The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird
All of us know how to tell a story but some of us are better storytellers than others. The main character of The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird is an exceptional storyteller. Ricky Bird has a remarkable talent for reimagining and repackaging the world around her. Storytelling is her special talent, her way of gift-wrapping her truth.
When Ricky encounters trouble and has no one she can turn to or trust, it’s her stories that carry her through. She throws them out like a radar to see what bounces back. A good or funny story will attract acceptance and friendship. A clever or absurd story will help deflect conflict. As the novel progresses and Ricky finds herself increasingly isolated and silenced, her stories become urgent.
'Gorgeously written and heartbreakingly humorous.'
STYLE MAGAZINE
REVIEWS
'Beautifully written, heartbreakingly funny and deeply moving.' BETTER READING
'An enduring lesson about the power of imagination and storytelling.' GLAM ADELAIDE
'Sensitively written and beautifully expressed, it reduced me to tears but also made me smile. Ricky Bird will touch your heart as well as break it.'
NICKY PELLEGRINO, NEW ZEALAND WOMAN'S WEEKLY
‘Fierce and wonderful and utterly singular, Ricky embodies the sheer joy and transformative power of storytelling. This is a character you don’t want to let go.’
KATE MILDENHALL, author of The Mother Fault and Skylarking
‘A wise, tender but unflinching portrait of an ordinary family and the unordinary girl at its heart. Ricky – fragile, tough, endearing and funny – is a fabulous creation. She’ll walk around in my world all year, and more.’
KRISTINA OLSSON, author of Shell and Boy, Lost
Julian Corkle is a Filthy Liar
Julian Corkle’s got small-screenability. His mother tells him he’ll be a star one day. ‘Twinkle, twinkle,’ she says.
Julian Corkle is a Filthy Liar is the ultimate feel-good novel, a book that will have the reader laughing out loud as it follows Julian’s bumpy journey through adolescence, blagging his way through school and a series of dead-end jobs, to find his ultimate calling as creator of ‘The Hog’.
REVIEWS
"The funniest novel of the year."
PARIS MATCH, France
“One of the funniest rites of passage novels in a long time. A great summer read.”
TIME OUT, London
“Laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely touching. A magical journey. Julian Corkle is a big fat masterpiece.”
EOIN COLFER
“A genuinely funny book with a great big heart. I fell in love with Julian Corkle.”
JENNY ECLAIR
“A tour de farce which goes straight for the jocular
vein!”
KATHY LETTE
Sherry Cracker Gets Normal
Meet Sherry Cracker: loner, obsessive note-taker and lover of tartan trousers. She works for thrifty, straight-talking Mr. Chin who runs a business buying used gold. One afternoon, Mr. Chin informs Sherry that she’s abnormal. He gives her £100 and a weekend in which to pull herself together and get normal.
Packed to the gills with big characters and comical twists and turns, Sherry Cracker Gets Normal will have you pondering the meaning of life one moment and laughing uproariously the next.
REVIEWS
“Sherry is a character who gets under your skin. Normal or not, I soon fell in love with her.”
TIME OUT, London
“Nicely paced and nuanced and, as a nod to the reader’s intelligence, all is not always spelled out.”
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY
“Pacy, inventive, clever and accurate in the details, full of affection for its underclass protagonists.”
NEW ZEALAND HERALD
“An antidote to the blues … this invigorating novel inspires self-belief and fortitude.”
ELLE, France
“DJ Connell delights in clawing away at damaged society.”
24 HEURES, Switzerland
“A novel full of joy.”
TELEPRO, Belgium