Driving Stevie Fracasso

Author: Barry Divola
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1460713087
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 266

Book Description
Two estranged brothers, one stolen car and a road trip from Texas to New York. What could possibly go wrong? For fans of Nick Hornby, David Nicholls and Jonathan Tropper. Jaded music journalist Rick McLennan knows his life is going south when he loses his job, his apartment and his long-term girlfriend all on the same day. But then he is thrown a lifeline – a commission to write the story of his ex-rock-star brother, Stevie, and drive him from Austin, Texas, to New York to play one final gig. One small problem: the brothers haven't spoken in thirty years. Rick knows it's a bad idea. But he's out of choices. So he gets behind the wheel of a beaten-up 1985 Nissan Stanza and drives towards his destiny. He's about to find everything he didn't know he was missing. It's September 2001. From award-winning journalist and author Barry Divola comes a glorious, music-infused, rollicking road-trip novel – think High Fidelity meets The Big Lebowski meets The Darjeeling Limited. A smart, funny and wholly endearing story about how, though we may at times lose ourselves along the way, the road always leads back to family and the things that bring us joy. 'Of course this road trip comes with a top-quality mix-tape – it's by Barry Divola – but it's the layers to this story, and its humour and its heart, that make this journey irresistible.' – Nick Earls 'This book is the super f***ing gnarly lead break of rock-lit novels.' – John Birmingham 'Driving Stevie Fracasso reads as great as the fifth Replacements album sounds. It's a New York–centric, music-obsessive tale of humour and poignancy, the literary equivalent of hanging with folks who think going to church is finding a record fair. A+' – Stuart Coupe An interpreter of the listening experience forced to listen to experience? This novel will be read in between flippin' records. Go for the ride. You'll be spent, you'll be grateful.' – Tim Rogers 'If I could go back in time and take a different fork in the road, I would have lived like Barry Divola. But poor choices can't be unmade, and if Driving Stevie Fracasso is the only ride available I'll take it. Damn you, Barry Divola, you've been having everyone else's fun.' – Malcolm Knox

Locust Summer

Author: David Allan-Petale
Publisher: Fremantle Press
ISBN: 1925816370
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Book Description
Shortlisted for The Australian Vogel's Literary Award, Locust Summer celebrates the wide-open beauty of Australia's regions while exploring the heartbreaks that come from living on the land. On the cusp of summer, 1986, Rowan Brockman's mother asks if he can come home to Septimus in the Western Australian Wheatbelt to help with the harvest. Rowan's brother Albert, the natural heir to the farm, has died and Rowan's dad's health is failing. Although he longs to, there is no way that Rowan can refuse his mother's request as she prepares the farm for sale. This is the story of the final harvest - the story of a young man in a place he doesn't want to be, being given one last chance to make peace before the past, and those he has loved, disappear.

Nineteen Seventysomething

Author: Barry Divola
Publisher: Hardie Grant Publishing
ISBN: 9780980637854
Category : Australia
Languages : en
Pages : 187

Book Description
Barry Divola's Nineteen Seventysomething is a requiem for bygone days of nineteen-seventies Australia. In the fictional suburb of Braithwaite, we meet Charlie during the listless weeks of his sweltering summer holidays. Against a background of garage rock, transistor radios and a whole lot of vinyl, Barry Divola deftly evokes that awkward, exhilarating journey from childhood to adolescence. Told with humour, poignancy and authenticity, Nineteen Seventysomething marks the familiar stages of teenage awakening - in friendship, desire and love.

