Penguin Australian Summer Stories 2

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Surrender to Summer 2

Author : Alison Booth
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 0857981595
Total Pages : 752 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (579 download)

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Book Synopsis Surrender to Summer 2 by : Alison Booth

Download or read book Surrender to Summer 2 written by Alison Booth and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2013-12-02 with total page 752 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soak up the summer sun while enjoying 3 heart-warming Australian bestsellers that transport you to a tiny coastal village in the 1950s, to a nostalgic waterside idyll and to a dusty gold rush town in the 1870s. Stillwater Creek It's 1957 and widow Ilona Talivaldis and her daughter Zidra travel to the remote coastal town of Jingera in NSW. Ilona, a concentration camp survivor, plans to set herself up as a piano teacher in her beautiful vine-covered cottage. The weeks pass, and mother and daughter get to know the townsfolk - including kind-hearted butcher George Cadwallader; Peter Vincent, former wartime pilot and prisoner-of-war; and Cherry Bates, the publican's wife who is about to make a horrifying discovery... And at risk is the one thing Ilona holds dear... The Briny Cafe Ettie Brookbank is the heart and soul of Cook's Basin, a sleepy cluster of dazzling blue bays where the only way home is by boat. However, as idyllic as her surroundings are, she yearns for excitement, the chance to live dangerously while her blood still runs hot. Then fate offers her a lifeline - breathing new life into a beloved local landmark. Ettie's salvation, it seems, is a lopsided little cafe on the water's edge ... Mr Chen's Emporium In 1872, 17-year-old Amy Duncan arrives in the Gold Rush town of Millbrooke, daydreaming about glittering pavilions and gilded steeples. What she finds is a dusty main street lined with ramshackle buildings - until she walks through the doors of Mr Chen's Emporium, and her life changes forever. In present-day Millbrooke, Angie Wallace rents the Old Manse where Amy once lived. When her landlord produces an antique trunk of Amy's keepsakes – both Oriental and European – Angie resolves to learn more about this mysterious girl from the past.

Summer of Secrets, The

Author : Barbara Hannay
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 0143783475
Total Pages : 387 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (437 download)

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Book Synopsis Summer of Secrets, The by : Barbara Hannay

Download or read book Summer of Secrets, The written by Barbara Hannay and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2018-07-30 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sydney journalist Chloe Brown is painfully aware that her biological clock isn't just ticking, it's booming. When her long term boyfriend finally admits he never wants children, Chloe is devastated. Impulsively, she moves as far from disappointment as she can - to a job on a small country newspaper in Queensland's far north. The little town seems idyllic, a cosy nest, and Chloe plans to regroup and, possibly, to embark on single motherhood via IVF. But she soon realises that no place is free from trouble or heartache. The grouchy news editor, Finn Latimer, is a former foreign correspondent who has retreated after a family tragedy. Emily, the paper's elegant, sixty-something owner, is battling with her husband's desertion. Meanwhile, the whole town is worried when their popular young baker disappears. As lives across generations become more deeply entwined, the lessons are clear. Secrets and silence harbour pain, while honesty and openness bring healing and hope. And love. All that's needed now is courage... Praise for Barbara Hannay's bestsellers: 'It's a pleasure to follow an author who gets better with every book' Apple iBooks, 'Best Books of the Month' 'In beautiful, fluid prose, Hannay once again puts together all the ingredients for a real page-turner' The Chronicle

Our Australian Girl

Author : Gabrielle Wang
Publisher : Penguin Group Australia
ISBN 13 : 0143305336
Total Pages : 86 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (433 download)

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Book Synopsis Our Australian Girl by : Gabrielle Wang

Download or read book Our Australian Girl written by Gabrielle Wang and published by Penguin Group Australia. This book was released on 2011-04-27 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's 1864 . . . and Poppy, disguised as a boy, has escaped from Bird Creek Mission to find her brother, Gus. Life on the road is hard, but Poppy is given shelter at the Summerhill Homestead. There she meets a new friend, Noni – but will Noni discover that Poppy is not who she says she is? And will Poppy find Gus before they lose each other forever? Follow Poppy on her adventure in the second of four exciting stories about a Gold Rush girl who dreams of a better life.

