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The Last Anniversary

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 855 ratings · 112 reviews

Sophie Honeywell always wondered if Thomas Gordon was the one she let get away. He was the perfect boyfriend, but on the day he was to propose, she broke his heart. A year later he married his travel agent, while Sophie has been mortifyingly single ever since. Now Thomas is back in her life because Sophie has unexpectedly inherited his aunt Connie's house on Scribbly Gum

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Paperback, 400 pages

Published May 30th 2006 by Harper Perennial (first published January 1st 2005)

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Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

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May 20, 2013 Lindsay rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fluff

This served its purpose- to have something to occupy a small portion of my time on my honeymoon. I didn't want something to heavy, or something that obsessed me and took all of my hubby time. And it was fast- literally the first book I've finished that wasn't wedding related since we got engaged.

Liane does a pretty good job with weaving a plot. She's got a mystery, lets you have little clues along the way, and then hands you a "twist" that's not incredibly shocking, but satisfying enough. But th...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually feel jealous of all the people who still have all of Liane Moriarty's books to read, when I'm going to have to wait for her next one to come out.

While this isn't my favorite of her books I did really like it and feel she is an incredibly talented author. Maybe her books won't win Pulitzers or whatever, but her characters have so much detail and depth that it is sheer pleasure to know them through the books.

Sophie broke up with Thomas a few years ago, right before he was about to prop...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicklit, women-s-fiction, mainstream

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com

Having read rather a good deal of chick lit this year, I’ve found that these novels tend to vary widely upon where they fall upon this rather broad genre. At one end are those novels that are a step or two away from traditional romances (with a few brand names and a bit of extra snark thrown in for good measure), while at the other are those that could fit quite snugly into the mainstream, or even literary fiction, shelves. These par...more This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com

Having read rather a good deal of chick lit this year, I’ve found that these novels tend to vary widely upon where they fall upon this rather broad genre. At one end are those novels that are a step or two away from traditional romances (with a few brand names and a bit of extra snark thrown in for good measure), while at the other are those that could fit quite snugly into the mainstream, or even literary fiction, shelves. These particular novels tend to have a darker core than their zippier, more romancey cousins, and may also flirt with other genre conventions, such as that of the mystery or thriller genres. Liane Moriarty’s The Last Anniversary is one of these latter novels: one that might be nominally chick lit, but which would be rather more comfortably placed in amongst its mainstream peers—especially if those mainstream peers are in close proximity to the mystery shelves. It’s a rather surprising novel in many ways, and is certainly one that confounds a number of genre expectations.

Summary

It has been three years since Sophie Honeywell broke up with almost-fiance Thomas Gordon, and Sophie, although not necessarily regretting the decision—Thomas, while a lovely chap and a good chef, didn’t exactly inspire in Sophie the sort of breath-stealing passion she’d rather like in her lover—is beginning to wonder whether she might have missed the boat in terms of all things love and baby-related, and her biological clock is sounding about as subtle as Munich’s glockenspiel. However, Sophie’s life is given rather a shake-up when Thomas’s Aunt Connie bequeaths, rather surprisingly, her stunning estate on the tourist haven Scribbly Bark island to her. Needless to say it’s not only Sophie who is surprised by her sudden windfall, and Sophie finds herself in the midst of some family politics more transient and unstable than that of Liberia. But the mystery of Aunt Connie’s will is not the only mystery facing Sophie and the family into which she has again been catapulted: Scribbly Bark island, it turns out, is home to a number of uber-secrets that, if they come out, could well be the island’s commercial undoing–and the undoing of the family itself.

My thoughts

I have to admit that, based on the light and fluffy cover, and the fact that I nicked this novel out of my mum’s notoriously beach-readish library, I was expecting something a little less challenging from The Last Anniversary. I was, however, delighted to find that I’d been led astray by outward appearances. While the novel does, of course, spend some time dwelling on the existential angst that apparently comes with being single and childless at forty, it’s far more than one women’s race against her biological clock. In addition to some of the more light-hearted fare encountered throughout the narrative, Moriarty engages a number of challenging themes, and does so thoughtfully and unflichingly. The post-natal depression experienced by the outwardly unflappable Grace, for example, is presented in a way that is raw and unrelenting but, due to Moriarty’s excellent way with character, is sympathetic at the same time. Other dark issues such as rape, betrayal, and the day-to-day emotional bullying found in some romantic relationships, are also addressed, and while not allowed quite the same amount of page space in order to be addressed in a complex, thorough manner, are treated in a way that is substantially more than superficial, and that is often eminently believable. Moriarty, however, balances these more challenging themes beautifully with the less confronting parts of the narrative, and manages to do so in a way doesn’t trivialise them in the least.

