{"title":"Suzanne Leal","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover the compelling narratives crafted by Suzanne Leal, an acclaimed author renowned for her insightful exploration of human experiences and relationships in her fiction works. With a background in law and a passion for storytelling, Leal deftly weaves intricate plots that captivate and engage readers, making her a notable voice in contemporary literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer diverse portfolio includes \u003cem\u003eRunning With Ivan\u003c\/em\u003e, a touching journey aimed at young readers, that balances adventure with heartfelt themes. Meanwhile, for fans of general fiction, Leal offers a trio of thought-provoking novels that delve deep into the human psyche. \u003cem\u003eThe Deceptions\u003c\/em\u003e unfolds a gripping tale of secrets and survival set against the backdrop of history, while \u003cem\u003eThe Teacher's Secret\u003c\/em\u003e presents an intimate look at community life unravelled by hidden truths. In \u003cem\u003eThe Watchful Wife\u003c\/em\u003e, readers will encounter a nuanced exploration of marriage, trust, and perception.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach of Suzanne Leal’s books promises a unique and enriching reading experience, inviting readers to pause and reflect on the complexities of life and the power of storytelling. Whether you are searching for engaging children's literature or profound adult fiction, Suzanne Leal’s collection offers something special for every reader. Explore her works and embark on a literary journey that blends the ordinary with the extraordinary.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-teachers-secret-by-suzanne-leal-9781760297053","title":"The Teacher's Secret","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Elegantly structured, unsettling, yet with moments of surprising wit - in this novel Suzanne Leal captures the life of a small community with real tenderness.' Kathryn Heyman, author of \u003ci\u003eFloodline\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA popular teacher with something to hide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA new principal determined to uncover the truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA young mother, suddenly single, who struggles to rebuild her life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA grieving daughter who must learn to face the world again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA family forced to flee their homeland and start afresh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA small town can be a refuge, but while its secrets are held, it's hard to know who to trust and what to believe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Teacher's Secret\u003c\/i\u003e is a tender and compelling story of scandal, rumour and dislocation, and the search for grace and dignity in the midst of dishonour and humiliation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46556011364588,"sku":"9781760297053","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/20357473482814.jpg?v=1750131255"},{"product_id":"running-with-ivan-by-suzanne-leal-9781460761335","title":"Running With Ivan","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYearning to escape the new family he never wanted, thirteen-year-old Leo Arnold is transported to wartime Europe where he must draw on his courage to save himself and those around him.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom award-winning author Suzanne Leal comes a gripping timeslip novel inspired by true stories.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThirteen-year-old Leo Arnold hates his life. He doesn't want a new school, a new house, or a new family. And he definitely doesn't want to be sharing a room with his new stepbrother, Cooper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat Leo wants is to be somewhere else, far away. So when he uncovers an old music box and turns the key, he is astonished to find himself in Prague, surrounded by whispers and fears of a second world war. A war that ended decades ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Prague, Leo meets Ivan, a Czech boy, and the two become friends. But when World War Two finally erupts, the unimaginable becomes real and the boys are imprisoned. Fearing the worst, Leo and Ivan frantically search for an escape. A search that sends them running.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRunning against time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRunning for their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'... the very best tradition of the time slip, of one era seeping into another, one culture and dangerous set of events invading another' - Tom Keneally AO\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'... dramatic, big-hearted story' - Ursula Dubosarsky\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'... a moving exploration of courage, friendship and commitment' - Sophie Masson AM\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'... a remarkable feat of storytelling' - James Moloney\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Immersive and sensitive historical fiction, \u003cem\u003eRunning With Ivan\u003c\/em\u003e is perfectly pitched for readers 10 to 12; imagine \u003cem\u003eThe Messenger\u003c\/em\u003e crossed with \u003cem\u003ePlaying Beatie Bow\u003c\/em\u003e.' - Books + Publishing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAwards\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShortlisted - 2023 NSW Premier's History Awards (Young People's History Prize)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLonglisted - 2024 Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46698658365676,"sku":"9781460761335","price":19.