*Many thanks to Kate Grenville, Canongate, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Based on the life of her ancestor, the Author presents us with the character of Dolly Maunder, who despite her background and gender, tries to gain as much independence as possible for a woman in Australia over a hundred years ago.
The book reads smoothly, and characters are well-constructed. Dolly definitely stands out as a female with wit and intelligence, and the will to achieve more from life than she is expected.

Found it quite difficult to get into at first as it felt quite disjointed jumping through the years. However I flew through the second half and enjoyed the rest.

Restless Dolly Maunder is based on Kate Grenville's actual maternal grandmother, and I think it suffered for that. It didn't have the gravitas of some of her other works and at times felt a bit of a plod to read. I did enjoy it in parts but wasn't very keen on any of the characters.

I felt the frustrations of Dolly’s life so clearly through the wonderful writing of Kate Grenville. How sad it is that still in some places in the world today life is as limiting for women, if not even more so, than it was for Dolly. I didn’t think I could enjoy the book any more than I had till I got to the end and learnt that the author was the granddaughter of the lead character. I know a lot of the saga had to be pure fiction but fiction based on as much information as the Kate Grenville could acquire.

I was sent a copy of Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville to read and review by NetGalley. This is the first book by Kate Grenville that I have read and I will definitely be reading more. Beautifully written, Poignant, sad, but also inspiring. I certainly didn’t want to put it down and read it in a couple of days. I hadn’t realized that the story was about the author’s own grandmother until I read the afterword, which I recommend that you do - once you’ve read the book of course! A wonderful book well worth the maximum 5 stars.

Dolly Maunder was the second youngest in her family, and times were tough. Their father never smiled and they learned not to aggravate his anger. When school became compulsory, Dolly and a couple of her brothers were the only ones to go to school, where they had to remain until they were fourteen; Dolly was a bright child who loved learning and was keen to become a teacher herself. But her father was dead against it, so she worked in the kitchen to help her mother, and around the farm with milking and anything else that needed doing.

Dolly married Bert and they had three children. Dolly hated their life on the farm in country New South Wales, not far from her parents property and when she saw the opportunity, she persuaded Bert to move to Sydney, where his brother helped set them up in a shop. Content as they built their business up, it wasn't long before Dolly was restless again, and a boarding house on the beach was her next venture. Dolly ran the boarding house, and the children looked forward to their father coming for the weekend after his long week in their shop, where they would play and frolic in the waves until it was time for his return to the city.

Restless Dolly Maunder by Aussie author Kate Grenville is a fictionalised story about the author's grandmother, Dolly Maunder and her life. Born in the late 1800s, Dolly and her family were hard workers, and struggled as many did in those days. Dolly was determined to better herself, but then came the Depression, then the war. Hard times indeed for everyone living in those times. An intriguing and heartfelt look at times gone by, Restless Dolly Maunder is well worth a read. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.

A family story (the protagonist we finally learn was the author’s great grandmother) which really grabbed my interest. It narrates a woman’s peripeteia starting in mid-19c rural Australia. Personal obstacles, triumphs, social pressures, changing landscapes… Some sections are better conveyed than others, and I didn’t find the writing style totally compelling, but there are enough pluses in the story and it’s analysis to make it an entertaining, human, worthy novel.

My goodness, does Kate Granville know what she’s doing! I was sucked in from the very first page, meeting young Dolly, and the first chapter showing us how one single decision could make such an enormous difference to the education of country Australian children, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Kate Grenville writes the life of her grandmother, known as Dolly, born in 1880 in country New South Wales, the sixth of seven children, the smallest girl. While family tragedies early on made a hard life harder, at least we tell ourselves, Dolly was educated - but would that be enough?

This is an imagined reconstruction of the life of Dolly Maunder, based on research and family stories. Kate has drawn a thread through Dolly’s life. Kate knew her as aloof, frowning, cranky - perhaps unloving and this novels tells us so much about why she was the person she was - and was she really that unloving?

In terms of Dolly's options, being born in the 1880s: “There was nursing or teaching, or if you were Catholic you could be a nun. That was it, pretty much, for girls from ordinary families in a little back-of-beyond place like Curra.” Dolly’s father refused to let her go onto teacher training after she finished school at fourteen, so she was essentially stuck on the family farm, set to marry a local boy and start a family.

