Lovers' Knots Explained

Lovers' Knots : A Hundred-Year Novel
Author:	Marion Halligan
Country:	Australia
Language:	English
Genre:	Fiction
Publisher:	Heinemann
Release Date:	1992
Media Type:	Print
Pages:	372 pp.
Isbn:	0855614552
Preceded By:	Spider Cup
Followed By:	Wishbone
Awards:	The Age Book of the Year Awards Best Fiction and Book of the Year, 1992

Lovers' Knots : A Hundred-Year Novel (1992) is a novel by Australian writer Marion Halligan. It was originally published by Heinemann in Australia in 1992.^[1]

Synopsis

The novel follows the lives of Ada Gray, who arrives in Australia from England as an immigrant in the early twentieth century, and her descendants.

Dedication

• Dedication: For my sisters Brenda and Rosanne

Publishing history

After its initial publication in Australia by Heinemann in 1992,^[2] the novel was reprinted as follows

• Minerva, Australia 1993^[3]
• Mandarin, Australia, 1993^[4] and 1996^[5]

Critical reception

Writing in The Canberra Times reviewer Helen Elliott noted: "This is not a novel to be devoured, nor to be read at one sitting. It is to be savoured from the front cover to the measured conclusion which does not want to talk about happy endings, but is prepared to be eternally hopeful about happy beginnings. Lovers' Knots will be read with shouts of recognition — and murmurs of pleasure."^[6]

Awards

• The Age Book of the Year Awards Best Fiction, winner 1992^[7]
• The Age Book of the Year Awards Book of the Year, winner 1992
• Nita Kibble Award winner 1994^[8]

Notes

• In The Canberra Times Robert Hefner interviewed the author about the novel.^[9]

See also

• 1992 in Australian literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Austlit — Lovers' Knots : A Hundred-Year Novel by Marion Halligan (Heinemann) 1992. Austlit. 7 February 2024.
2. Web site: Lovers' Knots : A Hundred-Year Novel (Heinemann 1992) . National Library of Australia. 7 February 2024.
3. Web site: Lovers' Knots : A Hundred-Year Novel (Minerva 1993) . National Library of Australia. 7 February 2024.
4. Web site: Lovers' Knots : A Hundred-Year Novel (Mandarin 1993) . National Library of Australia. 7 February 2024.
5. Web site: Lovers' Knots : A Hundred-Year Novel (Mandarin 1999) . National Library of Australia. 7 February 2024.
6. Web site: "Fragments shimmering apart from the rest" . Canberra Times . 23 May 1992 . The Canberra Times, 23 May 1992, p25 . 7 February 2024.
7. Web site: "Book prize and board chair keep Canberra author busy" . Canberra Times. 5 December 1992. The Canberra Times, 5 December 1992, p14. 7 February 2024.
8. Web site: Nita B Kibble Literary Awards for Women Writers – History of Shortlisted Authors . 7 February 2024. Perpetual.
9. Web site: "Climbing the family limb by limb" . Canberra Times. 17 May 1992. The Canberra Times, 17 May 1992, p25. 7 February 2024.