In the first pair of a series of retellings of important Australian literature, published in association with Real Reads’ Australian distributor INT Books, we are delighted to publish Miles Franklin’s classic coming-of-age study My Brilliant Career, memorably brought to the screen in the award-winning 1979 movie, and Ethel Turner’s memorable saga of Australian family life, Seven Little Australians.
This was my life, my career, my brilliant career!
Sybylla Melvyn yearns for a life in the arts. She loves music and is determined to write a book. But as the daughter of a poor dairy farmer, she despairs of ever realising her ambitions.
Then comes the opportunity for Sybylla to go and live with wealthy relatives. In her new home she tastes a life of culture and refinement. She also meets handsome, rich Harold Beecham, who offers her a future most young women would dream of. But Sybylla is torn between a comfortable married life and the career she craves.
Will Harold win her over? How will Sybylla live with the choice she makes?
A word of warning – if you are expecting to read a story about model children, you’d better read something else. Not one of the seven children in this story is truly good – Australian children never are.
The Woolcot children enjoy a life of fun and adventure in their rambling riverside home, despite frequent reprimands from their strict father, Captain Woolcot.
However, when one of Judy’s escapades tests the Captain’s patience to the limit, he decides that extreme measures are called for and sends her away to boarding school. But this leads to consequences not even he could anticipate. How will the headstrong Judy respond to her punishment? And how will this family recover from the disaster that strikes them?
© Real Reads 2024