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  • Published: 31 August 2021
  • ISBN: 9781760890377
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $32.99

The Wattle Island Book Club

a moving family saga from the bestselling author of The Red Gum River Retreat




Is it ever too late to rewrite your own story?

A moving and heartwarming story about taking risks and finding a new lease on life, by the bestselling author of The Banksia Bay Beach Shack.


COURAGE
In 1950, teenager Anne flees Wattle Island for the big city, where she learns that establishing the life she's always dreamed of isn’t as easy as she thought. When a secret she’s been keeping is discovered, she has no choice but to retreat home and live a quiet life. But when tragedy strikes, establishing the Wattle Island book club is the only thing that offers her solace.

PASSION
In 2018, spirited librarian Grace has been writing bucket lists since she was a child, and is ticking off as many challenges as she can now that life has handed her a hefty dose of perspective. Heading to Wattle Island on one of her adventures, she is determined to uncover a long-held mystery surrounding the town’s historic book club, unlocking a buried truth that has been trapped between the dusty pages of secrecy for years.

HOPE
All too aware of how fragile life is, Anne and Grace must come together to help the residents of Wattle Island find the bravery to move beyond the trauma that tore the book club apart. Budding relationships offer new hope, along with a library project for the town’s future – but it will take more than a few lively literary debates to break the silence and heal the past.

Welcome to the Wattle Island Book Club, where some chapters may end, but others are just beginning...
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'Docker soars from the absolute heart.' AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
'The best of the best of heart-wrenching yarns.' WOMAN'S DAY
'Perfect for a weekend read.' BETTER READING
'The voice of Australian multi-generational sagas.' READ THE WRITE ACT

  • Published: 31 August 2021
  • ISBN: 9781760890377
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $32.99

About the author

Sandie Docker

Sandie Docker grew up in Coffs Harbour, and first fell in love with reading when her father introduced her to fantasy books as a teenager. Her love of fiction began when she first read Jane Austen for the HSC, but it wasn't until she was taking a translation course at university that her Mandarin lecturer suggested she might have a knack for writing – a seed of an idea that sat quietly in the back of her mind while she lived overseas and travelled the world. Sandie first decided to put pen to paper (yes, she writes everything the old-fashioned way before hitting a keyboard) when living in London. Now back in Sydney with her husband and daughter, she writes every day.

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Praise for The Wattle Island Book Club

I fell in love with the characters from the outset, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. A wonderfully romantic story bound to appeal to those who love books and libraries.

The Sunday Book Club

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A story filled with courage, passion and hope to share with your reading group.