One Life Audiobook By Kate Grenville cover art

One Life

My Mother's Story

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One Life

By: Kate Grenville
Narrated by: Kate Grenville
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Nance was a week short of her sixth birthday when she and Frank were roused out of bed in the dark and lifted into the buggy, squashed in with bedding, the cooking pots rattling around in the back, and her mother shouting back towards the house, "Good-bye, Rothsay, I hope I never see you again!"

When Kate Grenville’s mother died, she left behind many fragments of memoir. These were the starting point for One Life, the story of a woman whose life spanned a century of tumult and change. In many ways Nance’s story echoes that of many mothers and grandmothers for whom the spectacular shifts of the 20th century offered a path to new freedoms and choices.

In other ways Nance was exceptional. In an era when women were expected to have no ambitions beyond the domestic, she ran successful businesses as a registered pharmacist, laid the bricks for the family home, and discovered her husband’s secret life as a revolutionary.

©2015 Kate Grenville (P)2015 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd Biographies & Memoirs Women Historical Relationships Motherhood Parenting & Families

Critic reviews

"A few sentences of Grenville’s makes one realise that much of the writing one encounters in a novel these days is thin and perfunctory." (The Daily Express)

"One Life is a treat further enhanced by a contemplative and intimate narration." (AudioFile)
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I loved this book from start to finish. All the details brought this one life alive for the reader. Nance was such a likable person, I just wanted it to go on and on.

Excellent Book

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Beautifully read and wonderfully crafted writing. Such an interesting life, I really enjoyed this novel.

A fascinating life

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Would you consider the audio edition of One Life to be better than the print version?

Yes. One couldn't really hear the passion without the narrator. Without a narrator, it'd be just words.

What was one of the most memorable moments of One Life?

Not knowing love. And having to give up the pharmacy.

Which character – as performed by Kate Grenville – was your favorite?

Nance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. Some of it got long and drawn out in places.

Interesting and Informative

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Kate Grenville has captured the spirit of her mother, trapped in the cultural construct of Sydney in the 1950's. That spirit, determined to have a life worth living, found a way despite the barriers. The reading itself was captivating, in a tone and with empathy and love for the woman who gave her life and inspiration. I was enthralled and the book triggered so many memories of the women who allowed us, by their sacrifices, to enjoy what they could not, to have a life of choice.

A woMan to admire

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Really interesting story and insight into life especially for women last century in Australia. thankyou!

For all Australian Women

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