Böcker av Laura Bloom

The Age of Aquarius meets the Dawning of Divorce in an evocative novel of the 1970s. 'There's plenty of depth to Bloom's characters, who are smart, funny and relatable in today's modern world.' The Courier-Mail It's 1977, and bohemian Libby - stay-at-home mother, genius entertainer and gifted cook - is lonely. When she meets Carol, recently emigrated from London with her controlling husband, and Anna, who loves her career but not her marriage, the three women form an unexpected bond. Their husbands aren't happy about it, and neither are their daughters. Set against a backdrop of inner-city grunge and 70s glamour, far-out parties and ABBA songs, The Women and the Girls is a funny, questioning and moving novel about love, friendship, work, family, and freedom. 'The sustenance we gain from equal relationships is the heart and soul of this work.' - Living Arts Canberra 'Majestic... Overwhelmingly poignant, simply wonderful - this book should be on your reading pile.' - South Australian Book Review 'This is a different world to the present, if one that still seems within reach...But the '70s, as now, were transitional times. As we adjust to a pandemic-riddled world where some rules we thought were fixed are now negotiable, we are all facing similar challenges.' Newtown Review of Books

I needed someone I could trust. Someone others would trust. Someone with no criminal record. With no previous involvement. A cleanskin. Someone to come over, do the job, and go home …Some days, even Halley can’t find the person she once was. She’s changed her name and no one – least of all her husband and son – knows of her past. No one except Aidan, who turns up one day in her small Australian town and shatters the façade she’s built so carefully.Aidan is on a mission. But why is he still taking orders from his brother in an English jail – at the cost of his own happiness?When Aidan forces Halley to face what she’s done, what they discover not only changes their understanding of what happened back then, it changes everything now.Laura Bloom deftly goes to the dark heart of The Troubles to explore the lingering damage wrought by sectarian conflict on communities, families and individuals. Based on real events, The Cleanskin is a story of intense human relationships with a cast of flawed and entirely believable characters.