{"product_id":"the-pearl-of-tagai-town","title":"The Pearl of Tagai Town","description":"\u003cb\u003eA sweeping historical story of love, family and friendship that highlights the richness and vitality of Torres Strait Islander culture. For readers of Anita Heiss.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'This is the kind of book you'll want to read again immediately, and will appeal to fans of Kate Grenville, Pip Williams and Anita Heiss.'\u003ci\u003e Readings Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA heart-warming and ultimately triumphant story of the life of a young Torres Strait Islander woman from Tagai Town, a shantytown on the northeastern coast of Australia, in the decades before, during and after World War II.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrowing up in the 1930s, Pearl strives for a place in the wider world, battling deep-seated prejudices. When she rescues a white shopkeeper trapped under a fallen beam, a bond forms between the two women, and Pearl becomes the first Ailan woman, Islander woman, to work front-of-shop in the nearby white town. Not everyone is happy, of course, least of all the affronted white customers. But Pearl is quietly determined. Her budding romance with the bank manager's son, though, must always be kept secret for her to retain her position and for the security of Tagai Town. Like Ama Rose says, 'We leave them koles, white people, alone and they leave us alone!'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen war arrives and Teddy suddenly enlists in the army, Pearl faces a cruel punishment. But her quest to recover the child she had with Teddy reveals much more than she'd bargained for.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLenora Thaker's debut novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Pearl of Tagai Town\u003c\/i\u003e, brings a fresh angle to Australian historical fiction with a First Nations wartime love story.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Readers of Kate Grenville and Anita Heiss and those drawn to lesser-told stories will find much to admire in this striking debut.'\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003eBooks+Publishing\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'\u003ci\u003eThe Pearl of Tagai Town \u003c\/i\u003ereclaims history through storytelling.' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNational Indigenous Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e 'Powerful and beautiful'\u003cb\u003e Readings\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003eTorres Strait Islander novels have been as rare as hen's teeth, making this work not just a beautiful sorry but a groundbreaking contribution to a literary landscape that has waited too long to hear these voices.'\u003cb\u003e Rudi Bremer,  ABC Radio National\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Lenora Thaker","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43516757966909,"sku":null,"price":33.24,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0597\/7689\/2989\/files\/9781923058392.jpg?v=1787572186","url":"https:\/\/www.palmleaf.com.au\/products\/the-pearl-of-tagai-town","provider":"Palmleaf","version":"1.0","type":"link"}