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The Pearler’s Wife

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About this listen

A distant land. A dangerous husband. A forbidden love.

The year is 1912. Nineteen-year-old Maisie Porter watches from the deck of the SS Oceanic as England fades from view. Her destination is Buccaneer Bay in Australia’s far north-west. Her fate: marriage to distant cousin Maitland Sinclair, a man she has never met.

When Maisie arrives in her new home, she finds a stifling small town bound by Victorian morals. Shocked at her new husband’s callous behaviour towards her, she is increasingly drawn to William Cooper, a British diver she met on board ship. It soon becomes clear that secrets surround her husband, as turbulent as the waters that crash against the bay. Secrets that somehow link to her own family – and secrets that put Cooper and his fellow British divers in great danger…

From the drawing rooms of London to the latticed verandas and gambling dens of Buccaneer Bay, The Pearler’s Wife is a sweeping, epic read, inspired by a lost moment in history.

 20th Century Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Marriage Romance England Native American

Critic reviews

‘An assured debut novel … a sweeping romance set in a little-known corner of Australian history … a story full of tension, drama and romance’
Kate Forsyth, author of Bitter Greens
All stars
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This does not read like a debut novel, it reads like the work of a very accomplished and long-standing author. Dhand has resisted the temptation to overdo or sensationalise the romance which gives it a very natural feel. The amount of research that would have been required to write this is mind-blowing but so worth it since these rich details transport you to the era. The characters are interesting, the story line compelling and there’s something intangible about it that lingers. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and, I confess, forget a lot of them not long after. But the detail of this novel is so vivid and realistic it stays with you like a memory of something you actually experienced.

A story that lingers with you...

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Very good new book. I liked all the information about the area and the way people Live. I loved the bits about the aboriginals and how people Pearl dive.The ending was a bit predictable though.

Could not turn off.

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Well read and good story, but a predictable ending?? Reasonably well researched which was refreshing, will watch out for this author.

Very enjoyable listen

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