While the narrative itself follows a fairly unsurprising path, it’s not the plot that’s the star of this book. Rather, character and setting shine here. The setting of Scribbly Gum island is beautifully rendered, and Moriarty’s evident attention to milieu is augmented by a cast of characters who slot perfectly into this setting, with the two bridged together by the author’s profound understanding of Australianness. Moriarty avoids the ponderously overt approach to “doing Australian” injected with such painful determination into so many Australian novels (or worse, novels that aren’t Australian, but try to be), and instead allows her characters’ culture to shine through in a number of snippets that will have readers familiar with the plight of the aspirational classes nodding along: iced Vo-Vos, pots of tea, marble cake recipes, terrible clothing, Weight Watchers, awkward attempts at entertaining, and appallingly bad children’s literature, just to name a few, pop up in passing, but aren’t given the lavish attention some authors seem to think they require. Through a combination of the above, and of course the omnipresent family politics, the reader is given an in-depth understanding of most of the book’s characters, and given the rather substantial cast, the fact that each character (with the exception of Rose and Enigma, who tended to blur together for me, although perhaps, given the book’s twist, this was intended) is so easily distinguished from the others is testament to Moriarty’s skill with characterisation. I did, however, have some misgivings about the male characters in the book, as they did tend to feel rather less well-rounded than the females, and in the cases of characters such as Ron, Mr Egg Head, and Rose and Connie’s father, are condensed down into something approaching evil. Given the diversity of female characters in the book, and the balanced approach taken to their actions present and past (and let’s be honest, there are enough skeletons in this family’s closest to warrant a home with rather more storage space), the condemnatory approach taken towards the male characters is all the more noticeable.

While The Last Anniversary is for the most part (there are some robotic-sounding missteps with the present-tense used throughout the book) enjoyably and effectively wrought at the prose level, written in a style that veers between the fluffy and flitty to the astonishingly cruel as required, this sense of authorial control, as mentioned earlier, isn’t quite as evident at the narrative level. The mystery surrounding Scribbly Gum Island is perhaps played up a little too much, particularly given the fairly mundane (and easily guessable) truth behind it, and one can’t help but feel that the book could have been streamlined a little by reducing the emphasis on this particular plot point. Similarly, there’s some redundancy in Sophie’s quest for love and romance, and this results in a certain amount of tedium that detracts from an otherwise quick and zippy plot. I was, however, quite delighted with the eventual outcome of Sophie’s quest to go forth and multiply, as the fairly non-traditional solution felt rather more fitting with Sophie’s character than her previous mooning over married men, men with girlfriends, men with significant others, and, well, really, just about any man with a heartbeat.

Conclusions

The Last Anniversary was a surprise discovery for me, and one I’m rather glad I came across. While it’s not a flawless work, it’s certainly one that’s thoroughly engaging, and that will have readers caught up in the complex familial machinations of the residents of Scribbly Gum Island. Moriarty has considerable facility with characterisation, and works hard to balance the darker elements of the plot with moments of delightful levity (competitive body building for Weight Watchers members, anyone?), resulting in a read that is somehow both insouciant and thoughtful at the same time. It’s a fine outing, and Moriarty is clearly an author to watch.(less)

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Apr 07, 2012 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Last Anniversary is the second novel by Australian author Liane Moriarty. The story starts with 39-year-old Sophie Honeywell finding out that she has inherited a house on Scribbly Gum Island on the Hawkesbury River. The house has been left to her by Connie Thrum, the Great Aunt of her ex-boyfriend, Thomas Gordon, and causes some commotion within the extended family on the island. Scribbly Gum Island is famous for the “Munro Baby Mystery”, a seventy-year-old unsolved crime involving a cake, a...more

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May 24, 2011 sabisteb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: buch

Am 15. Juli 1932 finden die beiden Teenager Connie und Rose Doughty das Haus ihrer Nachbarn Alice und Jack Munro verlassen vor. Das Wasser im Teekessel ist noch heiß, dem frisch gebackene Marmorkuchen auf dem Tisch fehlt nur noch die Glasur, und ein Säugling wartet darauf gefüttert zu werden. Wo sind die Eltern des Kindes geblieben? Was ist damals wirklich passiert?

