The Place on Dalhousie
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  • Published: 2 April 2019
  • ISBN: 9781760144487
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 288

The Place on Dalhousie

Formats & editions
Paperback
17 Mar 2020
Tr. Paperback
2 Apr 2019
EBook
2 Apr 2019
Audiobook
2 Apr 2019
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From the bestselling author of Looking for Alibrandi comes this perfectly crafted novel about families, relationships and the true nature of belonging.

'You look the type to break your father’s heart.'
'Yeah, but he broke mine first.’

When Rosie Gennaro first meets Jimmy Hailler, she has walked away from life in Sydney, leaving behind the place on Dalhousie that her father, Seb, painstakingly rebuilt for his family but never saw completed. Two years later, Rosie returns to the house and living there is Martha, whom Seb Gennaro married less than a year after the death of Rosie’s mother. Martha is struggling to fulfil Seb’s dream, while Rosie is coming to terms with new responsibilities. And so begins a stand-off between two women who refuse to move out of the home they both lay claim to.

As the battle lines are drawn, Jimmy Hailler re-enters Rosie’s life. Having always watched other families from the perimeters, he’s now grappling, heartbreakingly, with forming one of his own . . .

An unforgettable story about losing love and finding love; about the interconnectedness of lives and the true nature of belonging, from one of our most acclaimed writers.
  • Published: 2 April 2019
  • ISBN: 9781760144487
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 288
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About the author

Melina Marchetta

Melina Marchetta is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author in more than twenty countries and eighteen languages. Her eighteen books range from beloved young adult fiction and fantasy through to contemporary and crime fiction, and works for younger readers. Her much-loved Australian classic Looking for Alibrandi swept the pool of literary awards when it was published, and was also released as a film, adapted by Marchetta, winning an AFI Award and an Independent Film Award for best screenplay, as well as the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award. In 2009 Marchetta won the prestigious Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association. Her most recent novel is The Place on Dalhousie. She lives in Sydney.

portrait photo of Melina Marchetta

Also by Melina Marchetta

Looking for Alibrandi
What Zola Did on Monday
Saving Francesca
Zola and the Christmas Lights
What Zola Did on Sunday
What Zola Did on Saturday
What Zola Did on Friday
See all

Praise for The Place on Dalhousie

I can’t remember when I’ve loved a book so much. It really touched my heart.

Amanda Keller

Funny, sad and wonderful. A tale full of heart that is as much about what separates us as what draws us together. Storytelling at its best and purest, casually, breezily told, yet wielding immense emotional power – I loved it . . . It will fill my heart forever.

Better Reading

Quite simply, I think Marchetta is one of the best storytellers we have in Australia.

Bronte Coates, Readings

From the netball court, to the pram-obstructing cafes, to the home on Dalhousie and the neighbourhood and beyond, the book bustles with vitality. It’s Marchetta’s love letter to support systems that mend the broken.

The Weekend Australian

One of my favourite books of the year . . . Hard to put down, impossible to forget, The Place on Dalhousie is one of those precious books you don’t want to end.

Simon McDonald, https://writtenbysime.com/

With The Place on Dalhousie, Marchetta proves she is one of our best writers of contemporary human drama . . . Marchetta’s work radiates hope . . . In a world that can feel dark and cynical, this beautiful book is the perfect antidote.

Jackie Tang, Readings

This is wonderful storytelling – full of humour, tenderness and honesty.

Debra Oswald

I adored this wonderful, big-hearted book . . . It’s so absolutely flawless you almost want to applaud!

Sarah McDuling, https://www.booktopia.com.au/blog/2019/03/05/review-place-on-dalhousie-melina-marchetta/

Melina Marchetta writes masterfully about messy relationships, whether they are familial or romantic, and her new novel is no exception . . . The Place on Dalhousie is a big-hearted book that addresses grief, new motherhood and finding and defining your own family [that] is bound to be loved . . .

Ellen Cregan, Books and Publishing

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The Place on Dalhousie book club notes

Discuss community and belonging, families, friendship, grief, hope, love and human connection with your book club.

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