Hello from the Gillespies

Hello from the Gillespies PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0451466721
Category : Domestic fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 648

Get Book Here

Book Description
For the last thirty years, Angela Gillespie's annual Christmas letter has been full of her family's triumphs. But this year Angela surprises everyone, including herself - she tells the truth. Angela's husband is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Her grown-up daughters are more out of control than ever. And her youngest child spends all of his time talking to an imaginary friend. With fantasy thoughts of a life before marriage and motherhood becoming more than just an innocent daydream, Angela's real life is slowly slipping out of focus. But, as the repercussions of her ruthlessly honest letter begin to pile up, a shocking event takes Angela from her family, and she realises she should have been more careful of what she wished for

Hello from the Gillespies

Hello from the Gillespies PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0451466721
Category : Domestic fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 648

Get Book Here

Book Description
For the last thirty years, Angela Gillespie's annual Christmas letter has been full of her family's triumphs. But this year Angela surprises everyone, including herself - she tells the truth. Angela's husband is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Her grown-up daughters are more out of control than ever. And her youngest child spends all of his time talking to an imaginary friend. With fantasy thoughts of a life before marriage and motherhood becoming more than just an innocent daydream, Angela's real life is slowly slipping out of focus. But, as the repercussions of her ruthlessly honest letter begin to pile up, a shocking event takes Angela from her family, and she realises she should have been more careful of what she wished for

Upside Down Inside Out

Upside Down Inside Out PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345507142
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Sparkling . . . it’s all systems go for a wonderful romance . . . a charming story told with large doses of love and humour.” –The Australian Women’s Weekly Eva Kennedy is in a rut. After seven years of working at her uncle’s Dublin delicatessen, her artistic aspirations have slipped by the wayside and her latest relationship has fizzled. Whatever happened to the Eva who was going to be someone? Hoping to shake things up and find inspiration, Eva takes a break and ventures to Melbourne, Australia, to visit her old friend Lainey, who, for fun, gives her an exciting new identity. Eva is now exotic and adventurous and . . . not herself. Joseph Wheeler is a successful London designer. Unfortunately his firm is thriving at such a high level that he doesn’t have time to actually design anymore. And his love life is nonexistent. In Australia on business, Joseph meets Eva, and the sparks fly–even as Eva is stuck pretending to be someone she’s not. Little does she know that Joseph has some secrets of his own. . . . When what starts as a holiday fling quickly blossoms into something more, Joseph and Eva discover that romance can turn life upside down and inside out at the bottom of the world. BONUS: This edition contains excerpts from Monica McInerney's Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, The Faraday Girls, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters, and Greetings from Somewhere Else.

Lola's Secret

Lola's Secret PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345534042
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Get Book Here

Book Description
Praised as “Australia’s answer to Maeve Binchy, a modern-day Jane Austen” (The Sun Herald, Australia), Monica McInerney, internationally bestselling author of The Alphabet Sisters, returns with a poignant novel of love, loss, and the enduring strength of family ties. Nestled in a picturesque corner of southern Australia, the Valley View Motel has been run by the Quinlans for years—and nobody adores the place more than Lola, the family’s lovable and mischievous Irish-born matriarch. So when she insists that her relatives spend their Christmas elsewhere, the close-knit bunch can’t help but be a bit curious. Lola has always had a knack for clever schemes; after all, she once slyly reunited her three feuding granddaughters, whom she nicknamed the Alphabet Sisters. And with the holiday season fast approaching, Lola decides it’s time to stir up some extra excitement. Plotting in secret and online, Lola thinks it would be fun to invite a select group of strangers to stay at the motel for Christmas. Will these guests become friends, ignite sparks, fall in love? As she counts down the days until their arrival, Lola’s own family dramas threaten to upend her best-laid plans. Yet amid moments of humor, heartache, and unexpected twists of fate, Lola finds that she’s the one who’s in for the biggest surprise of all. “[Monica] McInerney’s assured writing sparkles. . . . When you reach the end, [Lola’s Secret] will leave you feeling like you’ve been given a huge, warm hug.”—Hello! magazine “A delicate treat . . . a lovely, gentle story of a family, a Christmas, love and different kinds of adventure.”—The Courier-Mail (Australia) “Exploring universal family issues of loss, rivalry, aging and grief, [Lola’s Secret] is a warm, witty and moving novel.”—Woman’s Day (Australia) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.

