Cirrus@Austlit

'Marzipan and Magnolias is a charming, poignant and humorous story that traces Elizabeth Lancaster’s complex relationship with her somewhat eccentric mother Ruth. The relationship becomes even more complicated when Elizabeth refuses to acknowledge the early signs of her own incurable illness.

'Growing up in a family of boys, Elizabeth struggles to maintain her independence in the face of her mother’s intense love for her only daughter. When Elizabeth realises her dream of living overseas, Ruth pulls away emotionally, fearing that her daughter will never return. The tension between them deepens when Elizabeth falls in love and becomes engaged to Martin, who is German. Upon their eventual return to Australia, Elizabeth endeavours to break through the emotional barriers her mother has set up, as well as deal with the unwelcome onset of her own strange and frightening medical symptoms.

'Elizabeth Lancaster’s memoir is the winner of the inaugural Finch Memoir Prize. Selected for its literary quality, Marzipan and Magnolias was applauded by the judges for the author’s warm and humorous portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.