The Women and the Girls

Overview

The Age of Aquarius meets the Dawning of Divorce in an evocative novel of the 1970s.

'There's plenty of depth to Bloom's characters, who are smart, funny and relatable in today's modern world.' The Courier-Mail


It's 1977, and bohemian Libby - stay-at-home mother, genius entertainer and gifted cook - is lonely. When she meets Carol, recently emigrated from London with her controlling husband, and Anna, who loves her career but not her marriage, the three women form an unexpected bond.

Their husbands aren't happy about it, and neither are their daughters.

Set against a backdrop of inner-city grunge and 70s glamour, far-out parties and ABBA songs, The Women and the Girls is a funny, questioning and moving novel about love, friendship, work, family, and freedom.


'The sustenance we gain from equal relationships is the heart and soul of this work.' - Living Arts Canberra

'Majestic... Overwhelmingly poignant, simply wonderful - this book should be on your reading pile.' - South Australian Book Review

'This is a different world to the present, if one that still seems within reach...But the '70s, as now, were transitional times. As we adjust to a pandemic-riddled world where some rules we thought were fixed are now negotiable, we are all facing similar challenges.' Newtown Review of Books

Author Biography

Laura Bloom is the author of eight critically acclaimed novels for adults and children, including The Cleanskin, which was described in The Australian as #&39;a masterpiece of drama and characterisation.#&39; Her novels have been shortlisted for many awards, including the NSW Premier#&39;s Awards. Laura is also an award-winning screenwriter, and many of her novels have been optioned for film and TV.

Laura grew up in Sydney, in the 1970s, where her latest novel, The Women and The Girls, is set. It explores a turning point of the last half century, with a uniquely female gaze - casting new light on old stories and bringing fresh insight to the struggles and conversations we are having today.

#&39;I#&39;m from the Jane Austen/Liane Moriarty school of fiction,#&39; Laura says. #&39;I want my stories to be entertaining, and an escape. The truth must be there, though - otherwise it#&39;s not a good story. Money must be there, and other practical considerations. Love must be there, of course, and suffering. But offered in a narrative that#&39;s told with humor and intimacy, so that my reader feels as if they#&39;re in the company of a keenly observant friend.#&39;

Now based in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW, Laura also teaches writing workshops, and presents at libraries, festivals and events.