The queen of the epic story has come up trumps with this powerful historical novel about two sets of twins; four sisters - all attractive, headstrong, clever yet vulnerable – all training as nurses in Australia during the 1920s. Colleen McCullough has lost none of the writing strength shown in The Thorn Birds, with her deft observations, complexity of plot, quick-witted dialogue and smart characterisation, all wrapped up in her trademark humour. A wry meditation on love and its consequences.
The four Latimer sisters are famous throughout New South Wales for their beauty, wit, ambition and sisterly love. They thought that would never change. But then they left home to train as nurses, swapping the feather beds of their father's townhouse for the spartan bunks of nursing accommodation. And now, as the Depression casts its shadow across Australia, they must confront their own secret desires as the world changes around them. Will the sisters find the independence they crave? Or is life - like love - always bittersweet?
Colleen McCullough was born in Australia. A neurophysiologist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, then worked as a researcher and teacher at Yale Medical School for ten years. Her writing career began with Tim, followed by The Thorn Birds, a record-breaking international best-seller. McCullough has also written lyrics for musical theater. She died in January 2015.
