Bittersweet: A Novel

Marc Notes: Returning to the sweeping romantic saga, Colleen McCullough presents a new major work: the story of four unforgettable sisters navigating work, love, and their dreams in 1920s Australia. Because they are two sets of twins, the four Latimer sisters are as close as can be. They are famous throughout New South Wales for their beauty, wit, and ambition, but as they step into womanhood, they are not enthusiastic about the limited prospects life holds for them. Instead, Edda wants to be a doctor, Tufts wants to organize everything, Grace won't be told what to do, and Kitty wishes to be known for something other than her beauty. Together they decide to enroll in a training program for nurses--a new option for women of their time. As they become immersed in hospital life and the demands of their training, they meet people and encounter challenges that spark new maturity and independence. They meet men from all walks of life--the local farmers, their professional colleagues, and even men with national roles and reputations, and each sister must make decisions about what she values most. The results are sometimes happy, sometimes heartbreaking, but always...bittersweet--; Provided by publisher. Publisher Marketing: Colleen McCullough's new, romantic Australian novel about four unforgettable sisters taking their places in life during the tumultuous years after World War I is "just as epic as her ultra-romantic classic, "The Thorn Birds"" ("Marie Claire"). Because they are two sets of twins, the four Latimer sisters are as close as can be. Yet each of these vivacious young women has her own dream for herself: Edda wants to be a doctor, Grace wants to marry, Tufts wants never to marry, and Kitty wishes to be known for something other than her beauty. They are famous throughout New South Wales for their beauty, wit, and ambition, but as they step into womanhood at the beginning of the twentieth century, life holds limited prospects for them. Together they decide to enroll in a training program for nurses--a new option for women of their time. As the Latimer sisters become immersed in hospital life and the demands of their training, each must make weighty decisions about love, career, and what she values most. The results are sometimes happy, sometimes heartbreaking, but always...bittersweet. Set against the background of a young and largely untamed nation, "filled with humor, insight, and captivating historical detail, McCullough's latest is a wise and warm tribute to family, female empowerment, and her native land" ("People"). Review Citations: Booklist 08/01/2014 pg. 43 (EAN 9781476755458, Open Ebook) Library Journal Prepub Alert 03/01/2014 pg. 63 (EAN 9781476755410, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 06/30/2014 (EAN 9781476755410, Hardcover) Booklist 08/01/2014 pg. 43 (EAN 9781476755410, Hardcover) Library Journal 08/01/2014 pg. 89 (EAN 9781476755410, Hardcover) - *Starred Review People Weekly 08/25/2014 pg. 43 (EAN 9781476755410, Hardcover) Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2014 (EAN 9781476755410, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  McCullough, Colleen Colleen McCullough, a native of Australia, established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney before working as a researcher at Yale Medical School for ten years. She is the bestselling author of numerous novels, including "The Thorn Birds", and lives with her husband on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.