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Bernadette Jiwa
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Bernadette Jiwa
AUS EDITION
AUS EDITION
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Praise

An absorbing, brilliantly paced book; I didn't want it to end.

- Roddy Doyle

The Making of Her sucked me in from the very first page, and didn’t let up until I’d turned the last. Heart-warming and heart-breaking, it is an exquisite examination of the secrets that haunt us. I cried several times. A stunning debut.

- Sally Hepworth

Bernadette Jiwa writes with compassion and grace about what it means to be a mother, a daughter and a sister.

- Pip Williams

Oh how I love this novel! Once I started reading I never looked away, except when my eyes filled with tears. The Making of Her renders its characters so perfectly, and with so much compassion, they feel like dear friends after only a few chapters. Bernadette Jiwa has written a beautiful tribute to what our lives can become when shame is forgotten, and love is reclaimed.

- Nina de Gramont

Bernadette Jiwa’s moving fiction debut, The Making of Her, explores the impact of secrets, the magnitude of our choices, and the tenuous binds of family. Set in Dublin and shifting between past and present, this deeply evocative novel is a masterful study into what it really means to love, and to forgive. The Making of Her is ultimately a story about the plight and power of women, and is not to be missed.

- Karma Brown

THE MAKING OF HER is a compelling and tender exploration of the unattainable expectations of women, the shame and guilt inherent in motherhood, and the reverberations of the hardest choices we make. Jiwa gives us a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking novel that ultimately celebrates the strength of women. A true pleasure to read.

- Ashley Audrain

About the Book

THE MAKING OF HER is a page-turning mother-daughter love story, spanning three decades from the 1960s to 1990s, charting one woman’s journey to escape the legacy of the society that shaped her.

‘An absorbing, brilliantly paced book; I didn’t want it to end.’ Roddy Doyle

People were forever telling her how lucky she was. But what did people know?

Dublin 1966. When Joan Quinn, a factory girl from the Cranmore Estate, marries Martin Egan, it looks like her dreams have come true. But all is not as it seems.

Joan lives in the shadow of a secret – the couple’s decision to give up their first daughter for adoption only months before.

For the next three decades, Joan’s marriage and her relationship with her second child Carmel suffer as a consequence.

Then one day in 1996, a letter arrives from their eldest daughter. Emma needs her birth parents’ help; it’s a matter of life and death. And the fragile facade of Joan’s life finally begins to crack.

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Available June 2022

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Imprint : Bantam Australia
Pages : 352
ISBN : 9781761045004
ISBN-10 : 1761045008
Publisher : Random House Australia
Category : Historical fiction , General Fiction

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bernadettejiwa
The view from inside a box of gorgeous hardcover c The view from inside a box of gorgeous hardcover copies of THE MAKING OF HER that arrived yesterday. At every step on the journey to the publication of my debut novel, I'm reminded to be grateful for the many women who have shepherded this work into the world. From my wise agent Gráinne Fox to the brilliant editorial, design, PR and marketing teams at @duttonbooks and those like Mary R., who I will never meet but who packed this box with care so the books would arrive safely. Acts of faith and love, every step of the way. 💛 #themakingofher #penguinrandomhouse #fletcherandcompany #duttonbooks #debutnovel #bernadettejiwa
I have dedicated space on my bookcase for the Iris I have dedicated space on my bookcase for the Irish writers and writing I love. And an entire section devoted to King Roddy! These are just a handful of those who inspire me every day. Here’s to the Irish storytellers, in print and otherwise. ☘️ @laureateirishfiction @doireann.ni.ghriofa #donalryan #lucycaldwell #roddydoyle #colmtoibin #eimearmcbride #williamtrevor #clairekeegan #maevebinchy #fionascarlett #irishwriters
Convincing myself that I need to channel my charac Convincing myself that I need to channel my characters by baking Irish soda bread and making lemon curd mid-writing session. Besides it’s warmer in the kitchen.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with a group I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with a group of extraordinary women to bring THE MAKING OF HER to the world. The audiobook narrator, Aoife McMahon is one of them.

I laughed and cried at the way she brought the characters to life. I hope you will too.

 I also wanted to give thanks and a huge shout out to @christabella_designs for this stunning cover that people can’t stop talking about.

 AND to @shelley_richmond and @victorialucie for their collaboration.

 🧡🧡🧡 #audiobook #audiobooks #penguinaudioaus #penguinaudio #themakingofher
Would you look at that sky! Sunset shortly after 5 Would you look at that sky! Sunset shortly after 5pm.
The first coffee in the soft light of day. The first coffee in the soft light of day.
Last night at a special book club gathering for TH Last night at a special book club gathering for THE MAKING OF HER readers I was asked about my recent favourite reads. Of course, I missed so many, so I thought I’d post them here. First up are the books by Australian novelists that I’ve read and loved this past year. Here’s to the brilliant @emilybitto @hannahkentwrites @nikki.gemmell #pipwilliams #megmason. 🧡
Maeve Binchy is a legend in Irish literature. Her Maeve Binchy is a legend in Irish literature. Her storytelling not only entertained —it held our culture in all its loveliness, flaws and all, up to the light. As a teenager growing up in Dublin, I devoured her books, and today I couldn’t be more thrilled to get news of a *starred* review from Booklist for THE MAKING OF HER alongside her name. I'm cracking open my copy of CIRCLE OF FRIENDS to celebrate. 💫
This is the only photograph I have of my grandmoth This is the only photograph I have of my grandmother Ellen Slevin. She died in childbirth aged just 38, following the delivery of a healthy son—her 11th child. The year was 1951, and without reproductive rights, the women of Ireland were subjected to a form of slavery, because as @therealmargaretatwood said recently in the @guardian, they were forced to bear children whether they had the will or the wherewithal to raise them. When women are deprived of their right to choose the detrimental effects ripple through society for generations. We assume that progress is linear. But history can repeat itself if we let it.
 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/07/enforced-childbirth-is-slavery-margaret-atwood-on-the-right-to-abortion
History can repeat itself if we let it. Words by History can repeat itself if we let it. Words by Eavan Boland to inspire women across generations and oceans today. https://youtu.be/WXtHuSrnviU
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