AustLit

'It is 1905 and brothers Yung and Shun eke out a living as green grocers near Wellington's bustling Chinatown. The pair work to support their families back in China, but know they must adapt if they are to survive and prosper in their adopted home.

'Nearby, Katherine McKechnie struggles to raise her rebellious son and daughter following the death of her husband Donald. A strident right-wing newspaperman, Donald terrorised his family, though was idolised by his son.

'Chancing upon Yung's grocery store one day, Katherine is touched by the Chinaman's unexpected generosity. In time, a clandestine relationship develops between the immigrant and the widow, a relationship Katherine's son Robbie cannot abide...

'As World War I rolls on, and young men are swept up on a tide of macho patriotism, Robbie takes his family's honour into his own hands. In doing so, he places his mother at the heart of a tragedy that will affect everyone and everything she holds dear.'

When Elisabeth becomes pregnant, she must decided whether to keep the baby or alternative arrangements. This narrative of teenage pregnancy is told through the alternative voices of Libby, who keeps the baby, and Beth, who does not.

'When Delia Bennet - author and domestic advice columnist - is diagnosed with cancer, she knows it's time to get her house in order. After all, she's got to secure the future for her husband, their two daughters and their five beloved chickens. But as she writes lists and makes plans, questions both large and small creep in. Should she divulge her best culinary secrets? Read her favourite novels one last time? Plan her daughters' far-off weddings?

'Complicating her dilemma is the matter of the past, and a remote country town where she fled as a pregnant teenager, only to leave broken-hearted eight years later.

'Researching and writing her final Household Guide, Delia is forced to confront the pieces of herself she left behind. She learns what matters is not the past but the present - that the art of dying is all about truly living.' (Publisher's blurb)

'When Rose creates a blog for an English assignment, she doesn't realize it will change her life forever. An elegant stranger arrives to announce that Rose has an aristocratic French grandfather who would like to meet her. Upon arriving at her grandfather’s magnificent castle, Rose becomes enchanted with her new life, and particularly with Charlie, a charming boy who is equally besotted with Rose. But as Rose begins to delve deeper into her family's past, her fairytale turns into a nightmare as it becomes clear that someone wants her dead!' (Publication summary)