Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter: An Atmospheric Historical Mystery With a Courageous Heroine Intent on the Truth

Product Information

This is an excellent atmospheric glimpse into late 1800s Australian history. The vividly descriptive writing will have you smelling fish, sweating and swatting bugs. Such an oppressive time in history - women and the Aboriginees were valued as less than and were treated as such. Lizzie Pook’s meticulous research delivers an extraordinarily vivid tale in Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter. Readers will fall in love with the characters in this book, especially the courageous, stubborn Eliza, and will find themselves transported to Bannin Bay in the late 1800s. I could not put this book down. Lizzie Pook is an author to watch!”— Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan Well, they’re all hard, I should expect,” says Min eventually. “Especially now you’re on your nelly.” She chews distractedly on the side of her lip. Her features are sharp, as if whittled to points.

However, when a local native is falsely accused of her father’s murder, Eliza knows he couldn’t be to blame because he wasn’t even at sea at the time her father went missing. Eliza realises in a town full of prejudice and corruption, it will be up to her to discover what really happened. Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter by Lizzie Pook: My Opinion In 1886, Eliza with her family sails from London to Western Australia. Her father, as many others, is lured by the prospect of getting rich. Many come to seek their fortune in pearl shell.

The atmosphere in this book is incredible! I was instantly transported into 1886 Australia. I could smell the sea breeze and feel the nature around me! The descriptions of nature, fauna and flora and in particular aquatic life was just mesmerising and whimsical. The setting, habits and manner of speech were all very well done and I could feel the 19th century climate.

Gritty, lyrical, breathtaking. I couldn’t put it down, drawn in by its vividly-drawn characters and wealth of historical detail."— Fiona Valpy , author of The Dressmaker's Gift Intricate and mesmerising, overall a fascinating insight into 19th century Western Australia.' Historical Novel SocietyEliza knows she cannot sit idle, even if the community around her values women less than men. She is determined to get to the bottom of the truth. But what will this cost her? Can she find the truth about her father’s disappearance?

In the coming days, we will be publishing our interview with Lizzie and can promise you that her journey to write this novel is as interesting as the book itself. We love talking to authors about the inspiration behind their books, and how they set out to write them–Lizzie’s journey is certainly an enthralling one. Gritty, lyrical, breathtaking. I couldn’t put it down, drawn in by its vividly-drawn characters and wealth of historical detail."-- Fiona Valpy , author of The Dressmaker's Gift

Contact Us

The depth of research was also evident in the vivid descriptions of the land and what life was like under British colonial rule. It’s a gritty read and quite dark in places as the author doesn’t hesitate in showing the reader the brutalities and dangers of living in Bannin Bay. Lizzie Pook highlights how the Aboriginals were exploited, enslaved, and abused. It was really difficult to read in places but I understand the author’s need to be factual. And of course, I really liked Eliza, our headstrong, feminist protagonist who’s willing to go to any lengths to help the ones she cares for most. A woman who proudly refuses to live by the repressive societal conventions expected from women of the day. Eliza’s probably the most open hearted and honest character we encounter and I absolutely loved her fearlessness and the journey she undertakes was definitely an interesting one. The father’s diary entries were really what sold it to me. They were realistic and informative, yet so magical and well woven into the story. He would mostly describe marine life, which really added to the atmosphere, by being poetic and appreciative of nature and yet real and even tragic at times. Over the years, the harsh existence has toughened Eliza, and when she discovers that her father has gone missing, she is determined to find him, despite warnings that in doing so, she’d be risking her own life.