Bellevue

In Bellevue, Booth… create(s) believable characters enmeshed in convincing real-life struggles. She expertly builds an undercurrent of tension and uncertainty, while simultaneously constructing a strong sense of community among those who unite against the developers.
The Canberra Times

Alison Booth writes exquisite literary fiction, astutely observing the nature and behaviour of her believable, often flawed characters.
The Riot Act: March Book Shelf

Bellevue is a clever blend of the personal and the societal-historical, but it is the people of this book who hold our attention so firmly and the beautiful writing of this author that makes it such reading pleasure.
Living Arts Canberra

Alison is an imaginative and talented writer, who creates a cast of characters that are original and endearing…I found Bellevue to be a completely stimulating, satisfying and visually sumptuous read and it is definitely going on my list of favourite books of 2023.
The Fallen Librarian Reviews

This fine Australian novel's set in 1972 when Clare Barclay inherits Bellevue, Aunt Hilda's rundown property in Numbulla in the Blue Mountains. The descriptions of the area are breathtaking, but there's trouble in paradise. When Clare rejects a shifty developer's bid to buy Bellevue, he then tries to drive her out. She's also looking for a box of documents to solve a puzzle her late husband left behind. Luckily, she's been befriended by young Joe who forms a bond with her, and he tells part of the moving story.
The Peterborough Telegraph

​

The Painting

​

‘Booth keeps up the suspense and brings her mystery to a satisfying conclusion while examining, with delicacy and insight, the corrosive personal cost of living in a Soviet satellite state.’ 

The Herald Scotland

​

 ‘What Booth does so well in The Painting is threading the mystery of the stolen painting through her narrative while maintaining pace and tension. Booth is an elegant writer who excels at inhabiting the intellectual headspace of her characters. While much of the action in The Painting takes place within Anika's head, the narrative never feels sluggish. Booth raises as many questions as she answers, and her artistry exists in leading the reader through Anika's thought processes as she tries to work out who may have stolen the painting and why.’

The Canberra Times

 

‘The subtle layering of the political and the personal make this an intriguing and suspenseful fiction read as well as a study in 20th century European history…. this novel offers us beautifully crafted prose and the strong evocation of a sense of place… The author also explores the diverse experiences of war, of totalitarianism, of the long aftermath of confinement, brutality and loss. The novel is rich and thought-provoking, skilfully placing us in the skins of others, those who leave and those who stay… Such is Alison Booth’s skill as a novelist that the stitches never show. We just know at the end that we have been given a perfectly made garment.’ 

Living Arts Canberra

 

‘There is a mystery about the painting, a story with its roots in the European past, and after it arrives in Australia it continues to cause trouble. This sort of story is always an intriguing one, luring the reader forward through the plot to find out where the object came from and what its significance might be. The romance sub-plot ties in well with the central mystery, keeping both Anika and the reader guessing. This is a carefully plotted tale in which the recent historical past is convincingly evoked and explored.’ 

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Melbourne

 

 ‘… the various twists and turns in the plot [made The Painting]… an engaging read. The author effectively illustrated the lifestyle and atmosphere in the two countries. She portrayed the violence and oppression of past times in Hungary, where lives were controlled, people lived in fear and learnt to trust nobody. In comparison the warmth, positivity, openness and opportunities offered in Australia, provide a sharp contrast.’ 

NB Magazine

‘Booth unfolds her carefully constructed, intricate plot, from Anika’s perspective… while exploring the consequences of totalitarianism and war. Booth weaves a nicely taut thread of suspense through her novel, pleasingly resolved at the end. Altogether a smart, absorbing piece of summer reading with a cast of perceptively drawn characters and I see Booth has a backlist to explore which I’m hoping is available here in the UK.’ 

A Life In Books

​

 ‘The final unravelling [of The Painting is] a vivid reminder of the disruption and suffering experienced by Hungarians during and after World War II.’

Historical Novel Society Reviews, UK

​

The Philosopher's Daughters

‘[T]his lively novel... is a page-turner in the best sense: a story that causes us to emotionally invest in and care for the futures of two appealing and interesting protagonists... Booth’s rendering of the land... makes this story sing... and many of her descriptions deftly combine a sensual beauty with informative detail.’ Newtown Review of Books

 

‘Wonderfully evocative... The Philosopher’s Daughters deals with large issues of race and gender while keeping the focus on the two main characters and their relationships. There is enough drama here to keep the reader engaged to the last page.’ The Canberra Times

‘A delicately handled historical drama with a theme of finding self, both in relationships and art.’ Tom Flood,
author of Oceana Fine

 

‘A lyrical tale of wild frontier Australia. Evocative, insightful, thought- provoking.’ Karen Viggers, author of The Lightkeeper’s Wife

 

‘Booth is superb at the small detail that creates a life, and the large one that gives it meaning.’ Marion Halligan,
author of Lovers’ Knots: A Hundred- Year Novel

​

A Perfect Marriage

‘With crystal-clear prose and an artful warmth, Alison Booth leads us into the heart of contemporary human relationships, exposing tough – and necessary – truths. Very moving.’ Nigel Featherstone, author of Bodies of Men

‘With an intricate plaiting of past and present that both tantalises and beguiles, this novel is a poignant account of a marriage that is not what its title suggests.’ Marion Halligan, author of Lovers’ Knots: A Hundred- Year Novel

‘Alison Booth captures the magnificence of female friendships and the tragedy of a disastrous marriage in a narrative that has the most satisfying of conclusions, hope.’ Nicole Alexander, best-selling author

‘This cleverly structured book begins and ends with the same dead body, starting at the morgue and ending, ten years later, at the cemetery. In between Alison Booth uses the slow reveal to develop and build up her portrait of a young, bad marriage.’ Sydney Morning Herald

​

Stillwater Creek

​

A mythical town and its people are brought beautifully to life... a really lovely book.’ Sunday Telegraph

​

'A finely observed historical drama... evocative and eminently readable.’ The Age

‘A story that lingers long in the imagination.’ Debra Adelaide, author of The Household Guide to Dying

‘Who could not be charmed by Stillwater Creek? I loved the characters, the scenery, the dramas, the gentle humour and the sense of Australia as it once was.’ Good Reading

​

The Indigo Sky

​

‘A charming, big-hearted tale, told with skill and grace.’ Madison

​

‘This charming follow-up... captures the heart and soul of a time... you can practically smell the eucalyptus, and picture that titular indigo sky.’ Bookseller & Publisher

‘Alison Booth’s distinctive characters live in Jingera, a small fictional town on the coast of NSW... Booth puts steel into the charm by addressing the harsher realities of the times.’ The Age

 

A Distant Land

 

‘A Distant Land is part thriller, part romance, and... I found myself engrossed in the drama of Zidra’s investigation into corruption in internal security and of the aftermath of Jim’s South-East Asian ordeal, all the way to the final page.’ The Canberra Times

‘A Distant Land is a moving story of love set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.’ Aussie Reviews