Diese Frage um das Mysterium von Scribbly Gum Island beschäftigt Sophie seit ihrer Kindheit. Sie liebt das Rätsel um Alice und Jack...more Am 15. Juli 1932 finden die beiden Teenager Connie und Rose Doughty das Haus ihrer Nachbarn Alice und Jack Munro verlassen vor. Das Wasser im Teekessel ist noch heiß, dem frisch gebackene Marmorkuchen auf dem Tisch fehlt nur noch die Glasur, und ein Säugling wartet darauf gefüttert zu werden. Wo sind die Eltern des Kindes geblieben? Was ist damals wirklich passiert?

Diese Frage um das Mysterium von Scribbly Gum Island beschäftigt Sophie seit ihrer Kindheit. Sie liebt das Rätsel um Alice und Jack Munro. Leider liebt sie Thomas, einen Nachfahren des damals zurückgelassenen Babys Enigma nicht genug, um ihn zu heiraten. Nun ist er verheiratet, hat ein Kind und Sophie ist immer noch Single, ende dreißig, beruflich erfolgreich aber die biologische Uhr tickt immer lauter.
Thomas Familie ist mehr als überrascht als gerade Sophie, die Ex das Haus von Thomas Tante Conny erbt und keiner aus der Familie. Auch Sophie kann sich nicht erklären, warum Tante Conny gerade sie erwählte. Noch mysteriöser ist Tante Connys letzte Nachricht an sie, sie kenne da einen Mann, der genau der richtige für Sophie wäre. Wer ist Mr. Right? Der Gärtner, der Anwalt oder doch Collum, dessen Frau unter Kindbettdepressionen leidet und Sophie als ihre Nachfolgerin auserkoren hat?

Eine gelungene Mischung als Krimi und Liebesgeschichte, witzig und teils bitter böse erzählt. Die beiden alten Frauen Enigma und Rose brauchen kein Blatt mehr vor den Mund nehmen, wer in ihrem gesegneten Alter ist, darf ruhig feststellen, dass Connies Asche genauso aussieht wie der Staub aus einem Staubsaugerbeutel.
Das Geheimnis des Munro Babys zieht sich als roter Faden durch das Buch, es verbindet alle Protagonisten auf die eine oder andere Weise miteinander. Um diesen Erzählstrang entfalten sich die Probleme der Familie von Enigma, dem Munro Baby, und mittendrin Sophie. Jahrelang führte Tante Conny ein eisernes Regiment, ohne Conny müssen sich die Familienmitglieder neu organisieren, erkennen wer sie sind und was sie wollen und das Ergebnis ist teils überraschend (für die Ehepartner).
Was zunächst wie eine klassische Liebesgeschichte à la Pilcher anmutet: Enddreißigerin, verzweifelt auf der Suche nach Liebe, das Ende ist absehbar, überrascht gegen Ende doch.

Fazit: Leichte Unterhaltung, dennoch spannend und witzig. Eine gelungene Mischung aus mysteriösem, ungelöstem Kriminalfall und der Suche nach der wahren Liebe.
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Oct 29, 2012 Sally rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I do like this author! This is a great story, with some lovely, likable characters. (FYI, there were a few prurient bits, the type of things that I appreciated NOT being in "What Alice Forgot".) The book is about a woman who ends up having a house left to her, a house on an island where a family has made a cottage industry out of a mysterious disappearance, turning the mystery into a tourist trap. The main character is a funny, sweet young woman who has to find her way around this new family, so...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Terri Tinkel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, family, female-friends, marriage, mother-daughter-family

This book is all about a mystery. One that occurred several years before on a small island where most of the characters have lived for a very long time. The people who were involved in the original situation have promised to tell the others what really happened so long ago. As each character works through their own issues, some of the story line falls into place. And even when the reader finds out the truth behind the big mystery....at the very end of the story, another secret is revealed. I enj...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars

