Australia, 1901. Miles Franklin, the young daughter of poor bush farmers, manages to publish her first novel against all odds. A work of remarkable boldness and passion, it becomes an immense success in the English-speaking world. While she strives to maintain her anonymity under a male pseudonym, her identity is revealed and she is exposed to the misogynistic prejudices of her time.
Alone and penniless, she sets sail for America where a life of service to the most vulnerable, and feminist causes awaits her. She forges countless friendships, experiences magnificent loves, and, through it all, nurtures her passion for writing and her ambition for literary success.
Guided by her generosity and sense of humour, she embarks on numerous adventures across Europe before returning to her homeland. There, she will deliver a final blow to the critics who proclaimed that her wit and her genius had dried up.
Alexandra Lapierre
Alexandra Lapierre is a bestselling French novelist, short story writer and biographer. She graduated from Sorbonne University and the University of Southern California. Among her works that bring back to life great women and characters neglected by history, is the international bestseller Artemisia (Chatto&Windus, 2000; Vintage, 2012). Her books have been published in more than twenty countries.