AustLit

'The tumultuous life of Australia's most famous opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba.

'AUSTRALIA'S FIRST INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR

'When most Australians think of Nellie Melba they picture a squarish middle-aged woman dressed in furs and large hats, an imperious Dame whose voice ruled the world for three decades. But there was much more to her life than adulation and riches.

'To succeed she had to overcome social expectations, misogyny and tall-poppy syndrome. She endured the violence of a bad marriage, was denied by scandal a true love with the would-be King of France, and suffered the loss of her only child for more than a decade, stolen by his angry and vengeful father.

'Against all odds, Nellie Melba became the greatest opera singer of her time on stages across Australia, America and Europe.' (Publication summary)

'Enid Lindeman stood almost six feet tall, with silver hair and flashing turquoise eyes. The girl from Strathfield in Sydney stopped traffic in Manhattan, silenced gamblers in Monte Carlo and dared walk a pet cheetah through Hyde Park in London on a diamond collar. In early twentieth century society where women were expected to be demure and obedient, the grand-daughter of Hunter Valley wine pioneer Henry Lindeman waltzed through life to her own drum beat. She drove an ambulance in WWI and hid escaped Allied pilots behind enemy lines in WWII, played bridge with Somerset Maugham and entertained Hollywood royalty in the world's most expensive private home on the Riviera, allegedly won in a poker game.

'Enid bedazzled men with her beauty, outlived four husbands—two shipping magnates, a war hero and a larger-than-life Irish Earl—spent two great fortunes and earned the nickname Lady Killmore. From Sydney to New York, London to Paris and Cairo to Kenya, Robert Wainwright tells the fascinating story of a life lived large on the world stage.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The answer to our success was family.' In 1935, the Australian family confectionery company, Darrell Lea, was a sensation. Delicious chocolates, marshmallows, nougat and much more were displayed colourfully and plentifully in line with the family's motto, 'Stack 'em high, watch 'em fly.'

'It was at this time that Montague Lea met the vivacious and confident Valerie Everitt. Although still a young woman, Valerie knew exactly what she wanted from life. Monty fell hard for her and, despite strong family opposition on both sides, they later married. Valerie was keen to have a family and, despite difficult pregnancies, Val gave birth to four children. But these children seemed neither to satisfy her desire for a large family nor her notions of child rearing. In 1947 she adopted the first of three more children who were designated to be playmates for her own.

'Rocky Road is the story of this chocaholic family and the woman who dominated. Behind the irresistible sweetness of Darrell Lea Chocolates lay a family who made bitter sacrifices to succeed at the candy business.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The Australian actress who became one of London's most famous suffragists.

'Discover the most inspiring woman you've never heard of ...

'In 1909, a young Australian actress made headlines around the world when she took to the sky over London in an airship emblazoned with the slogan 'Votes for Women' and dropped leaflets over the city. Muriel Matters was dubbed 'that daring Australian girl', and the American media declared it to be the world's first aerial protest.

'Just months earlier, Muriel had become the first woman to make a speech in the British House of Commons, after chaining herself to a brass grille to protest against the segregation of women in the Parliament. She went on to become one of the most famous suffragists of her day, her skill as an orator drawing crowds in their thousands.

'So why is the remarkable Muriel Matters a relative unknown in both Britain and her home country? In Miss Muriel Matters, bestselling writer Robert Wainwright discovers an extraordinary woman full of intelligence, passion and bravery who fought for women's rights in a world far from equal.'

'The first full-length biography of George Ingle Finch - maverick Australian mountaineer, scientist, concert pianist and father of actor Peter Finch.

'George Ingle Finch, mountaineer, soldier, scientist, rebellious spirit, boy from the bush, was in his day one of the most famous men in the world. In 1922 he stood at the highest point on Everest, a feat not bettered for 30 years. He invented the predecessor to the puffer jacket and pioneered the use of oxygen in climbing. A World War I hero whose skills also helped save London from burning to the ground during the Blitz of World War II, he was a renowned scientist who was personally chosen by Nehru, the first Indian prime minister, to help lead his nation into the modern world.

'With a private life torn by war and misguided by social norms, a reputation as an outsider among the British alpine climbing establishment, and some rough and ready 'colonial' habits, Finch was a brilliantly colourful character - so why has he vanished from the pages of history? In this first full-length biography, Robert Wainwright surveys the man who is now best known as the father of Academy award-winning actor Peter Finch - but who was so much more.' (Publication summary)

'Sheila wedded earls and barons, befriended literary figures and movie stars, bedded a future king, was feted by London and New York society for forty years and when she died was a Russian princess.

