Release date: 27th July 2022
A warm-hearted story of fresh beginnings, unexpected friendships and the sustaining power of love and community, from the Top Ten bestselling author of The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle and Thursdays at Orange Blossom House.
Bellbird River, 1998: Teacher and single mum Alex is newly arrived in the small NSW country town of Bellbird River after escaping the city in search of a change of pace and the chance to reconnect with her young daughter. Across town, well-known matriarch Victoria and her globe-trotting, opera-singing cousin Gabrielle find themselves at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives, while local baker Janine and newcomer to the district Debbie are each secretly dealing with the consequences of painful pasts. With its dusty streets, lone pub and iron-lace verandahs, Bellbird River could just be a pit stop on the road to somewhere else. But their town holds some secrets and surprises - and it has a heart: the Bellbird River Country Choir.
Amid the melodies and camaraderie of the choir, each of the women will find the courage to leave the past behind. And together, they'll discover that friends are much closer to home than they'd ever realised.
Copy received via @betterreading for an honest review
I have read a few Sophie Green stories now, and am at the stage that I will never give up an opportunity to read a new one.
She has again given us an wonderful tale of different lives intertwining, and strangers becoming family - because blood does not always make you a family.
Set in 1998, it gave me some great memories of how my home country and home state were. I smiled at the reminders of Sydney pre-Olympics and how the city changed in those years leading up.
Beautifula imagery had me picturing the places she was talking about as I was reading.
As there were many characters, it did take me a little while to distinguish a couple of them from each other, but once I got my brain wrapped around it all was good.
Alex most resonated with me, as I too did the tree change from Sydney to country NSW. so her feelings about the town and time to adapt felt so real to me..
I liked how the choir brought all these completely different, yes somehow similar characters together. Their issues were relatable, and I felt that their stories grew and resolved organically,
Sophie Green has become one of the Australian authors whose stories I have come to really admire, and I look forward to reading more of her works in the future.
Sophie Green is an author and publisher who lives in Sydney. She has written several fiction and non-fiction books, some under other names. In her spare time she writes about country music on her website, Sunburnt Country Music. She has been practising yoga since 1993 and teaching since 2002. Sophie's debut novel, THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE FAIRVALE LADIES BOOK CLUB, was a Top Ten bestseller and was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards for General Fiction Book of the Year 2018, and longlisted for both the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year 2018 and the Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction 2018. Sophie Green is internationally published and THE SHELLY BAY LADIES SWIMMING CIRCLE and THURSDAYS AT ORANGE BLOSSOM HOUSE were also Top Ten bestsellers.
