Cirrus@Austlit

'This is the story of an extraordinary woman - mother of twelve, Prime Minister's wife, first woman member of the House of Representatives and the first woman in a Federal Cabinet, radio broadcaster, newspaper columnist, author of three books - Enid Lyons was for many years the best known woman in Australia. Anne Henderson takes us on an intriguing tour of the first half of 20th century Australia - a time when politics was more fluid yet with many of the problems we face today - political party dysfunction, the widening gap between rich and poor, rural and urban, economic recession and the role of women in public life. In researching Enid Lyons' family background, Anne Henderson uncovers new and intriguing information about a 'family secret'.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Connor Court ed.)

'This intriguing and colourful collection of stories was written when the author first went to India in 1949 and during her return in the 1980s. A beautifully crafted book, it is startlingly fresh in style.Dorothy captures an India that is no longer-an India at the time of independence but still marked by colonialism and class. We meet the people of one of the world's most crowded and colourful cities-Bombay, and experience some of Dorothy's most unusual adventures and escapades. Dorothy often ventures where no man, let alone a woman at this time, would dare to go. Her "reality" journalism is racy but still maintains a sense of dignity and grandeur with a shrewd eye for what is hidden just below the surface.The chapter headings give a taste: The Queen's Necklace, Commuting to and from Bombay, Caught short at the Bazaar, A cup of tea at the bank British-Raj style, Dowry Dracmas, Bombay Opportunists versus Western Adventurers, That's Not Cricket Mr Kipling, The Sikistan Riddle and Lord Louis Mounbatten's Treachery, and The Myths of the British Raj.'  (Publication summary)

'Falling Up is a memoir of a woman whose experiences as a victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her father causes her psychological problems well into adulthood.

Diana Scott has written a compelling memoir of a damaged but often triumphant life yet she never slips into bitterness or self indulgence. From the gripping opening to the final pages of the book, Diana tells her story in an efficient yet dramatic way, often with humour and always with skill and insight.

This is story of an indomitable spirit, seduced by the idea of a glamorous future, struggling with the legacy of her painful past.

From early memories of a father's cunning and cruel manipulation of a daughter/father relationship, to a tormented life of self-hate which leads to alcoholism and drugs, this story is profoundly moving.

Diana shares with the reader a life that is shocking and gut-wrenching, yet at the same time always sprinkled with humour.

It's also a story of survival that shows the hard road to recovery.' (From the publisher's website.)

The definitive history of Australian TV soaps, Super Aussie Soaps examines Australian television serials, in chronological order from 1958 to the early 2000s. Among the series presented are Bellbird, Number 96, The Sullivans, Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, Neighbours and Home and Away.