Novels about Clare
Several Novels and books focus on Clare and its surrounding Clare Valley. Here are some of them.
Books by Monica McInerney:
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Those Faraday Girls
Debut Novel by Mark McAvaney:​
Old Novel by Dorothy M. Leaney​
Old Novel by Hilarie Lindsay​
Burt Surmon
​Crime Novel by Burt Surmon​
Khaled Talib ​
The Trip of a Lifetime
by Monica McInerney (2017)
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“You’ll be laughing in one breath, crying in the next… If you haven’t discovered McInerney yet, now is the time to do so.”
– Better Reading, Australia
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Shortlisted for General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2018 Australian Book Industry Awards.
‘I always thought memories were unchangeable. Set in stone, shaped by the years. But there are always others too, ones you haven’t let yourself remember . . . ’
The wilful and eccentric Lola Quinlan is off on the trip of a lifetime, taking her beloved granddaughter and great-granddaughter with her. More than sixty years after emigrating to Australia, she’s keeping a secret promise to return to her Irish homeland.
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The Trip of a Lifetime is a big, bold, beautiful book about the light and dark times of life, and all the wonders in between. Moving from the Clare Valley of South Australia to the lush Irish countryside, this is a delightful, emotional story about a colourful and huge-hearted family that you’ll want to call your own.
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The story also incorporates the filming of a TV series, "Murder in the Vines," in the Clare Valley, adding another layer of local interest.
Lola’s Secret
by Monica McInerney (2014)
Every now and then a book comes along that stops you in your tracks…A master of her genre, McInerney invites you into this charming and addictive tale of love and family values.”
– U Magazine, Ireland
Shortlisted for General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2012 Australian Book Industry Awards.
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Magic can happen in every family…
At the Valley View Motel in South Australia’s picturesque Clare Valley, eighty-four-year-old Lola Quinlan is up to her usual mischief.
She’s sent her family away for Christmas and invited a number of mystery guests to come and stay. But who are all these people, and why aren’t they spending the festive season with their own loved ones?
As the big day draws closer and Lola’s personal family dramas threaten to unravel her plans, she discovers that at a special time of year, magic can happen in every family – especially your own.
A funny, sad and moving novel about memories and moments and the very meaning of life.
The Alphabet Sisters
by Monica McINerney (2004)
“Vivid characterisations and sharply honed dialogue…McInerney brings humour and insight into issues of sibling rivalry, family secrecy and romantic betrayal”
– Boston Globe, USA
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Sisters are always there for each other . . . aren’t they?
Anna, Bett and Carrie Quinlan were childhood singing stars – the Alphabet Sisters. As adults they haven’t spoken in years. Not since Bett’s fiancé left her for another sister…
Now Lola, their larger-than-life grandmother, summons them home to Clare for a birthday extravaganza and a surprise announcement. But just as the rifts begin to close, the Alphabet Sisters face a test none of them ever imagined.
A witty, wise family saga, filled with warmth and humour, this is an unforgettable story of three women who learn that being true to themselves means being true to each other.
Buy from Booktopia ~ $22
For Everything a Time
by Mark McAvaney (2024)
Originally from Clare, Mark McAvaney moved to London 22 years ago and pursued his artistic career.
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Returning to launch his new book, Mr McAvaney said he never dreamed he would write a book that would have Clare and its community as the foundation for the story.
“My family is from here and I grew up amongst this beautiful part of he world,” Mr McAvaney said.
“When I started writing this book, I felt compelled to use the region and the people I knew as characters because it felt right.”
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Launched at the Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre, Mr McAvaney’s book signing was well received by locals and tourists. Many keen to have their books signed and learn more of the story, with some asking “are we in it?”
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The novel is set in the fictional town of ‘Ennis Creek’ in the Clare Valley. The fictional story tells of a character, being trapped in a coma after a devastating car crash left him trapped in his body.
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After 13 years the main character, Mac, returns to face he past he had been running from and the story unfolds the journey between the two following that night of the fateful car crash.
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The book tells of the pride of country families and the tests of two families which followed the accident, including prejudices which ran deep.
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A compelling and heartfelt story, Mr McAvaney has drawn from his life in the region and written a work with the message of hope.
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“I have drawn on the people I know, the life I have had and woven in a message of attainable peace,” Mr McAvaney said.