After I went crazy about Liane Moriarty's "What Alice Forgot" last month, I ordered another of her books, "The Last Anniversary." What a disappointment! I will agree with the book jacket's assessment, "her characters are eccentric." To say the least. They're actually downright weird. And quite perverse, in some cases. The storyline completely collapses and toward the end of the book you feel very frustrated that you wasted the time to read it. Do NOT bother with this one. I may have overstated m...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was thoroughly entertained by this amusing and engrossing story. This is one of those rare and marvelous books that makes you forget about everything else while you are reading.
Sophie is a 39-year-old single woman in Sydney who unexpectedly becomes the heir of a great house on a tiny island after the owner dies. She moves in and becomes involved in the family mystery of the little island as well as the business which has become quite successful as a result of said mystery.
I fell in love with a...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Carin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australia, women-authors

I really liked Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot, so when I ran across this title, I figured I'd give it a go and I'm really glad I did! It's nowhere near as chick-lit-y as the cover implies, and it's actually got a pretty unique premise.

Scribbly Gum Island is off the coast of Sydney and the tiny island (8 houses) has long made its name in promoting the mysterious disappearance in the 1930s of a couple from one of the houses - who left their newborn infant, tea boiling on the stove, and a cake...more I really liked Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot, so when I ran across this title, I figured I'd give it a go and I'm really glad I did! It's nowhere near as chick-lit-y as the cover implies, and it's actually got a pretty unique premise.

Scribbly Gum Island is off the coast of Sydney and the tiny island (8 houses) has long made its name in promoting the mysterious disappearance in the 1930s of a couple from one of the houses - who left their newborn infant, tea boiling on the stove, and a cake ready to be iced. The couple was never found but the two island teenagers, Connie and Rose (at the time, the only other people living on the island along with their father), raised the baby, winningly named Enigma. The mystery about her parents' unsolved disappearance turned into a money-making enterprise with tours, a cafe, souvenirs, and an annual anniversary bash. The island now is also home to Enigma's daughters and their children, which include Thomas. When Aunt Connie dies, she leaves her house to Thomas's ex-girlfriend Sophie, to everyone's shock, and it's from her point of view that we see most of the story, although the POV actually jumps around to most all of the characters at one time or another. Initially that was confusing, but the characters are for the most part so different and well-drawn (with the exception perhaps of Rose and Enigma) that it was very easy to tell them apart after just a short while.

Sophie is 39, successful in business if a little bored, and did debate marrying Thomas who was so perfect on paper - and her clock is very much ticking - but in the end she did the right thing (although as it was on the day he was planning to whisk her away for an island proposal that everyone knew about, her breakup went over even less well than most.) Connie admires her honesty and gumption, which is why she left her the house. So Sophie is trying to figure out how much the ticking clock means to her, still single and childless, how hard she's willing to pursue options in that arena, and what sacrifices she is (and isn't) wiling to make. Meanwhile, all the family members around her are going through their own growth and new understandings, involving everything from weight loss to post-partum depression to questioning sexual identity. The story stays light and airy despite some heavy topics (and the depression is not handled lightly, it is treated with respect and seriousness.) Sophie is a winning central figure, and many of the surrounding characters are quite likable as well. While many don't start out that way, by the end you do end up understanding all of them better, and understanding always helps likability.

One mystery was solved exactly as I had guessed, which I like (I hate a ton of red herrings and a solution out of left field) and at the very end there's a lovely twist I didn't see coming at all but liked very much. Also the solution to Sophie's issues is fairly novel, as was the reason for Thomas's sister's nastiness after the breakup. While this book certainly is lighter and sillier than Ms. Moriarty's more recent novels, it's a great read for someone who would like something lighter but not insubstantial. There's plenty to ponder and think about here, but it's wrapped in fairy floss (that's cotton-candy to us Yanks) and tied up with a mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it.(less)

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Apr 12, 2013 Narelle Connell rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really like this book a LOT. I love that it's resolutely Australian, yet quirky enough to be mostly set on an island a short boat ride from Sydney. I loved Sophie for lucking into inheriting a house on said island and becoming part of the fabric of life there, and all the details slowly coming together. It felt like more than a standard "chick-lit" book, dealing with a number of different issues and without needing to tie up everything into a neat bow at the end. If Moriarty wrote another book...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: funny, own

This book has all the wonderful things I've come to expect from Liane Moriarty's work: an enchanting cast of distinct characters, mild plot twists that nonetheless feel delicious and exciting, a steady thrum of tension throughout that drags me through the pages sometimes even against my will, a surprising and satisfying conclusion, and a fervent wish that the book were about 300 pages longer. Or 500.

