Through the richly intertwined narratives of two women from different generations, Ashley Hay, known for her “elegant prose, which draws warm and textured portraits as it celebrates the web of human stories” (New York Times Book Review) weaves an intricate, bighearted tale of the many small decisions—the invisible moments—that come to make a life. “Readers who loved the quiet introspection of Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge will enjoy the detailed emotional journeys of Hay’s characters. Their stories will linger long after the final page is turned” (Library Journal). When Elsie Gormley falls and is forced to leave her Brisbane home of sixty-two years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to make the house their own. Still, Lucy can’t help but feel that she’s unwittingly stumbled into an entirely new life—new house, new city, new baby—and she struggles to navigate the journey from adventurous lover to young parent. In her nearby nursing facility, Elsie traces the years she spent in her beloved house, where she too transformed from a naïve newlywed into a wife and mother, and eventually, a widow. Gradually, the boundary between present and past becomes more porous for her, and for Lucy—because the house has secrets of its own, and its rooms seem to share with Lucy memories from Elsie’s life. Luminous and deeply affecting, A Hundred Small Lessons is a “lyrically written portrayal” (BookPage, Top Pick) of what it means to be human, and how a place can transform who we are. It’s about a house that becomes much more than a home, and the shifting identities of mother and daughter; father and son. Above all else, this is a story of the surprising and miraculous ways that our lives intersect with those who have come before us, and those who follow.
For fans of The Light Between Oceans, this “exquisitely written, true book of wonders” (Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author) explores the aftermath of World War II in an Australian seaside town, and the mysterious poem that changes the lives of those who encounter it. In 1948, in a town overlooking the vast, blue ocean, Anikka Lachlan has all she ever wanted—until a random act transforms her into another postwar widow, destined to raise her daughter on her own. Awash in grief, she looks for answers in the pages of her favorite books and tries to learn the most difficult lesson of all: how to go on living. A local poet, Roy McKinnon, experiences a different type of loss. How could his most powerful work come out of the brutal chaos of war, and why is he now struggling to regain his words and his purpose in peacetime? His childhood friend Dr. Frank Draper also seeks to reclaim his pre-war life but is haunted by his failure to help those who needed him most—the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. Then one day, on the mantle of her sitting room, Ani finds a poem. She knows neither where it came from, nor who its author is. But she has her suspicions. An unexpected and poignant love triangle emerges, between Ani, the poem, and the poet—whoever he may be. Written in clear, shining prose, The Railwayman’s Wife explores the power of beginnings and endings—and how difficult it can be to tell them apart. It is an exploration of life, loss, tragedy, and joy, of connection and separation, longing and acceptance, and an unadulterated celebration of love that “will have you feeling every emotion at once” (Bustle).
A tender portrait of a marriage and the poetry and grief it contains. A beautiful, dreamy, melancholy book.' Gail Jones, author of 'Five Bells'..In a small town on the land's edge, in the strange space at a war's end, a widow, a poet and a doctor each try to find their own peace, and their own new story...In Thirroul, in 1948, people chase their dreams through the books in the railway's library. Anikka Lachlan searches for solace after her life is destroyed by a single random act. Roy McKinnon, who found poetry in the mess of war, has lost his words and his hope. Frank Draper is trapped by the guilt of those his treatment and care failed on their first day of freedom. All three struggle with the same question: how now to be alive...Written in clear, shining prose and with an eloquent understanding of the human heart, 'The Railwayman's Wife' explores the power of beginnings and endings, and how hard it can be sometimes to tell them apart. It's a story of life, loss and what comes after; of connection and separation, longing and acceptance. Most of all, it celebrates love in all its forms, and the beauty of discovering that loving someone can be as extraordinary as being loved yourself...A story that will break your heart with hope...''The Railwayman's Wife' illuminates the deepest places of the human heart.' - Debra Adelaide, author of 'The Household Guide to Dying'..'An extraordinary light falls on every page of this tender and gripping story.' - Belinda Castles, author of 'Hannah and Emil
When the first British visitors arrived on Australia's shores at the end of the eighteenth century, it was not only the potential of its space that tantalised them, but the extraordinary living things that they found there. Every European collector worth his salt desired a kangaroo, a parakeet, a waratah, and ship after ship sailed north loaded with Australia's remarkable natural history specimens. In 1826, the most serious collector to make his own trip to the antipodes arrived - his name was Alexander Macleay, and over 70 years he and his family accumulated an unbelievably rich and diverse collection of specimens from Australia itself and beyond. Museum throws open the doors of a historically rich and rare collection, stunningly captured in the images of Robyn Stacey. It reclaims the stories of those specimens, and those obsessions, revealing another chapter of Australia's own very particular, passionate and unique history.
