HARPER IMPULSE PUBLISH ROXANE DHAND’S SENSATIONAL DEBUT THE PEARLER’S WIFE IN PAPERBACK TODAY

Maisie Porter’s tale lands in the UK as Harper Impulse publish Roxane Dhand’s page-turning debut THE PEARLER’S WIFE in paperback today, following the ebook release on March 18. The historical novel is bound to sink hearts as Maisie, a young woman who has travelled across the ocean for an arranged marriage, finds herself drawn to an alluring British diver on her arrival.

THE PEARLER’S WIFE was published in trade paperback, audio and ebook by Bantam Australia in February. Writing for The Sunday Times Perth, Anna Carew-Reid commented, ‘Dhand’s compelling debut explores racism, homosexuality and social class, with a hefty dose of romance thrown in.’

Rights to the sensational story have also been bought in Italy by Piemme Edizioni and Lithuania by Baltos Lankos.   

A distant land. A dangerous husband. A forbidden love.

The year is 1912. Nineteen-year-old Maisie Porter watches from the deck of the SS Oceanic as England fades from view. Her destination is Buccaneer Bay in Australia’s far north-west. Her fate: marriage to distant cousin Maitland Sinclair, a man she has never met.

When Maisie arrives in her new home, she finds a stifling small town bound by Victorian morals. Shocked at her new husband’s callous behaviour towards her, she is increasingly drawn to William Cooper, a British diver she met on board ship. It soon becomes clear that secrets surround her husband, as turbulent as the waters that crash against the bay. Secrets that somehow link to her own family and secrets that put Cooper and his fellow British divers in great danger

From the drawing rooms of London to the latticed verandas and gambling dens of Buccaneer Bay, THE PEARLER’S WIFE is a sweeping, epic read, inspired by a lost moment in history.

Roxane Dhand was born in Kent and entertained her sisters with imaginative stories from a young age. She studied English and French at London University, and in 1978 she moved to Switzerland, where she began her professional career in public relations. Back in England and many years later on, she taught French in both the maintained and private sectors. Now retired, she is finally able to indulge her passion for storytelling. THE PEARLER'S WIFE is her first novel.

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Praise for THE PEARLER’S WIFE:

‘An assured debut novel ... a sweeping romance set in a little-known corner of Australian history ... a story full of tension, drama and romance’ — Kate Forsyth

THE PEARLER’S WIFE Roxane Dhand’s stunning debut out today

An arranged marriage, an alien country and buried secrets: Maisie Porter has much to learn in Roxane Dhand’s sensational debut THE PEARLER’S WIFE, published in trade paperback, audio and ebook by Bantam Australia today. Kate Forsyth author of BITTER GREENS called THE PEARLER’S WIFE ‘an assured debut novel ... a sweeping romance set in a little-known corner of Australian history ... a story full of tension, drama and romance.’

UK readers will be able to grab a copy of this tale of forbidden love on March 22 when it will be released in paperback and ebook by Harper Impulse. Rights for the heart-wrenching tale have also been bought in Italy by Piemme Edizioni and Lithuania by Baltos Lankos.

It is 1912, and Maisie Porter stands on the deck of the SS Oceanic as England fades from view. Her destination is Buccaneer Bay in Australia’s far north-west. Her purpose: marriage to her cousin Maitland, a wealthy pearling magnate – and a man she has never met.

Also on board is William Cooper, the Royal Navy’s top man. Following a directive from the Australian government, he and eleven other ‘white’ divers have been hired to replace the predominantly Asian pearling crews. However, Maitland and his fellow merchants have no intention of employing the costly Englishmen for long . . .

Maisie arrives in her new country to a surprisingly cool reception. Already confused by her hastily arranged marriage, she is shocked at Maitland’s callous behaviour towards her – while finding herself increasingly drawn to the intriguing Cooper.

But Maisie’s new husband is harbouring secrets – deadly secrets. And when Cooper and the divers sail out to harvest the pearl shell, they are in great danger – and not just from the unpredictable and perilous ocean . . .

Roxane Dhand was born in Kent and entertained her sisters with imaginative stories from a young age. She studied English and French at London University, and in 1978 she moved to Switzerland, where she began her professional career in public relations. Back in England and many years later on, she taught French in both the maintained and private sectors. Now retired, she is finally able to indulge her passion for storytelling. THE PEARLER'S WIFE is her first novel.

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THE PEARLER’S WIFE, an epic historical debut, sold to Penguin Random House Australia and Harper Impulse UK

Lynne Drew, Publishing Director at Harpercollins, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, ex Canada and ANZ, in THE PEARLER'S WIFE, a stunning historical debut by Roxane Dhand, from Hattie Grunewald at Blake Friedmann. Australian rights were sold to Beverley Cousins at Penguin Random House Australia in a heated auction. Publication is scheduled for March 2018, in ebook and audio in the UK, and trade paperback in Australia, with the UK paperback scheduled to follow in Summer 2018.

Opening in 1912, this compelling novel follows 19-year-old Maisie Porter as she sails from England on the SS Oceanic. Her destination is Buccaneer Bay in Australia's far north-west; her fate, marriage to a distant cousin, Maitland Sinclair.

When Maisie arrives in the unfamiliar country she is shocked at her new husband's callous behaviour towards her. Drawn into Maitland's pearling business, she is thrown together with the intriguing William Cooper, a British diver who travelled out at the same time, and inhabits a world across the social divide. But Maisie's husband is harbouring secrets - deadly secrets. As Cooper and the divers sail out to harvest the pearl-shell, they are in great danger - and not just from the unpredictable and perilous ocean...

Maisie's story is based on true stories of the pearl shell industry and this unique trade in the early twentieth century. It is a story of passion against the rules of society and a portrait of a frontier town clinging to strict class rules, as well as the racial tensions of a multi-cultural continent.

Roxane Dhand was born in Kent and entertained her sisters with imaginative stories from a young age. She was educated at James Allen's Girls' School in SE London and studied English and French at London University. After university, she had a career in public relations in both Switzerland and London before teaching French in both the maintained and private sectors. She now writes full time and lives in Winchester, England.

Lynne Drew says:
'This is the kind of page-turning, vivid and evocative historical fiction that readers are crying out for. The Pearler's Wife introduces a fierce, brave heroine who is unforgettable in adversity and the book's basis in a true story leaves you fascinated and intrigued. Roxane Dhand has a real talent for creating memorable characters and this will launch a formidable career.'

Lithuanian rights have also sold to Baltos Lankos.