Kate Grenville, multi-award-winning and much-loved author of The Secret River and The Idea of Perfection, has a new book out next week. One Life is a deeply moving account of her mother’s life that will enchant and inspire.
‘Evocative and fascinating, this brave and heartfelt tribute will appeal to anyone interested in their own family story, Australian history, or the lives of women.’ Books & Publishing
When Kate's mother died she left behind many fragments of memoir. These were the starting point for One Life, the story of a woman whose life spanned decades of tumult and change. In many ways Nance’s story echoes that of many mothers and grandmothers, for whom the spectacular shifts of the twentieth century offered a path to new freedoms and choices.
In other ways Nance was exceptional. In an era when women were expected to have no ambitions beyond the domestic, she ran successful businesses as a registered pharmacist, laid the bricks for the family home, and discovered her husband’s secret life as a revolutionary.
In beautiful and compelling prose, Kate Grenville writes a fascinating story about her mother's life that echoes the lives of women both yesterday and today.
Kate will be touring the country to promote One Life. Find out about her upcoming events here, or watch the video below for an introduction to this deeply satisying story.
Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers. Her bestselling novel The Secret River received the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award. The Idea of Perfection won the Orange Prize. Grenville’s other novels include Sarah Thornhill, The Lieutenant, Lilian’s Story, Dark Places and Joan Makes History.