Hell's Doorway
Hell's Doorway is an adventure novel by Australian author F. J. Thwaites.[1]
Author | F. J. Thwaites |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Genre | Adventure novel |
Publisher | Jackson & O'Sullivan |
Publication date | 1932 |
Plot
Vallance Hunter is a Sydney medical student whose mother is dying of cancer. Vallance euthanizes her and is sent to prison. After two years, he escapes from Goulburn Gaol and goes to live on a cattle station in the Wolgan Valley run by a grazier and his daughter. He falls in love with the daughter and goes blind.
Background
Sales of the novel boomed after it was read out on 2UE radio.[2] It sold over 27,000 copies.[3]
Reception
The book critic in the Sydney Morning Herald said that "Mr Thwaites writes vigorously and extracts the last ounce of excitement from the sensational elements of his plot. His characters, however, appear to be somewhat unreal, probably because Mr Thwaites has not mastered the art of writing good dialogue, and because he is regrettably prone to sentimentality."[4]
References
- "His Second Book". The Land. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 5 August 1932. p. 24. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- Blaber, Ron. "Thwaites, Frederick Joseph (1908–1979)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 29 October 2014. Published in hard copy 1990.
- "Australian Novelist". Camden News. NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 February 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- "Lady Longford Makes More Conversation". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 26 August 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 30 October 2014.