and luxury for the freedom of a free life, amuses and delights, and its heroine, this Huckleberry Finn in a skirt, has more than once been called by critics a symbol of the national Australian character.