The Limestone Road
Nicole Alexander.
Known for her captivating depictions of historical rural Australian life, bestselling author Nicole Alexander returns with her twelfth novel, The Limestone Road – a stirring narrative about one young soldier’s courageous journey ‘home’.
In the summer of 1944, returning soldiers Canning Christie and his father Michael arrive in South Australia from the desert sands of North Africa. Canning, haunted by the trauma of war and the fractured memory of a terrible event, struggles to find his place in the world. Meanwhile, his charismatic father Michael resumes his womanising ways, intent on concealing his own secret wound.
Canning is drawn to an abandoned vineyard on their land, and viniculture becomes his obsession – a pursuit he believes is linked to a hazy recollection of a night in battle.
He dreams of producing his own wine, and a chance meeting with the daughter of a local landowner offers him a glimmer of hope for a more stable future. But to move forward, he must reconcile with his past, and take a stand against his own father whose increasingly reckless behavior threatens to destroy their new life.
The Limestone Road is a poignant exploration of memory, trauma, and the quest for redemption. It is a story of resilience, love, and the enduring power of dreams. Alexander masterfully weaves together historical detail and emotional depth to create a novel that will resonate long after reading.
Our library stands on Wadawurrung Country. Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute acknowledges the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work, learn and create. Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land.