Signed copies available from Clare Valley Information Center for $29.95
On a Clare Day: A vine change story
by Burt Surmon (2017)
The green and lovely Clare Valley is one of Australia's finest wine regions. A fortnight's holiday among the vines convinces social planner Burt Surmon and his new wife Jeni to make a life-changing decision.
They will quit the city grind to grow grapes, make wine, open a cellar door, art gallery and function centre ...
Forever optimistic, but largely ignorant of farming, Burt and Jeni begin a life of hard yakka. There are so many lessons to be learnt.
Marketing, soil types, grape selection, occupational health and safety. And just how to wrangle those stray pigs and deer from the vines.
On a Clare Day is the story of two wine lovers riding wine's boom and bust. Their tale is seasoned with mouth-watering recipes, fusing peasant-style French and Italian with Middle Eastern and Asian cooking.
Stocked at Clare Library (reserve in advance)
Wakefield Press $32.95; Order from Booktopia
And Harvest Comes Tomorrow
- A Clare Valley Story
by Dorothy Leaney (1988)
Thirteen year old Sally McWilliams and her brothers and sisters live on their father's orchard at Penwortham in South Australia's mid-north.
Her life is fairly uneventful until Emmie Simmonds and her youthful son Danny come to the district.
From then on Sally's existence takes on a new meaning as she educates Danny in rural life.
This is a touching novel by a South Australian librarian, meaning you will laugh out loud, and need some tissues. It is based on the period 1930 - 1945.
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This book is out of print,
meaning you need to buy it second-hand.
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Kept at Clare Library (not to borrow)
Here is a link to one signed copy:
Here is a link to other copies for sale:
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The Washerwoman's Dream:
The beloved Australian outback classic
by Hilarie Lindsay (2002)
Painstakingly researched, this book is the amazing story of Winifred Steger.
The Washerwoman's Dream is the story of a remarkable woman with a tenacious spirit, and is now an enduring Australian classic.
Pieced together by Hilarie Lindsay from Winifred’s memoirs, short stories, letters and unpublished novels, this is an account of the amazing life of a forgotten Australian writer.
‘One of the hardest punishments is to be thrown into the world with aspirations and dreams that cannot be fulfilled for want of education ... ’ Winifred Steger
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Moving to Watervale, South Australia, Steger wrote fourteen unpublished novels based on her life in the outback.
In 1962-65 Jack’s Jane, Four Rings on her Fingers and The Door that Loved were serialised in the Clare Northern Argus, without payment.
In 1969, under the name Winifred Stegar, Angus & Robertson Ltd published her 'autobiography', Always Bells: Life with Ali. Based on 'Arabian Days', it was rewritten as a novel.
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She continued writing into her late nineties but slipped into virtual obscurity, until she celebrated her one-hundredth birthday with much fanfare, including a message from the Queen.
Borrow from Clare Library
or buy from eBay, ~$22.00
Damned Murder?
by Burt Surmon (2021)
Age has not wearied this coterie of bon vivants, gambolling in the rolling hills, vineyards and wineries of the romantic Clare Valley.
But the Valley's dark secrets are revealed when firebrand Milton Manning's half-undressed body is discovered in the mud by the dam. Accident? Murder? Or simply a weak heart that gave up?
When DI Louis Buckingham and his offsider DS Sally Seymour investigate they uncover more than they bargained for - and Sally is astounded by tales of what people her mother's age get up to.
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Burt Surmon was born and bred in King's (Bloody) Cross in the 'good old days' when The Cross functioned like a European bohemian quarter with its mix of titillating cultures.
He is now retired and lives in Adelaide's CBD with his beloved Jeni, cogitating on the past, contemplating the future.
Borrow from Clare Library
Paperback $24.95
from Clare Information Centre
or from Wakefield Press, Adelaide
Spiral: A Thriller
by Khaled Talib (2020)
Laurence Turner, a pharmacist from Sydney, is wracked with guilt after his fiancé dies on a sailing trip. The tragedy is followed by yet another fatal incident when he dispenses the wrong medication to a customer.
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Laurence moves to the Clare Valley in South Australia for a fresh start, but when he stumbles across the dead body of a visiting American reporter, things take a turn for the worst.
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The case explodes into far more than Laurence could ever expect with the arrival of a beautiful American woman, Skyler Hawthorne.
Her troubles put Laurence in the path of both domestic and foreign agents, including a dangerous Russian spy who believes Laurence is hiding a secret.
