Mary Ann & Captain Piper

Jessica North (Allen and Unwin, $34.99) Born on Norfolk Island to First Fleet convicts, Mary Ann was destined to become a farmer’s wife. Instead, at the age of

14, she entranced the island’s commandant, Captain Piper. Becoming his wife, Mary Ann transformed herself from barefoot child to the top of Sydney’s fashionable society. As mistress of the colony’s grandest home, she entertained on a scale never seen before. But the Pipers were living beyond their means – and trouble was waiting around the corner. With a life encompassing triumph, tragedy and travels around the globe, this is a remarkable true story.

An astonishing story of lust and love in early colonial Australia SUE WILLIAMS AUTHOR