Madeleine St John's Books

A Pure Clear Light

Text Classics

By: Madeleine St John

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Simon and Flora Beaufort have three perfect children and a comfortable, happy life in London. When Flora takes the children for a month-long vacation in France, Simon stays home to work on his latest film project...what could go wrong? A Pure Clear Light examines a marriage at the moment it goes haplessly off-track: Simon succumbs to the temptation of his cool, blonde accountant and Flora heeds the cry of her reawakened faith. Ultimately, though, neither Simon nor Flora can escape the revelation that lies beyond excuses and remorse and candour, at the heart of the phenomenon called love. In St John's hands, what is commonplace is transformed and transcendent. Madeleine St John was born in Sydney in 1941. Her father, Edward, was a barrister and Liberal politician. Her mother, Sylvette, committed suicide in 1954, when Madeleine was twelve. Her death, she later said, ‘obviously changed everything’. St John studied Arts at Sydney University, where her contemporaries included Bruce Beresford, Germaine Greer, Clive James and Robert Hughes. In 1965 she married Chris Tillam, a fellow student, and they moved to the United States where they first attended Stanford and later Cambridge. From Cambridge, St John relocated to London in 1968 with the hope that Chris would follow. The couple did not reunite and the marriage ended. St John settled in Notting Hill. She worked at a series of odd jobs, and then, in 1993, published her first novel, The Women in Black, the only book she set in Australia. When her third novel, The Essence of the Thing (1997), was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, she became the first Australian woman to receive this honour. St John died in 2006. She had been so incensed after seeing errors in a French edition of one of her novels that she stipulated in her will that there were to be no more translations of her work. ‘A Pure Clear Light is funny, cruel and finely written, exploring the place and time where marriages and affairs come undone...pitch perfect.’ Sunday Times ‘St John is one of those astonishing masters of dialogue such as Harold Pinter or Helen Garner, though faster than either, so that the effort of her speech is like great tennis or ballet...It’s a book about the search for truth and St John has an all but flawless ear for it.’ Australian ‘Witty, clear-eyed and provocatively perceptive, Madeleine St John deserves a lasting readership.’ Canberra Times ‘Both funny and affecting...her gift for capturing conversation takes us deep into the hearts of both characters.’ West Australian

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

305

Publisher

Text Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1925774023

ISBN 13

9781925774023

The Women In Black

'An uplifting book for our times' Observer

By: Madeleine St. John

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Women In Black

'An uplifting book for our times' Observer

By: Madeleine St. John

A pocket masterpiece. A jewel' Hilary Mantel On the second floor of the famous F. G. Goode department store, in Ladies' Cocktail Frocks, the women in black are girding themselves for the Christmas rush. Among the staff are Patty Williams with her wayward husband Frank, the sweet but unlucky Fay, faithful Mrs Jacob of the measuring tape, and Lisa, the new Sales Assistant (Temporary), who is waiting for the results of her Leaving Certificate. Across the floor and beyond the arch, Lisa will meet the glamorous Continental refugee, Magda, guardian of the rose-pink cave of Model Gowns. With the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

143

Publisher

Hachette UK

Published Date

ISBN 10

0748127232

ISBN 13

9780748127238

The Women in Black

A Novel

By: Madeleine St John

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Women in Black

A Novel

By: Madeleine St John

“The book I most often give as a gift to cheer people up.” —Hilary Mantel “Tart, beguiling, witty and compassionate, Madeleine St. John’s novel is a literary boost for the spirits.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air “A deceptively smart comic gem.” –The New York Times Book Review “Witty and delicious.” –People The women in black, so named for the black frocks they wear while working at Goode’s department store, are busy selling ladies’ dresses during the holiday rush. But they somehow find time to pursue other goals… Patty, in her mid-thirties, has been working at Goode’s for years. Her husband, Frank, eats a steak for dinner every night, watches a few minutes of TV, and then turns in. Patty yearns for a baby, but Frank is always too tired for that kind of thing. Sweet, unlucky Fay wants to settle down with a nice man, but somehow nice men don’t see her as marriage material. Glamorous Magda runs the high-end gowns department. A Slovenian émigré, Magda is cultured and continental and hopes to open her own boutique one day. Lisa, a clever and shy teenager, takes a job at Goode’s during her school break. Lisa wants to go to university and dreams of becoming a poet, but her father objects to both notions. By the time the last marked-down dress is sold, all of their lives will be forever changed. A pitch-perfect comedy of manners set during a pivotal era, and perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Women in Black conjures the energy of a city on the cusp of change and is a testament to the timeless importance of female friendship.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

224

Publisher

Scribner

Published Date

ISBN 10

1982134089

ISBN 13

9781982134082

Ladies in Black

By: Madeleine St John

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Ladies in Black

By: Madeleine St John

Previously published as Women in Black now a major film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Ryan Corr, Shane Jacobson, Susie Porter, Alison McGirr, Noni Hazlehurst and Vincent Perez.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

