In the spirit of victory, 18-year-old Bridie, chaperoned by her brothers, goes to a ball where she meets Will, a gentle giant of a man who she instantly falls in love with. Will is also smitten. "Million Dollar Baby" was what the "blokes" called her.Bridie is shown through the prism of the post-War years, with Australia on the brink of huge changes. As a butterfly-like creature cocooned in a narrow universe, Bridie's narcissism is put to good use in attracting a mate. Will is the rich kid from across the Karrana River. She sees him as the knight in shining armor who will rescue her from her prison. He sees her as perfection itself, the one who will fulfill his dreams of a "forever mate".Both families try to warn their children off each other, but it isn't long before the fruit of romance starts to grow inside Bridie's lovely belly.What happens after the blossoming of innocent passions is drama, irony and real life! There are more babies, an accident and a flight to Sydney on Bridie's part. The novel sets up certain questions from the beginning: Will Bridie be successful in finding fulfillment through marriage? Will she regain a lost education, and will she be able to save her clever son from the effects of his accident? An underlying film of irony runs throughout the novel. It's a recent period piece, but the themes also touch on issues of love, pregnancy and marriage that are relevant today. Nature plays an important role throughout the novel. It is a metaphor for Bridie's lushness and passionate nature; it also points paradoxically to Will's opposite "salt-of-the-earth" character.This is a romance without the untrue cliché of "happily ever after".
