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  • Published: 2 March 2021
  • ISBN: 9781760145248
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 416

Tipping




An Instagram scandal at a grammar school sparks outrage in a bayside suburb and confronts the families involved. It might also be the catalyst for welcome change at the school and its community.

An Instagram scandal at a grammar school sparks outrage in a bayside suburb and confronts the families involved. It might also be the catalyst for welcome change at the school and its community.


Liv Winsome, overwhelmed, working mother of three sons, wife to decent if distracted Duncan, reaches tipping point, when one of her sons is involved in an Instagram scandal. Then her husband accidentally locks her in the car.

Things need to change in Liv’s world, and fast. So Liv delegates chores on the home front, challenges Duncan to tune in, and lets her boys’ conservative school know it has work to do, too. Whatever those students are currently learning about respect isn’t getting through.

Reluctantly, Duncan tweaks his work/family balance and Carmichael Grammar agrees to look at itself through the lens of gender. A colourful expert arrives, with a raft of interventions to improve the school’s culture and its students’ behaviour.

To everyone’s surprise, things actually start to get better. Not everyone, though, is happy about it.

Inspired by true stories, Tipping is a novel for our times. Light-hearted, thought-provoking and inspiring, Tipping speaks to the power of smartly designed tweaks and the possibility of real change.

  • Published: 2 March 2021
  • ISBN: 9781760145248
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 416

About the author

Anna George

Anna George has worked in the legal world as well as the film and television industries. Her first novel, What Came Before, was shortlisted for the 2015 Ned Kelly and Sisters in Crime Best Debut Fiction awards, and was longlisted for the 2016 International Dublin Literary Award. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children.

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Praise for Tipping

Tipping is a witty, readable exploration of the gender warfare within a marriage.

ANNABEL CRABB

it is easy to be drawn into Anna George's optimistic and topical novel. This illuminating and sometimes witty novel is about parental activism and the power of collective action in achieving change. [A] compelling, insightful and inspiring read.

Vittoria Bon, Herald Sun

George has a gift for creating vibrant characters who can really capture the attention of the audience without going too far over the top. A WELL-PACED STORY RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES OF TODAY THAT ENGAGES THE READER WITH WIT AND EMOTION.

Rodney Hrvatin, Glam Adelaide

Tipping is a hilarious book about Liv, a working mum who is overwhelmed by having to do it all. One of her sons is involved in an Instagram scandal, and this makes Liv realise that their home life and the boys’ conservative school both need a shake-up. The book will make you laugh, but it might also make you reassess the division of labour in your own home. It’s coming out in March and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a light-hearted, optimistic book with a little side serving of feminism.

Christine Ebbs, Key Account Manager

Where'd You Go Bernadette? meets Big Little Lies (without the murder). An interesting look at some of the places where modern family life intersects with gender inequality and misogyny.

Jaclyn Crupi

This is a fairly light-hearted piece of commercial fiction about a sexting scandal at a co-ed private school in Melbourne.

Kerryn Goldsworthy, The Age

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Tipping book club notes

A light-hearted and optimistic pick for book club.