Here's the interesting part: I didn't even like this one as much as the other two of hers I've re...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Lisa (scarlet21) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This has been the perfect light-hearted, chucklesome read. Lots of fun but with some serious topics which are almost just mentioned in passing, perhaps making more impact?

Sophie, still single at nearly 40 and biological clock ticking loudly is amazed when her ex-lover's not quite aunt leaves Sophie her house on Scribbly Gum Island, home of one of the most famous mysteries ever heard!
As the 73rd anniversary of the mystery beckons Sophie become embroiled with the eccentric family and their busine...more

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May 18, 2010 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, family

Oh, this was a fun book! I didn't enjoy it quite as much as _Three Wishes_, but I certainly did have a good time reading it! I giggled out loud and even teared-up in a few places. My only real complaint was that Sophie's story was left a bit too open for my tastes... Still, I enjoyed the book and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any future books by this talented writer. Moriarty has a real knack for creating likable characters and entertaining (if not entirely unpredictable) situation...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I think this is Moriarty's second book - not nearly as good as What Alice Forgot, but an enjoyable read all the same. I like the way she changes perspective among her characters from time to time, while sticking with a main character in this one. She's a bit like Elizabeth Berg that way. A fresh story line, with a mix of humor, romance, mystery, and family dynamics. There's a bit more language (as in the "f" bomb) in this one, but not a crazy amount. Definitely worth a read.

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Nov 22, 2012 Kathleen Payne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about the Munro Baby Mystery and the family that maintained and perpetuated the story. A love story, a family story, a mystery I found the book a fun read, interesting parts and the relationship issues among the characters just added to the plot. I laughed out loud a few times and I couldn't begin to explain to my husband "what was so funny?" I can't share the book with my daughter, I saw she's beat me to it! I'll have to give it to a girlfriend to enjoy.

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Aug 03, 2012 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sometimes you just read a good because it's a light, easy read with an interesting story. Nothing deep or meaningful - just a fun read. This is one of those books. I liked the characters and the storyline was interesting. The only part I didn't care for was certain short chapters of dialogue that didn't indicate who was speaking. Other than that - it was a nice read.

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Sep 28, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoy this author's style. Fun to read, interesting in-depth characters. Being all set on an island gave it a different spin. Nice mystery with a not-really-too-plausible ending, but enjoyed the book so much--that's ok. Two characters turning up gay seemed redundant. All loose ends tied up neat as a package with a bow at the end--hadn't expected that.

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Feb 18, 2012 Karen Douglas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fast paced chick lit ...... a great interlude to my bookclub reads!

Well written and held my interest thoughout. Made me laugh out loud in many places and the ending wasn't quite as predictable as I had thought.

For a cheapy that I bought as a bulk purchase from The Book People I'm very pleased - might even get around to reading the other 9.

Only complaint is that the print was tiny in this edition!

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Aug 04, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

What I really think is that it is impossible to top What Alice Forgot. I am not really sure that this one delivers a satisfactory conclusion, for when it ended I was like, really? We get to guess what happens to Sophie's love life? I could have done that and not read the book at all!!! I enjoyed it, but it might be a stretch at four stars.

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Jul 26, 2010 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brilliant characterisation - for a writer this is worth buying as a character study - though not as enjoyable as Three Wishes. Sophie's quest for romance grew tiring and her character so annoying I wanted to slap her. The story is compelling enough that I made it to the end, which is saying something as I don't have the patience I once did.

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Aug 06, 2011 Colleen added it

The first 3/4 of the book was pretty good--well, for a light read--but the ending was horrible. It felt like the author was rushed, and the characters didn't do things that were consistent with the way they were developed. (Such as Sophie making a very selfish decision to become a mother. Others, too.) Very disappointing.

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Mar 13, 2010 Kellyh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to admit that I got this in a cheap bundle of books and probably never would have picked it otherwise. That said, I am extremely glad that I have and am reluctant to pass it on. It isn't nearly as chick-lit style as I'd feared, rather it is an entertaining yet compelling mystery with several intriguing tangents.

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Jun 13, 2012 Kerry rated it 2 of 5 stars

I actually debated one star, but gave it two. I slugged through the book. By FAR Moriarty's worst. Her others are so great, this one was written by another person! It was just drab and dull. An the characters faced tremendously serious situations that were interspersed throughout the book and were never given their due. It felt sacrilegious.

