Elizabeth Zott is not your average scientist: she’s a woman in a man’s world, and struggles with the limited vision of those around her. When her academic career is stymied by her jealous peers and the love of her life is killed in a freak accident, Zott ends up teaching cooking on prime-time TV.
However, she doesn’t just teach cooking but the science behind it, causing chaos as she encourages her viewers to think for themselves.
This was such an original novel with an outstanding narrative voice (you’ll always remember Six Thirty the dog!)
There are so many real issues for women highlighted in this engaging mother-daughter story, and all details are recorded with an amused and acerbic eye. Wonderful.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review).
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads
"A unique heroine ... you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." —Seattle Times…
In Wifedom, Anna Funder stretches traditional uses of narrative, blending non-fiction, personal memoir, biography, and fiction to research and examine the life of George Orwell’s wife Eileen.
She finds compelling evidence that Eileen was a fascinating character in herself, as well as having had a strong influence on Orwell’s life and work. However, this isn’t acknowledged by Orwell, or his peers, or the half-dozen biographers that have studied Orwell’s life.
In asking why and how Eileen has been sidelined in the historical record, Funder also begins to consider her own experiences of wifedom. The narrative blend of fact and fiction is compelling, and leads to essential questions of how and why women’s stories become lost within patriarchy.
At the end of summer 2017, Anna Funder found herself at a moment of peak overload. Family obligations and household responsibilities were crushing her soul and taking her away from her writing deadlines. She needed help, and George Orwell came to her rescue.
"I've always loved Orwell," Funder writes, "his self-deprecating humour, his laser vision about how power works, and who it works on." So after rereading and savoring books Orwell had written, she devoured six major biographies tracing his life and work. But then she read about his forgotten wife, and it was a revelation.
Rae Cairns knows exactly how to craft the quintessential thriller, and this novel grabs you from page one and doesn’t let you go until the end. I’ve recommended it to everyone this year.
Twelve years ago, Geneva Langton received a call from her sister Amber, locked in the boot of a car and begging for help. Amber was never found, and Geneva’s life has become consumed by caring for Amber’s traumatized children, dealing with Amber’s unpredictable husband, and trying to keep the search for her sister alive.
When new evidence finally comes to light, Geneva is plunged deep into the revitalized investigation, unravelling a chain of secrets that threatens everyone she loves.
A desperate phone call. A decade of questions. A deadly race to the truth.
A new heartstopping thriller to keep you up all night, from critically acclaimed Rae Cairns
Twelve years ago budding journalist Geneva Leighton received a phone call that stopped her life in its tracks. Her terrified sister, Amber, was locked in the boot of a moving car and begging Geneva for help. Amber was never heard from again.
Since that night, Geneva's days have revolved around caring for her traumatised niece and nephew, despite the unpredictable behaviour of their father ... and keeping the search for her…
At Novel Thoughts and
Wild Ideas, I dive into the world of fiction and publishing, chatting to you
about why I love writing and highlighting stories about women, particularly
those that encourage new perspectives.
I’ll tell you why I’m often drawn to the
road less travelled - such as hybrid publishing and switching genres. I’ll look in-depth at some of the books I’m
drawn to, and why I think they work. And I’ll share my work on the author’s
mindset and how I keep myself motivated during the challenges of writing,
offering thoughts and advice for emerging and established authors.
