Claire Messud

June 1940. As Paris falls to the Germans, Gaston Cassar - honorable servant of France, devoted husband and father, currently posted as naval attache in Salonica - bids farewell to his beloved wife, aunt and children, placing his faith in God that they will be reunited after the war....

As Julie and Cassie enter adolescence, their paths diverge and Cassie sets out on a journey that will put her life in danger and shatter her oldest friendship....

Julia Robinson and Cassie Burnes have been friends since nursery school. They have shared everything, including their desire to escape the stifling limitations of their birthplace....

Originally published in 1994, When the World Was Steady is award-winning author Claire Messud's first novel....

When the Armstrong family moves from New York at the dawn of the 1970s, Australia feels, to Alice Armstrong, like the end of the earth. Residing in a grand manor on the glittering Sydney Harbour, her family finds their life has turned upside down....