City of Girls... About the Book: It is the summer of 1940. Nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris arrives in New York with her suitcase and sewing machine, exiled by her despairing parents. Although her quicksilver talents with a needle and commitment to mastering the perfect hair roll have been deemed insufficient for her to pass into her … Continue reading Book Review: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
WWII
Book Review: Meet Me At Lennon’s by Melanie Myers
Meet Me At Lennon’s... About the Book: As university student Olivia Wells sets out on her quest to find an unpublished manuscript by Gloria Graham – a now obscure mid-twentieth century feminist and writer – she unwittingly uncovers details about a young woman found murdered. Strangled with a nylon stocking in the mangroves on the … Continue reading Book Review: Meet Me At Lennon’s by Melanie Myers
Book Review: The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung
The Tenth Muse… About the Book: A brilliant and gripping novel about a young woman's gift for mathematics, and the secret of her past bound up in World War II. The first thing I remember being said of me with any consistency was that I was intelligent - and I recognized even then that it … Continue reading Book Review: The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung
Book Review: Bella and Chaim by Sara Rena Vidal
Bella and Chaim: The Story of Beauty and Life… About the Book: Encompassing the inspirational true story of Bella and Chaim, the author’s parents, with the intergenerational trauma of being a child of survivors, this memoir of love, loss and gratitude, is a testament to the human spirit as well as a call to rise … Continue reading Book Review: Bella and Chaim by Sara Rena Vidal
Book Review: The Land Girls by Victoria Purman
The Land Girls... About the Book: A moving story of love, loss and survival against the odds by bestselling author of The Last of the Bonegilla Girls, Victoria Purman. It was never just a man's war... Melbourne, 1942 War has engulfed Europe and now the Pacific, and Australia is fighting for its future. For spinster … Continue reading Book Review: The Land Girls by Victoria Purman
Behind the Pen with Leah Kaminsky
Last month I read a truly amazing novel, one that has really left a lasting impression upon me. That novel was The Hollow Bones, and today it gives me quite a thrill to welcome the author, Leah Kaminsky, to Behind the Pen. What provided the initial inspiration for The Hollow Bones? I was reading about … Continue reading Behind the Pen with Leah Kaminsky
Blog Tour: The French Photographer by Natasha Lester
Behind the Pen and New Release Book Review It gives me great pleasure to highlight the latest historical fiction release by Natasha Lester, The French Photographer, with a Behind the Pen interview and review as part of the Hachette Australia blog tour. The French Photographer: Inspired by the incredible true story of Lee Miller, Vogue … Continue reading Blog Tour: The French Photographer by Natasha Lester
New Release Book Review: We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
We Must Be Brave… About the Book: A novel about courage and kindness, hardship and friendship – and the astonishing power of love. December, 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, the city's residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly-married Ellen Parr finds a girl sleeping, unclaimed at the … Continue reading New Release Book Review: We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
New Release Book Review: The Hollow Bones by Leah Kaminsky
The Hollow Bones… About the Book: The Hollow Bones implores us to pay careful attention to the crucial lessons we might learn from our not-too-distant history. 'I remember you once told me about mockingbirds and their special talents for mimicry. They steal the songs from others, you said. I want to ask you this: how … Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Hollow Bones by Leah Kaminsky
New Release Book Review: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
The Things We Cannot Say… About the Book: 2019 Life changed beyond recognition for Alice when her son, Eddie, was born with autism spectrum disorder. She must do everything to support him, but at what cost to her family? When her cherished grandmother is hospitalised, a hidden box of mementoes reveals a tattered photo of … Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