The Night Garden

The Night Garden PDF Author: Lisa Van Allen
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345537572
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Get Book Here

Book Description
For fans of Sarah Addison Allen, Aimee Bender, and Alice Hoffman, The Night Garden is a luminous novel of love, forgiveness, and the possibilities that arise when you open your heart. Nestled in the bucolic town of Green Valley in upstate New York, the Pennywort farm appears ordinary, yet at its center lies something remarkable: a wild maze of colorful gardens that reaches beyond the imagination. Local legend says that a visitor can gain answers to life’s most difficult problems simply by walking through its lush corridors. Yet the labyrinth has never helped Olivia Pennywort, the garden’s beautiful and enigmatic caretaker. She has spent her entire life on her family’s land, harboring a secret that forces her to keep everyone at arm’s length. But when her childhood best friend, Sam Van Winkle, returns to the valley, Olivia begins to question her safe, isolated world and wonders if she at last has the courage to let someone in. As she and Sam reconnect, Olivia faces a difficult question: Is the garden maze that she has nurtured all of her life a safe haven or a prison? Praise for Lisa Van Allen’s The Wishing Thread “Reader to reader, knitter to knitter: You’re going to love this book.”—Debbie Macomber “Whimsical . . . great for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Alice Hoffman.”—Library Journal Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

The Wet Nurse's Tale

The Wet Nurse's Tale PDF Author: Erica Eisdorfer
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101108967
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 229

Get Book Here

Book Description
A debut novel set in Victorian England with a delightfully cheeky heroine who will have everyone talking. Susan Rose is not your average Victorian heroine. She's promiscuous, lovable, plump, and scheming. Luckily for Susan, her big heart is covered by an equally big bosom, and her bosom is her fortune- for Susan becomes a professional wet nurse, like her mother before her, and she makes it her business to know all the intrigues and scandals that the upper crust would prefer to keep to themselves. When her own child is caught up in a family scandal, Susan must use all of her street smarts to rescue her baby from the powerful mistress of the house. The scheme she weaves is bold and daring, and could spell ruin if she fails-but Susan Rose has no intention of failing.

The Godmothers

The Godmothers PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Penguin Group Australia
ISBN: 1760893757
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 356

Get Book Here

Book Description
The highly anticipated new family drama from one of Australia's most beloved authors. Eliza Miller grew up in Australia as the only daughter of a troubled young mother, but with the constant support of two watchful godmothers, Olivia and Maxie. Despite her tricky childhood, she always felt loved and secure. Until, just before her eighteenth birthday, a tragic event changed her life. Thirteen years on, Eliza is deliberately living as safely as possible, avoiding close relationships and devoting herself to her job. Out of the blue, an enticing invitation from one of her godmothers prompts a leap into the unknown. Within a fortnight, Eliza finds herself in the middle of a complicated family in Edinburgh. There’s no such thing as an ordinary day any more. Yet, amidst the chaos, Eliza begins to blossom. She finds herself not only hopeful about the future, but ready to explore her past, including the biggest mystery of all – who is her father? Set in Australia, Scotland, Ireland and England, THE GODMOTHERS is a great big hug of a book that will fill your heart to bursting. It is a moving and perceptive story about love, lies, hope and sorrow, about the families we are born into and the families we make for ourselves. 'An absolutely beautiful book ... intriguing and uplifting.' Marian Keyes ‘A warm, hilarious and hopeful story about family, friendships and secrets...The Godmothers is the ultimate comfort read: delightful and uplifting, with more than a few twists and turns to keep you going.’ Better Reading

The Alphabet Sisters

The Alphabet Sisters PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345484436
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 450

Get Book Here

Book Description
As girls growing up in Clare Valley, Australia, Anna, Bett, and Carrie Quinlan were childhood singing stars known as The Alphabet Sisters. The unbridled enthusiasm of their flamboyant grandmother Lola was the glue that held them together. As adults, though, the women haven’t spoken in years–ever since Bett’s fiancé deserted her to marry the younger Carrie. Now Lola is turning eighty and she is determined to reunite the girls for a blowout bash. And no one ever says no to Lola. Bett, who fled to London after the scandal of losing her fiancé, is hesitant to face her sisters and her hometown–especially since she has yet to find another man. Sophisticated Anna, the eldest sister, isn’t too keen on the prospect either, though she’s secretly grateful for any excuse to leave her crumbling marriage behind in Sydney. And Carrie, who remained in Clare Valley, is perhaps the most apprehensive. Her marriage–the nominal cause of the sisters’ estrangement–is also on the rocks. Was she wrong to have followed her heart and run off with Bett’s fiancé? When Lola shares her special request, that the girls stage a musical she has written, their short visit becomes a much longer commitment. As they are forced to spend more time together, the sisters must confront the pain that lingers between them. Preconceptions and misunderstandings are slowly put aside and the three find themselves gradually, irresistibly enveloping one another once again–until an unexpected turn of events changes everything in ways none of them could have ever imagined. . . . Layering the lighthearted antics of small-town life with a heartbreaking story of loyalty lost and found, The Alphabet Sisters is an unforgettable story of two generations of women who learn that being true to themselves means being true to one another. BONUS: This edition contains excerpts from Monica McInerney's Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, The Faraday Girls, Family Baggage, Greetings from Somewhere Else, and Upside Down Inside Out.

