Much loved bestselling Australian Author
'Fans of Natasha Lester and Victoria Purman will adore...’
—Better Reading
1941. A young German-Australian soldier meets a passionate Cretan girl and together they are caught up in guerrilla warfare during the brutal Nazi invasion of Crete. A heartfelt, sweeping saga of World War II, from the peaceful farmlands of NSW to the Mediterranean's glittering, dangerous shores.
1939: Australian-born Carl Smith loves his country and despises fascism, but he never meant to go to war. He is training to be a doctor and wants to protect lives, not take them. But if enlisting is the only way he can save his German-born father, Dr Louis Schmidt, from an internment camp, he will.
1941: Athena Papandrakis has grown up on the island of Crete, swimming in jewelled waters and exploring ancient ruins. Now her home is under threat and she is ready to fight to defend it from the hated Nazi invaders, just as her ancestors sought to protect their island home in the past.
When Carl arrives in Crete with Allied Forces soldiers evacuated from the Greek mainland, he and Athena are intoxicated by each other. Carl is not the man her traditional parents would have chosen for their daughter, however, and hiding the secret of his German heritage from Athena could further threaten their love.
Decisions must be made when they find themselves in an intense final stand against the Nazis as the Allied Forces retreat and the Cretan peasants are forced into guerrilla warfare. For Carl and Athena, it becomes a desperate quest for survival ... and love, loyalty and trust will fight a battle to the last.
1941: Athena Papandrakis has grown up on the island of Crete, swimming in jewelled waters and exploring ancient ruins. Now her home is under threat and she is ready to fight to defend it from the hated Nazi invaders, just as her ancestors sought to protect their island home in the past.
When Carl arrives in Crete with Allied Forces soldiers evacuated from the Greek mainland, he and Athena are intoxicated by each other. Carl is not the man her traditional parents would have chosen for their daughter, however, and hiding the secret of his German heritage from Athena could further threaten their love.
Decisions must be made when they find themselves in an intense final stand against the Nazis as the Allied Forces retreat and the Cretan peasants are forced into guerrilla warfare. For Carl and Athena, it becomes a desperate quest for survival ... and love, loyalty and trust will fight a battle to the last.
'Through her sensitivity, beautiful writing and gift as a story teller O’Connor’s
readers will come to know and love her characters'
- Weekly Times
Mary-Anne O'Connor supports women in crisis.
Other bestselling novels by Mary-Anne O'Connor:
'Wins over the reader with the clarity of her characters and a strong plot'
- Mike Bruce, Daily Telegraph
'War Flower is a roller-coaster of emotions. One minute it will have you laughing; the next you'll be heartbroken. It's that good.' - Good Reading Magazine
"In a Great Southern Land is another highly regarded novel from Mary-Anne O’Connor, a superior voice in Australian historical fiction. - Mrs B Book Reviews
'Aussie author Mary-Anne O’Connor was utterly, heartbreakingly brilliant!' - Brenda, Netgalley
'Heart-warming and heart-wrenching' - the Hoopla
'Moved us deeply'- Apple iBooks
'Will stay with you well after you have finished reading it' - QBD bookstores
'A fresh, new voice in Australian fiction' - A Reader's Heaven
Book of the month QBD: http://blog.qbd.com.au/2015/04/01/book-of-the-month-gallipoli-street/
'Wins over the reader with the clarity of her characters and a strong plot'
- Mike Bruce, Daily Telegraph
'War Flower is a roller-coaster of emotions. One minute it will have you laughing; the next you'll be heartbroken. It's that good.' - Good Reading Magazine
"In a Great Southern Land is another highly regarded novel from Mary-Anne O’Connor, a superior voice in Australian historical fiction. - Mrs B Book Reviews
'Aussie author Mary-Anne O’Connor was utterly, heartbreakingly brilliant!' - Brenda, Netgalley
'Heart-warming and heart-wrenching' - the Hoopla
'Moved us deeply'- Apple iBooks
'Will stay with you well after you have finished reading it' - QBD bookstores
'A fresh, new voice in Australian fiction' - A Reader's Heaven
Book of the month QBD: http://blog.qbd.com.au/2015/04/01/book-of-the-month-gallipoli-street/