river sings

Gypsies, princesses, queens, pawn merchants, housekeepers, ratcatchers and thieves - all of life abounds in Sandra Leigh Price's magical second novel, set in early Victorian England, which tells the story of a gypsy girl, Patrin, led astray by love, and her daughter Eglantine's search for the long concealed truth about her mother, as well as a life she can call her own. Eglantine has always had an eye for the shine. Her father, the charismatic, darkly handsome and mysteriously prosperous Mr Amberline Stark, a man of great expectations, makes picking pockets a delightful and amusing parlour game for them both, which they play in their fine house by the River Thames. Eglantine's mother died when she was very young, so her life revolves around her father, their house, the river, and Mrs Makepeace, their housekeeper. It is only when Amberline is shockingly caught stealing another man's fob watch, and transported to the penal colony of Australia, that Eglantine suddenly has to grow up... 'Look first. Reach second. Vanish third.' London, 1825: Eglantine has always had an eye for the shine. Born the same day as the young princess destined to be queen, Eglantine has an altogether different path ahead of her, strewn with the glittering waste of her father's ambitions. Her mysteriously prosperous father, Mr Amberline Stark, is a man of great expectations. He coaxes her to follow in his footsteps, making picking pockets a delightful parlour game which they play in their fine house by the Thames. Eglantine's life before her arrival at the house remains a mystery, her memories wrapped up in a small doll she keeps close to her, and with it the fragmentary recollections of her mother. It is only when Amberline is caught and transported as a thief to the penal colony of Australia, that Eglantine has to grow up and fend for herself using her only skill. Reluctantly, the thief's daughter becomes a thief, until a chance meeting gives her a window on a new way of being, and the opportunity to strike out into a new and untarnished world. But will the weight of her father's choices make her a prisoner in the house at the side of the Thames? Birth and death, love and sadness, love knots and cut ties, quicksilver and shine, old worlds and new beginnings, Sandra Leigh Price weaves another gritty and beguiling story that will enchant and delight readers. Praise for The River Sings: 'The River Sings packs an emotional punch ... each page will grip you by the heart and drag you in. A lyrical work of great mastery, from a beautiful storyteller who knows just what words to use and when, The River Sings will call to you long after you turn the final page, just as the river does to Eglantine.' Better Reading 'Rich and lyrical ... Sandra Leigh Price is a beautiful wordsmith ... engrossing' Australian Women's Weekly 'Richly imaginative' Sydney Morning Herald 'Price weaves a magical tale that is rich in history and atmosphere that will sing to your traveller's soul' Good Reading 'It's impossible not to be charmed by The River Sings ... it flirts with the works of Charles Dickens in a way that's startlingly clever. It's Oliver Twist with a feminist twist; Great Expectations remixed ... it's unique; a richly imaginative work of literary fiction that sparkles with sheer joy.' Newtown Review of Books Praise for The Bird's Child: 'A wonderful, strange, glittering book, full of astounding imagination, glorious really.' Edward Carey, author of Heap House 'A shimmering dream of haunted pasts. A silver girl. Abandoned boys. All the magic of the stage. The Bird's Child is a delight.' Essie Fox, author of The Somnambulist 'The Bird's Child is entirely original, its familiar Sydney settings set asparkle and rendered dreamlike by Sandra Leigh Price's lyrical and lovely writing. This is a magical fable that penetrates to deep emotional truths.' Geraldine Brooks 'This debut novel brings 1920s Sydney to life through a fairytale lens, highlighting the city's romance, its magic and its mystery ... It is the Australian setting that sets this quirky historical romance apart from others of its genre. Price's dream-like portrayal of a bygone Sydney - with its vaudeville shows and opium dens, lyrebirds and swagmen - establishes a unique mood that transforms the local into the exotic, making The Bird's Child a memorable tale.' Australian Book Review 'Gritty yet enchanting ... often deliciously sumptuous and erotically charged ... unusual, imaginative' Newtown Review of Books 'Skilfully written and richly imagined' Sydney Morning Herald