Kate Grenville

A gripping story about friendship, self-discovery, and the power of language, set along the unspoiled shores of 1788 New South Wales.

"Harley Savage is a plain, rawboned woman, a part-time museum curator and quilting expert with three failed marriages and a heart condition. Douglas Cheeseman is a shy, gawky engineer with jug-handle ears, one marriage gone sour, and a crippling lack of physical courage. Seeming to be incompetent was something Douglas did to protect himself, just as having a "dangerous streak" served the same purpose for Harley." -- Jacket.

A father explains why he raped his daughter who subsequently went mad. The novel is a sequel to Lilian's Story, written 10 years ago, describing the incident from the girl's point of view.

Searching for the Secret River is the story of how Kate Grenville came to write her award-winning novel (The secret river). It all begins with her ancestor Solomon Wiseman, transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life, but who later became a wealthy man and built his colonial mansion on the Hawkesbury. Increasingly obsessed with his story, Grenville pursues him from Sydney to London and back, and then up the Hawkesbury itself.

Sarah is the youngest child of William Thornhill, an uneducated ex-convict from London who has built his fortune on the blood of Aboriginal people. With a fine stone house and plenty of money, Thornhill has re-invented himself. As he tells his daughter, he "never looks back," and Sarah grows up learning not to ask about the past. Instead her eyes are on handsome Jack Langland, whom she's loved since she was a child. Their romance seems destined, but the ugly secret in Sarah's family is poised to ambush them both.

Lilian Una Singer starts life as the daughter of a prosperous middle-class family. She ends it as a cheerfully eccentric bag-lady living on the streets, quoting Shakespeare for a living. How did she come to take this journey, and why did she make the choices she did? The world presents Lilian with many obstacles, not least the fact that she is a woman. But in spite of everything, she triumphantly makes her life her own, savouring every momen with the reminder that 'everything matter'. Lilian's Story is a wonderful, life-affirming novel from one of our most gifted writers.

A woman's view of history (from all angles!)__

Bearded Ladies and Dreamhouse are combined here in one volume, back to-back. Bearded Ladies was Kate's first book, a collection of short stories. Dreamhouse evokes the mystery and menace underpinning everyday life, and the Tuscan 'dreamhouse' is the stuff of nightmares.

A new handbook to help beginners kickstart their writing by prize-winning author and long-time writing teacher, Kate GrenvilleDo you find yourself staring at a blank piece of paper, waiting for the words to pour out?If you find writing difficult, this book is for you. Award-winning novelist Kate Grenville shares her method-the 'Six Steps' approach to writing. Whether you're writing a short story, essay, review or report, you can follow the same six steps every time.The steps include: How to get ideas How to plan your writing* How to revise.Don't worry. Along the way, Kate provides plenty of examples and hands-on, step-by-step guidance to help get you going-and keep you going. She also includes a quick guide to grammar and an exam kit for last-minute revision.Written in consultation with educational experts, and with a very user-friendly approach, this is an ideal guide for high school students-but it's also full of practical tips to inspire writers of all ages.Many how-to-write books make writing sound hard-this one will give you the confidence to know you can do it.and practical instructions on how to improve their writing.

London, 1806 - William Thornhill, happily wedded to his childhood sweetheart Sal, is a waterman on the River Thames. Life is tough but bearable until William makes a mistake, a bad mistake for which he and his family are made to pay dearly. His sentence: to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. Soon Thornhill, a man no better or worse than most, has to make the most difficult decision of his life . . . The compelling new novel from prize-winning author Kate Grenville is a universal and timeless story of love, identity and belonging.