249

Publisher

Text Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1925603997

ISBN 13

9781925603996

The Women in Black

Gift Edition

By: Madeleine St John

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Women in Black

Gift Edition

By: Madeleine St John

A beautiful gift edition of Madeleine St John's bestselling, much-loved novel—now a major film by Bruce Beresford and successful stage musical by Tim Finn under the title Ladies in Black.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

240

Publisher

Text Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1925773337

ISBN 13

9781925773330

The Women in Black: Text Classics

By: Madeleine St John

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Women in Black: Text Classics

By: Madeleine St John

Written by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, The Women in Black is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives. The women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow. But it's Sydney in the 1950s, and there's still just enough time left on a hot and frantic day to dream and scheme...By the time the last marked-down frock has been sold, most of the staff of the Ladies' Cocktail section at F. G. Goode's have been launched into slightly different careers. With the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence. The Women in Black, introduced by Bruce Beresford, is a great novel, a lost Australian classic. Madeleine St John was born in Sydney in 1941. She studied Arts at Sydney University, where her contemporaries included Bruce Beresford, Germaine Greer, Clive James and Robert Hughes. In 1993, St John published her first novel, The Women in Black, the only book she set in Australia. Her third novel, The Essence of the Thing (1997), was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Bruce Beresford is one of Australia's best known film and opera directors. His films include The Getting of Wisdom, Driving Miss Daisy and Breaker Morant. textclassics.com.au 'Seductive, hilarious, brilliantly observed, this novel shimmers with wit and tenderness.' Helen Garner 'An exceptional writer. Those of us who knew her at Sydney University back in the late 1950s are still trying to forgive ourselves that we never guessed what she would become.' Clive James 'A knockout - ironic, sharp, alive, and then you're stopped in your tracks by the warmth of her insights.' Joan London 'A little gem...shot through with old-fashioned innocence and sly humour.' Vogue 'A highly sophisticated work, full of funny, sharp and subtle observations...a small masterpiece.' Sunday Times(UK) 'There is something special about...The Women in Black. St John's tone is...a joy: brisk, perfectly managed and, in its disdain for clutter, oddly life-affirming. She casts an airy spell with the deftness of her prose, which moves gracefully, swiftly and with perfect manners...[St John] conjures a Sydney on the cusp of modern promise; a place where her characters can meet the future with a bright face and step out of the past like an old dress, where limits can be lightly shaken off.' Delia Falconer, Australian ‘An excellent read.’ Starts at 60

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

255

Publisher

Text Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1921921897

ISBN 13

9781921921896

A Stairway to Paradise

Text Classics

By: Madeleine St John

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Stairway to Paradise

Text Classics

By: Madeleine St John

Alex and Andrew are friends. And Barbara...Barbara is a goddess. Here is the eternal triangle, the story of three people in an unhappy tangle of emotions, none able to articulate the precise quality of their longing and dissatisfaction. Are any of them truly interested in reaching the ‘paradise’ they claim to be seeking, or are they actually trying to avoid it? In St. John’s hands, what is commonplace is transformed and transcendent. This is the work of an extraordinary writer. MADELEINE ST JOHN was born in Sydney in 1941. Her father, Edward, was a barrister and Liberal politician. Her mother, Sylvette, committed suicide in 1954, when Madeleine was twelve. Her death, she later said, ‘obviously changed everything’. St John studied Arts at Sydney University, where her contemporaries included Bruce Beresford, Germaine Greer, Clive James and Robert Hughes. In 1965 she married Chris Tillam, a fellow student, and they moved to the United States where they first attended Stanford and later Cambridge. From Cambridge, St John relocated to London in 1968 with the hope that Chris would follow. The couple did not reunite and the marriage ended. St John settled in Notting Hill. She worked at a series of odd jobs, and then, in 1993, published her first novel, The Women in Black, the only book she set in Australia. When her third novel, The Essence of the Thing (1997), was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, she became the first Australian woman to receive this honour. St John died in 2006. She had been so incensed after seeing errors in a French edition of one of her novels that she stipulated in her will that there were to be no more translations of her work. ‘Not much in the way of folly escapes Madeleine St John, and the oubliette she opens into the darker reaches of the spirit is unsettling.’ The Times ‘St John proves herself a comic, humane observer.’ Newsday ‘Madeleine St John is brilliant on the elliptical way lovers talk to each other.’ Daily Telegraph

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

219

Publisher

Text Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1925774015

ISBN 13

9781925774016

Book's by Madeleine St John

A Pure Clear Light

A Pure Clear Light

The Women In Black

The Women In Black

The Women in Black

The Women in Black

Ladies in Black

Ladies in Black

The Women in Black

The Women in Black

The Women in Black: Text Classics

The Women in Black: Text Classics

A Stairway to Paradise

A Stairway to Paradise

Username

Password

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email