'Vivacious, confident and striking, Sheila Chisholm met her first husband, Francis Edward Scudamore St Clair-Erskine, a first lieutenant and son of the 5th Earl of Rosslyn, when she went to Egypt during the Great War to nurse her brother. Arriving in London as a young married woman, the world was at her feet - and she enjoyed it immensely. Edward, Prince of Wales, called her 'a divine woman' and his brother, Bertie, the future George VI of England (Queen Elizabeth?s father), was especially close to her. She subsequently became Lady Milbanke and ended her days as Princess Dimitri of Russia. Sheila had torrid love affairs with Rudolph Valentino and Prince Obolensky of Russia and among her friends were Evelyn Waugh, Lord Beaverbrook and Wallis Simpson.

'An extraordinary woman unknown to most Australians, Sheila is a spellbinding story of a unique time and a place and an utterly fascinating life.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Justin Langer scored more centuries than Ian Chappell, Doug Walters or Bill Lawry and had a better average than Mark Taylor, David Boon or Mark Waugh yet lived almost every moment of his glittering Test career as if it was his last.

'In this intimate and at times poignant account, Langer looks back on the mateship, change room antics and onfield triumphs which made up his 105-Test innings as a member of one of the game's greatest teams. Peer behind the scenes to relive the night they soaked the English change rooms at Lords in beer, the midnight frolic around the SCG in their underpants and baggy green caps and the Caribbean dinner which cost the ACB $16,000.

'What was it like to face the barrage of the West Indies and Pakistan attacks at their peak, who was the best bowler he ever faced and why did an Adelaide pool table help Shane Warne hone his flipper. It's a journey from the world's great cricket grounds to the poorest areas of the sub-continent, Africa and the West Indies, and the luxuries of a feted sporting champion to the day Matthew Hayden arrived in India with a gas stove in his cricket bag.

'Learn how meditation and martial arts helped him battle his chronic fear of failure and read first-hand snippets from childhood sweetheart Sue Langer who shines a unique light on life as a cricketer's wife.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Martin John Bryant slipped into the world in the autumn of 1967, blond, blue eyed, angelic. On a sunny Sunday 29 years later, Carleen and Maurice Bryant's beloved first-born loaded the boot of his yellow Volvo with guns and ammunition and returned to Tasmania's historic Port Arthur settlement, scene of many idyllic childhood summers. There, the young man with the striking surfie hair and mesmeric eyes, calmly shot 35 people dead and injured another 21. His crime, the world's worst killing spree by a lone gunman, horrified the nation and changed Australia forever.

'Thirteen years on, Robert Wainwright and Paola Totaro, both senior news writers, delve backwards over five generations and across two hemispheres to unravel the complete story of Bryant's life and reveal why he committed this heinous crime. They have uncovered Bryant's family history, spoken to his mother, his psychiatrists, lawyer and others who knew him, to piece together the story of eccentric and disparate characters whose lives intersected - with catastrophic results. From Bryant's shocking behind-the-scenes confessions to his own 11th-hour attempt to turn back, this book asks if the Port Arthur massacre could have been prevented. And explains why it could happen again.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Based on detailed research and investigation, this extraordinary story of Rose Porteous, aka Rose Hancock, nee Rose Lacson makes compulsive reading.

'For two decades, Rose Hancock Porteous has fascinated Australians. The Filipina housekeeper who became the lover and then the wife of her millionaire employer has regularly created headlines, but behind the facade of the colourful socialite there is much that has not been revealed about this fabulously flawed woman.

'This is Rose's story - thorns and all - beginning with her childhood on the Philippine island of Negros, where the heritage that promised social prominence and financial security mostly delivered family infighting and shame. Rose went from college into a violent and unhappy marriage and onto the dusty streets of Ermita, where she sold goods on the black market to survive. She has done laundry in Madrid, tended bar in Manila and strutted the fashion catwalks of Milan - always leaving a trail of suitors in her wake. Her third marriage, to the aging iron ore magnate Lang Hancock, finally gave her the unparalleled wealth and opulence she desired.

'Journalist Robert Wainwright has followed Rose's turbulent life and loves since 1984, when her relationship with Lang Hancock became public. He documents how a besotted Lang allowed his flamboyant wife to spend $30 million in six years, and reveals exactly what happened behind the iron gates of Prix D'Amour in the last days of the millionaire's life. Was Rose a gold-digger, or was she a woman misunderstood by the values of two vastly different cultures?

'Bizarre, compelling and insightful, Rose is the roller coaster story of a woman who began life as a small town girl but became one of Australia's wealthiest and most eccentric socialites.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.