{"title":"Mary Chamberlain","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMary Chamberlain\u003c\/strong\u003e crafts compelling tales that weave together the rich tapestry of history with the nuances of human experience. Her works, including titles like \u003cem\u003eFenwomen\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Forgotten\u003c\/em\u003e, invite readers into evocative historical settings, exploring both the public and private lives shaped by their times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBlending meticulous research with vivid storytelling, Chamberlain's novels resonate with those who appreciate \u003cem\u003ehistorical fiction\u003c\/em\u003e grounded in authentic detail. Themes of memory, identity, and the complexities of past lives emerge subtly, offering insight into eras often overlooked.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-lie-by-mary-chamberlain-9780861543588","title":"The Lie","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Lie\u003c\/em\u003e by Mary Chamberlain tells the gripping story of Joan, once a singing star of the 1940s and 1950s, who now ekes out a lonely, impoverished existence. Her fate seems set until a chance encounter promises a comeback concert and an album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, her sister Kathleen, a successful medical researcher, faces new challenges. She has been offered the directorship of a prestigious institute in Los Angeles upon retirement but is dealing with the fallout of her husband's affair, leading towards divorce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn their old age, Joan and Kathleen find themselves drawing closer to each other. However, their newfound connection is threatened by a figure from Joan’s past, which jeopardises everything they've rebuilt together. As the sisters unearth the lies that have bound them, a more profound truth emerges that might drive them apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSet in three time frames, the novel unravels the complexities of the sisters’ lives as choices from the past and present collide, in a compelling narrative that explores the fragile bonds of family and the enduring quest for redemption.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47082864181484,"sku":"9780861543588","price":24.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/20275623482494.jpg?v=1765278083"},{"product_id":"fenwomen-by-mary-chamberlain-9780349020419","title":"Fenwomen","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION - now a Virago Modern Classic with a new introduction by Alexandra Harris\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Full of dignity, courage and humour, and as fresh and insightful as the day it was written, \u003ci\u003eFenwomen\u003c\/i\u003e is a vital portrait of rural women's lives - not only as they were lived in the 1970s in one Cambridgeshire village, but in the generations before it, all over the country, and reaching forward into today's world, too' – Melissa Harrison\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMary Coe recalls summers spent gleaning in the fields, laudanum-soothed babies strapped to their mothers' backs. Ann Sharman, married and pregnant at seventeen, imagines another life outside the village. Eighty-six-year-old Sybil Hayhoe looks back with pride at her years in service, while the village postwoman is sharply aware of her unequal wages. Girls aspire to be housewives, hairdressers or nurses - except Fiona, who dreams of training horses.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTold through the voices of ordinary women, Mary Chamberlain's portrait of an isolated village in the Cambridgeshire Fens remains as vital and thought-provoking as on its groundbreaking publication in 1975. A feminist answer to Ronald Blythe's \u003ci\u003eAkenfield\u003c\/i\u003e, it vividly captures the rhythms, hopes and tensions of women's lives in a working-class rural community, and offers a unique snapshot of an almost-vanished England.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eFenwomen\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating insight into 20th-century rural life' – \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A strong and moving book' – \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'[A] masterpiece' – \u003ci\u003eReviews in History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A pioneering work of oral history' – History Today\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47420736438508,"sku":"9780349020419","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/81-0n7hZVoL._SL1500.jpg?v=1774393769"},{"product_id":"the-forgotten-by-mary-chamberlain-9780861540327","title":"The Forgotten","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeautifully crafted, elegantly written, with characters to root for – I loved this heart-stopping tale.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSaskia Sarginson, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Bench\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHow do you rebuild a life from the ashes of despair?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLondon 1958. Twenty-six-year-old Betty Fisher is one of the first to join the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and attend its inaugural meeting, where she meets John Harris. Posted to Berlin towards the end of the war, John has been left traumatised by his experiences in Germany. And, as his initial admiration for Betty shifts into an overwhelming need to protect her, he is plagued by flashbacks and fantasies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJohn’s increasing fragility brings to the surface Betty's own memories. And soon her past, too, begins to unravel…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47455762579692,"sku":"9780861540327","price":28.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/81pMLD9a-9L._SL1500.jpg?v=1774797458"},{"product_id":"the-forgotten-by-mary-chamberlain-9781786079077","title":"The Forgotten","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLondon 1958. Twenty-six-year-old Betty Fisher is one of the first to join the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and attend its inaugural meeting, where she meets John Harris.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePosted to Berlin towards the end of the war, John has been left traumatised by his experiences in Germany. And, as his initial admiration for Betty shifts into an overwhelming need to protect her, he is plagued by flashbacks and fantasies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJohn’s increasing fragility brings to the surface Betty's own memories. And soon her past, too, begins to unravel…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Forgotten\u003c\/em\u003e by Mary Chamberlain explores these complex themes against the poignant backdrop of post-war turmoil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47464322760940,"sku":"9781786079077","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781786079077-the-forgotten.jpg?v=1775047447"},{"product_id":"the-hidden-by-mary-chamberlain-9781786076441","title":"The Hidden","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Hidden\u003c\/em\u003e centers on Dora Simon, who finds contentment in her retirement, indulging her interests in gardening and music. Likewise, Joe O’Cleary enjoys life on the Jersey farm, which he helped rebuild with its owner, Geoffrey Laurent, allowing him time to pursue his lifelong hobby of birdwatching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, their worlds are disrupted by the arrival of Barbara Hummel, a young German woman eager to uncover the identity of a mysterious woman in a photograph she found among her mother’s possessions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eForced to resurrect secrets long buried, Dora and Joe face a past they thought they had left behind. As their lives unravel and entwine in unexpected ways, both find themselves trapped in the Channel Islands during the German occupation in the Second World War. Dora, a Jewish refugee, hides her true identity, while Joe, a Catholic priest, harbours a secret. The consequences of these hidden lives are as unexpected as they are devastating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a heart-rending and provocative story of love and betrayal, shame and survival, casting light into the forgotten or unknown shadows of war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47599463727340,"sku":"9781786076441","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781786076441-the-hidden.jpg?v=1777980394"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/mary-chamberlain.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}