Restless Dolly Maunder

‘There is no doubt Grenville is one of our greatest writers.’ – Sunday Mail
‘[Grenville] is a gift of a writer.’ – Age
‘Nobody writes historical fiction like Kate Grenville. Again and again she has brought history—both the official records and the messy tensions in the margins—to life…Women like Dolly Maunder rarely make it into the history books. Here, she’s honoured by one of our best.’ * Qantas Magazine *
‘Grenville uses exacting research to imagine her way into the life of another—this time a woman she once feared, and with whom she appeared to have come to some understanding.’ * Guardian *
‘…the writing sparkles with Grenville’s gift for transcendently clear imagery…a work of history, biography, story and memoir, all fused into a novel that suggests the great potential of literary art as redeemer, healer and pathway to understanding.’ * Guardian *
‘Grenville’s quiet and insightful prose makes this book a joy and an inspiration to read.’ * Readings *
‘Grenville’s achievement in this deeply moving book is that in resurrecting the woman behind her grim-faced grandmother, she’s given us insight into a generation too easily dismissed as archaic, narrow-minded, inflexible and slightly ridiculous. Yet again, she’s transformed faded history into something pulsing and alive.’ * Good Reading (5 stars) *
‘Family memoir and reimagined history dovetail beautifully in Restless Dolly Maunder.’ * Conversation *
‘An easy and fast-paced read…as much a story of Australia’s history as it is the tale of a strong, intelligent and thwarted woman whose struggles helped transform the lives of generations to follow. There’s a sense that in recreating her grandmother with an empathetic and careful eye, Grenville is also healing the past.’ * Compulsive Reader *
‘[Restless Dolly Maunder] successfully interweaves memoir, biography and remembrance of things past into a nuanced piece of fiction – Grenville has produced a novel that is unafraid of pushing the scope of what it means to unpick the intricacies of family history. There is a tenderness to the weight of the realities Grenville offers us – an awareness that love can wound, but that it can also redeem.’ * ArtsHub *
‘Grenville’s pacy prose invests the humdrum details…with clarity and drama. Her generous detail and spare, evocative imagery bring the historical landscape to life.’ * Australian Book Review *
‘An effortless, economical performance. It convinces, without showing the art involved.’ * Age *

Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers. Her international bestseller The Secret River was awarded local and overseas prizes, has been adapted for the stage and as an acclaimed television miniseries, and is now a much-loved classic.

Grenville’s other novels include A Room Made of Leaves, Sarah Thornhill, The Lieutenant, Dark Places and the Orange Prize winner The Idea of Perfection. Her non-fiction books include One Life: My Mother’s Story and The Case Against Fragrance. She has also written three books about the writing process.

In 2017 Grenville was awarded the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature.

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