Secrets in Summer

Author : Nancy Thayer
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 1101967099
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis Secrets in Summer by : Nancy Thayer

Download or read book Secrets in Summer written by Nancy Thayer and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2017-05-16 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The queen of beach books” (The Star-Ledger) returns to the shores of Nantucket in a novel about one memorable summer when flirtations flourish, family dramas play out, and scandalous secrets surface. NAMED ONE OF TEN BEST SUMMER BOOKS TO READ ON THE BEACH BY SMARTERTRAVEL Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It’s also Darcy’s chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow. Darcy must also navigate the highs and lows of a new romantic relationship with local carpenter Nash Forester even as she becomes smitten with handsome vacationer Clive Rush, a musicologist in town to write a book and visit family. And she finds herself pulled into the concerns of Boyz, Autumn, a charming elderly neighbor, and an at-risk teen. As the season nears its end, Darcy must decide her next move: retreating to the comforts of her steady and secure island life, or risking it all for a chance at true happiness. Praise for Secrets in Summer “Full of rich details about life on Nantucket, this breezy tale is at once nostalgic and hopeful. . . . The story is filled with sweet moments of unlikely female connections. An easily digestible, warmhearted tale of eye-opening friendships.”—Kirkus Reviews “[Nancy] Thayer’s latest is a lovely and heartwarming contemporary read with its blend of humor and emotion set against the beautiful backdrop of Nantucket Island. Her well-crafted plot is infused with warmth and heartfelt, tender moments. Darcy is a strong, independent yet vulnerable heroine who will appeal to readers. Thayer’s engaging storytelling and authentic, endearing characters will keep readers turning the pages.”—RT Book Reviews “Thayer’s beachside novel brims with themes that women’s-fiction readers love, and the plot skims important issues—infidelity, fear of commitment, grief—while maintaining its focus on Darcy’s personal growth and the intergenerational friendship between the four women.”—Booklist (starred review)

Doctor Who: Summer Falls and Other Stories

Author : Amelia Williams
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1448142288
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (481 download)

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Book Synopsis Doctor Who: Summer Falls and Other Stories by : Amelia Williams

Download or read book Doctor Who: Summer Falls and Other Stories written by Amelia Williams and published by Random House. This book was released on 2013-10-24 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a new introduction by Amelia Williams, as well as a rare interview with the reclusive author, 'The Girl Who Never Grew Up'. Summer Falls by Amelia Williams In the seaside village of Watchcombe, young Kate is determined to make the most of her last week of summer holiday. But when she discovers a mysterious painting entitled ‘The Lord of Winter’ in a charity shop, it leads her on an adventure she never could have planned. The painting is a puzzle - and with the help of some bizarre new acquaintances, she plans on solving it... (Inspired by the Doctor Who episode 'The Bells of Saint John') The Angel’s Kiss by Melody Malone Detective Melody Malone has an unexpected caller: movie star Rock Railton thinks someone is out to kill him – and when he mentions the ‘kiss of the Angel’, she takes the case. At the press party for Railton’s latest movie, studio owner Max Kliener invites Melody to become their next star. But the cost of fame, she’ll soon discover, is greater than anyone could possibly imagine. (Inspired by the Doctor Who episode, 'The Angels Take Manhattan') Devil in the Smoke, as recounted by Mr Justin Richards On a cold day in December, two young boys, tired of sweeping snow from the workhouse yard, decide to build a snowman – and are confronted with a strange and grisly mystery. In horrified fascination, they watch as their snowman begins to bleed... The search for answers to this impossible event will plunge Harry into the most hazardous – and exhilarating – adventure of his life. (Inspired by the Doctor Who episode, 'The Snowmen')

Summer Loving

Author : Allie Spencer
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 140904985X
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Summer Loving by : Allie Spencer

Download or read book Summer Loving written by Allie Spencer and published by Random House. This book was released on 2011-05-26 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'It all goes on in this high-speed read' - Sun 'An exciting and deliciously escapist read' - Closer 'Sizzling' - Daily Express 'The perfect companion to sun, sea and sand, this book has to find its way into your beach bag this summer' - Candis

Summer Love

Author : Nancy Thayer
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0593358422
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (933 download)

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Book Synopsis Summer Love by : Nancy Thayer

