Showing results by publisher "Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd" in Women's Fiction

Meg's life is woven into the fabric of St. Stephens. It's a tapestry made of two precious children, a hidden truth, and a husband whose ideas of a perfect wife do not match her own. When Meg puts her foot down on a third kid, gets a job, and is empowered by the same book group that was meant to keep her in her place, her marriage begins to disintegrate. Set in a tiny Mormon community, this is a novel about resilience and courage – the fierceness of mother-love and the power that comes with never forgetting who you really are.

Thea, a young woman crippled by guilt, flees to Central America to escape her life. In Guatemala, she meets the charismatic Chris and his partner, Sarah, and the three of them form a tight bond. But everything changes when a tragedy occurs. Thea soon finds herself in a new relationship, bonded to her partner by grief. Together they do their best to start over in Hobart, but when tragedy strikes again—bringing up unanswered questions for Thea—she realises that if she wants to know the truth, she will need to come clean about her past.

When Esther wakes with a breathing tube down her throat, she has no idea where she is or how she got there. In terrible physical condition, Esther is tended to by Grace, the only other person in the building. In the half-consciousness of her recovery, Esther is desperate to get back to her young kids and grapples with the events of her life as they come flooding back: a childhood spent between warring parents; the demise of her marriage; the struggles she faced when her children were born.

Mary Anne is haunted by the death of her sister and worn down by depression. She's not a good wife and she's not a good mother. Then, one morning, she wakes to find her life completely unfamiliar to her, and she leaves her family to become a country singer. Vivian vows to be nothing like her mother, Mary Anne. Wounded by her mother's lack of love and emancipated by her lack of attention, adolescent Vivian looks for knowledge in dark places: news reports about child murderers, fashion magazines, boys' bedrooms, and small acts of violence.

A captivating literary journey that delves into the intertwined lives of a town, its people, and a region shaped by revolution and war.

Three friends travel to Marcoy, a regional town for a weekend away from family life. One year ago, a tragic incident splintered the group, and the women have seen little of each other since. Melissa has slept much of the past twelve months away, and she hopes this weekend will help her re-emerge from the depression she's been living with. Bridie worries that she is not a good enough mother. She worries about most things, really, but she's dealing with things just fine. At least that's what she tells herself. In fact, she only agreed to this weekend away out of a sense of duty.

Luna Lewis is white. But her friends aren't, nor are her brothers, nor her one-time Princess of Indonesia–finalist stepmother. After transforming from pudgy preteen to ‘exotic' beauty, Luna reinvents herself as ‘Luna Lu' and takes her ticket out of the most isolated city on earth. However, as her international modelling career approaches its expiry date, Luna must grapple with what she's sacrificed—and who she's become—in her mission to conquer the world.

Having brokered a fragile peace with his demons at last, ex-Afghan War pilot Mitch Stuart isn't in the market for redemption. But when he steps outside his comfort zone to help a stranger in a country pub, he inadvertently opens the door to the ghosts of a woman and a white dog he thought he'd left behind him. Veterinary specialist Lennie O'Donnell and her beloved dog, Pesh, are taking a break from big-city life to help Lennie's grandfather sell his old-fashioned rural clinic. Lennie has dedicated her career to healing those unable to tell her what's wrong, but Mitch is a puzzle even she struggles to solve - or completely let go.

Nessa keeps the world at arm's length. It's easier that way, for everyone. Her orbit is no bigger than her sister, her parents and a solitary work colleague with a penchant for dying wishes. But even these people don't see the real Nessa. Saddled with her father's impossible gift, a rundown homestead in the middle of nowhere, Nessa reluctantly develops a wellness retreat of sorts–a no-frills escape for women. All too quickly, keeping her distance becomes a trickier dance, even for someone so good at it.

It's an ordinary Tuesday morning when Ruby Williams' name starts trending online. She's uploaded an interview that has outraged journalist Felicity Cartwright, a social media personality who has built her profile by policing exactly what women are allowed to say and how they're allowed to say it. Ruby is at the centre of a brutal public shaming, watching on in horror as her reputation is torn apart.

I am the worst person in the world. Bad mother. Bad lover. Bad worker. Bad woman. Bad friend ... An exploration of motherdom and ego, culture and art, love and pain, The Sea in the Metro tells the story of a new mother in Paris trying to make it work–and failing. What happens when the control you thought you had over your life is usurped by your nature?

A mother cuts her daughter's hair because her own hair starts falling out. A woman leaves her boyfriend because he reminds her of a corpse, another undergoes brain surgery to try and live more comfortably in higher temperatures. A widow physically transforms into her husband so that she does not have to grieve. In She Is Haunted, these renditions of the author search for recognition and connection, and more than anything else, small moments of empathy.

Frankie Rose is desperate for love. Or a relationship. Or just a date with a semi-normal person will do. It’s not that she hasn’t tried; her string of crazy dates are well-documented on her blog. So, inspired by her job at The Little Brunswick Street Bookshop, Frankie decides to take fate into her own hands and embarks on the ultimate love experiment. Her plan? Plant her favourite books on trains inscribed with her contact details in a bid to lure the sophisticated, charming and well-read man of her dreams.

You don’t become a notorious British comedian without rubbing a few people the wrong way. Ben Martindale has decamped to Australia until the media frenzy surrounding his latest scandal dies down.

When he meets Amy, a perky blonde barber who dresses like a 1950s pin-up, he knows he’s hit gold in terms of material for his weekly London column. Little does it occur to him that Amy might be just a little bit upset when she finds out what he’s been writing....

It's 1982. The Knighton women, all living under one roof are about to be struck with dance marathon fever....

Austria, 1936. Esther 'Tess' Simpson works for a British organisation that rescues academics from the cruel Fascist and anti-Semitic regimes taking hold in Europe. During a dangerous trip to Vienna to help bring aid to Europe's threatened Jewish scholars, Esther meets Harry Singer, a young Jewish academic and musician. Tess works tirelessly to rescue at-risk academics and scientists from across Europe, trying to find positions for them in Britain and America.

A deeply funny novel about chasing your dreams and losing your ambition, Very Impressive for Your Age explores the mid-twenties crisis that occurs when you learn that who you always wanted to be when you grew up isn't quite what you imagined.

It’s the 1980s, and in their small coastal town, Ali and her best friend, Jessie, are on the cusp. With The Golden Book, a journal of incantation and risk-taking as their record, they begin to chafe at the restrictions put on them by teachers, parents, each other. Then Jessie suffers a devastating accident, and both their lives are forever changed. When Ali is an adult, with a young daughter herself, the news of Jessie’s death brings back the intensity of that summer, forcing her to reckon with her own role in what happened to Jessie so many years ago.

When Malika, a young orphan in rural Pakistan, is savagely attacked, her face is left disfigured and her self-esteem destroyed. Haunted by the assault, she hides from the world, finding solace in her mathematical theories. A few years later, her intellectual brilliance is discovered and she leaves conflict-stricken Pakistan for a better education in Melbourne, where she finds herself placed with Kate - a successful plastic surgeon facing emotional insecurities of her own.

After months working on an oil rig, engineer Jo can’t wait to get home. But when she finds an unexpected man in her house, she’s tempted to head straight back out to sea. Stephen convinces Jo to let him stay and by the time she leaves for her next shift, they’re both eagerly anticipating her return. But balancing life when you’re never around is tricky... Jo begins to wonder if her fly-in fly-out lifestyle is really worth it after all.