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Khaled Talib (author of 19 books) is a former magazine journalist and Public Relations consultant.
He worked as a reporter for Singapore Tatler and spent several years in Egypt writing for an English-based magazine.
Since 2014, he has authored four thrillers, and is a member of the International Thriller Writers.
Amazon Kindle $8.60
Cannot find any copies available
Other Clare Novelists
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Fiona McIntosh
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Fiona has sold well beyond a million books around the world in variety of genres ranging from adult fantasy to children’s novels.
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However she is best known for her lush, best-selling historical adventures and for her tense crime series featuring Jack Hawksworth.​
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Visit her website: Fiona McIntosh
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Meredith Appleyard helps organise the Clare Writers' Festival​
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her first novel, The Country Practice (has references to Clare), 2015
- The Doctor Calling, (references to Clare) 2016
- When Grace Went Away, (references to Clare) 2020
- Becoming Beth, (references to Clare) 2022
- Daisy and Kate (set in Clare) 2023
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Portia Stanton-Noble​
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Lives in the Mid-North of S.A.
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She generally writes Murder-Mystery-Romance novels set in rural S.A. ('Brumby Flat')
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The Life She Never Had (her new rom com 2024)
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The Big Dead Dry (book 1 in murder mystery romance series)
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Pretty Dead Ordinary (book 2 in murder mystery romance series)
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Drop Dead Like Flies (book 3 in murder mystery romance series)
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Dead Goes the Neighbourhood (book 4 in murder mystery romance series)
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The Cut Off Road - Set in N.T. (NEW in 2025)
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Mark McAvaney
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​For Everything a Time:
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The novel is set in the fictional town of ‘Ennis Creek’ in the Clare Valley. The fictional story tells of a character, being trapped in a coma after a devastating car crash left him trapped in his body (2024).
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Gary Disher​
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Born in Burra, Australia, 1949
(books kept at Clare Library) -
Website: http://www.garrydisher.com/
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Hirsch Crime Series, Burra landscapes:​
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Mischance Creek (Sept. 2025)
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Day’s End (2022)
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Consolation (Winner of the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction, 2021)
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Peace (2020)
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Bitter Wash Road (2020)
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Monica McInerney:
- Girl on a Roof:
- Non-fiction writings on family, fiction and the plot twists of life - a collection of essays that takes readers into the heart of a writer’s mind and explores the unexpected joys and sorrows of life. (due 2027)​
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When Sullivan Met Lola
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is a warm, funny and moving novel about unexpected friendships, lost loves, family secrets and long-hidden lies, which brings two of Monica’s most-loved characters together in a rollicking story of their own (due 2026).
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The Trip of a Lifetime:
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This novel follows Lola Quinlan's return to her Irish homeland after 65 years, with the Clare Valley serving as a key location in her past (2017)
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Lola's Secret:
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Lola Quinlan, an 85-year-old Irishwoman, is a main character in this book, which begins in the Clare Valley during autumn. (2014)
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Those Faraday Girls:
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While not solely set in Clare, the Faraday family has roots there, and the story explores themes of family and belonging connected to the region (2007).
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the Alphabet Sisters:
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As adults they haven’t spoken in years. Not since Bett’s fiancé left her for another sister… Now Lola, their larger-than-life grandmother, summons them home to Clare for a birthday extravaganza and a surprise announcement (2004).
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- Girl on a Roof:
Penguin Random House Australia acquires two new books from Monica McInerney
Penguin Random House Australia has acquired a new work of fiction and a new work of collected non-fiction from Monica McInerney, bestselling author of Those Faraday Girls and The Godmothers.
Publisher Ali Watts acquired ANZ rights from Fiona Inglis at Curtis Brown.
When Sullivan Met Lola is a warm, funny and moving novel about unexpected friendships, lost loves, family secrets and long-hidden lies, which brings two of Monica’s most-loved characters together in a rollicking story of their own.
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Girl on a Roof: (hint: Station House, Clare) Writings on family, fiction and the plot twists of life is a collection of essays that takes readers into the heart of a writer’s mind and explores the unexpected joys and sorrows of life.
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About the author
One of the stars of Australian fiction, Monica is the author of 13 internationally bestselling books for adults, including The Godmothers, shortlisted for the 2021 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year.
Monica grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley of South Australia, and she and her Irish husband have been living between Australia and Ireland for thirty years.