Author(s): Elizabeth Stead

Fiction

IT'S 1948 AND HANORA SPARROW and her teenage daughters, Aria and Rosy, have fallen on tough times. With little more than the suitcases they carry and a few pounds between them, they must move to a housing commission camp on the outskirts of Sydney While the prospect of life in a ramshackle tin shed is grim, these women soon learn that they are not alone. As they befriend other camp residents such as Mr Sparkle, who's had to leave his family behind to look for work in the city, Mr Gardiner, the war hero who never recovered, and the women of the laundry circle who are the eyes and ears of the camp, the Sparrow women discover that resilience and good humour might just be their salvation. In The Sparrows of Edward Street, acclaimed author Elizabeth Stead uses her clear eye and sharp wit to recreate a little known corner of Australian post-war history. Praise for Elizabeth Stead 'Stead does more than assemble a cast of eccentric characters. While she has a particular flair for the quick sketch of the larger-than life-character ...there is a hard-edge intelligence behind the sly humour and parodying wit.' Weekend Australian 'An enchanting story ...A gem.' Herald Sun