Winter book reviews

Lest we forget Thea Astley

prolific and celebrated Australian writer of her time, Thea Astley wrote fifteen novels and had two short story collections published between 1958 and the turn of the century. She won numerous literary awards, including the Miles Franklin (Australia’s most prestigious literary award) four times, a distinction only equalled recently by Tim Winton and never bettered. While she lived and taught in Sydney for many years, most of her work is set in Queensland, where she was born and educated, and was the place she considered her heartland. Known for a keen wit, she directed many of her sharpest