Robert Hillman Books

"I'm a Wathaurong man. I'm an artist who draws on life in this big red and yellow and black country." Stan "Yarra" Yarramunua- artist, musician, actor, social worker, businessman. From growing up in poverty in Swan Hill - and sometimes on the road, with his itinerant father - Yarra had a tumultuous and often rough childhood. He learnt early how to lift a wallet or two, and grew into a ratbag who looked set to follow in his father's footsteps- fall into one too many skirmishes with the law; have one too many drinks, sliding down the path to alcoholism. Yet after years of addiction, Stan gave up drinking, discovered painting and found his true name of Yarramunua. Soon he was selling his traditional paintings, and hand-crafted clapsticks, didgeridoos and boomerangs, at markets across Melbourne. He opened one of the first privately owned Aboriginal art galleries in Australia, and represented Indigenous artists from around the country, including from the desert regions. Today, Yarra is an internationally renowned artist and performer. But he hasn't forgotten his roots- he is committed to improving the lives of Aboriginal kids in his home town, and has helped many young Indigenous men find their way out of addiction and despair. This is an inspiring story of a remarkable man overcoming hardship, striving for a better life, and reclaiming his ancestry.

A gorgeously written, tender, and wise novel about love and forgiveness in 1960s Australia, in which a lonely farmer finds his life turned upside down by the arrival of a vibrant librarian.

Welsey Cunningham grew up running barefoot through the orchards of his Quaker family farm, working with horses and dreaming of one day building himself a house on his own patch of ground above the river. The Second World War interrupted those dreams: it took Wes to New Guinea as a medic, and then sent him home with healing bullet wounds in his legs. While Wes was away, life in Almond Tree continued; but everyone's been changed by the war. None more so than Beth Hardy - his headstrong, fiercely intelligent and beautiful neighbour. As Wes begins again to construct the peaceful life he's always wanted, Beth sets herself on a very different path, committing herself to the Communist Party and all it stands for. Their dreams and desires may be at odds, but there is something they don't yet know. Wes and Beth need each other, desperately: neither will be able to survive what life has in store without the other.

Tom Hope doesn't chase rainbows. He does his best on the farm - he milks the cows, harvests the apples, looks after the sheep - but Tom's been lonely since his wife Trudy left, taking little Peter with her to go join the holy rollers. Enter Hannah Babel, quixotic smalltown bookseller: the second Jew - and the most vivid person - Tom has ever met. When she asks him to move in, and help her build Australia's most beautiful bookshop, Tom dares to believe they could make each other happy. But it is 1968: twenty-four years since Hannah and her own little boy arrived at Auschwitz. Tom Hope is taking on a battle with heartbreak he can barely even begin to imagine.

Exploring themes of grief and obsession, the story follows Leon as he grapples with the loss of his wife and the shocking revelation of her hidden passions. His quest to reclaim her memory leads him down a path of emotional turmoil, as he confronts the complexities of love and betrayal. This poignant narrative delves into the depths of longing and the struggle to understand a loved one's true self, ultimately questioning the nature of memory and attachment.

Set against the backdrop of the devastating civil war in Sri Lanka, the narrative follows Malini, a young girl forced to navigate perilous circumstances after being separated from her parents. Tasked with the care of her younger sister, Banni, she embarks on a treacherous journey to reach their grandfather's village, evading soldiers and searching for food and shelter. The story highlights themes of resilience, survival, and the bond of sisterhood amidst chaos, capturing the harrowing yet hopeful odyssey of two sisters in a war-torn landscape.

Po přednášce na teheránské univerzitě se Zarah zastavila s kamarádkami na nádvoří, chvíli si s nimi povídala a potom se vydala domů. Tam však již nedošla. Cestou u ní zastavilo auto, vyskočili z něj dva policisté a dívku násilím vtáhli dovnitř. Nasadili jí pásku přes oči a odvezli neznámo kam. Tak začíná strašlivá noční můra, na niž Zarah nikdy nezapomene. Jako vzdělaná dívka z dobře situované rodiny se pohybovala v lepší společnosti, ale zároveň vyznávala pokrokové myšlenky. A právě nezávislost, s níž neváhala vyslovit své názory, ji přivedla až do nejstrašnějšího teheránského vězení. Tam se octila na milost a nemilost krutým a perverzním praktikám dozorců, pro něž lidský osud neznamená nic a kteří slepě a oddaně plní úkoly s jediným cílem: zlikvidovat všechny, kdo by se snad jen náznakem postavili proti vládnímu systému postavenému na náboženském fanatismu. Zarah musí protrpět nelidské výslechy, bití, mučení, několikrát jen těsně unikne znásilnění. Pouze vzpomínky na milující rodiče a sourozence ji drží při životě... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------