{"title":"Madeleine St John","description":"\u003cp\u003eMadeleine St John is a celebrated author best known for her keen observations of human relationships and social nuances. Her novels are a delightful exploration of character and setting, often imbued with wit and charm. This collection provides a comprehensive look at her work, showcasing her talents in the realm of general fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Pure Clear Light\u003c\/em\u003e intricately explores the complexities of love and marriage. St John's insightful storytelling captures the turbulent emotions and dynamics that define her characters' intimate lives. Similarly, in \u003cem\u003eA Stairway to Paradise: Text Classics\u003c\/em\u003e, readers are treated to a rich tapestry of human interaction and the pursuit of happiness, as St John delves into the very essence of desire and fulfilment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Essence of the Thing\u003c\/em\u003e, St John presents a sharp, sensitive portrayal of a relationship's untimely end, illustrating the humour and heartbreak of everyday life. Her acclaimed novel, \u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black\u003c\/em\u003e, offers a window into 1950s Sydney through the experiences of women working in a department store, deftly weaving themes of aspiration and transformation. This beloved story is so cherished that it comes in a special \u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black: Gift Edition\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you are a long-time fan or new to her work, Madeleine St John's novels are a must-read for anyone who appreciates finely crafted literature enriched with perceptive insights on life's intricate tapestry.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-women-in-black-by-madeleine-st-john-9781921656798","title":"The Women in Black","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSydney in the 1950s. On the second floor of the famous F.G. Goode department store, in Ladies' Cocktail Frocks, the women in black are girding themselves for the Christmas rush.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the staff—Patty Williams with her wayward husband Frank, the sweet but unlucky Fay, and faithful Mrs Jacob of the measuring tape—is Lisa, the new sales assistant (temporary), who is waiting for the results of her Leaving Certificate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the floor and beyond the arch, Lisa will meet the glamorous Continental refugee, Magda, guardian of the rose-pink cave of model gowns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence in \u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46496469680364,"sku":"9781921656798","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/4979103482872.jpg?v=1748499452"},{"product_id":"the-women-in-black-by-madeleine-st-john-9781921922299","title":"The Women in Black","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the very end of the Ladies' Frocks Departments, past Cocktail Frocks, there was something very special, something quite, quite wonderful; but it wasn't for everybody: that was the point. Because there, at the very end, there was a lovely arch, on which was written in curly letters \u003cem\u003eModel Gowns\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, \u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black\u003c\/em\u003e is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives. The women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow. But it's Sydney in the 1950s, and there's still just enough time left on a hot and frantic day to dream and scheme...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy the time the last marked-down frock has been sold, most of the staff of the Ladies' Cocktail section at F. G. Goode's have been launched into slightly different careers. With the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black\u003c\/em\u003e is a great novel, a lost Australian classic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46496471548140,"sku":"9781921922299","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/7634113482872.jpg?v=1748499532"},{"product_id":"the-women-in-black-gift-edition-by-madeleine-st-john-9781925773330","title":"The Women in Black: Gift Edition","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA beautiful hardback gift edition of Madeleine St John's bestselling, much-loved novel—now a major film by Bruce Beresford and a successful stage musical by Tim Finn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, \u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black\u003c\/em\u003e is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow. But it's Sydney in the 1950s, and there's still just enough time left on a hot and frantic day to dream and scheme... By the time the last marked-down frock has been sold, most of the staff of the Ladies' Cocktail section at F. G. Goode's have been launched into slightly different careers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence. \u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black\u003c\/em\u003e is a great novel, a lost Australian classic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46496474693868,"sku":"9781925773330","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/18058633482873.jpg?v=1748499618"},{"product_id":"the-essence-of-the-thing-by-madeleine-st-john-9781922079725","title":"The Essence of the Thing","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'My mother sent you this,' he said.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Oh?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'I believe it's some marmalade,' he said. 'From the latest batch.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'How kind,' said Nicola, opening the bag. 'You haven't told them, then?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Told them what?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'That we're no longer in a shared marmalade situation...'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShortlisted for the Booker Prize, this brilliant novel from Madeleine St John, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Women in Black\u003c\/em\u003e, is a comic and tender look at the vicissitudes of love and relationships.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNicola should never have stepped out to buy that pack of cigarettes, because the man she discovers in her living room when she returns is not the adorable, straightforward, devoted Jonathan with whom she has been sharing her life. That Jonathan would never have unilaterally decided that she should, as he abruptly put it, 'move out'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA shocked Nicola packs her bags and sets out bravely on the bumpy course that will take her from the end of an affair to the essence of the thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Essence of the Thing\u003c\/em\u003e comes with an introduction by Helen Trinca, Madeleine St John's biographer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46553370460396,"sku":"9781922079725","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9208373482872.jpg?v=1750067803"},{"product_id":"a-pure-clear-light-by-madeleine-st-john-9781925773101","title":"A Pure Clear Light","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimon and Flora Beaufort have three perfect children and a comfortable, happy life in London. When Flora takes the children for a month-long vacation in France, Simon stays home to work on his latest film project... what could go wrong?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Pure Clear Light\u003c\/i\u003e examines a marriage at the moment it goes haplessly off-track: Simon succumbs to the temptation of his cool, blonde accountant, and Flora heeds the cry of her reawakened faith. Ultimately, though, neither Simon nor Flora can escape the revelation that lies beyond excuses, remorse, and candour, at the heart of the phenomenon called love. In St John's hands, what is commonplace is transformed and transcendent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46670124843244,"sku":"9781925773101","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/18056343482873.jpg?v=1752760166"},{"product_id":"a-stairway-to-paradise-text-classics-by-madeleine-st-john-9781925773095","title":"A Stairway to Paradise: Text Classics","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the author of the bestselling \u003cem\u003eWomen in Black\u003c\/em\u003e, an extraordinary novel about ordinary people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlex and Andrew are friends. And Barbara ... Barbara is a goddess. Here is the eternal triangle, the story of three people in an unhappy tangle of emotions, none able to articulate the precise quality of their longing and dissatisfaction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAre any of them truly interested in reaching the \u003cem\u003eparadise\u003c\/em\u003e they claim to be seeking, or are they actually trying to avoid it?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn St. John's hands, what is commonplace is transformed and transcendent. This is the work of an extraordinary writer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46670141620460,"sku":"9781925773095","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/18056283482873.jpg?v=1752761001"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/madeleine-st-john.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}