Dolly put it off as long as she could and then married and made a life with Bert Russell, having three children. No question that Dolly was the brains of the pair, but unfortunately she wasn’t the man. Her married life was battling against the limitations of Bert, of the expectations on women and her lack of agency over her own life. Kate writes so beautifully- it’s a superb read, even though Dolly’s life is heartbreaking in many ways. As Kate puts it : "Dolly’s was the transition generation … These women are our foremothers. Their stories are our history. Those mostly silent, mostly unrecorded women are where we come from. If we’d been born when they were, our lives would have been theirs." Thank you Kate for an extraordinary telling of the life of your grandmother.

… And thank you NetGalley, Canongate and Kate Granville for the ARC.

As this is an account of the life of the author’s grandmother, I started reading unsure if it would read like a novel or a biography. It definitely read like a novel, and a very engaging one at that.
Dolly isn’t always an easy character to like. She often makes things difficult for herself and for the people she loves. But I had to admire the way she just wouldn’t settle for a life that couldn’t fulfil her. A woman born in a time and culture that denied her a chance to fulfil her dream, she had to find other ways to obtain fulfilment. I’m not sure she ever found it, but she certainly gave it her best shot. In doing so, she showed grit and courage, and bloody-mindedness, and she proved that a woman could make something of her life. Sadly, this all came at a cost. It really is a myth that a woman can have it all, and that was especially true in Dolly’s time.
I found the writing inviting, with wonderful insights into what drove Dolly to do what she did. The author has created a complex character and brought real depth, honesty and empathy to the narrative. Every woman living in an age with more advantages should acknowledge the struggles and achievements of those who went before. This story is a fascinating character study and a portrait of a place and time.
4.5 stars for me. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Kate Grenville's work, and was delighted to pick up this new book. - and equally delighted that it did not disappoint!

Dolly Maunder was Kate's grandmother, and this is a fictionalised account of her life in late 19th century Australia. Determined not to be the typical housewife that society expected, Dolly blazes a trail for independence, forever striving to attain new successes and embrace new challenges, always looking for new business opportunities.

Although Dolly can be seen as abrupt, defensive and grumpy - including by her own children - Kate Grenville's telling of her story puts this down to a reaction against hardship, and the fight a woman had to make to become successful in her own right.

Well worth a read, quite inspirational!

I loved this book despite it making me very sad that women's lives could be so constrained and unfulfilled by men, children and their situation. Dolly doesn't come across as a very likeable character and I think even she acknowledges this. I feel she is just frustrated and desperate to be out in the world 'doing' which unfortunately was not possible for many women at the beginning of the 20th century. Despite this she fights convention in her own way her whole life and I just find that admirable when 100 years later a lot of women still find themselves constrained in similar ways. I was delighted to discover at the end of the book that Dolly was Kate Grenville's grandmother making her the little girl in the garden. What a tribute to be able to write her grandmother's story for everyone to read. I'm sure Dolly would be very touched. Definitely a book I'm happy to recommend as a 5* read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Based partly on the real life of her grandmother, Kate Greenville’s Restless Dolly Maunder is written with the author’s beautiful prose that we have come to expect from her. Where the story occasionally felt a little dull or too detailed comes probably from the fact that it is based on truth. Overall., a fascinating read but not my favourite Grenville novel.

Another fabulous read that I wouldn’t have picked up if it hadn’t have been for the Women’s Prize.

Dolly Maunder is most definitely restless. She wants more than the hand that life has dealt her - and as a female whose parents work on a farm, she is expected to get married and have children who will work on a farm.

Dolly is determined, and that’s what shows throughout this book. When her parents take away the chance for her to become a teacher, she finds other ways to change her life. She’s a force of nature! I loved Dolly’s spirit. She did come across as obstinate and single minded, neither of which is a terrible thing for someone with ambition. But it’s not easy for those who have to live with her!

This is a pretty wide-sweeping novel, from Dolly’s childhood until her old age, and it still seemed to be over too soon. It was so interesting to learn about the Australian way of life from just before WWI to after WWII, and Dolly moves around enough for the reader to see different areas of Australia.