At Home with the Templetons

At Home with the Templetons PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1787396711
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 513

Get Book Here

Book Description
It's never too late to learn what family means . . . When the Templeton family from England takes up residence in a stately home in Australia, they set the locals talking - and with good reason. From the outside, the seven Templetons seem so unusual . . . peculiar even. No one is more intrigued by the family than their neighbours, single mother Nina Donovan and her young son, Tom. Before long, the two families' lives become entwined in unexpected ways, to the delight of Gracie, the youngest of the Templeton daughters. In the years that follow, the relationships between the Templetons and the two Donovans twist and turn in unpredictable and life-changing directions, until a tragedy tears them all apart. What will it take to bring them back together again? From Australia's top-selling female novelist comes her best book yet - a wonderfully entertaining and touching story about the perils and pleasures of love, friendship and family. Praise for Monica McInerney: 'Monica McInerney is at the very top of her game . . . If you've yet to read her books, treat yourselves IMMEDIATELY!' Patricia Scanlan, bestselling author of A Time For Friends 'You'll be laughing out loud one minute and crying the next' Cosmopolitan 'Heart-warming . . . A lovely read' Hello! 'McInerney is a must-read author for women's fiction fans around the world' Huffington Post 'McInerney's bewitching multigenerational saga lavishly and lovingly explores the resiliency and fragility of family bonds' Booklist

Little White Lies

Little White Lies PDF Author: Lesley Lokko
Publisher: Orion
ISBN: 1409142493
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 589

Get Book Here

Book Description
The glorious novel from the bestselling Lesley Lokko; an epic tale of three women whose lives interweave over decades. In a beachfront mansion in Martha's Vineyard, Annick and Rebecca relax, safe in the knowledge that their young children are in the care of life-long friend Tash. But by the end of the afternoon, one of the children will have vanished... Annick, daughter of an actress and an assassinated president, has spent her life running from the truth of her family's wealth. Rebecca has always done the right thing. Perfect daughter. Perfect wife. Perfect mother. She's beginning to wonder if she'll ever get chance to live for herself. And Tash, free from the poverty of her heritage, has the world at her feet. So why is she struggling to keep a grip on her life? This is the sweeping story of three very different women; their pasts, their secrets, and their friendship.

Odd One Out

Odd One Out PDF Author: Monica McInerney
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698197038
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 124

Get Book Here

Book Description
From the international bestselling author of Hello from the Gillespies and The House of Memories comes the warm, funny story of a woman who defies her family’s expectations on a journey to redefine herself. For years, Sylvie Devereaux, the one member of her famous family of artists and designers who has no artistic talent at all, has been the “go to” person for their every practical need, and all of it has gone largely unappreciated. But her sister’s second wedding provides a moment of truth. During the reception, Great-Aunt Millicent publicly offers to hire Sylvie as her companion, so that they can be old maids together. Is that how people really think of her? Is that what she wants? Only her brother Sebastian seems to see Sylvie as a warm-hearted, talented woman who deserves a life of her own. With his encouragement, Sylvie begins to step out of her family’s shadow, but creating a future for herself isn’t as straightforward or predictable a process as she expects. And where she ends up surprises everyone, Sylvie most of all. Praise for Monica McInerney and her novels: “McInerney brings humor and insight into issues of sibling rivalry, family secrecy, and romantic betrayal.”—The Boston Globe “You’ll be laughing out loud one minute and crying the next.”—Cosmopolitan “Monica McInerney isn’t just one of my favorite writers from down under, but from anywhere.”—Sally Koslow, author of The Widow Waltz “[McInerney] brings Maeve Binchy readily to mind.”—The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia) International bestselling writer Monica McInerney is the award-winning author of ten previous novels including Hello From the Gillespies and The House of Memories, one short-story collection, and numerous stories and articles. She grew up in Australia, one of seven children, and has split her time between Australia and Ireland for twenty years. Monica and her Irish husband currently live in Dublin, Ireland.