Fran Cusworth Fran Cusworth i(A77063 works by)
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 1 y separately published work icon The Near Miss Fran Cusworth , Sydney South : Impulse , 2015 9040178 2015 single work novel

'Grace, hardworking and tired, wants another baby. But she's dealing with debt, a manic 4-year-old and a jobless husband determined to make his inventions into reality. Can they both get their way, or will competing dreams tear their marriage apart?

'Eddy analyses risk for a living, but his insecurities have brought his own life to a halt. He won't let go of the flighty, unfaithful Romy, but will he ever risk believing in himself?

'Melody is trying to raise her son Skip in the city while holding true to her hippie lifestyle. But will past mistakes and judgement from other parents force her to leave her beliefs behind?

'This is a story about real life aspirations, and whether you can chase your dreams at the same time as raising children and paying the bills. It's about friendship, and how the people you meet in a moment can change your life forever.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.
1 y separately published work icon Sisters of Spicefield Fran Cusworth , North Sydney : Random House Australia , 2013 Z1929817 2013 single work novel 'Jessica stared at her from head to toe, lost in her legs, her hair, her eyelashes, her cheeks. How was she supposed to feel? What on earth was happening in this world if you could suddenly be introduced to a six year old child who was your biology, your blood, the descendent of your ancestors? How were people not meant to care? How on earth had she ever thought she would not?

Jessica and Matt Davidson, professional, middle-class Australians, have four beautiful children; three from IVF. When they donate one leftover embryo, it's a gift of thanks to the world for their luck; an offering to the fates.

Seven years after this gift, the Davidsons have lost their youngest child Eeny to a genetic condition, and the family is struggling with this grief. Jessica and Matt's relationship is strained; their relationship with their oldest child is fraught, and beneath these tensions flow the currents of anger and shame connected to Eeny's death.

A new girl starts at the children's school, and Jessica realises that this child, Mia, is her biological offspring; the embryo born of she and Matt's donation years before.

As Jessica's daily life continues, marked out by the rhythms of her zoo vet job and of the children's school days, she finds herself drawn to this look-alike child, and overwhelmed by a desire to care for her, especially as she sees Mia's home life is difficult. Gradually Jessica becomes entangled with Mia's mother Carolyn, a damaged woman who spots Jessica's vulnerability and hits on her for money and help. Jessica answers these appeals, and her reward is to be granted some time spent caring for Mia, where the child gets to know the Davidsons and to feel part of a wider family.

Jessica's twin sister, Abby, lives in Chiang Mai where she works in an orphanage for abandoned children. Abby's life has always been about helping the poor, and while the two sisters' lives are very different, they remain close. Jessica and her closest friends Georgia and Maxine have formed a benevolent fund to raise money for the orphanage and to give themselves an excuse to meet regularly and share details of their lives and be reminded of their good fortune.

Jessica's growing obsession with Mia - and whether or not Mia can be called her daughter or the sister of her other children - creates friction with Matt, her children, her sister and friends as well as Carolyn, Mia's mother.

Exploring the big issues - who gets to decide/comment on/directly influence - the parenting and care of children. Can we push aside the tug of a biological bond, or not, can we create a bond where there isn't one? And, ultimately, celebrating family of every kind.' (Publisher's blurb)
1 On the Road : Born to Run Fran Cusworth , 2012 single work prose travel
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 29 December 2012; (p. 14)
1 Awakening the Senses Fran Cusworth , 2010 single work autobiography
— Appears in: The Age , 4 September 2010; (p. 16-17) During a period of darkness, following eye surgery, Fran Cusworth discovers and appreciates senses other than sight.
1 Heaven's Child Fran Cusworth , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 12 June 2010; (p. 15)
1 1 y separately published work icon Hopetoun Wives Fran Cusworth , Camberwell : Michael Joseph , 2009 Z1584804 2009 single work novel

'At the giddy height of resources boom, a mine opens in tiny outback Hopetoun, Western Australia. This remote and beautiful place will change forever, uniting three very different women with its promise of new beginnings.

'City slicker Jasmine has moved west reluctantly, to save her marriage. Miranda, the mine-manager's wife, is fighting to be her own woman - ever if it means adopting a course that could ruin the mine. And Brigid is struggling to keep her family together despite her husband's crippling debts.

'In a town full of strangers, the three women join forces to open the Boomtown Café, sharing tears and laughter, frustrations and dreams. Amid the chaos and greed of a modern-day gold rush, they discover that true friendship may be the only thing that lasts...' (Publisher's blurb)
1 2 y separately published work icon The Love Child Fran Cusworth , Camberwell : Penguin , 2006 Z1277753 2006 single work novel
1 Accidental Author Fran Cusworth , 2003 single work column
— Appears in: Herald Sun , 26 July 2003; (p. 29)
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