In a major review of the novel in
The Telegraph (Brisbane) literary critic
Nettie Palmer states up-front: "In Brent of Bin Bin's first books,
Up the Country and
Ten Creeks Run, the pioneers were struggling with nature in its virgin state. In the new book,
Back to Bool Bool, mankind in Australia is struggling with a man-made state of affairs. Not the original bush is now to be tamed, but the weeds of degeneration. The book is therefore less an idyllic picture of the Monaro and the little old town of Bool Bool than an exposure of the "fat hen and nettles" that are choking Australia's development." A reviewer in
The West Australasian gave a warning as well as praise: "Readers who want action are warned off this book, but those seeking mental stimulation will find an extraordinarily true commentary on present conditions here. Not the least amazing thing is the willingness of an English publisher to finance a book that is devoted entirely to the Australian outlook. It is an encouraging sign of the times." ==See also==