An outback life / Mary Groves.

An outback tale of a woman who spent the prime of her life in the Northern Territory, often struggling to put a meal on the table, told in simple, straightforward language, the narrative zipping along at a lively pace, with one cracking yarn after another.

All I could think of as my heart thumped in my chest and the rumble of 900 stampeding buffalo rocked my vehicle was, 'Strewth! Am I in trouble now!'

In An Outback Life, Mary Groves describes the heart-breaking isolation, the hard work and the rises and falls in her family fortunes as they battle to survive in the Top End.

Mary was just 14 when her family moved to the Northern Territory from Melbourne. In her early 20s, she met Joe Groves - a cattleman, horse breaker, drover and rodeo rider. Mary and Joe fell in love and raised four children while leading an exciting and challenging life on an array of cattle stations.

During her 40 years in the outback, Mary faced death, disaster and disappointments with remarkable resilience and stoicism. She learned to operate helicopters, cattle trucks and anything else it took to help keep her family afloat, proving that if you want something badly enough you need tenacity, perseverance and - most importantly - a sense of humour.

An earthy tale of love, hope, loss and survival in the outback, Mary tells her story at a lively pace, with one entertaining yarn after another.