Other People's Houses

Author: Kelli Hawkins
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1460712943
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Book Description
'A dark, twisting tale of guilt and obsession which will leave you gasping' Petronella McGovern, author of Six Minutes The stunningly tense, page-turning top 10 bestseller for all fans of The Woman in the Window and The Girl on the Train. The perfect house. The perfect family. Too good to be true. Kate Webb still grieves over the loss of her young son. Ten years on, she spends her weekends hungover, attending open houses on Sydney's wealthy north shore and imagining the lives of the people who live there. Then Kate visits the Harding house - the perfect house with, it seems, the perfect family. A photograph captures a kind-looking man, a beautiful woman she knew at university, and a boy - a boy that for one heartbreaking moment she believes is her own son. When her curiosity turns to obsession, she uncovers the cracks that lie beneath a glossy facade of perfection, sordid truths she could never have imagined. But is it her imagination? As events start to spiral dangerously out of control, could the real threat come from Kate herself? 'At times sad and moving [and] the twists come fast. This promising debut novel would be a good recommendation for fans of thrillers and is a confirmed quick and entertaining holiday read.' Books + Publishing 'A clever premise and a troubled narrator set this page-turner up beautifully. I really enjoyed the ride.' Sara Foster 'Taut, smart and immensely satisfying. I was addicted from the first page to the last.' Nicola Moriarty

She Is Haunted

Author: Paige Clark
Publisher: Two Dollar Radio
ISBN: 1953387217
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 198

Book Description
* Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction, Shortlist * 2022 Stella Prize, Longlist "A Best Book of the Year" —The Guardian "A Most Anticipated book of 2022" —Entertainment Weekly With an unforgettable voice and exuberant wit, She Is Haunted is a masterful debut exploring issues of identity, connection, and loss, told with remarkable grace and assurance by Chinese/American/Australian author, Paige Clark. In stories charged by the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, grief, exes, and the profundities of friendship, She Is Haunted features injured ballerinas, cloned dogs, and competitive call centers in settings as far ranging as future and present Australia, New York City’s Chinatown, and suburban California. A mother cuts her daughter’s hair because her own hair begins falling out; a woman attempts to physically transform into her dead husband so that she does not have to grieve; a woman undergoes brain surgery in order to live more comfortably in extreme temperatures. Braiding the real and the surreal, both playfully witty and deeply insightful, these stories show us characters striving to make sense of the grand themes of family, love, death, and our changing world. She Is Haunted flags Paige Clark as a wondrous and wise new literary talent.

Hare + Klein Interior

Author: Meryl Hare
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781760760441
Category : Decoration and ornament
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Book Description
Distinguished by an aesthetic of understated luxury and attention to fine detail, Hare + Klein is synonymous with uncompromisingly comfortable, liveable interiors made exceptional by deceivingly effortless styling. Whether it's a stark inner-city warehouse brought to life by contemporary furniture and finishes or a rural idyll seamlessly linked to a gorgeous garden, Hare + Klein's style is unmistakeable. Hare + Klein Interior showcases the signature use of texture, colour and scale in responsive interior design that has defined their practice to date. Featuring alluring photography, architectural sketches, fabric swatches and mood boards for fourteen properties, this, their second book, offers further insight into their design decisions and the stunning, timeless homes that they produce.

The Sisters' Song

Author: Louise Allan
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1760633895
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 363

Book Description
As children, Ida loves looking after her younger sister, Nora, but when their beloved father dies in 1926, everything changes. The two young girls move in with their grandmother who is particularly encouraging of Nora's musical talent. Nora eventually follows her dream of a brilliant musical career, while Ida takes a job as a nanny and their lives become quite separate. The two sisters are reunited when Nora's life takes an unwelcome direction and she finds herself, embittered and resentful, isolated in the Tasmanian bush with a husband and children. Ida longs passionately for a family and when she marries Len, a reliable and good man, she hopes to soon become a mother. Over time, it becomes clear that this is never likely to happen. In Ida's eyes, it seems that Nora possesses everything in life that could possibly matter yet she values none of it. Set in rural Tasmania over a span of seventy years, the strengths and flaws of motherhood are revealed through the mercurial relationship of these two very different sisters. The Sisters' Song speaks of dreams, children and family, all entwined with a musical thread that binds them together.

Well-Behaved Women

Author: Emily Paull
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780648652113
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
A woman grapples with survivor's guilt after a body is found in her garden bed; an ageing beauty queen contemplates her past; a world champion free-diver disappears during routine training¿In moments disquieting or quietly inspiring, this collection considers the complexity of the connections we make-with our family, friends and neighbours, and with those met briefly or never at all.In her timely debut, Emily Paull voices a chorus of characters that reveal and re-evaluate the expectations of women in Australia today-after all, well-behaved women rarely make history.

