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Restless Dolly Maunder

Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024

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Restless Dolly Maunder

By: Kate Grenville
Narrated by: Federay Holmes
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024
A DAILY MAIL NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2023
LONGLISTED FOR BEST FICTION IN THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS AUSTRALIA 2024

Born into the sweat and drudgery of a New South Wales sheep farm at the end of the 19th century, Dolly Maunder is different to her siblings. She will not endure the small, servile existence of a wife. Dolly, bright, ambitious and stubborn, dreams of a different fate, of building something that she truly owns.

She will do whatever it takes to be the woman she deserves to be. Even with a husband and children, Dolly pushes the boundaries of what is ‘proper’ and what a wife and mother ought to do, as war spreads across Europe and the rules are forever changed. But every life has its limits. What happens when Dolly’s wanderlust finally risks taking her too far?

 Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Small Town & Rural Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

"A work of history, biography, story and memoir, all fused into a novel that suggests the great potential of literary art as redeemer, healer and pathway to understanding . . . the writing sparkles with Grenville’s gift for transcendently clear imagery"
"Vivid and memorable . . . [Kate Grenville] offers us the ambivalence and complex textures of experience without losing the rhythm and pace of realist fiction" (SARAH MOSS)
"A powerful novel about a woman determined to rise above her station . . . A privilege to share in Grenville's indomitable grandmother's journey"
"Grenville . . . tells Dolly's story swiftly, cleanly and compassionately, all the while refusing to let this difficult, furious woman off the hook. Excellent"
"The masterful Grenville addresses the question of why this brilliant, frustrated woman struggled to express love to her children with clarity and compassion in a swift, thoroughly absorbing book"
"A memorable portrait of a proto-feminist determined to free herself from society’s expectations"
"Grenville astutely portrays the friction between the heroine and her daughter, who is stung by her mother’s steely reserve – perhaps because she can’t see the life story we’ve just read"
"Brings readers into intimate acquaintance with the lives of women in late 19th- and early 20th-century rural Australia . . . elevated by Grenville's crystalline prose"
"Praise for Kate Grenville: Beautifully written, insistently eloquent and expressive of connection . . . [a] stunning literary achievement"
"Kate Grenville spins a delicately teasing novel about the inherent untrustworthiness of the official record . . . beautiful and subtle"
All stars
Most relevant
Beautifully narrated telling of a woman's life in early to mid 20th century Australia: her personal ambitions, her thwarted dreams, her resilience, her stubbornness, her emotional inadequacy; someone fighting, somewhat unsuccessfully, the yoke of social expectation and conditioning, until the wheel comes full circle. A book written with realism and thoughtfully and graphically presented. Excellent imo.

the conflicted character that was Folly Maunder: a woman of her time

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Enjoyable listen - interesting to read a family saga from the Australian pov instead of European or American

Enjoyable Australian family saga

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An honest story of a women’s experience throughout her lifetime and the complexity of life and love. Wonderful narration that gave the book life. I would listen to more things by this narrator just to hear her, so much better than some that sound like robots.

Great story and great narration

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An admirer of Kate Greenville’s novels, I looked forward to this. The novel did not disappoint - the story of a woman whose lifespan coincided with a gradual shift in women’s place in the world.
The voice of the reader was an excellent choice. It was easy to listen to and convincingly brought the various characters to life.
This was a very satisfying listen.

Beautifully read novel.

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Amazingly written and performed. Well worth a listen to make you think about your own family generations from a different perspective. Particularly loved the complexity of Dolly.

Fascinating book

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