Download or read book Summer Love written by Nancy Thayer and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2022-05-03 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Old secrets come to light when four friends gather on Nantucket for a life-changing reunion in this heartwarming novel of love and self-discovery by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer. “The next generation discovers the magic of the island in this big-hearted book so vivid you’ll almost be able to smell the ocean air as you turn each page.”—E! News When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there’s Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer and is looking for inspiration in Nantucket’s high society. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio whose desire for adventure is often shadowed by her apprehension. Then there’s small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith, who’s immediately taken with Ariel. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself and have a blast along the way. Despite their differences, the four bond over trips to the beach, Wednesday-night dinners, and everything that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their lives. Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick reunite at the hotel where they first met. Now it’s called The Lighthouse and Nick owns the entire operation with his wife and daughter. Ariel and Wyatt, married for decades, arrive with their son, and Sheila’s back too, with her daughter by her side. Life hasn’t exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Ariel’s dreams have since faded and been pushed aside, but she’s determined to rediscover the passion she once had. Nick has the money and reputation of a successful businessman, but is it everything he had hoped for? And Sheila has never been able to shake the secret she’s kept since that summer. Being back together again will mean confronting the past and finding themselves. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket: Their children explore the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak and forging lifelong bonds, just as their parents did all those years ago. It’s sure to be one unforgettable reunion. This delightful novel from beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer explores the potential of dreams and the beauty of friendship.

Girls of Summer

Author : Nancy Thayer
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 1524798762
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (247 download)

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Book Synopsis Girls of Summer by : Nancy Thayer

Download or read book Girls of Summer written by Nancy Thayer and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2020-05-26 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One life-changing summer on Nantucket brings about exhilarating revelations for a single mother and her two grown children in this sensational novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer. “Wholesome and hopelessly romantic.”—Kirkus Reviews Lisa Hawley is perfectly satisfied living on her own. Having fully recovered from a brutal divorce nearly two decades earlier, she has successfully raised her kids, Juliet and Theo, seeing them off to college and beyond. As the owner of a popular boutique on Nantucket, she’s built a fulfilling life for herself on the island where she grew up. With her beloved house in desperate need of repair, Lisa calls on Mack Whitney, a friendly—and very handsome—local contractor and fellow single parent, to do the work. The two begin to grow close, and Lisa is stunned to realize that she might be willing to open up again after all . . . despite the fact that Mack is ten years her junior. Juliet and Theo worry that Mack will only break their mother’s heart—and they can’t bear to see her hurt again. Both stuck in ruts of their own, they each hope that a summer on Nantucket will provide them with the clarity they’ve been searching for. When handsome entrepreneur Ryder Hastings moves to the island to expand his environmental nonprofit, Juliet, an MIT-educated web designer, feels an immediate attraction, one her rocky love life history pushes her to deny at first. Meanwhile, free spirit Theo finds his California bliss comes to a brutal halt when a surfing injury forces him back to the East Coast. Upon his return, he has eyes only for Mack’s daughter, Beth, to whom he is bound by an unspeakable tragedy from high school. Can they overcome their past? As the season unfolds, a storm threatens to shatter the peace of the golden island, forcing Lisa, Juliet, and Theo to decide whether their summer romances are destined for something more profound. Nancy Thayer dazzles again in this delightful tale of family, a reminder that sometimes, finding our way back home can bring us unexpected gifts.

The Country Wedding

Author : Barbara Hannay
Publisher : Penguin Group Australia
ISBN 13 : 1760143405
Total Pages : 422 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (61 download)

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Book Synopsis The Country Wedding by : Barbara Hannay

Download or read book The Country Wedding written by Barbara Hannay and published by Penguin Group Australia. This book was released on 2017-07-31 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two country weddings, fifty years apart ... and the miracle of second chances In the tiny Tablelands township of Burralea, musician Flora Drummond is preparing to play at the wedding of a very close friend. If only she could forget the embarrassing teenage crush she once had on the handsome groom. All is as it should be on the big day. The little church is filled with flowers, the expectant guests are arriving, and Mitch is nervously waiting – but his bride has failed to appear. Decades earlier, another wedding in the same church led to a similar story of devastation. Hattie missed out on marrying her childhood sweetheart the first time around and now she has returned to the scene of her greatest heartache. As Flora is drawn into both romantic dramas, she must also confront a relationship crisis of her own. But the past and the present offer promise for the future and there's a chance for friends, old and new, to help each other to heal. From the rolling green hills of Far North Queensland to the crowded streets of Shanghai on the eve of the Second World War, this is a beautiful romantic saga that tells of two loves lost and found and asks the questions – do we ever get over our first love, and is it ever too late to make amends?

