Longtime is the fictional name of a settlement in the Australian bluegum forest. Based on the author's own childhood, [Longtime Passing] is the story of the Truelance family who settled there in the years of the Depression….

By turns funny and grim, this is an authentic narrative of a comparatively neglected, unheroic aspect of Australian development. Grown-ups and children are portrayed equally vividly: what they have in common is an essentially Australian blend of toughness and sentimentality which will appeal to readers….