The Italian Girl

Author: Anita Abriel
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 176110134X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 335

Book Description
A fearless young Italian woman risks everything to save precious artworks from the Nazis in a gripping new tale from the bestselling author of The Light After the War. Rome, 1943: Marina Tozzi adores her father Vittorio and working together in his art gallery is her only escape from the reality of the Nazi occupation. Not only has Marina inherited her father’s passion for art but she is earning a reputation as an expert in her own right. However, Vittorio is keeping a deadly secret from his daughter. He has been hiding a Jewish artist in their basement and one day Marina returns home to find her father has been brutally murdered by a German officer. Devastated, Marina flees to Florence to seek help from a man who owes Vittorio his life. Renowned American art expert Bernard Berenson offers Marina sanctuary in his villa outside Florence and a job cataloguing his vast art library. Marina is grateful but she is determined to find a way to avenge her father. When handsome young artist Carlos proposes using her expertise to help the partisan cause against the Nazis, she has at last found her purpose. In one daring and ingenious act, Marina risks her life to save a priceless painting from falling into Nazi hands and proves her worth to the partisans. But falling in love with Carlos was not part of her plan. When Carlos suddenly disappears, Marina’s dreams about building a life with him after the war turn to ashes. She will have to travel halfway around the world to unravel the past – and find her future. ‘Inspiring, heartbreaking and full of courage, The Italian Girl is a stunning work of historical fiction. Abriel has delivered a compelling story that you won’t be able to put down … This is one WWII historical you won’t want to miss.’ Better Reading

The Truth About Her

Author: Jacqueline Maley
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 1460712900
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Book Description
How can you write other people's stories, when you won't admit the truth of your own? A critically acclaimed, absorbing, moving, ruefully tender, witty and wise novel of marriage, motherhood and the paths we navigate through both, for fans of Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler. 'I loved The Truth About Her. It's an intelligent, compelling, nuanced tale of guilt, culpability, pride, shame and atonement. But most of all, it's a love letter to daughters, from the mothers who raise them. An astoundingly good debut.' Annabel Crabb Journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton gets a phone call one summer morning, and finds out that the subject of one of her investigative exposes, 25-year-old wellness blogger Tracey Doran, has killed herself overnight. Suzy is horrified by this news but copes in the only way she knows how - through work, mothering, and carrying on with her ill-advised, tandem affairs. The consequences of her actions catch up with Suzy over the course of a sticky Sydney summer. She starts receiving anonymous vindictive letters and is pursued by Tracey's mother wanting her, as a kind of rough justice, to tell Tracey's story, but this time, the right way. A tender, absorbing, intelligent and moving exploration of guilt, shame, female anger, and, in particular, mothering, with all its trouble and treasure, The Truth About Her is mostly though a story about the nature of stories - who owns them, who gets to tell them, and why we need them. An entirely striking, stylish and contemporary novel, from a talented new writer. PRAISE FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT HER 'Heartfelt, funny and will resonate with many readers. This tender, witty and beautifully written novel is for fans of Georgia Blain, Charlotte Wood and Ann Patchett.' Books+Publishing 'An intimate world filled with characters I could have lived with a great deal longer... rewarding, enjoyable and utterly addictive.' Readings 'A stunning novel, sharply observed, beautifully written, enthralling.' Julia Baird 'Read the first sentence of Jacqueline Maley's debut novel, and you will be in it until the end. Electrifying, deeply unsettling and so, so satisfying. And, if you've ever tried to manage the sharp end of a career with the blunt demands of parenthood, fiercely recognisable.' Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss 'I loved The Truth About Her. I could not put it down - whip-smart, sexy and with so much heart - and god, that ending packed a punch. The sort of book that all mothers need to read.' Eliza Henry- Jones, author of In the Quiet and Ache