There’s a lot of emotion in this book, and when you read the authors note at the end, you’ll see why. Recommended.

'Restless Dolly Maunder' by Kate Grenville tells the story of a woman born at the end of the 19th Century. Heavily restricted by societal expectations about women and their education, career aspirations and ability to live lives not governed by men, Dolly, despite her evident intelligence, is coerced by her family into a marriage with someone who despite charm and familiarity, does not meet her needs. Her anger fuels her economic striving and often leads to financial success, but it also causes her never to be happy and to be a parent that her children find scary and unpredictable.

Kate Grenville is an excellent novelist and 'Secret River' is one of my favourite books of all time. This novel, which it transpires is based upon her maternal grandmother, doesn't have quite the complexity of some of her other works, and instead follows quite a linear narrative, that can at times feel repetitive. However, I still enjoyed reading this book and found the end notes particularly touching.

An interesting read that I read in almost one sitting. Inspiring to read about Dolly but difficult to read the novel as a female. Dolly never gave up and that was very empowering. I loved the writing style and couldn't wait to read more as i got further into the book. Thank you to Netflix for the chance to read this before publication.

Restless Dolly Maunder, penned by Kate Grenville, delves into the life of her grandmother—an intelligent, independent woman seeking a path divergent from societal norms in the 1800s. I'm particularly drawn to this theme in historical fiction as it sheds light on an often overlooked aspect of history: women's struggle for independence and equality.

The narrative woven around Dolly Maunder is not only beautiful but also anecdotal, conversational, and immensely enjoyable. I extend my gratitude to Netgalley, Canongate Books, and Kate Grenville for providing this exceptional ARC. My review reflects my voluntary thoughts, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.25 stars
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Dolly Maunder is born at the end of the nineteenth century, when society's long-locked doors are just starting to creak ajar for determined women. Growing up in a poor farming family in rural New South Wales, Dolly spends her life doggedly pushing at those doors. A husband and two children do not deter her from searching for love and independence.

I find myself struggling with this review because, although this book didn't objectively do anything wrong, I don't think it did anything great either.
It is a fictional account of the life of the author's grandmother, Dolly Maunder. Born towards the end of the 19th century, Dolly finds herself battling throughout her life against the societal restrictions imposed on her by her gender.
But beyond that, the story was quite mundane and repetitive. After Dolly gets married and has children, she gets restless (we're not going for subtle here,) rages about how limited her options are as a woman, takes the family to a new place to build a new business and a new life. Then she gets restless, rages about how limited her options are as a woman, takes the family to a new place to build a new business and a new life. Then she gets restless, rages about... Rinse and repeat until the end of the book.
The story was fine, serviceable but forgettable. I may be judging it harshly but this book's presence on the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist means I had certain expectations and I was left thoroughly underwhelmed.

Restless Dolly Maunder tells a fictionalised version of Kate Grenville's grandmother. It is a fascinating story the way that Grenville brings to life all the trials and tribulations that her grandmother and her family went through.

I enjoyed this book and on starting hadn't realised it was part biographical. The book spans a time in history where women were expected to do a lot and have no recognition and marrying meant you could no longer have a paid job either. It's scary that is isn't that long ago either.

I admired Dolly's conviction that she could beat the system and make things work for her but sometimes the world got in the way of this.

Interesting read and makes you think.

I can easily see why Kate Grenville’s novel has been shortlisted for the Women’s prize for fiction! It was such a pleasure to read and draws you into Dolly’s world completely. I especially loved how the writing style is reminiscent of folk and fairy tales with the reader being told what the characters say without the use of quotation marks and the repetitive nature of Dolly’s actions through the book which makes it feel like there is a moral lesson to be learned.
I didn’t always like the character of Dolly and found myself questioning her decisions, but I found her compelling. It wasn’t until the end that I learned that the book is based on the life on the author’s grandmother- the very real Dolly Maunder which added an extra layer of reality and poignancy into the author’s writing.
The book is such an important one for our times, shedding a harsh light onto the situation of countless women through history who were unable to make decisions for themselves, or like Dolly, were judged for going against the grain, and until now, have had no voice.
I will not be surprised at all if the novel wins the Women’s prize for fiction when it is announced on the 13th June!