Sisters of Freedom

By: Mary-Anne O'Connor

Narrated by: Tayla Thomas

Sydney, Christmas, 1901. Federation has been achieved but Australian women are yet to gain the right to vote in their new nation's elections and have a say in the laws that govern them.

Bolshy, boisterous Frankie Merriweather is a fervent advocate for women's rights, determined to dedicate herself to the cause, never marrying or becoming a mother. She can't understand her artistic sister Ivy, who wants a life of ease and beauty with her soon-to-be fiancé, law student Patrick Earle.

Meanwhile, their married sister Aggie volunteers in an orphanage, decrying the inequality of Australia's social classes ... and longing to hold a baby of her own in her arms.

When an accident takes Ivy – wounded and ill – into the violent, lawless zone of the Hawkesbury River, a year of change begins. Ivy's burgeoning friendship with her saviour Riley Logan, a smuggler, and his sister, the poverty-stricken but valiant Fiona, will alter the lives of all three women forever.

©2021 Mary-Anne O'Connor (P)2026 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'Meticulously researched, thought-provoking and utterly compelling.' (Better Reading)

'There is so much positive to say about the way the author presents this book. Highly recommended.' (Queensland Reviewers Collective)