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Bright Shining

How grace changes everything. The new book from the award-winning author of the unforgettable bestselling memoir Phosphorescence
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( 1,936 ratings, 210 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
Bright Shining by Julia Baird explores the lives of several characters grappling with personal struggles and finding resilience. Set against the backdrop of a small coastal town, the story intricately weaves their journeys, revealing the strength of community and the unexpected ways light can shine through the darkest moments.
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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 book may appeal to you if you're looking for a deeply engaging read filled with emotional depth and compelling characters. It deftly explores themes of resilience, hope, and the power of human connection, making it perfect for those who enjoy moving and thought-provoking stories.

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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 the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 INDIE BOOK AWARDS

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 ABIA GENERAL NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOOKPEOPLE NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

LONGLISTED, 2024 WALKLEY BOOK AWARD


'Luminous ... A work to both devour and savour, Baird has, once again, written a book the world needs now.' Guardian

Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favouring the undeserving, loving the unlovable.

But we live in an era when grace is an increasingly rare currency. The silos in which we consume information dot the media landscape like skyscrapers, and our growing distrust of the media, politicians and public figures has choked our ability to cut each other slack, to allow each other to stumble, to forgive one another.

So what does grace look like in our world, and how do we recognise it, nurture it in ourselves, and express it, even in the darkest of times?

From award-winning journalist Julia Baird, author of the acclaimed national bestseller Phosphorescence, comes Bright Shining, a luminously beautiful, deeply insightful and most timely exploration of grace.

'Fascinating, wide-ranging and moving' The Age

'The uplift and power of Bright Shining ... is to be found in the way Baird gives grace fresh currency by bringing this beautiful and elusive condition from the theological margins into the mainstream and showing, with passion and verve, how quietly transformative it can be.' Sydney Morning Herald

'Effervescent ... poignant. Even cynics will be moved.' Publishers Weekly

'Enlightening, surprising, absorbing .. I learned something every chapter and put the book down full of awe at the power of human beings to be good to each other when no-one would expect it. It's the book I needed to read right now. It filled my cup.' Annabel Crabb

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?

Bright Shining by Julia Baird has been praised for its compelling narrative and emotional depth. Reviewers particularly appreciate the well-developed characters and the author's lyrical prose. Many find it a thought-provoking and heartfelt story that resonates on multiple levels.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781460760253

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 November 2023

Country: Australia

Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 160.0mm

Height: 218.0mm

Weight: 484g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Julia Baird is a Sydney-based author and journalist. She writes columns for the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the ABC. She is a former co-host of The Drum on ABC TV, senior editor of Newsweek in New York, Joan Shorenstein Fellow at the Kennedy School at Harvard University, and op-ed contributor for the New York Times and the Philadelphia Enquirer. Her first book, Media Tarts, was based on her PhD in History about the portrayal of female politicians. Victoria, her biography of Queen Victoria, was published globally to critical acclaim and was one of the New York Times' top ten books of 2016. Her third book, Phosphorescence, was a multi-award-winning international bestseller. Bright Shining was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) for Non-Fiction Book of the Year. Julia lives near the sea with her two children and an abnormally large dog.

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