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Title:	Minnie
Authors:	Van Velzen, Marianne
Genre:	Non Fiction
Pages:	261
Year:	2023
Language:	English
Description:	Coober Pedy's opal fields were not for the faint-hearted: flies, dust, next to no water, and a hole in the ground for a house. But English-born Millie Berrington thrives in this harsh outback world. Casting aside life as a typist in London in the 1920s, Millie and her brother Victor were ready for adventure and it was outback South Australia that beckoned. Enthralling and a pleasure to read, this is the fascinating story of one of Australia's first woman opal miners and the outback world in which she flourished.
Categories:	Non fiction, Biography, Adventure/Exploration, Community, Environmental, Historical, Relationships, Australia, Larger font, 2025 Titles

Reviews

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By: WHAKA 017		2025-07-07 15:02:00

This book received very mixed reviews from "very enjoyable and easy read", to "boring, mundane and not well-written". Most felt there were too many characters which didn't need mentioning. It was more of a history of opal mining around Coober Pedy than learning who Minnie really was. In the end we really didn't know Minnie other than her remarkable achievements and very courageous endeavours.

By: MAST 010		2025-04-30 13:38:44

This book was enjoyed by us all. Maybe a little slow at times.

By: AUCK 459		2025-04-08 11:32:26

We admired the fortitude and perseverance of the character but felt the book was a bit drawn out. Fascinating description of the life and conditions in the opal mines.

By: TEPAH 001		2025-03-10 12:17:04

We were all totally entertained with this book. No war, no crime but very hard living - gave the reader much information about opal digging and a strange and difficult way to live. What a determined woman. Full marks.

By: COOKS 001		2025-02-26 20:43:16

We unanimously agreed that this book was mundane, pedestrian, basically a quick read. It was a 'book about a book', following Minnie's own story of her life on the opal fields and the people she met up with. We all expected Minnie to have 'made it big' in opal mining, hence the reason for this book, but that wasn't the case. Our discussion centered around the harshness of life in the fields, some members looked at opals with new respect, some have seen the TV program 'Aussie Opal Hunters' and have seen the conditions above and below ground especially at Coober Pedy.