100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ

Fast overnight NZ delivery ๐Ÿš€ Don't forget Father's Day is this Sunday ๐Ÿ“…

A Remarkable Woman

By Jules Van Mil
0.0 (0 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Set against the vibrant backdrop of postwar Paris, 1950s Melbourne, and the rugged landscapes of southern Queensland, A Remarkable Woman follows Avril Montdidier's inspiring journey. At twenty-six, Avril leaves behind the chic fashion ateliers of Dior to pursue her dream of establishing a fashion business in Australia. Facing a new and unfamiliar world, she demonstrates determination and courage while navigating personal challenges. Her path leads her to a remote cattle station where she becomes a governess, encounters Tim, the heir set to marry another, and confronts the conflict between love and her desire for independence.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel is ideal for readers who appreciate historical fiction with strong, independent female protagonists and enjoy stories rich in cultural history and romance. Fans of sweeping narratives that explore migration, fashion, and Australian heritage will find much to love.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

From postwar Paris to Australia to find love, fashion and freedom.

One woman's quest to follow her head, and her heart.

Twenty-six-year-old Frenchwoman Avril Montdidier sails from Paris to Australia with a suitcase and a dream: to start her own fashion business.

1950s Melbourne is very different from the chic atelier of Dior where Avril once worked, but she is determined, courageous and resourceful.

When personal circumstances force her to flee Melbourne, she travels to a cattle station in southern Queensland to work as a governess. It is here Avril meets Tim: the eldest son of her benefactor and heir to Monaghan Station.

Avril must grapple with her twin desires - her love for Tim, who is set to marry someone else, and her yearning for independence.

Praise for A Remarkable Woman

'Delightful! Fashion, French culture and sweeping Australian landscapes - what's not to love! A glorious nod to the strong migrant women who made their mark on the place they chose to call home - Australia. A fascinating look at the burgeoning cultural and fashion scene of Melbourne in the 1950s set against the vast, rugged and magnificent landscapes of Queensland's Darling Downs and the quintessential Australian experience of life on the land.' - Tania Blanchard

'An enchanting, uplifting story of a formidable woman and an impossible choice. A love letter to the pioneering women of the last generation, rich with its historical setting and enticing cast of characters.' - Sally Hepworth

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

A Remarkable Woman has been praised for its delightful depiction of fashion, French culture, and expansive Australian landscapes. Reviewers highlight its role as a tribute to strong migrant women who shaped Australia's cultural and fashion scene in the 1950s. The novel is celebrated as an enchanting and uplifting story rich in historical detail and compelling characters.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781760988449

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 June 2022

Country: Australia

Imprint: Macmillan Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 36.0mm

Width: 160.0mm

Height: 244.0mm

Weight: 439g

Pages: 352

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Jules Van Mil Literary Fiction Romance

About the Author

Jules Van Mil has lived the fashion life. In her late teens, she modelled for the McGann Agency, doing fashion parades for David Jones, fashion catalogues for Myer and making television commercials. However, she was always happier designing clothes rather than modelling them. She completed a teaching degree and started her career as a primary teacher. Then she studied fashion, worked as the Assistant Designer for a women's wear label in Sydney during the 1980s, and taught fashion at a tertiary level. She loves the fashion industry and established, ran and eventually sold her own bridal couture business. Today, she runs fashion workshops and does casual teaching in Sydney.

Also by Jules Van Mil

View all
  • A Curious Daughter
    A Curious Daughter
    A Curious Daughter by Jules Van Mil tells the story of Joy Meredith, a young woman with the world at her feet. She has just turned eighteen, is starting a veterinary science degree, and has defied her mother by moving into her own place in the city. With a boyfriend and a job at the local pub, her future seems...
    By Jules Van Mil
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people โ€” but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    By Alison Espach
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Buy to Win
    New Release
    Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl seriesโ€”now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Buy to Win
    Dungeon Crawler Carl
    The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman-now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition! You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Ballad of Falling Dragons [Special Deluxe edition]
    The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling sensation When the Moon Hatched continues with the second book in The Moonfall Series, The Ballad of Falling Dragonsโ€ฆ Raeveโ€™s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor โ€“ a staunch beacon from a past sheโ€™s yet to face. With Rekkโ€™s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the...
    By Sarah A. Parker
    Hardback
    $5999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback)
    Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set! In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Set
    $12400
    Elsewhere:
    $15500
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Big Little Truths
    Parenting teens is not for the faint of heart but Madeline, Jane and Celeste have been through worse. It's been a decade since the school trivia night that changed their lives forever and now they're living blissfully ordinary suburban lives. But when an anonymous grisly package arrives at the local high school, and a man in a green Volvo is...
    By Liane Moriarty
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Goal
    Welcome to Briar U!Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!Read The Goal now for the perfect forced proximity romance! She's good at achieving her goals . . . College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick...
    By Elle Kennedy
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    On Mystic Lake
    One of the greatest storytellers of our time - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie...
    By Kristin Hannah
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Buy to Win
    On Sale
    17% off
    Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    By Andy Weir
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    17% off
    Dylan's Pick Dylan's Pick
    Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came fromโ€ฆHis name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance โ€“...
    By Allen Levi
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set
    Embark on a journey through Middle-earth with J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless masterpieces, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These enthralling tales recount the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a modest hobbit whose life is turned upside down when he unwittingly becomes entwined in a perilous quest involving dragons, wizards, and the fate of the world. Alongside iconic characters such as...
    By J. R. R. Tolkien
    Box Set
    $7199
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Buy to Win
    Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Hardback
    $4699
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

General Fiction lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all