Not Little Women: Strong International Women in Extraordinary Situations

Together for the first time: award-winners and trail-blazers. Five international women authors showcase five unforgettable novels.

1150 in Provence, where making love and making paper are both crimes against the Church.

Estela wants to be Queen Aliénor’s troubadour and ex-crusader Dragonetz los Pros is commanded to teach her. In a world where love and marriage are as divided as Christian, Muslim and Jew, personal and political passions create deadly enemies.

It has taken conviction to right the wrongs. It will take courage to learn how to live again.

For the diverse families of the victims of the underground train disaster, the court verdict should be a cause for rejoicing. Finally, they can all get back to their lives. If only it were that simple.

Can you build a relationship on a foundation of lies?

The trouble with speed dating is that three minutes can last a lifetime, and ever since he was diagnosed, Sanjay doesn’t have a lifetime to waste. He’s not the only one with something to hide. For one booze and hope-fuelled night, the lives of a group of 30-something Londoners cross cultures.

What if your husband of decades died on your wedding day?

Rhea’s alternative life begins with a maelstrom of grief and suspicion. Why has the love of her life fallen off a cliff while her best friend Luke watched? Drowning ever deeper in loss and memories, she must fight others’ expectations to break surface. Could the Day of the Dead be the day her life truly begins?

Being a Turkish immigrant in Melbourne is tough. Especially when you’re married to the city’s leading drug lord.

Sonia yearns for sharp objects and blood. But now she’s rehabilitating herself as a “normal” mother and mathematics teacher. Then she discovers her son and her lover’s daughter plotting a crime. When Sonia gets involved, is it really to protect the kids?