Death by Dim Sim

Author : Sarah Vincent
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 0143782126
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (437 download)

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Book Synopsis Death by Dim Sim by : Sarah Vincent

Download or read book Death by Dim Sim written by Sarah Vincent and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2017-02-27 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sarah Vincent once tipped the scales at 122 kilos. She worked at the back of a hospital making calls and answering emails, but at three o’clock every afternoon she would answer a very special call – the call of the dim sim. Running the gauntlet of smokers in the hospital car park one day for her daily dim sim fix, Sarah had an epiphany: just like those nicotine addicts, who continued dragging on their cigarettes even while attached to IV drips, Sarah was an addict and was slowly killing herself with food. She knew if she didn’t act soon it would be too late, and her husband – who had only narrowly survived cancer – and their two young children would be minus a wife and mother. She also knew she had been going on crash diets since the age of thirteen and nothing had ever worked: the watermelon diet; eating nothing but cabbage soup; ancient fruit extracts from Indonesia; packaged food delivered to your door; eating according to your blood type. She had learnt to eat mindfully, and had eaten calmly and awarely throughout the day, then had mindlessly eaten chocolate biscuits in bed at night. She was either dieting and fighting constant food cravings, or giving in to the cravings and eating everything in sight. She didn’t know how to eat normally any more. She didn’t know what normal was. But then Sarah met the nutritionist who would introduce her to the low-carb, high-fat eating approach known as Banting, which leaves you feeling full and reduces your cravings. In her memoir Death by Dim Sim she details with hilarious honesty how she managed to lose 40 kilos using this method, her childhood battle with her weight and her lifelong struggle with anxiety. And because she wants you to lose weight too, she shares the recipes and tips that helped save her life. She is now slimmer and fitter than she’s ever been and she never wants to see a dim sim again.

The Summer Nanny

Author : Holly Chamberlin
Publisher : Yorktide, Maine Novel
ISBN 13 : 1496701569
Total Pages : 465 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (967 download)

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Book Synopsis The Summer Nanny by : Holly Chamberlin

Download or read book The Summer Nanny written by Holly Chamberlin and published by Yorktide, Maine Novel. This book was released on 2018-06-26 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes a reading group guide and Q&A with the author.

Riptides

Author : Kirsten Alexander
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 0143792083
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (437 download)

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Book Synopsis Riptides by : Kirsten Alexander

Download or read book Riptides written by Kirsten Alexander and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2020-02-04 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "One bad decision can tear your world apart."--Cover.

The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories

Author : Michael Newton
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 0141943815
Total Pages : 562 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (419 download)

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Book Synopsis The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories by : Michael Newton

Download or read book The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories written by Michael Newton and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2010-02-25 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This terrifying selection of ghost stories brings together the very best classic works from the masters of the supernatural Phantom coaches, evil familiars, shadowy houses, spectral children and mysterious doppelgangers haunt these tales. They range from the famous, such as M. R. James's tale of an ancient curse, 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come To You, My Lad' and W. W. Jacobs's story of gruesome wish-fulfilment, 'The Monkey's Paw', to lesser-known masterpieces: Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Thrawn Janet', telling of a parish priest tormented for life by his encounter with the undead; Charles Dickens's unsettling account of a railway signal-man and an ominous portent; and Edward Bulwer Lytton's 'The Haunted and the Haunters', where a cursed house harbours a diabolical secret. Michael Newton's introduction discusses why ghost stories scare us and why they flourished from the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth century, examining their changing conventions throughout history. This edition also includes further reading, notes, a glossary and a chronology. Edited with an introduction and notes by Michael Newton

Mr Chen's Emporium

Author : Deborah O'Brien
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 1742755550
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (427 download)

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Book Synopsis Mr Chen's Emporium by : Deborah O'Brien