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Aug 18, 2011 Cathy rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was truly awful. Trite, dumb story, and not entertaining. Amazed to see it's gotten so many stars from other readers. Once I start a book, I usually feel compelled to finish, but I skipped pages at a time. On to something better!

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Apr 07, 2008 Lenny Husen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Story about a dysfunctional family, seven generations are covered. Several very likable and/or believable women characters. All the men (except one minor character) were seriously flawed (either evil, wimpy, or dead). Set on a small island in Australia. I couldn't put it down. Not a perfect book, but provocative. Interesting exploration of marriage, family, emotional abuse, postpartum depression. My main criticisms are the male characters, superficial treatment of the serious issues, and the fac...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Bailey Olfert rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was delightedly chuckling when I got another Liane Moriarty book in my hands! These characters are so real and flawed yet so easy to like anyway. Liane shows that love and life are messy but we can decide how we behave.

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Aug 06, 2009 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Part family drama, part chick-lit, part mystery, this novel is set primarily on a tiny island in Australia which which was the site of an incident many years before, the famous (fictional)"Munro Baby Mystery." Really enjoyed it.

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Apr 16, 2013 Helonia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Easy reading, with well rounded characters. The old ladies were a lovely treat. I haven't read liane before but will keep an eye out for more of her stories. I love the Australian references.

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Dec 17, 2012 Zuzanna Janiak rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that I keep buying as a gift - it's a great story set on a (fictional) river island near Sydney. Lots of great characters and a mystery that's really exciting to discover.

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About Liane Moriarty

Liane was born on a beautiful November day in 1966 in Sydney. A few hours after she was born, she smiled directly at her father through the nursery glass window, which is remarkable, seeing as most babies can’t even focus their eyes at that age.

Her first word was ‘glug’. This was faithfully recorded in the baby book kept by her mother. (As the eldest of six children, Liane was the only one to get...more Liane was born on a beautiful November day in 1966 in Sydney. A few hours after she was born, she smiled directly at her father through the nursery glass window, which is remarkable, seeing as most babies can’t even focus their eyes at that age.

Her first word was ‘glug’. This was faithfully recorded in the baby book kept by her mother. (As the eldest of six children, Liane was the only one to get a baby book so she likes to refer to it often.)

As a child, she loved to read, so much so that school friends would cruelly hide their books when she came to play. She still doesn’t know how to go to sleep at night without first reading a novel for a very long time in a very hot bath.

She can’t remember the first story she ever wrote, but she does remember her first publishing deal. Her father ‘commissioned’ her to write a novel for him and paid her an advance of $1.00. She wrote a three volume epic called, ‘The Mystery of Dead Man’s Island’

After leaving school, Liane began a career in advertising and marketing. She became quite corporate for a while and wore suits and worried a lot about the size of her office. She eventually left her position as marketing manager of a legal publishing company to run her own (not especially successful) business called The Little Ad Agency. After that she worked as (a more successful, thankfully) freelance advertising copywriter, writing everything from websites and TV commercials to the back of the Sultana Bran box.

She also wrote short stories and many first chapters of novels that didn’t go any further. The problem was that she didn’t actually believe that real people had novels published. Then one day she found out that they did, when her younger sister Jaclyn Moriarty called to say that her (brilliant, hilarious, award-winning) novel, Feeling Sorry for Celia was about to be published.

In a fever of sibling rivalry, Liane rushed to the computer and wrote a children’s book called The Animal Olympics, which went on to be enthusiastically rejected by every publisher in Australia.

She calmed down and enrolled in a Masters degree at Macquarie University in Sydney. As part of that degree, she wrote her first novel, Three Wishes. It was accepted by the lovely people at Pan Macmillan and went on to be published around the world. (Her latest books are published by the equally lovely people at Penguin in both the US and the UK)

Since then she has written two more novels for adults, as well as a series of books for children.

Liane is now a full-time author. She lives in Sydney with her husband, her new baby daughter Anna, and her son George, who likes to sit on her lap while she works, helpfully smashing his fist against the keyboard and suggesting that she might prefer to be watching the Wiggles instead.

Once upon a time she went heli-skiing and skydiving* and scuba diving. These days she goes to the park and ‘Gymbaroo’ and sings ‘I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock’ at swimming lessons. She has discovered that the adrenaline burst you experience from jumping out of a plane is remarkably similar to the one you get when your toddler makes a run for it in a busy car park (less)

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The Last Anniversary

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