Dolly Maunder was born at the end of the nineteenth century, when society’s long-locked doors were finally starting to creak ajar for women. Born into a poor farming family in country New South Wales but clever, energetic and determined, she spent her restless life pushing at those doors.
Most women like Dolly have more or less disappeared from view, remembered only in a family photo album as a remote figure in impossible clothes, and maybe for a lemon-pudding recipe. Restless Dolly Maunder brings one of them to life as a person we can recognise and whose struggles we can empathise with.
In this novel, Kate Grenville uses family memories and research to imagine her way into the life of her grandmother. This is the story of a woman born into a world of limits and obstacles who was able—though at a cost—to make a life for herself. Her battles and triumphs helped to open doors for the women who came after.
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Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
Dolly was a strong and determined woman, typical of the time. I think it is wonderful that Dolly’s story has been researched and shared. I enjoyed reading about Dolly’s life and about the era in which she lived. Luciana, WA, 5 Stars
Such a good read. I found this story riveting, and couldn’t wait to find out how Dolly’s life turned out. The character of Dolly was very well developed, and I became invested in where her decisions led her. Her life was full of challenges, and the way in which she took on those troubles was inspirational. My own family history is full of events that could have easily been part of Dolly’s story. Very relatable and thought-provoking. The descriptions of the landscape, in the many places the book was set, brought those places to life, and the way the characters were woven into that landscape set the tone of the book. The story is a very clear depiction of life in Australia at the time of Dolly’s life. Julie, VIC, 5 Stars
Restless Dolly Maunder, written by Kate Grenville, is a wonderfully written biographical delve into the eager and unrelenting life of Kate’s great-grandmother, Dolly. Thoroughly enjoyed learning of Dolly’s inequities during her childhood, into and through her adult years, from the late 1800s and into the early decades of the 1900s. A captivating read about a woman who was born destined to achieve her dreams. Rebecca, TAS, 5 Stars
A historical fiction novel using the author’s family memories of her grandmother who she didn’t know very well. Restless Dolly Mauder is a beautifully written book that really draws you into how the lives of women in the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century actually lived through social life and the dominant men. Women like Dolly helped shape the world we know today and the reality of more control of their own lives and freedom. Trigger warning of child abuse on page 79. Melissa, SA, 5 Stars
A wonderful historical novel about Dolly Maunder, an intelligent young woman born in the late 1800s who is restless for a life beyond wife and mother. As a poor country girl, there’s not much more on offer. This book follows her life and is based on Kate Grenville’s grandmother. The writing is wonderful as you’d expect and I was drawn into the story of this ordinary (extraordinary) woman. Janelle, NSW, 5 Stars
Enjoyed Restless Dolly Maunder from the first to last page. The retelling of Dolly’s life took me straight back to my childhood. At my Grandmother’s knee, I heard similar stories of her growing up the only girl amongst many brothers in the 1890s. Dolly represented many young women of the day, trying to break from the mould set by society. Dolly had a strong personality and determined work ethic to improve the choices for women in the early 1900s. The support of Dolly’s husband, Bert, was essential to her search for something and somewhere better. Dolly desperately wanted better choices for her own daughter, Nance. Nance was as strong-willed as her mother, making for a familiar and timeless mother-daughter conflict. The selection of Sydney schools and why resonated with me. Though never a boarder myself, I was taught by Catholic nuns, and there were many boarders in our classes. Kate Grenville has caught the mood and described the time period of the early 1900s in NSW, beautifully. Margaret, NSW, 5 Stars
I read Kate Grenville’s fictionalised biography of her grandmother Sarah “Dolly” Maunder in one sitting. Grenville’s writing style is so evocative and immersive, she creates vivid settings and landscapes that transport the reader back to life in colonial Australia. Dolly is an engaging protagonist, driven by her determination to move beyond the constrained life she is destined for as a girl born into a 19th-century rural Australian family with limited education and prospects. Dolly experiences family discord, hardship, societal pressure, love, disappointment and betrayal, drought, flood, war, prosperity and independence, and personal and financial losses. Dolly’s conflicts and struggles as a daughter, wife, mother and businesswoman are very relatable. Her restlessness manifests as a frequent desire to move, from country farm to town pub to seaside home and back again, in a bid to improve her family’s prospects and gain a measure of independence for herself. I saw a parallel with my own family, as my smart and curious young mother was removed from school in her teens to be employed as a dressmaker, her desire to continue her education dismissed. I thoroughly enjoyed Restless Dolly Maunder and highly recommend it. Rachel, QLD, 5 Stars
