It is 1957 and, after the death of her husband, pianist Ilona Talivaldis and her nine-year-old daughter Zidra travel to the remote coastal town of Jingera in New South Wales. Ilona, a concentration camp survivor from Latvia, is searching for peace and an opportunity to start anew. In her beautiful vine-covered cottage on the edge of the lagoon, she plans to set herself up as a piano teacher.

The weeks pass, and slowly mother and daughter get to know the townsfolk - including kind-hearted butcher George Cadwallader who is forever gazing at the stars; his son Jim, a boy wise beyond his years; Peter Vincent, a former wartime pilot and POW; and Cherry Bates, the publican’s wife who is about to make a horrifying discovery...

For Jingera is not quite the utopia Ilona imagines it to be - and at risk is the one thing Ilona holds dear...

Shortlisted for 2011 The ACT Book of the Year Award

Highly Commended, 2011 ACT Book of the Year Award

Reviews

‘A story that lingers long in the imagination’ Debra Adelaide

‘Who could not be charmed by STILLWATER CREEK? I loved the characters, the scenery, the dramas, the gentle humour and the sense of Australia as it once was. Enjoy a feel-good beach read this summer!’ GOOD READING

‘Stillwater Creek is written with a great sense of place… Booth explores the theme of racial prejudice… and attitudes to sexuality, along with the dreadful and ongoing threats of war, and the unerring way in which what you want to keep buried seems to rise to the surface… It’s a heartwarming story that upholds the notion that another human being can be a safe place. And that the good in humans will trump the bad.’ THE SUNDAY MAIL

‘A great summer read ... fans of Di Morrissey will enjoy discovering a new talent’ HERALD SUN

‘A mythical town and its people are brought beautifully to life ... a really lovely book’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘An evocative romantic drama set in a sleepy Australian country town’ AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY

‘A finely observed historical drama ... evocative and eminently readable’ THE AGE

‘A great summer read’ SUNDAY TIMES, Perth

‘A powerful tale’ SUNDAY TASMANIAN

‘This gentle, heartfelt story is rich with small-town secrets’ INSTYLE

‘Firmly anchored in the smell of eucalypts, the yellow, bruised light of a summer storm, and the ever-present ocean,… Stillwater Creek is an enchanting place to spend a few hours.’ NOTEBOOK MAGAZINE.