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2094033482708.jpg?v=1753767395"},{"product_id":"the-deceptions-by-suzanne-leal-9781760875275","title":"The Deceptions","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoving from wartime Europe to modern-day Australia, \u003cem\u003eThe Deceptions\u003c\/em\u003e is a powerful story of old transgressions, unexpected revelations, and the legacy of lives built on lies and deceit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePrague, 1943. Taken from her home in Prague, Hana Lederova finds herself imprisoned in the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, where she is forced to endure appalling deprivation and the imminent threat of transportation to the east. When she attracts the attention of the Czech gendarme who becomes her guard, Hana reluctantly accepts his advances, hoping for the protection she so desperately needs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSydney, 2010. Manipulated into a liaison with her married boss, Tessa knows she needs to end it, but how? Tessa's grandmother, Irena, also has something to hide. Harkening back to the Second World War, hers is a carefully kept secret that, if revealed, would send shockwaves well beyond her own fractured family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by a true story of wartime betrayal, \u003cem\u003eThe Deceptions\u003c\/em\u003e is a searing, compassionate tale of love and duplicity—and family secrets better left buried.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003eThe Deceptions\u003c\/em\u003e is a stunning example of the way fiction tells war better than any other form - I could taste its madness, its horror. Saw from the outside, its utter absurdity. For days after reading the novel I found myself wrestling with the price of betrayal, and the value of truth.' - Sofie Laguna, winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'At what cost can a survivor of hell rebuild a seemingly normal life? \u003cem\u003eThe Deceptions\u003c\/em\u003e is a gripping and tragic story for our times.' - Leah Kaminsky, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Hollow Bones\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Impossible to put down. Leal is a master storyteller. Mesmerising, heartbreaking, honest—\u003cem\u003eThe Deceptions\u003c\/em\u003e is ferociously good.' - Nikki Gemmell, author of \u003cem\u003eAfter\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Those who grew up in the shadow of the Second World War had Elie Wiesel's \u003cem\u003eNight\u003c\/em\u003e to define for them the enormity for the Holocaust. Those who were born later can now rely upon Suzanne Leal's brilliant and confronting novel \u003cem\u003eThe Deceptions\u003c\/em\u003e to open their eyes to the true horrors of Nazism.' - Alan Gold, author of \u003cem\u003eBloodline\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46716305473772,"sku":"9781760875275","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/97ca615561a7301c866db56ee9a60d32.jpg?v=1754431787"},{"product_id":"the-watchful-wife-by-suzanne-leal-9781761067778","title":"The Watchful Wife","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Watchful Wife\u003c\/i\u003e is assured and engrossing. As our crisp, clear-eyed narrator with more than one cross to bear, Ellen guides us through a tangle of ethical and emotional quandaries that feel both timeless and immediate, keeping us on her side the whole way through.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e— Jacqueline Bublitz, author of \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ci\u003eBefore You Knew My Name\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLeal's unusual perspective on the destructive force of an allegation gives this book real moral complexity... Nuanced, troubling and convincing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e— Jock Serong, author of \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Settlement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRaised by her severe parents in a punitive and authoritarian church, Ellen's narrow world is upended when she meets Gordon, a fellow teacher. Responding to his interest with curiosity and, before long, pleasure, Ellen is both transformed and beguiled by the connection, love and laughter he brings into her life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThree years later, a knock on the door changes everything. Two police officers have come to accuse Gordon of a shocking crime. Abandoned and reviled by those around her, Ellen steadfastly refuses to believe Gordon has done anything wrong. In a world of swirling suspicion, however, she will have to fight to protect him. But what will that cost her? And what will she discover about him along the way?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA propulsive and provocative novel about love, faith and courage from the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Teacher's Secret\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSuzanne Leal's books always grab me from the very first sentence and \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Watchful Wife\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cem\u003eis no exception. 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