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The Women in Black

Text Classics
Series: Text Classics
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( 12,269 ratings, 1,653 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
The Women in Black by Madeleine St John follows a group of saleswomen working at a prestigious Sydney department store during the 1950s. These women's lives intertwine as they navigate personal challenges and societal expectations. Through humour and poignant moments, the story explores themes of identity, transformation, and the pursuit of happiness in a changing world.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$1799
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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?

You might enjoy this novel if you're captivated by stories set in 1950s Sydney, revolving around the lives of diverse women working in a department store. The narrative explores themes of personal growth, friendship, and societal change, making it a charming and insightful read for those who appreciate character-driven tales.

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The Women in Black

Written by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, this is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives.

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

At the very end of the Ladies' Frocks Departments, past Cocktail Frocks, there was something very special, something quite, quite wonderful; but it wasn't for everybody: that was the point. Because there, at the very end, there was a lovely arch, on which was written in curly letters Model Gowns.

Written by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, The Women in Black is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives. The women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow. But it's Sydney in the 1950s, and there's still just enough time left on a hot and frantic day to dream and scheme...

By the time the last marked-down frock has been sold, most of the staff of the Ladies' Cocktail section at F. G. Goode's have been launched into slightly different careers. With the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence.

The Women in Black is a great novel, a lost Australian classic.

Series: Text Classics

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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 novel by Madeleine St John is praised for its humour, tenderness, and elegant prose. It captures 1950s Australia with wit and charm, interweaving light, comic touches with poignant observations. Readers appreciate its vivid depiction of the period and its subtle argument for societal change.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781921922299

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 April 2012

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Bruce Beresford

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Madeleine St John is the author of A Pure Clear Light, The Essence of the Thing (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize), and Stairway to Paradise.

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