Willowman

<P><B>SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKPEOPLE ADULT FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023</B><br><B>SHORTLISTED FOR THE ACT NOTABLE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2023<br><br></B><B>'<I>Willowman</I> may well be the perfect Australian novel'</B> Readings<br><br><B>'Beguiling and entertaining'</B> PETER LALOR, <I>Weekend Australian</I><br><br><B>'A sweet strike that goes beyond the boundary' </B><I>The Age</I><br><br><B>'Joyous storytelling at its best. I was enthralled'</B> SARAH WINMAN, author of <I>Still Life</I><br><br><B>'I bloody loved this - a gorgeous, heartbreaking examination of so much more than cricket'</B> ROBBIE ARNOTT, author of <I>Limberlost</I><br><br><br><B>Allan Reader</B>, one of the last traditional batmakers in the country, keeps his family business alive in a small workshop in Melbourne.<br><br> When <B>Todd Harrow</B>, a gifted young batter, catches Allan's eye, a spark is lit and Allan decides to make a Reader bat for him, selecting the best piece of willow he's harvested in years to do so.<br><br> As Harrow charts a meteoric rise to the highest echelons of the sport, Allan's bat takes centre stage as well, awakening something in him. But can Allan's fledgling renaissance - hanging as it does on the magic of <I>that</I> bat - carry on after Harrow is stricken by injury and a strained personal life?<br><br><br><B>'A six all the way: <I>Willowman</I> is a novel off the middle of the bat' </B><I>Sydney Morning Herald</I><br><br><B>'These charismatic characters rise memorable from the page, stroke by inspired stroke, ball by crafty ball, living vividly through cricket history'</B><I>Courier Mail</I><br><br><B>'A book for the summer, one to throw in the kitbag to read during rain delays, or between overs in the stands, to read even if you're not a fan of the game' </B><I>Canberra Times<br></I><br><B>'Not since <I>Jasper Jones</I> have I been so utterly spellbound by the next ball, the state of the pitch and the intricacies of scoring' </B>KATE MILDENHALL<br><br><B>'A love story to cricket, to families, to craft and to music. Beautifully written'</B> MICHAEL BRISSENDEN<br><br><B>'Inga Simpson brings all her craft and sensitivity to a story that has never been told, and now that she has done it, it feels like this was a story that was needing to be told' </B>MALCOLM KNOX</P>