Sandie Docker wuchs in Coff’s Harbour auf und verliebte sich als Teenagerin durch die Fantasy-Bücher ihres Vaters in das Lesen. Ihre Liebe zur Belletristik begann mit der Lektüre von Jane Austen, aber erst während eines Übersetzungsstudiums an der Universität schlug ihr ihr Mandarin-Dozent vor, dass sie ein Händchen fürs Schreiben haben könnte – eine Idee, die in ihrem Hinterkopf schlummerte, während sie im Ausland lebte und die Welt bereiste. Sandie beschloss, Stift und Papier in die Hand zu nehmen (ja, sie schreibt alles auf die altmodische Art, bevor sie sich an eine Tastatur setzt), als sie in London lebte. Jetzt, zurück in Sydney mit ihrem Mann und ihrer Tochter, schreibt sie jeden Tag.
Für Hattie ist das Kookaburra Creek Café seit fünfzig Jahren ihr Zufluchtsort – ihre zweite Chance, nachdem ihr Traum platzte, Schauspielerin zu werden. Das Café ist auch Alice' Lebensmittelpunkt, seit Hattie sie als junge Frau aufgenommen hat. Sie backt, serviert und ist die gute Seele des beliebten Lokals. Und für Becca, eine Teenagerin in Schwierigkeiten, könnte das Café der ersehnte Neuanfang sein. Doch dann drohen tragische Geheimnisse aus der Vergangenheit, ans Licht zu kommen – und alles, wofür die drei Frauen so hart gearbeitet haben, ist in Gefahr...
Not everyone is telling the full story... DESPAIR A young Anne flees Wattle Island in 1950, heartbroken and desperate to make her own way in the world. As she begins to forge a life for herself in the city, a forbidden love returns, and she is faced with a choice that could destroy all she has built. When disaster changes her life forever, starting the Wattle Island Book Club is the only thing that offers her solace. COURAGE Librarian Grace Elliot has been writing bucket lists since she was seven. Being asked to revive the dormant Wattle Island Book Club, ticks another item off her list. Arriving on the island, she finds not everyone is happy to have the book club back. All too aware of how fragile life is, Grace knows she has to help the residents of Wattle Island find the bravery to move beyond their past. HOPE Eight years ago tragedy brought the Wattle Island Book Club to an end. But in her fading twilight years, eighty-something Anne is determined to resurrect it and help her grandson, Sam, make peace with the guilt he's been carrying for nearly a decade. A spark between Sam and Grace offers Anne hope, but she fears some wounds are too deep to heal and time is running out. Welcome to the Wattle Island Book Club, where hope is lost and found, and love lights the dark
Set in the tranquil town of Rosella Cove, Nicole seeks a fresh start in a cottage by the water, determined to avoid personal connections. However, the discovery of a hidden box of letters unveils secrets from previous occupants, prompting her to confront her own past. As she begins to form bonds with the local community and develops feelings for Danny, the handyman aiding in her cottage restoration, Nicole grapples with the shadows of her history. The story explores themes of healing, community, and the challenge of facing one's past.
Welcome to the Kookaburra Creek Cafe. THE PAST For Hattie, the cafe has been her refuge for the last fifty years - her second chance at a happy ending after her dreams of being a star were shattered. But will the ghosts of her past succeed in destroying everything she's worked so hard to build? THE PRESENT For Alice, the cafe is her livelihood. After Hattie took her in as a teenager, Alice has slowly forged a quiet life as the cafe's manager (and chief cupcake baker). But with so many tragedies behind her, is it too late for Alice's story to have a happy ending? THE FUTURE For Becca, a teenager in trouble, the cafe could be the new start she yearns for. That is, if she can be persuaded to stop running from her secrets. Can Becca find a way to believe in the kindness of strangers, and accept that this small town could be the place where she finally belongs? One small town. Three lost women. And a lifetime of secrets.
The heart-warming new novel by the bestselling author of The Kookaburra Creek Hotel and The Wattle Island Book ClubHOPESingle mother Sarah is guilt-ridden when an accident leaves her young daughter Melody seriously injured and their once music-filled lives silent. When she discovers her grandmother Rosalie's war correspondence, she thinks she might have found a way to save her family, but it will require a leap of faith ...HEARTACHEIn 1945 Rosalie is desperate to forge a career as a journalist, and taking photos for soldiers serving in the war might just lead to the job of her dreams. But when two brothers she's been corresponding with come home to Redgum River, her life is turned upside down, and she flees, vowing to never return.HEALINGDecades on, the hope that a music retreat can help Melody lures the three generations of women to Redgum River, where Sarah draws together the threads of Rosalie's past. A heartbreaking family mystery comes to light, and they discover that the ghosts of the past can lead them to their future, and they might all be more in tune than they first thought.Welcome to the Redgum River Retreat, where harmony is found when hope is lost.