Later in her life, Dolly realised that she had just wanted to be a woman with the same freedom as men, who normally controlled their own lifestyle and the lifestyle of their families. Dolly Maunder had been restless from the time she took her first steps. She wanted to be a teacher however her father had other plans. She was his daughter and her place was to stay on the family farm helping her mother until Dolly married a suitable partner. Dolly definitely wanted more from life than this. The novel, Restless Dolly Maunder, as well as telling Dolly’s story, provides a social history reflecting on the lives of women from the later years of the nineteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century. Gradually there were changes for some women, but not all, allowing more independence. The effects of two world wars and the 1930s Depression also shaped the latter years of Dolly’s life. Reading this novel has caused me to reconsider how events in my grandmother’s life affected her relationship with other family members. Vicki, VIC, 5 Stars
After just finishing reading A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville, I was looking forward to reading this, her most current book. I was not disappointed. Kate has a way of looking at a slice of history and personalising it. Her images of women fighting against the “times” are riveting. She pulls together their thoughts and feelings and then sends the words out there for us to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Restless Dolly Mauder and was able to sympathise with her decisions and feelings, at the same time also feeling for her children in the harsh way she dealt with them. Women of my generation have been lucky to be able to make choices such as choosing a career and whether to marry or not. Funny, the change was still slow; as a student nurse in the late 1970s I had to live-in for my training and could only move out of the nurses’ quarters if I had a letter from my parents or I was married. Some changes are still needed for women to have equal rights. Lovely story and I will be looking out for more books from Kate. Ainsley, QLD, 5 Stars
Set in Australia, Restless Dolly Maunder is an easy read, a book that I was unable to put down. The book brings Dolly alive and her life helped women who followed her in her footsteps. It was a great read. Karen, QLD, 5 Stars
This story took me straight back to the turn of the century! A fabulously told true-life story of a tenacious and brave woman who wasn’t held back by the expectations of society. So interesting to be reminded of the gruelling, tough life of the 1900s. Dolly is a product of her family life and it was sad to learn of how some of her choices and parenting were a result of her own upbringing. I gave this 4 stars for being a wonderful, easy read that gave an accurate depiction of how things were for girls and women of this era. Dolly Maunder is one strong and inspirational woman who was before her time! Julie, VIC, 4 Stars
Grenville has once again provided a history-rich novel that takes you back to the everyday lives of everyday people making their way in the world. I really enjoy delving back through time in Grenville’s novels and learning about what life was like, especially for women. What intrigued me even more so was that this was based on Grenville’s grandmother and that her formative younger years were spent not far from where I live now. I feel Grenville sums it up beautifully herself at the end of the book when she states, “ I haven’t told the story of Dolly Maunder because she was unique or extraordinary. She wasn’t, and that’s the very reason I think her story is worth telling. It would have been repeated hundreds, even thousands of times: women doing their best, against every obstacle, to give their daughters a better chance at happiness than they’d had, and to find a corner of an unfriendly world where a woman could make a life for herself.” Dolly and her generation helped pave the way for the women of today, and I think we forget just what they had to fight against every day just to survive. Mel, NSW, 4 Stars
Dolly Maunder was Kate Grenville’s grandmother and in this book, the author gathers the few memories and facts she has of her grandmother to tell the story of her life. It is somewhat of a social history of the late 1800s and early 1900s and how women were treated by society. Dolly did not conform to society’s expectations that a woman was a man’s property and marriage was expected. Dolly wanted more from life from a very early age and this put her at odds with her family. It is women like Dolly that we have to thank for pushing open the doors for women’s rights. Kate Grenville writes an engaging and interesting story, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Karyn, ACT, 4 Stars
Restless Dolly Maunder is the life story of Dolly, a woman living at a time when a woman’s place in the world is determined by men, and how she riles against this. I found this story a real conundrum. I wanted to love it but that wasn’t the case. Although the writing is polished, as expected from Kate Grenville, and easy to read, I found the subject material ultimately quite repetitive and sadly a little mundane. The best part for me was finding out in the afterword that the story is Kate’s imagining of her own grandmother’s life. She must have left quite a complicated legacy in her family and I’d be very interested to hear more about the process of researching and developing the book! It’s worth reading but it’s not memorable for me. Clare, NSW, 3 Stars
Restless is not an understatement. Trying to prove herself, this strong foremother, Dolly, tries to overcome all the obstacles she faces in life throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her brash exterior and attitude don’t allow anyone or anything to get in her way, yet maybe damage her ability to love or be loved, and I see her behaving in ways reminiscent of her own father. An enjoyable read, lacking slightly in any real grit or depth, yet very well written. Sue, WA, 3 Stars
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