Download or read book Mr Chen's Emporium written by Deborah O'Brien and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2013 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perfect for book clubs, Mr Chen's Emporium is an enchanting historical love story, as East meets West in a sleepy NSW gold rush town. In 1872, seventeen-year-old Amy Duncan arrives in the Gold Rush town of Millbrooke, having spent the coach journey daydreaming about glittering pavilions and gilded steeples. What she finds is a dusty main street lined with ramshackle buildings. That is until she walks through the doors of Mr Chen's Emporium, a veritable Aladdin's cave, and her life changes forever. Though banned from the store by her dour clergyman father, Amy is entranced by its handsome owner, Charles Chen . . . In present-day Millbrooke, recently widowed artist Angie Wallace has rented the Old Manse where Amy once lived. When her landlord produces an antique trunk containing Amy's intriguingly diverse keepsakes - both Oriental and European - Angie resolves to learn more about this mysterious girl from the past. And it's not long before the lives of two very different women, born a century apart, become connected in the most poignant and timeless ways. Deborah O'Brien's fiction debut is a mesmerising story of forbidden love and following one's heart . . . 'A real charmer and a fine debut.' - Deborah Rodriguez, author of The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

SCOOB! A Dog's Best Friend (Scooby-Doo)

Author : Tex Huntley
Publisher : Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN 13 : 0593178726
Total Pages : 26 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (931 download)

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Book Synopsis SCOOB! A Dog's Best Friend (Scooby-Doo) by : Tex Huntley

Download or read book SCOOB! A Dog's Best Friend (Scooby-Doo) written by Tex Huntley and published by Random House Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A level 2 Step into Reading reader based on the Warner Bros. animated film, SCOOB! Learn how Scooby and Shaggy met and became best friends in this book based on the hit film SCOOB! Boys and girls ages 4 to 6 will love this Step 2 Step into Reading leveled reader. Step 2 Readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. Step 2 is for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

The Summer With You (My Summer of You Vol. 2)

Author : Nagisa Furuya
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 1646512448
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (465 download)

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Book Synopsis The Summer With You (My Summer of You Vol. 2) by : Nagisa Furuya

Download or read book The Summer With You (My Summer of You Vol. 2) written by Nagisa Furuya and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2022-02-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wistful summer blossoms between two high-school boys finding themselves and each other through a shared love of movies in this moving, dramatic, two-volume BL romance series, perfect for fans of Seven Days, Given, or I Hear the Sunspot. SUMMER DAYS, SUMMER NIGHTS After graduating from high school, Chiharu returns to Tokyo to start university, and spend another summer with his now-boyfriend Wataru. The two boys might be busy with their part-time jobs and schoolwork, but they’re living in the same city again at last, which sets off new sparks and adventures. In addition to their usual weekend movie plans, they shake things up with a night out at a fireworks festival before continuing their summer pilgrimage to a deserted island. And then, when Wataru misses the last train home, he spends the night at Chiharu’s. In return, Chiharu asks for just one thing…

Shooting the Fox

Author : Marion Halligan
Publisher : Allen & Unwin
ISBN 13 : 1742692850
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (426 download)

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Book Synopsis Shooting the Fox by : Marion Halligan

Download or read book Shooting the Fox written by Marion Halligan and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Why did Bluebeard kill his wives? Because that's what he did. It's a given. It's the plot. Until the lucky one, who is saved. The even more interesting question is: why did Mrs Bluebeard feel utterly unable to resist opening the door? Don't we all think, when it comes to these stories, that we'd have made it work? So much freedom, and one tiny forbidden thing. Not important, a token in fact. So easy to obey so small a prohibition. We think, if I had been Eve I wouldn't have picked the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, I wouldn't have given a piece to Adam. I and my progeny down the millennia would still be multiplying fruitfully in the Garden of Eden.' Life in all its richness is reflected in this superb new collection from one of Australia's most acclaimed short story writers. Love and loss, sex and death, and the great pleasures of food, wine and reading all populate its pages. Shooting the Fox is brimming with surprising characters - the virgin and the pornographer, the adulterer, the translator, the defecting diplomat - and the inconveniences of modernity. In the end, though, it is a collection of stories about happiness, its circuitous routes, its surprising outcomes, and the consequences when we fail in its pursuit.