No matter where you look in Australia, you''re more than likely to see a eucalyptus tree. Scrawny or majestic, smooth as pearl or rough as guts, they have defined a continent for millennia, and shaped the possibilities and imaginations of those who live among them. Australia''s First Nations have long knowledge of the characters and abilities of the eucalypts. And as part of the disruption wrought by colonial Australia, botanists battled in a race to count, classify and characterise these complex species in their own system - a battle that has now spanned more than two hundred years. Gum: The story of eucalypts & their champions tells the stories of that battle and of some of the other eucalyptographers - the explorers, poets, painters, foresters, conservationists, scientists, engine drivers and many more who have been obsessed by these trees and who have sought to champion their powers, explore their potential and describe their future states. Eucalypts have fuelled this country''s mighty fi res as readily as they''ve fuelled so many arguments about the ways they might be thought of - and yet they are as vulnerable as any other organism to the disruptions and threats of climate change. This new edition of Gum, from award-winning author Ashley Hay, is a powerful and lyrical exploration of these transformative and still transforming trees. It''s a story of unique landscapes, curious people, and very big ideas. Ashley Hay writes with heart, head, energy and passion. She understands the natural world as we must all experience it, with deep love and respect. To preserve Country and to save ourselves we must live with and in a treed world. They are our champions, just as Ashley Hay is for them. - Tony Birch, author of The White Girl and Dark as Last Night Gum is one of my favourite books, I return to it often. Ashley Hay''s curiosity ranges wide, her research skills run deep and she''s a beautiful writer, thinker and storyteller. To have all these skills brought to bear upon a tree as deserving, as iconic, as the eucalyptus: well, I''m in heaven. - Sophie Cunningham, author of City of Trees and Melbourne A classic of Australian environmental writing, Gum offers a startling new perspective on Australian history, suggesting powerful new ways of seeing the past and revealing the complex and often surprising ways trees shape both our physical and imaginary worlds. - James Bradley, author of Ghost Species and Clade Ashley Hay''s words fill you with the same kind of awe and wonder as a crushed gum leaf held to your nose: Gum is a heady, intoxicating and powerful exploration of the extraordinary history and relationships between people and the iconic eucalyptus. Since reading this book, the sight of gum trees has filled me with a new level of reverence and gratitude to know these sentient beings, and to know Ashley Hay''s writing. - Holly Ringland, author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and co-presenter of Back to Nature The book''s great strength comes from the unfolding sense of Australian national identity that somehow crystallizes around the eucalyptus tree. - Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books (2002) Hay''s Gum is like a gum itself: it is made in equal parts of light and leaf; of music and matter ... [It is] a sturdy, shapely book of fact, animated by wonder. - Mark Tredinnick, The Canberra Times (2002) Hay brings these peculiarly Australian trees to life, describing a slice of our colonial history in the process. - The Sydney Morning Herald (2002) As this beautifully written and evocative book makes clear, we are tied to the gum tree in ways we can''t even imagine. - Eureka Street (2002)
When Elsie Gormley leaves the Brisbane house in which she has lived for more than sixty years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to establish their new life. As Lucy and her husband Ben navigate their transformation from adventurous lovers to new parents, they take comfort in memories of their vibrant past while unearthing their future selves. But the house has secrets of its own, and the rooms seem to share recollections of Elsie's life with Lucy. In her nearby nursing home, Elsie traces the span of her life: moments she can't bear to let go and places to which she dreams of returning. As the boundary between present and past becomes increasingly porous, two families' stories intersect in sudden and unexpected ways.
What happens to the investments made in a relationship? Broken-hearted and unpredictable people are a danger to themselves, leaving casualties in their wake. After every storm, there is no clear path to progression, just a chance to give a second one. Desi receives a visit from a childhood friend, reminding her of the good times. Reese is occupied with the family restaurant, facing some tough life decisions. Rich grows tired of Lena's antics. Will he fight for the baby? Harriet's senses are awakened. Candace is betrayed, again. Another weekend in the town leaves more questions and misunderstandings unresolved.
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