Maggie

Publisher details

Author
Catherine Johns
Publisher
Hachette
Genre
Fiction

Maggie

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    Synopsis

    A devastating coming-of-age story that charts lost innocence and thwarted dreams, but also survival and the reintegration of a shattered self.

    A Catholic priest appears to promise the world; a schoolgirl starved for affection and looking to escape her violent home life - this is the story of Maggie.

    In the autumn of 1967, seventeen-year-old Maggie Reed is dreaming of breaking free from her troubled family. All she has to do is move from childhood to adulthood. For her, university will be the key. Then, one morning after Mass, she meets the new curate, and is slowly drawn into a taboo relationship with the much older Father Nihill.

    Bringing to life descriptions of 1960s Australia that are by turns starkly confronting and exquisitely beautiful, Maggie explores questions of power in a complex, forbidden relationship and reveals the strength of a young woman who both loses herself and finds herself anew.

    Reviews

    Ageless, Confronting, Transcendent: Read Our Q&A with Catherine Johns, Author of Maggie

    Review | Author Related

    2 February 2023

    Ageless, Confronting, Transcendent: Read Our Q&A with Catherine Johns, Author of Maggie

      A Coming-Of-Age Like No Other: Read an Extract from Maggie by Catherine Johns

      Review | Extract

      1 February 2023

      A Coming-Of-Age Like No Other: Read an Extract from Maggie by Catherine Johns

        Thought-provoking and Extremely Readable: Read Our Review of Maggie by Catherine Johns

        Review | Our Review

        1 February 2023

        Thought-provoking and Extremely Readable: Read Our Review of Maggie by Catherine Johns

          Catherine Johns
          About the author

          Catherine Johns

          Catherine Johns has taught English and French in Melbourne secondary schools, and English in TAFE.

          Her short stories have been published in Meanjin and Island Magazine. One of these was shortlisted for The Age short story competition. Maggie is her first novel. Catherine lives and writes in Melbourne.

          Books by Catherine Johns

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