The Codebreakers… About the Book: A compelling story about tenacity and friendship, inspired by the real codebreaking women of Australia's top-secret Central Bureau in WWII. 1943, Brisbane: The war continues to devastate and the battle for the Pacific threatens Australian shores. For Ellie O'Sullivan, helping the war effort means utilising her engineering skills for Qantas … Continue reading Book Review: The Codebreakers by Alli Sinclair
HarperCollins Australia
Book Review: Before the Crown by Flora Harding
Before the Crown... About the Book: 1943 As war rages across the world, Princess Elizabeth comes face to face with the dashing naval officer she first met in London nine years before. One of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy, Philip represents everything she has always been taught to avoid. Instability. Audacity. Adventure. … Continue reading Book Review: Before the Crown by Flora Harding
Book Review: The Mystery Woman by Belinda Alexandra
The Mystery Woman… About the Book: Rebecca Wood takes the role as postmistress in a sleepy seaside town, desperate for anonymity after a scandal in Sydney. But she is confronted almost at once by a disturbing discovery - her predecessor committed suicide. To add to her worries, her hopes for a quiet life are soon … Continue reading Book Review: The Mystery Woman by Belinda Alexandra
Book Review: The Women’s Pages by Victoria Purman
The Women’s Pages... About the Book: From the bestselling author of The Land Girls comes a beautifully realised novel that speaks to the true history and real experiences of post-war Australian women. Sydney 1945: The war is over, the fight begins. The war is over and so are the jobs (and freedoms) of tens of … Continue reading Book Review: The Women’s Pages by Victoria Purman
Book Review: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Sorrow and Bliss... About the Book: Spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark and tender, full of pathos, fury and wit, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is a dazzling, distinctive novel from a boldly talented writer. For fans of Sally Rooney, Taffy Brodesser-Akner and Fleabag. This novel is about a woman called Martha. She knows there is … Continue reading Book Review: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Book Review: The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte
The Tolstoy Estate... About the Book: Epic in scope, ambitious and astonishingly good, The Tolstoy Estate proclaims Steven Conte as one of Australia's finest writers. In the first year of the doomed German invasion of Russia in WWII, a German military doctor, Paul Bauer, is assigned to establish a field hospital at Yasnaya Polyana - … Continue reading Book Review: The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte
Author Talks: Leah Swann on Inventive explorations of motherhood in fiction
The eagle-featured mother in Angela Carter’s Bluebeard story “The Bloody Chamber” was an electrifying discovery as a student and lives on in me to this day. Back then, I’d read about oppressive mothers, unreliable mothers, fearsome mothers and loving mothers but never a fierce, swashbuckling mother like this one. Early in the story we learn … Continue reading Author Talks: Leah Swann on Inventive explorations of motherhood in fiction
Author Talks: Sonya Bates on the transition from Children’s Fiction to Crime Thriller
On first glance, children’s fiction doesn’t seem to have much in common with crime thrillers – in this case, a murder mystery with a dual timeline. And yet, that is the leap in genre that I made when I set out to write Inheritance of Secrets. I’d been writing children’s fiction for a few years … Continue reading Author Talks: Sonya Bates on the transition from Children’s Fiction to Crime Thriller
Book Review: The End of Cuthbert Close by Cassie Hamer
The End of Cuthbert Close... About the Book: From bestselling author Cassie Hamer, comes a hilarious tale of warring neighbours in Australian suburbia, with a mystery at its heart. You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your neighbours. (Trad. proverb, origin: Australian suburbia) Food stylist Cara, corporate lawyer Alex and stay-at-home mum Beth … Continue reading Book Review: The End of Cuthbert Close by Cassie Hamer
Book Review: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
My Dark Vanessa… About the Book: An era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacher. ALL HE DID WAS FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AND THE WORLD TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTER. Vanessa Wye was fifteen-years-old when she first had sex with her English teacher. She is now thirty-two and in … Continue reading Book Review: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
