Cheryl Adam Knihy

Exploring the concept of the crone, Cheryl Adam contrasts negative societal perceptions with the empowering reality of post-menopausal life. She delves into the connections between illness and aging, reflecting on her personal journey and the influences of artists and theorists who lack firsthand experience of menopause. Adam examines the caregiver role of women and critiques the portrayal of marginalized subjects in art. Her work is a transformative exploration of identity, leading to a deeper understanding and acceptance of her own cronehood.

As a young unmarried mother in the 1960s, Maureen faces stifling disapproval and condemnation from mainstream society. Desperate to create a new life for herself and her baby, she rekindles an old romance and moves to South Africa under Apartheid. But her precarious journey to Africa's Eden is not the paradise she anticipated. Cultures smash against each other, family relationships are strained, there is death and despair, violence and injustice. But there is also humour, fun, family, and friendship, as Maureen has to decide where her future lies. Is it here in Africa or back home in distant Eden, in her Australian homeland?

Pregnant, abandoned, and homeless, Maureen battles to survive a Swedish winter until help arrives in the form of a mysterious woman with a veiled past. With the prospect of being deported, Maureen learns who her real friends are, especially when she faces suspicion due to her links to a suspected criminal. Meanwhile in Australia, Maureen’s family is scrambling to help her when the health of her unscrupulous father declines and he needs the intervention of his estranged family members to salvage both his dignity and finances. In this engaging, rollicking yet poignant sequel to Lillian’s Eden, we see Maureen’s ambition to explore the world encounter its harsh realities, and her mother Lillian using her resourcefulness and intelligence to tackle the ongoing family dramas at home. This is a novel about women in the world in the 1960s, both at home and abroad, and their resilience and capacity to manage their lives at a time when others want to take that independence and decision-making from them.