Book Details

Red Shoe

Funny, tough-minded and tender, this is the story of Matilda and her two sisters growing up in Sydney in the 1950s at the time of the Petrov Affair. Punctuated by the headlines of the time, it shows with unsettling clarity how the large events of the world can impinge on ordinary lives.

'When Ursula Dubosarsky writes, the ordinary becomes fascinating: every small and unremarkable thing is imbued with the sweetest, softest charm. Reading her novels is like walking through a dream: you know you're not allowed to stay, but you don't want to leave it, and when it's gone, you can't stop thinking about it. In this beautiful story, Dubosarsky proves yet again that she is the most graceful, most original writer for young people in Australia - probably in the world.' Sonya Hartnett

I always want to spend more time with Ursula Dubosarsky's people. They are wise, awkward and funny, and they give off sparks of insight that I want to read aloud to whoever's near ... The Red Shoe says all sorts of juicy things about how history is laid down one sleepy afternoon, one conversation, one crisis at a time.' Margo Lanagan

‘Her books, let us make no mistake about this, are classics.' Robyn Sheahan-Bright

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